Peer Assisted Study Sessions

Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) is an academic support program that runs in units that students can find challenging. Sessions are facilitated weekly by a student who has recently achieved excellent results for the unit. They will run fun, group-learning activities that cover the previous week's unit materials and study skills. They also help students make friends, make the most of university opportunities, and stay motivated throughout semester.

PASS session information 

• PASS sessions are delivered on-campus and online in response to previous attendance trends.
• Find more information on your unit's Moodle or the PASS Moodle (both accessible via your Moodle dashboard).
• You can enrol in PASS sessions on Allocate+. If sessions appear full on Allocate+, please use the PASS Moodle to check session details and attend anyway.
• You can join PASS at any point in the semester. We recommend attending as many sessions as possible.

PASS sessions are open to all students enrolled in the units listed on this webpage. Whether you're aiming for top marks, finding the content challenging, looking for weekly motivation, or seeking new friendships, there are great benefits to attending.

PASS participants are encouraged to actively contribute to a shared learning experience. This involves working with peers on activities that deepen understanding of key concepts, and sharing knowledge and questions with the group.

Common activities in a PASS session include:

• Group discussions about the unit content
• Working on practice questions in a low-pressure setting
• Quizzes to test knowledge gaps
• Concept mapping to help visualise relationships between ideas
• Sharing unit and degree-specific study strategies like techniques for note-taking, time management, and exam preparation

Benefits include:

• Improved academic performance (students who regularly attend are more likely to achieve a D or HD, and are less likely to fail the unit)
• Stronger sense of connectedness and belonging
• Support with motivation
• Increased confidence, critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Exclusive revision materials
• Pathway to future employment as a PASS Leader

In this paid role, the PASS leader facilitates between two and four, one-hour study sessions a week for students in first-year units. The PASS leader designs supportive, inclusive sessions that deepen knowledge of the unit content, while offering study and social support.

Experienced leaders have the opportunity to train and mentor new PASS leaders, as well as partnering with PASS staff to enhance the program.

Being a PASS leader helps you develop the skills most highly valued by employers, including oral and written communication skills, problem solving, and time management.

Eligibility

You must:

• be currently studying or have studied the relevant PASS unit
• be an undergraduate for undergraduate units, or postgraduate for postgraduate units
• be in Australia for all hours worked
• have successfully completed at least 48 credit points of your Monash degree
• be available to fulfil the role for at least two semesters
• have a weighted average mark (WAM) of 60 or more
• have a distinction or higher for the relevant PASS unit
• have no record of academic or general misconduct
• commit 4-5 hours per week during semester
• attend PASS leader training (usually held in the week before O-Week).

PASS leaders must have excellent communication, interpersonal and organisational skills. Any experience in tutoring, coaching, customer service and leadership roles in clubs, societies, teams or at high school will help to demonstrate these skills. Preference is given to students who have regularly attended PASS.

Responsibilities and Tasks

PASS leader

PASS leaders

Chloe Jensen, Bachelor of Arts and Science, "I really wanted to become a PASS leader to be able to guide first year students in their learning and empower them"

PASS participants

"PASS helped give me a better idea of what concepts are important, refined and established my understanding. I recommend PASS because it's a fun way to revise, meet other students, and really prepares us for exams. I also benefited by receiving academic mentoring from the PASS leader running the session, who helped me with my problems and questions I had." - PASS participant, BIO1011

"PASS gives me the opportunity to go through practice problems, and practise issue spotting and writing up responses, especially towards the end of semester. It's a lot more relaxed than a workshop or tutorial. Everyone is a lot more open and I felt confident to speak up and share my answers in a non-judgmental environment." - PASS participant, LAW1114

"PASS is very interactive and fun. The benefit of students teaching first-years is that they can give an insight from their experience and advise them on what to do. It is the best mode of revision you can opt for." - PASS participant, FIT1047

"I liked how PASS used a combination of MCQs and SAQs to consolidate our knowledge. I also really liked how we worked on the questions together, allowing me to not only learn from my peers but also share my ideas. The PASS leaders' quizzes also help me realise which details I may have missed during my own study." - PASS participant, BMS1031

"Going through different questions in each PASS session really helps with my own analysis and study structure. The academic mentoring in PASS provides helpful insight into the unit that we can't get from lectures, as we receive a student perspective on the unit from the PASS leader who has been in our shoes and succeeded." - PASS participant, BTC1110

Art, Design, and Architecture

• Architecture PASS (ARC1001 and ARC1301)
• BLK1000 - Indigenous Australian creative practice and ways of knowing

Business and Economics

• ACF1100 - Introduction to financial accounting
• BFF1001 - Foundations of finance
• BTC1110 - Commercial law
• BTF1010 - Business law
• ECB1101 - Introductory microeconomics
• ECF1100 - Microeconomics
• ETF1100 - Business statistics
• MKB1700 - Fundamentals of marketing

Engineering

• ENG1005 - Engineering mathematics
• ENG1011 - Engineering methods
• ENG1013 - Engineering smarter systems
• ENG1014 - Engineering numerical analysis
• ENG1090 - Foundation mathematics

Information Technology

• FIT1008 and FIT2085 - Computer science
• FIT1045 - Introduction to programming
• FIT1047 - Introduction to computer systems, networks and security
• FIT1051 - Programming fundamentals in java
• FIT5197 - Statistical data modelling
• FIT9131 - Programming foundations in Java
• FIT9132 - Introduction to databases
• FIT9136 - Algorithms and programming foundations in Python

Law

• LAW1114 - Criminal law 1

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

• BMS1031 - Medical biophysics
• NUR1112 - Fundamental skills and knowledge for nursing and midwifery practice 1 (Clayton)

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

• BPS1021 - Medicinal Chemistry 1: Structure
• BPS1031 - Physical chemistry 1: Equilibria & change
• PHR1021 - How medicines work 1: Physical chemistry
• PHR1031 - How the body works

Science

• BIO1011 - Blueprints for life
• CHM1011 - Chemistry 1
• MTH1010 - Functions and their applications
• MTH1020 - Analysis of change
• PHS1001 - Foundation physics
• PSY1011 - Foundations in psychology
• SCI1020 - Introduction to statistical reasoning

Art, Design, and Architecture

• BLK1000 - Indigenous Australian creative practice and ways of knowing

Business and Economics

• ACF1100 - Introduction to financial accounting
• BFB1001 - Foundations of finance
• BFF1001 - Foundations of finance
• BTF1010 - Business law
• BTB1010 - Business law
• BTC1110 - Commercial law

Engineering

• ENG1005 - Engineering mathematics
• ENG1011 - Engineering methods
• ENG1013 - Engineering smarter systems
• ENG1014 - Engineering numerical analysis

Information Technology

• FIT1008, FIT1054, and FIT2085 - Computer science
• FIT1043 - Introduction to data science
• FIT1045 - Introduction to programming
• FIT1047 - Introduction to computer systems, networks and security
• FIT1050 - Web fundamentals
• FIT1051 - Programming fundamentals in Java
• FIT5197 - Statistical data modelling
• FIT9131 - Programming foundations in Java
• FIT9132 - Introduction to databases
• FIT9136 - Algorithms and programming foundations in Python

Law

• LAW1113 - Torts

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

• BMS1062 - Molecular biology

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

• BPS1022 - Medicinal chemistry 2: Reactivity and biomolecules
• BPS1032 - Physical chemistry 2: Solutions, surfaces and solids
• PHR1022 - How Medicines Work 2

Science

• BIO1022 - Life on Earth
• CHM1022 - Chemistry 2
• MTH1010 - Functions and their applications
• MTH1020 - Analysis of change
• PHS1002 - Physics for engineering
• PSY1023 - Introduction to psychological Inquiry
• SCI1020 -  Introduction to statistical reasoning