Promoting Peer Assisted Learning and Developing Leaders

Here the efforts of ensuring the effectiveness of team based activity planned under the course Analog and Digital Electronics (ADC) involving Peer Assisted Learning are presented. Course concepts can be effectively conveyed to students by solving problems on a regular basis. The course ADC is an important course under Automation&Robotics program providing fundamental concepts which are prerequisites for studying the higher end subjects prescribed under the program. Developing the skill of problem solving and analysis is the critical need of the course. This was taken up as the objective wherein a team based activity was designed for promoting a high level peer to peer interaction involving students from different grades forming a team to solve problems, analyze the result and summarize. The activity was designed to promote cooperative learning environment in turn boosting the confidence level and problem solving ability of students in a phased manner. The challenge was to address the needs in a justifying manner for the weaker and lagging students. Emphasis is also on building some specialized skills like leading the team, owing responsibility of the team, demonstrating interpersonal skills, developing team spirit and enthusiasm among the set of students chosen as leaders of the activity. Hence the objectives of the proposed activity, process of selecting of leaders, the criteria of forming team, mechanisms introduced to supervise the implementation of the activity on a timely basis, role of faculty coordinator , the results achieved and the analysis of student feedback on the on-going activity are discussed and presented.