UBC researchers found that peer-learning improved student performance.
A multidisciplinary research team from UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses has published new research on the benefits of Study Buddy, a peer-learning program designed to support student success in undergraduate science courses.
The researchers paired students into mentor and protégé partnerships and encouraged them to meet regularly throughout the term. Students who participated in the program showed improved performance on later assessments compared to their peers.
Dr. James Enns, a professor in UBC’s department of psychology and Study Buddy originator, says these findings show that students can learn a great deal by helping one another.
“Whether students entered the Study Buddy program as mentors or protégés, they benefited from the opportunity to regularly discuss course material and work through concepts together.”
The research team also found that mentors benefited as much as protégés, with both groups demonstrating similar learning gains. They observed no significant difference in outcomes based on the initial performance gap between partners, suggesting the approach can be effective across a range of student pairings.
A key contributor to Study Buddy’s growth was Achol Jones, who was an undergraduate neuroscience student in Dr. Enns’ PSYC 278 course. Achol, now a doctoral student in UBC’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, brought the program to her UBC Biochemistry and Molecular Biology courses, which led to the collaboration behind this research. In recognition of her leadership and this research, Achol received a 2025 3M National Student Fellowship from the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
The research, Study buddy learning is associated with academic success in undergraduate science courses, was published in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.
Bring Study Buddy learning to your UBC course
The Study Buddy learning program can be implemented in other UBC courses using a matching tool developed from Dr. Bowen Hui’s Teamable Analytics platform at UBC Okanagan. The Canvas-integrated tool can be set up in just a few minutes.
To add the Study Buddy Learning LTI to your course, contact UBC’s Learning Technology Innovation Centre.
For more information about the program or matching tool, contact: Dr. Eden Fussner-Dupas or Dr. Bowen Hui.
Research team
UBC Science undergraduate students
- Achol Jones, First Author, PhD Student, UBC Interdisciplinary Graduate Program
- Gabrielle Reznik, Research Assistant, UBC Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
UBC Psychology
- Veronica Dudarev, UBC Research Associate
- James Enns, UBC Professor and Study Buddy originator
UBC Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Eden Fussner-Dupas, Assistant Professor of Teaching and PI on funding initiatives
- Warren Williams, Associate Professor of Teaching and PI on funding initiatives
- Al Rohet Hossain, PhD Student
UBC Computer Science
- Bowen Hui, Professor of Teaching and Study Buddy app developer (UBC Okanagan)
- Patrice Belleville, Associate Professor of Teaching
