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Partner Educational Effectiveness ResourcesThe PEER program allocates funding for the integration of undergraduate peer mentors (UPMs) and undergraduate learning assistants (ULAs) into courses at UCSB. The Office of Teaching and Learning provides financial and pedagogical support to instructors and their departments for the enhancement of these courses and department-specific initiatives. Fall 2026 Funding Applications due Wednesday, July 1 by 5pm PT |
PEER Funding Eligibility
ULAs or UPMs may be used only to support courses that demonstrate the need to provide support for all learners. Each application is to be submitted on behalf of the department. The application must include evidence supporting why UPM and/or ULA support is needed for the proposed courses. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Teaching and Learning to discuss effective forms of evidence.
To be eligible for funding, department applications must meet the the following conditions:
- ULA/UPM programs must align with one or more of the following models:
- Model 1. ULAs and/or UPMs are incorporated into discussion sections in courses that have developed new pedagogical models to teach based on reallocations of teaching/staffing resources.
- Model 2. ULAs and/or UPMs are part of a centralized group that provides support for several required courses in the pre-major series or GE courses.
- Model 3. ULAs provide support outside of class.
- Departments that received PEER funding during the 2025-26 academic year must provide evidence of effective assessment of the ULA/UPM program, with emphasis on the program’s relationship to learning gains.
- The application materials must clearly state how the ULAs or UPMs contribute to student learning within the department. Please note that applications that do not prioritize gains in student learning will not qualify for funding.
- Department applications must provide proof of projected enrollment, the number of sections, the number of TAs, the expected TA appointment percentages, and, if applicable, the size of sections for all supported courses.
NOTE: Applications that do not clearly meet each of the four requirements listed above will not be eligible for funding review.
Departments seeking funding for Fall 2026 are encouraged to submit an application by the deadline: July 1, 2026. Funding is limited.
Applications will be reviewed to determine eligibility for funding prior to being advanced for funding consideration. Applicants will be notified of their eligibility status by July 17, 2026. Please note: being deemed eligible for funding does not guarantee that funding will be awarded.
*Note that applications must be endorsed by the department chair. Funding requests will be reviewed by the Office of Teaching and Learning.
Please direct questions to Maggie Safronova, Associate Director, Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning (m_safronova@ucsb.edu)
Guidelines for Faculty and Departments
Faculty who receive UPM or ULA funding must:
- Attend the PEER Faculty Seminar (2 hours, synchronous over Zoom)
- Recruit, select, and supervise UPMs and/or ULAs
- Provide discipline-specific training for UPMs and/or ULAs
- Regularly communicate and meet with UPMs and/or ULAs
- Collaborate with OTL and provide feedback on the experience of using UPMs or ULAs
- Submit an assessment report at the end of the quarter
Departments must:
- Hire all undergraduate peer mentors and peer learning assistants
- Handle all processing of timecards
OTL Support
PEER Faculty Resources
- Join the ULA Coordinator Network - The ULA Coordinator Network is a community of faculty and staff who coordinate ULA programs. The Network meets to share resources, opportunities, and strategies for developing and assessing ULA programs at UCSB.
- PEER Department Funding Calculator - Use this tool to estimate the costs of your ULA and/or UPM program if you are applying on behalf of your department.
- End of the Quarter Assessment Report - If funded, participants of PEER are required to submit end of the quarter assessment.
- UCSB Undergraduate Equity Dashboards - Use these dashboards to explore departmental and course-based student success data. Login requires UCSB username, password, and MFA. If you do not have a Tableau account, contact Linda Adler-Kassner.
- Host Office Hours in an OTL Space - Contact Maggie Safronova to discuss holding your office hours with ULAs in an OTL space.
- Additional Resources - Contact teaching&learning@library.ucsb.edu to connect the UCSB Library Peer-Assisted Library Services (PALS) student assistants with your ULAs and/or UPMs to discuss available UCSB Library services, resources, and research support.
INT 125: Studying and Supporting University Learning
The goal of the course is to provide students an opportunity to develop a set of skills that will help them be effective UPMs and/or ULAs.
INT 125 will be offered during Spring Quarter 2027. Departments can request a three-workshop training series for new ULAs during the Fall and Winter quarters.
Departments who are interested in ULA training during Fall or Winter quarters should reach out directly to Dr. Maggie Safronova (m_safronova@ucsb.edu).
UPM/ULA Definitions
Undergraduate Peer Mentors
Undergraduate Peer Mentors (UPMs) provide general guidance to students about how to navigate courses or majors. For example, UPMs can work with students to develop study skills in the major or consider how skills and strategies in the course will contribute to other courses in the major, hone students’ abilities to interact with instructors (i.e., visiting office hours or communicating via email) or locate other helpful resources on campus such as the ONDAS or Transfer Student Center, campus identity centers, or CLAS. UPMs may not offer tutoring, provide specific advice about student work, or offer course-specific guidance of any type.
UPMs support groups of 4-6 students (1:4-6 ratio).
UPMs should be hired as Student Assistants (job code 4922).
Undergraduate Learning Assistants
Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs) facilitate active learning in courses. Their activities can include talking with students about questions that arise during problem-solving activities, facilitating discussions about course content, engaging with students in small groups on particularly challenging elements of a course, and providing guiding advice. ULAs may contribute to formative, ungraded feedback for undergraduates using criteria developed by faculty or graduate student employees. ULAs may not lead discussion sections or grade other students’ work.
ULAs may work with groups of up to 10 students.
ULAs are hired as Remedial Tutors (job codes 2280 or 2290). Per the terms of Article 11 “Fee Remissions”, Section A of the UAW (BX) Contract, as undergraduate students, ULAs do not receive fee remission.
Consultations with Office of Teaching and Learning
Maggie Safronova
Associate Director
Office of Teaching and Learning
m_safronova@ucsb.edu
See Maggie's profile