Morag Burnie from University of Melbourne shares an update on their new peer-peer programme Melbourne Talks

Our main success in 2018 was the launch and subsequent growth of Melbourne Talks – a six week peer-peer program aiming to help students to develop their English language skills and learn about Australian culture while making friends through fun, peer-led activities. We piloted the program in semester 1 and demand was so high we were able to expand it in semester 2, increasing the number of sessions for coursework students (from 2 per week to 4) and introducing a new graduate research stream. This allowed us to more than double the students reached in semester 1. While the growth in participant numbers was excellent, we were thrilled to find participant evaluations told us that the program successfully achieved its objectives of helping students to develop their English language communication skills, participate in Australian academic and social culture, and create social connections. Importantly, the peer leaders also told us they valued and enjoyed this experience, as it provided opportunities to develop their facilitation and teamwork skills while building their intercultural knowledge. 

Based on insights provided by our peer leaders at the end of program evaluation meetings and survey results, we identified a some key goals for 2019, including: making better use social media to engage students outside of the sessions; increasing retention rates; and attracting more undergraduate students to the program (the majority were graduate coursework). Of course, our main goal is to consider how we can capitalise on this initial success and grow the program even further.