PALS online and community building: A contradiction in terms?

In response to a rapidly changing tertiary education environment, a number of universities have implemented various peer-assisted learning schemes. Research has shown that peer-assisted learning can play an important role in helping students address the difficulties of adjusting to university study in first year. These difficulties consist not only of adjusting to academic content and study skills, but significantly also to a sense of belonging to a university community. The evidence suggests that peer-assisted schemes on campus help students establish social networks which can have a positive and vital influence on their learning and academic achievements for the duration of their studies, and hence assist with retention. At the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), the majority of students are not on campus, which raises the urgent question: how can we harness the advantages of peer-assisted schemes in an online environment? And given that the potential problem of social isolation is even more acute in distance education, how do we develop a peer-led scheme online that creates a sense of community for its participants? This paper will explore these questions by reflecting on various examples of online mentoring schemes, and suggesting strategies for future development