Sydney students win Australasian awards for peer leadership

The annual Australasian Peer Leader Awards recognise teams and individuals who have significantly contributed to the student learning space across the region.

Arts/Law student Anastasia Radievska was named 2018 Outstanding New PASS Leader, and the University of Sydney CLAW team, supporting students studying Foundations of Business Law and Legal Environment of Business, received the Outstanding Peer Educator Team Award.

"For 11 years, the University of Sydney PASS program has been recognised in front of the international community for its best practice in peer learning. I could not be more proud of the CLAW team and Anastasia in being recognised in this arena," said PASS Project Coordinator, Jessica Morr.

Peer Learning provides benefits in not only improving academic performance but also allows ease of transition to university and different units of study through increased social interactions.

"Seeing students come out of a session feeling calmer and more confident about the content than they did at the start is the most rewarding feeling. Studying law can be really stressful, and I'm glad that I can create a sense of collaboration and community in my sessions, as well as have a bit of fun with participants along the way," said winner of the Outstanding New PASS Leader Award, Anastasia Radievska. 

Under the mentorship and guidance of their team leader, Karen Gan (Commerce/Law), the CLAW team consisting of Stephanie Noronha (Economics/Law), Bryan Dai (Master of Commerce) and Luna Jia (Master of Professional Accounting), contributed significantly to the academic achievements of both their undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts, as well as well as helping students develop their critical thinking skills.

"We were very excited to be recognised as the 2018 Australasian Outstanding Peer Educator Team. The CLAW team are so dedicated to delivering the best possible PASS sessions for our students, and it was humbling to be recognised for our efforts," said Karen Gan.

PASS is designed to complement traditional tutorials and lectures by encouraging students to engage with course content and each other.

The free learning program is currently supporting most core units in the undergraduate and postgraduate Business School and Law School and aimed at students who want to improve their academic performance. PASS will be expanded into the Sydney Pharmacy School in 2019.