Student-led peer learning and support schemes can provide a vital sense of community and belonging to students in higher education, as well as offer the potential to improve academic confidence and contribute to improved attainment, retention, progression, and completion. Across the HE sector both within the United Kingdom and internationally, peer learning and support is commonly situated across a variety of institutional contexts, featuring a diverse range of approaches, models, and terminology.
This page provides useful resources and publications focused on peer learning and support, as well as professional development opportunities and other ways to engage with the peer learning community.
Peer to Peer Framework: a practical tool to underpin peer learning design
This framework has been developed with HE practitioners in mind, to facilitate an inclusive approach to embedding peer learning and support across academic and professional contexts in higher education institutions. Offering a strategic and practical guide for enhancing student engagement, success, and wellbeing, the Peer-to-Peer Framework is a sector-wide initiative developed by Lucy Chilvers and Dr Catherine McConnell from the International Association for Peer Learning and Support and University of Brighton.
Whether you’re designing a new module, developing a student support initiative, or shaping institutional strategy, the Peer-to-Peer Framework offers a flexible, evidence-informed foundation to guide your work. It’s a call to action for the sector to embrace student partnership and unlock the transformative potential of peer learning. The framework is informed by evidence from institutional research at the University of Brighton (Chilvers, 2025) and further developed through national research published by AdvanceHE (Lochtie and McConnell, 2024).
The Framework is structured by three rings with accompanying guidance; the inner ring summarises the contexts and range of peer-to-peer activities that can be developed either within or alongside the curriculum. The middle ring provides five stages of implementation through to evaluation of practice. The outer ring includes a set of ten underpinning values for informing development of activities, characterising peer-to-peer engagement and designing impact evaluation.
Published On: 28/10/2025
The Peer-to-Peer Framework: Embedding Peer Learning and Support in Higher Education
The peer-to-peer framework offers a holistic overview, to help readers reflect on current peer learning and support practices at institutional, faculty, department and programme or service level. It is helpful to work through stages one to five as introduced in section 3.1, when designing and planning for peer activities which may be as part of the curriculum, learning and teaching strategies, or an element of student-facing central services.
To hear more about the framework, have a listen to our short podcast explainer:
If you would like to discuss the framework in the context of your own practice and institution then please get in touch with the authors: Lucy Chilvers, Senior Lecturer, L.R.Chilvers@brighton.ac.uk and Dr Catherine McConnell, Head of Student Academic Success, C.McConnell@brighton.ac.uk.
Explore our latest reports and publications on student-led peer learning and support
Edited by Dave Lochtie and Dr Catherine McConnell, this compendium of evidence maps the provision of student-led peer learning and support, primarily across the UK HE sector, identifying multiple perspectives, opportunities, challenges, good practice and potential avenues for future research.
Within this compendium you will find:
- An extensive literature review featuring 95 academic papers on peer learning and support.
- Our findings following a call for survey
- An extensive set of 24 case studies of peer learning and support.
- Ten further case studies exemplifying students as co-creators of peer learning and support
Download elements of the compendium below.
Published On: 02/07/2024
Student-led peer learning and support – Executive summary
Exec summary from the Student-led peer learning resources
Published On: 02/07/2024
Student-led peer learning and support – Literature review
Student led peer learning lit review
Published On: 02/07/2024
Student-led peer learning and support – Findings
Findings from the student-led peer learning lit review
Published On: 02/07/2024
Student-led peer learning and support – Case studies
Student-led peer learning case studies
Published On: 28/08/2025
Students as Co-creators of Peer Learning and Support – Case Study Compendium 2025
This collection of case studies examines the innovative theme of student-to-student co-creation, showcasing how collaborative efforts among students can enhance their learning and foster a supportive and collegial environment. Each case study highlights unique approaches and strategies employed by students and staff to co-create learning experiences, share resources, and provide mutual support.
Join the Community
There is a vibrant and diverse HE community of practitioners, academics and students who are passionate about the benefits of peer-to-peer activities and there are many ways you can get involved and connect with others, outlined below:
The Association for Peer Learning and Support (APLS)
The Association for Peer Learning and Support (APLS) is a community of practice bringing together staff from HE institutions across the UK. The APLS aims to represent and support colleagues and institutions working in the field of student peer learning and support, and to cultivate an online community of practice, promoting the sharing of peer learning practices and a culture of collaboration among members. There is an annual in-person symposium; a series of online webinars hosted on the AdvanceHE Connect Platform; Regional and Special Interest groups and a JISC list email group. The publications shared on this page were developed collaboratively by colleagues in the APLS Community. You can find out more information by visiting the APLS LinkedIn page and AdvanceHE Connect Page to explore discussions, resources, and updates shared across the network.
The Journal for Peer Learning
The Journal for Peer Learning, formerly the Australasian Journal of Peer Learning, is an open-access, annual refereed journal established in 2008; it does not charge authors or readers a fee. The journal seeks to share high-quality research on peer learning in higher education. More specifically, the journal publishes scholarly research on innovations and best practices in peer learning, including program implementation and evaluation in varied organisational and cultural contexts. The journal’s aim is to provide an evidential basis for peer learning activities in higher education, which it supports as a valuable and versatile teaching and learning strategy.
European Centre for Supplemental Instruction (SI) and Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)
The European Centre for Supplemental Instruction (SI) and Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) aims to support students in their studies by encouraging collaborative learning and effective study techniques. It serves as a central hub for sharing best practices, research, and experiences related to supplemental instruction in higher education. Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) are regular, student-led study groups led by upper-year students who facilitate learning and collaboration for first-year students on specific courses. The goal is to improve academic performance by reviewing course material, discussing ideas, and building confidence in a relaxed, supportive environment.
International Peer-led Team Learning Society
The International Peer-led Team Learning Society is a community of practitioners centred around a model of peer-led team learning. Students work in groups to solve challenging problems by debating, negotiating, and building consensus under the guidance of a trained peer leader. Peer leaders are students who have completed the course and have strong interpersonal skills. They are the students who ask how and why things work the way they do, facilitating the learning of group members, and they do not provide the answers.
Within such a rapidly evolving educational landscape (from post-pandemic behavioral changes, increased reliance on ed tech and the advent of open-source generative AI to geopolitical developments and changing student:staff ratios), embedding peer learning and support has never been more important than it is right now. At a time when universities around the world are struggling to embed a broad range of models of peer learning and support (or even to be persuaded of their priority when planning under mounting financial pressures), this fantastic document, published by Advance HE and co-authored by Lucy Chilvers and Catherine McConnell, is as timely as it is clear. It provides staff in different roles and at different universities, across a wide range of countries, with an elegantly structured framework for peer learning and support that differentiates curriculum-embedded from co-curricular and extra-curricular initiatives. The global peer learning community owe a debt of gratitude to Lucy and Catherine and to Advance HE.”
Professor Tony Michael, President of the Peer-Led Team Learning International Society (PLTLIS https://pltlis.org/ ); Deputy Vice-Principal for Education, Queen Mary’s University London.
