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Partner Appreciation Week 2025: Recognizing the Power of Peer Learning at Smaller Institutions

By: Page Keller on Feb 10, 2025 9:16:58 AM

Accessibility Student Success Scaling Support Partner Appreciation Week

Colleges and universities with fewer than 8,000 undergraduates have cultivated some of the most engaged and student-centered Knack partnerships. With strong campus communities and a focus on personalized support, these institutions have embraced peer learning as a powerful way to enhance academic success and connection. By integrating Knack into their support ecosystems, they’ve expanded access to tutoring while empowering students to learn from one another in meaningful ways.

Below, we’re excited to highlight how these institutions are leveraging peer learning to create lasting impact on their campuses:

Augsburg University’s partnership with Knack covers 165 courses. Kelsey Richardson Blackwell, Associate Dean of Student Success at Augsburg, said, “We know peer-to-peer tutoring is important for students to develop an academic sense of belonging, so we are thrilled Knack brought peer tutoring back on campus without the heavy lift for staff or faculty. The return of peer tutoring has been invaluable.”

Benedict College is a HBCU with just over 1,700 students. On Knack, 53% of Benedict students’ tutoring sessions occur outside of the traditional Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 work hours. “My most valuable tutoring experience with Knack was when I got a tutee who was really struggling with a course but their willingness, effort, and a bit of guidance was all they needed to be successful in the course,” said Anuli S., a peer tutor at Benedict.

Florida Polytechnic University is one of Knack’s most recent partnerships, launching this Spring. Florida Poly came across Knack while searching for a solution to scale tutoring on campus with limited resources. The partnership provides free peer tutoring to all students in all courses.

Fort Valley State University (FVSU), an HBCU located in Georgia, partnered with Knack to provide free tutoring to all students in all courses across campus. The average tutor rating at FVSU is an impressive 4.95 out of 5 stars--a testament to the hard work and dedication of the program's peer tutors.

In Fall 2023, Goldey-Beacom College (GBC) launched a partnership with Knack, providing free peer tutoring for all students across all courses. We asked GBC students what strategies they learned from peer tutoring and 67% said they learned how to effectively create their own study guide.

At Hampton University, 84% of sessions occur in-person, while the remaining 16% occur online. Here is what Evangel L., a peer tutor, had to say about her experience: “Tutoring has allowed me to find my voice as a leader and a mentor. For years, I feared that my quiet disposition made me incapable of being a leader, or that I would not do a good job at helping others, but I have come to realize this cannot be any farther from the truth.”

Jacksonville University (JU) demonstrated the powerful effects of peer tutoring by completing an impressive 710 student contact hours in the first semester of their partnership with Knack. “My favorite aspect is the independence. I can schedule sessions whenever I want and communicate directly with students. I just have to be the best tutor I can be," said Vukasin R. about being a peer tutor at JU.

Within the first year of Missouri S&T's partnership with Knack, students were able to complete 4,758 tutoring sessions. “I can choose my own time for help, knowing that all the tutors have taken the same class and understand what to expect. They can relate to my questions and struggles on a more personal level, which is something I really appreciate," said Vidisha W. about their experience as a student on Knack.

Moravian University launched their partnership with Knack in Spring 2023 to provide access to tutoring to all students in all courses. “Knack has made the process of scaling our peer tutoring services to cover new courses in our curriculum possible, and has created a fantastic employment opportunity for students to support one another across our undergraduate and graduate curricula," said Christopher Hassay, Associate Director of the Center for Academic Excellence, and Sela Herber, Academic Affairs Program Coordinator.

New College of Florida (NCF), a liberal arts college located in Sarasota, partnered with Knack to provide free tutoring to all students in all courses across campus. The average tutor rating at NCF is an impressive 4.98 out of 5 stars--a testament to the hard work and dedication of the program's peer tutors.

At Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), 289 students were able to complete a session on Knack in just one semester. "Knack has also increased access to tutoring as an on-campus job. The students who are tutoring are not the students who would have been selected by their faculty in the past to be the tutor for that class. It’s opened that up and we know that on-campus jobs increase student retention," said Bridget Yaden, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education.

The University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB) is one of Knack’s most recent partnerships, launched in Spring 2025. UAPB sought a solution to scale tutoring on campus with limited resources. The partnership provides free peer tutoring to all students in all courses.

University of Connecticut Stamford's partnership with Knack supports all students in select courses. Despite launching at the end of 2024, the program already has active tutors that are eligible to tutor in 193 different courses.

University of Michigan-Dearborn launched their partnership with Knack in Fall 2024 and already has 87 tutors and 491 student users. “In Winter 2023, we had 40 completed appointments. In Fall 2024, after adding Knack, we had 155. It’s making an impact on student success,” said Jessica LaGrange, Director of Academic Success.

University of San Diego (USD) partnered with Knack in Spring 2024 to provide access to peer tutoring to all students in all courses. The powerful impact of peer tutoring is demonstrated by USD's completion of 2,774 student contact hours in just one year.

6 min read

Partner Appreciation Week 2025: Recognizing the Power of Peer Learning at Smaller Institutions

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