Across higher education, one truth is becoming harder to ignore: campuses need more academic support, not less. Students are navigating increasingly complex course demands, rising mental health challenges, and a higher bar for career readiness. At the same time, learning centers and tutoring programs are being asked to do more with fewer resources.
That tension, growing needs paired with shrinking budgets, has left many institutions searching for sustainable, scalable ways to train the student leaders who make peer tutoring possible.
At Knack, we believe high-quality training should be accessible to every campus, regardless of size, budget, or staffing. This belief is what led us to build peertutortraining.com, a completely free, open-access suite of peer tutor training modules designed for colleges and universities everywhere.
These modules were created in partnership with the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) and are fully aligned with ITTPC Level 1 standards. The goal is simple: ensure that every peer tutoring program, no matter its resources, can provide evidence-based, consistent, and equitable training.
Why Free, High-Quality Training Matters
Behind every successful peer tutoring program is a team of students who are not only strong in their subject areas but who also excel at communication, relationship-building, and mentorship. Yet campuses often face real constraints that make training difficult to build or sustain.
Common barriers include:
- Limited budgets for professional training materials
- Staff shortages that make it difficult to create or update content
- Inconsistent training across departments or tutoring sites
- Challenges scaling training as demand increases
When training quality varies, student support varies. This inconsistency can show up in course performance, retention gaps, and student confidence.
Providing accessible, standardized training helps remove these barriers. It creates a foundation of quality that ensures every tutor, regardless of background or previous experience, has the tools to support peers effectively and equitably.
What the Free Modules Include
The tutor training suite covers the essential skills that make peer learning powerful.
Topics include:
- Building rapport and trust
- Inclusive communication strategies
- How to structure a productive tutoring session
- Study skills and learning strategies
- Ethics, boundaries, and professionalism
- Growth mindset and metacognition
Each module is engaging for the student users, and campuses can use them for online, hybrid, or in-person training.
Why Campuses Appreciate This Resource
Learning center leaders regularly share that this resource immediately removes one of their biggest program challenges. With peertutortraining.com, institutions can:
- Onboard tutors consistently and reliably
- Access CRLA-aligned content without additional costs
- Reduce administrative burden
- Provide equitable training across all tutors
- Spend more time mentoring students and strengthening programs
This is a simple solution that creates meaningful impact.
Peer Tutors Deserve Great Training, Not Gatekeeping
Peer tutors often become some of the most influential student leaders on campus. They support learning, foster belonging, and model help-seeking behavior for their peers. When tutors receive high-quality training, students do not just learn material. They feel more confident, more connected, and more capable.
For campuses serving diverse student populations, strong training also becomes an equity strategy. Every tutor receives the same foundation, and every student receiving support benefits from high-quality, people-first academic guidance.
A Step Toward a More Accessible Future in Academic Support
The institutions that inspire us are the ones committed to removing barriers for students. Making evidence-based tutor training freely available is one step toward building programs that are more accessible, more consistent, more scalable, and more impactful.
If your campus has not yet explored the modules, you can access all content for free at peertutortraining.com.
