Peer support group

In this blog post I would like to reflect on our peer support group during T&L Certificate module. This year was stressfull: full-time research, teaching, suppervising students AND a final year of the Software Engineering degree would not leave any slack time for me. Enrolling to the Teaching&Learning module this year was a naive mistake bringing more stress. These ladies helped me to pull through and to complete all deadlines (although not all of them on time!). Most definitely I can say that I would not be in a position to complete this module without all support, empathy and help that I received from the group. Peer support groups are known for their use in desease treatments, where it is now well established that they help against psychological distress and fears. A number of processes that were found to be beneficial were mutuality and cohesion, identification with others in the same situation leading to a sense of belonging. Reflecting on my positive experience I would like to explore how peer support groups can be used to assist my students in their project work.