On Tuesday, September 17th, I had the honor of moderating a webinar with Traci Ray, Vice President for Advocacy and Special Programs at the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF). The discussion featured representatives from Jacksonville University and Herzing University, including Dee Thornton, Director of Academic Technology at Jacksonville University; Bethany Huwe, Associate Vice President of Academic and Library Resources from Herzing University; and LeShawn Roberts, Regional Vice President of Operations at Herzing University. Together, we explored the role of peer learning strategies in closing equity gaps, driving meaningful student engagement, and building community in this challenging environment.
Opportunity for Innovation
Declining enrollments have significantly strained colleges and universities, increasing pressure on funding, resources, and institutional capacity. This underscores the importance of retaining and graduating enrolled students, ensuring no one falls through the cracks. As education costs rise, institutions must deliver greater value to students. Shifts in student demographics are reshaping educational models, with students seeking more ownership over their education and demanding flexible services that fit their schedules and preferences. These changes highlight the need for institutions to rethink how they engage and support students, with tutoring as a key area ripe for innovation.
The Power of a Peer Who’s “Been There, Done That”
Despite the proven benefits of tutoring, many students—especially those from first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds—do not proactively access these resources. Research indicates that tutoring is highly impactful, but only 30% of students engage with campus tutoring services, often unaware of the full scope of support available. Institutions need to remove barriers to engagement, empower students to see the value in tutoring, and leverage their own social capital—students who have succeeded and can relate to their peers. As LeShawn Roberts from Herzing University shared, “We had a centralized model and professional tutors before we went to Knack. We now have peer tutors, and there is more availability for our students. Additionally, these are students who have performed very well in the very class that they’re tutoring in, so it gives them more direct knowledge as to the difficulties that student may face in that particular course.”
More Tutors, More Access
Studies show that students who participate in peer tutoring experience higher academic outcomes, engagement, and retention rates. The challenge is reaching those who need it most and building a large enough pool of peer tutors, particularly in upper-division courses. By enabling a model where qualified students can tutor courses they excelled in, providing proper training and guidance, and offering flexible tutoring schedules, institutions can remove layers of friction. More qualified tutors mean more courses supported and greater accessibility for students.
Scaling Tutoring Efficiently
Many tutoring strategies face barriers such as limited resources, time constraints, tutor availability, wages, and the cost of scaling. Peer tutoring offers a scalable, cost-effective solution by leveraging successful students within the institution, reducing the need for costly external tutors while providing additional employment and leadership opportunities. The Knack model enhances existing services, allowing institutions to focus on students who need support most. Dee Thornton from Jacksonville University noted, “When we decided to look for some innovative solutions, we wanted to continue the peer-to-peer model because we knew we had success with that. But managing the tutors was going to fall to me. I did not have the time to do payroll or training for all of them.”
Bethany Huwe from Herzing University added, “The ability to have a consistent system for messaging and communication, ensuring all students can access tutoring in the same way and have visibility in the same way.”
Data and Coverage are Key
In this challenging environment, new initiatives must demonstrate clear ROI quickly. Herzing University, serving learners across 11 cities in 8 states, has seen over 5,200 tutoring sessions completed in the past year, with a 98.8% satisfaction rate in those tutoring relationships. Jacksonville University (JU), having launched in August, quickly got their initiative up and running within a month, signing up over 400 student tutees and 25 tutors, 44% of whom had never engaged with tutoring at JU before. Providing institutions with dynamic data to see feedback on individual sessions, coverage, and requests down to specific courses helps prioritize efforts where gaps exist, rather than managing tutoring at scale. LeShawn Roberts highlighted, “I can tell you specifically, at one of my locations, I have very unique programs that are not spread throughout. For instance, radiologic technology is not as popular within the larger institution, so there weren't many tutors for upper-level radiologic courses. Now, we have coverage because we have people who have gone through those courses.”
Peer Learning as a Pathway to Closing Equity Gaps
This webinar underscored the importance of peer learning in driving engagement, access, and equity in the student experience. By creating accessible peer learning opportunities and leveraging their own social capital, institutions can foster a greater sense of belonging, create meaningful employment opportunities, and enhance strategic student outcomes.
It was a pleasure to engage in this thoughtful discussion. A big thanks to Traci, Dee, Beth, and LeShawn for sharing their valuable insights and experiences.
The insights shared in our recent webinar underscore the transformative power of peer learning in bridging equity gaps and boosting student engagement. Book a call with Knack today to learn how we can help your institution create a thriving, supportive learning environment.
