"In many ways, informal learning plays a bigger role in defining an MIT education than the formal curriculum does" --Task Force on Student Life and Learning, September 9/98, section 3.4 A great deal of learning happens at MIT "informally" in residences and other areas as students work on projects, participate in extracurricular activities, study for tests, or do things together in their spare time. In a recent study done by the Residence System Steering Committee, a significant number of upper-class undergraduates commented that peer teaching had directly contributed to their success at MIT. In fact, the students considered peer teaching an integral part of their MIT experience. As well, they have an appreciation for the diverse skill sets of their peers, and a sense of community that fosters their desire to help one another succeed. We would like to find out why informal peer learning is such a powerful means of instruction, what we can do to strengthen the experience for students, and how we can import some of the elements that function so well in these situations into more formal learning situations. The Teaching and Learning Lab and UTEACH propose launching a research project to examine what happens when students come together informally to teach each other. In a literature search on the topic of "peer learning," we found material on more conventional peer learning activities (e.g. university-sponsored tutoring), but nothing in the area we are proposing to study. Therefore, we think there are strong possibilities for publishing the results of this research. We would use a three-pronged approach for the study: a survey designed to give us a broad overview of the kinds of informal learning occurring at MIT; observation of students working together; and focus groups. A pilot study will be undertaken in the 2000 spring semester. back to the UTEACH home page