Peer Support in Smart Learning and Education

Peer support is an important method to improve performance of the targeted population for several domains, such as education (both for classroom-based learning and informal online learning), healthcare (both for patients and caregivers), and professional development for employees in corporations. Such methods are often referred to as intervention. Peer support could take the form of one-on-one mentoring or mutual help. It could also take place in a group where peers collaborate with each other. In education, peer support has been shown to be an effective intervention in improving retention rate, particularly for women and minority students. The effectiveness of peer support heavily depends on how the peers are matched, either one-on-one matching or in terms of group formation. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review on peer support applications and peer matching algorithms. Despite the importance of peer support, studies on peer support and particularly on peer matching algorithms are inadequate. The goals of this paper are twofold. First, we present a complete picture on peer support, from various applications of peer support, to theoretical foundations on peer support, to peer support mechanisms, and to the underlying peer matching and group formation algorithms. Second, we present a preliminary design and implementation of a peer support app, which could be used to facilitate smart learning in college and beyond.