SBBS Scholars play leading role in CATE award
Queen Mary’s award-winning PLTL program boosts Biology student success through peer-led learning and inclusive, small-group teaching.
August 2025
SBBS Scholar Professor Tony Michael has led an interdisciplinary group in developing and implementing peer-led team learning (PLTL) at Queen Mary and their work has been recognised with a highly prestigious Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) from Advance HE.
Also on the winning team from the Centre of Bioscience and Psychology Education were Drs Sally Faulkner and Ruth Rose.
PLTL enables students to meet in small groups on a weekly basis to facilitate discussions and engage in problem solving relating to their course material. In our School, PLTL is embedded within the Biology suite of programmes, facilitating students’ understanding of the core statistical concepts they need to succeed in their degree.
Previously their work has received funding through QMUL’s President and Principal’s Fund for Educational Excellence, to empower neurodivergent voices in peer-learning situations.
Their work has been published in several peer reviewed papers:
Dreyfuss AE, Howell L, Barone MC, Delgado S, Faulkner S, Fraiman A, Frye R, Shahid R (2024) Finding language for the experience of PLTL. Advances in Peer-Led Learning. 4, 153-166
Michael AE, Faulkner S Howell LA (2024) The 7 habits of highly effective peer leaders. Advances in Peer-Led Learning. 4, 109-121
Christian T, Wilton H, Shahid R, Faulkner S, Howell L (2023) Empowering peer leaders: designing dynamic PLTL training in the United Kingdom. Advances in Peer-Led Learning. 3, 56-76
Shahid R, Jones CR, Noikokyris M, Krummaker S, Michael AE, Howell LA (2022) Born in the USA – exploring the PLTL model in the UK higher education. Advances in Peer-Led Learning. 2, 4-16