Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)
You have to study, so why not study in a group led by a student who has successfully completed the unit?
PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) offers free, voluntary online sessions for select units with large enrolments. PASS is for all students – whether you're wanting to better understand something or striving for academic excellence.
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My name’s Georgie. I’ve been going to PASS for SLE132 Biology and SLE155 Chemistry.
My favourite activity that we did at PASS was Biology Bingo. For a couple of weeks, we incorporated our studying into games, and that was really great. We also did a lot of worksheets, which I found really reinforced my understanding of what we were doing in lectures.
I found PASS quite different to a tutorial. In my experience, in tutorials I found us as the students didn’t have much input into the class, whereas at PASS, the person who took the class really just mediated it, and we did a lot of independent work together.
I think I’ve become a lot more independent this year at university. My marks were pretty good, and I would definitely account some of that to PASS.
I’d say you may as well give it a shot. There’s no harm in going to one PASS session, and I think the likelihood is that you’ll enjoy it and you’ll want to go back.
Yeah, see everybody at PASS!
Why Georgie goes to PASS
Hear from Georgie about her experience with PASS, from studying through games and group activities to strengthening her understanding and becoming a more independent learner.
Students who join PASS learn effective study skills and develop communication, problem-solving and critical thinking skills while meeting lots of other students.
The 50-minute weekly online sessions are led by a PASS leader, a student who recently completed the unit so knows what you are going through and wants to help you succeed.
Check the current PASS timetable to see if there are PASS sessions for your unit.
A typical PASS session is a 50-minute online study session and might include:
- a review of the lecture and assigned readings
- group work and discussions
- problem-solving and critical thinking activities
- how to prepare for assignments and end of unit assessments or exams
- discussion of key course concepts.
In a PASS session, we usually have a quick starting activity to work out what you want to study in the session. The PASS leader will then facilitate this through a variety of ways including small quizzes, group brainstorms, and other group activities.
Most of all, a PASS session is:
- student led
- student focused
- relaxed
- fun!
Just bring your questions!
Students who attend PASS sessions generally perform better than those who don't attend PASS. These graphs represent the average final marks of students who attended PASS sessions compared to the students who did not attend any PASS session in Trimester 1 2021.
Arts and Education
Within Arts and Education, the average mark for those who did not attend any PASS sessions was around 77%. In comparison, those attending PASS sessions received an average mark of approximately 95.2%, a difference of 18.2%.
Business and Law
Within Business and Law, the average mark for those who did not attend any PASS sessions was around 74%. In comparison, those attending PASS sessions received an average mark of approximately 89.7%, a difference of 15.7%.
Health
Within Health, the average mark for those who did not attend any PASS sessions was around 82%. In comparison, those attending PASS sessions received an average mark of approximately 95%, a difference of 13.3%.
SEBE
Within SEBE, the average mark for those who did not attend any PASS sessions was 76.6%. In comparison, those attending PASS sessions received an average mark of approximately 92.1%, a difference of 15.5%.
Why become a PASS leader
Being a PASS leader not only provides a fantastic, paid, off-campus job, it also enhances your own study and employability by helping you develop your knowledge and skills, including some of Deakin’s Graduate Learning Outcomes.
Research suggests1 that PASS leaders may improve their employability capabilities in a variety of ways. PASS leaders may develop:
- core technical skills
- organisational skills
- social skills
- professionalism and business acumen
- appreciation of mentoring
- critical thinking skills.
Eligibility
Current Deakin students who have recently completed the unit and achieved a distinction or higher can apply for PASS leader positions.
If you apply you will engage in a full recruitment process. Candidates who are successful in their application must then attend training to ensure they understand what PASS is all about and are able to successfully facilitate PASS study sessions. Training covers areas such as:
- how to conduct active, facilitative study sessions
- understanding the boundaries of peer-professional working relationships
- effective communication
- troubleshooting.
1 'Peer-learning to Employable: Learnings from an Evaluation of PASS Attendee and Facilitator Perceptions of Employability at Western Sydney University', Dr Robert Carr, Dr Kylie Evans-Locke, Hanan Abu-Saif, Renée Boucher, Karen Douglas, 2016
Applications are now open.
Applications close 30 October 2026.
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My name is Jess. My name is David. I went to SCP122 Physics for the Life Sciences for PASS.
I just came from MLC101 Business Law. PASS is definitely across all faculties. There are many PASS sessions running for different units, so whether you're in the Science Faculty or the Arts Faculty, there's something for you.
It's not just about passing or getting you to understand the concepts. It gives you an opportunity to meet other people in the faculty and in classes that you're studying, so it's good for making friends as well.
PASS is definitely not just for the short term. It encourages you to become an independent learner for your future units.
If someone's coming to PASS for the first time, I would definitely encourage them to because it's a good chance to work with other people and to discuss ideas and issues that you're having.
Definitely give PASS a shot. If you go the first time, you'll definitely want to go back and see your grades increasing, as well as your confidence and communication skills.
Why Jess and David go to PASS
Jess and David share how PASS helps students connect with others, work through challenging concepts and develop the confidence and independent learning skills they can use throughout their studies.
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I really enjoyed PASS because the class leaders were really good. I found PASS really interesting and helpful.
In my PASS session, they did a couple of games at the beginning, and later in the week they brought in questions. They would ask us what areas we found difficult, and they would concentrate on those.
PASS really does concentrate on academics, but it also focuses on the social side, making friends and achieving good marks.
I thought it might not help me at first, but when I went to the first class, I found that it really did help me with my workload and reduced my workload.
It's really friendly, and you can be yourself and ask the questions you want, and they'll help you a lot.
PASS is for everyone, and I recommend everyone should go for it.
Why you should give PASS a go
Hear from a student about how PASS provides a friendly and supportive environment to ask questions, tackle difficult topics, meet other students and manage your study workload.
Contact us
For further information please email us.
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Emailpass@deakin.edu.au