Peer Education Academy

Welcome! The Peer Education Academy provides foundational training available to all peer educators at Virginia Tech. This training is designed to build critical skills for any students who help other students meet educational goals. Training can be accessed through asynchronous Canvas modules.

Some programs need comprehensive peer educator training while others just want a small supplement to an already-established program. No matter your situation, you are welcome to use any of this content that would be helpful!

New: Peer Education Academy (2024)

Thanks to a collaboration between the Student Success Center and TLOS, we are delighted to release expanded peer educator training content. The Academy includes three sets of modules to train students in different content areas.

Foundations of Peer Education

These modules introduce foundational knowledge and skills that peer educators of all kinds need to begin working with their peers. Each module includes an outline, interactive written content, a reflection worksheet, and an auto-graded Canvas quiz. The training topics include:

• Peer Education Basiscs
• Boundaries and Balance
• Building Rapport, Trust, and Safety
• Critical Communication Skills

Virginia Tech Essentials

These modules familiarize students with Virginia Tech campus resource areas that may enrich their work as peer educators. Each module includes an outline, interactive written content, reflection questions, and an auto-graded Canvas quiz. The training topics include:

• Academic Advising
• Academic Support 
• Career and Professional Development
• Student Life: Engagement and Involvement

Want us to include a module for your area? Contact us at peereducation@vt.edu.  

Recommended Compliance Training

This section links out to various trainings that are typically required or recommended for many student employees. These trainings are hosted by external units and include varying content and assessments. The training topics include:

• FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
• READ: Respect, Equity, and Anti-Discrimination (formerly Title IX)
• Academic Integrity

You can request access by clicking the Enroll link on this site. You will then receive the access link in your email. When you first enter the site, you will be asked to complete a short survey in QuestionPro to collect some information about your role with peer education. Once complete, you will receive access to the full site.

Foundations of Peer Education (2022)

First released in Fall 2022, these modules capture the Student Success Center's recommendations for a strong start to peer educator training. Each module includes an outline, content slides, reflection questions, a Canvas quiz, and suggested activity ideas for supervisors who wish to build on this training with their students. These modules include the following topics:

• The Peer Educator's Role
• Peer Education Do's and Don'ts
• Rapport, Trust, and Safety
• Critical Communication Skills
• Telling Your Story

To access these modules, complete this Google Form to receive the self-enroll link to the Canvas site. The form confirmation will display the self-enroll link. Since some programs are still using these modules, they will remain available through the 2024-25 academic year.