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Community of Practice

PEP group meeting

Virginia Tech has more than 45 peer education programs serving tens of thousands of students. We welcome campus partners who coordinate peer education programs or have an interest in peer education best practices to join our Community of Practice (CoP).

What is a community of practice? 

A community of practice (CoP) is comprised of professionals interested in a common topic who come together to share their experiences and best practices, form connections, ask and answer questions, and create new knowledge to advance their topic of interest. 

PEP group meeting at a table


Why join us?

We seek to create a space at Virginia Tech where everyone learns together, raising our community’s collective wisdom and skill level around best practices in peer education.

As a CoP participant, you will:

  • Connect with and learn from Virginia Tech colleagues doing similar work 
  • Share support and ideas within a community of peer education practitioners
  • Refine or grow your peer education program through discussion of strategies and best practices

What we plan to discuss

  • Administrative Best Practices (hiring, scheduling, marketing, etc.) 
  • Creating Faculty/Academic Partnerships 
  • Data and Assessment/Evaluation 
  • Developing a Strong Culture with your Peer Educators 
  • Learning about Peer Education Subtypes, such as: Tutor, Mentor, Advisor, Ambassador, Coach 
  • Learning Theories (student development, mindset, metacognition, etc.) 
  • Leveraging Institutional Resources and Partnerships 
  • Peer Education Certifications 
  • Peer Educator Compensation 
  • Providing Services in a Virtual or Hybrid Environment 
  • Serving Specific Student Populations 
  • Training Models/Content 
  • Using Technology and Tools to Enhance Offerings

How to join

Join our Community of Practice

All participants will complete a registration survey to receive access to the Zoom login credentials. Please note that the CoP is currently restricted to Virginia Tech (colleagues at other institutions cannot join at this time).

The CoP meets on the second Monday of each month from 2:00-3:00 p.m. The CoP has access to a community Canvas course where updates and additional resources are posted. Zoom links for all meetings are located in the Canvas course.

Upcoming Events

  • September 14
    Welcome! New Hire Guidelines and Resources
    Location: Zoom link in Canvas
  • October 12
    Supporting Students in Distress
    Location: Zoom link in Canvas
  • November 9
    Peer to Peer Storytelling
    Location: Zoom link in Canvas
  • December 14
    Program Presentations and Mingling
    Location: In-person, location TBD
  • January 11
    Peer Education Transferrable Skills and Articulating the Impact
    Location: Zoom link in Canvas
  • February 8
    AI's impact on Peer Education
    Location: Zoom link in Canvas
  • March: Spring break, no meeting
  • April 12
    Skills discussion, Training and Programming
    Location: Zoom link in Canvas
  • May 10
    Program Presentations and Mingling
    Location: In-person, location TBD
PEP group