Rice introduces peer-led study program

By Aisha Khemani     10/8/24 11:34pm

Rice launched the Office of Academic Support for Undergraduate Students this semester, serving as a centralized office and drop-in study hub to academically support undergraduates. OASUS was created by the Task Force on Student Success, initiated by President Reggie DesRoches during his tenure as provost, to address gaps in educational experiences and outcomes, particularly for under-resourced students.

OASUS Director Elizabeth Cummings-Muñoz wrote in an email to the Thresher that staffing OASUS with student tutors helps create a collegial environment.

“OASUS is about fostering collaborative learning communities at Rice and creating a vibrant community of practice among Rice peer educators,” Cummings-Muñoz wrote. “We want Rice to be a place where asking for help is the norm and working together to learn is a fundamental part of the academic experience. This is already happening in many places on campus; we aim to build on that.”

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Caroline Crann, a peer tutor for MATH 211: Ordinary Differential Equations, wrote in an email to the Thresher that she was inspired to join OASUS based on her own educational experiences. 

“Transitioning into college classes, especially at Rice, can be an adjustment, and it certainly was for me,” Crann, a Lovett College junior, wrote. “I personally would have really benefited from drop-in if it existed when I was taking the courses covered by OASUS, so I wanted to help make that kind of support available to all students now.”

Crann said that the program goes beyond academic support to mentorship and building connections. 

“I love the ‘aha’ moment, when something finally clicks and a student realizes that all of their hard work has paid off, or when two strangers sit down at my table and by the end of the session, they are having conversations and exchanging contacts so they can work together in the future,” Crann wrote.

Ruhi Rachakonda, a tutor for MECH 202: Mechanics/Statics, also said these moments of understanding are a benefit of OASUS. 

“I was working with a student struggling to understand the concept of torque. I drew it out on the whiteboard, explaining how to visualize a pivot point and how forces cause rotation. When she finally understood, the look on her face was the most rewarding part,” Rachakonda, a Martel College junior, said. “I’m just a student, maybe a year older than them, and sometimes you don’t think you know enough to explain something, but realizing that I could make that impact was incredibly rewarding.”

Peer educators are trained in inclusive, equitable tutoring practices throughout the year in partnership with the Center for Academic and Professional Communication and the engineering department’s Activate communication program, according to Cummings-Muñoz.

Crann said that she found that the training helped her practice different scenarios as a peer tutor. 

“Orientation was about understanding the complexity of learning and how so many factors can influence how a student acts in a tutoring session,” Crann wrote. “We did lots of group discussions and workshops to understand different perspectives and backgrounds, learn how to be effective peer educators and foster a supportive and collaborative environment within drop-in.”

The Spring 2024 pilot offered drop-in study for eight courses: CHEM 122, MATH 101, MATH 102, MATH 211, MATH 212, PHYS 102, PHYS 126 and STAT 310. The program saw 1,241 total visits and 322 unique users. 32.5% of students enrolled in the eight supported courses used drop-in at least once. 

The program has now expanded to include 22 courses. This fall the program has 55 peer tutors and has had 1,300 visits as of Oct. 2. 72% of first-year students and 67% of second-year students are enrolled in one or more of the courses currently supported by OASUS,  Muñoz wrote.

Riya Yarlaggada, a sophomore at Lovett College, said she found the PHYS 125 drop-in hours helpful.

“A good thing the tutors do is they don’t really give you the answers, they guide your thought process,” Yarlaggada said. “They really help me understand the concept instead of just the routine pattern of doing a problem.”

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