Peer Led Team Learning

Master chemistry with the help of your peers

Chemistry 105: The Principles of Chemistry is a challenging course you’ll be required to take early in your academic career as a chemistry student. The concepts you learn are essential to your success in the department.

To help ensure you master them, we offer Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) workshops as part of the course.

These workshops are two-hour experiences that take the place of traditional recitations. During each workshop, you’ll work together with a small group of your classmates to practice challenging problems—but you won’t be taught by a professor. Instead you’ll be guided through the experience by a student who has recently taken—and succeeded in—Chemistry 105.

When you work with your peers to solve problems, you reinterpret ideas and concepts in alternative and unanticipated ways, increasing your understanding of the concepts and improving your learning outcomes.

These workshops also help you learn to work as a team—a skill desired by future employers.

Are you ready to be a PLTL leader?

Leading a C105 workshop is a great way to get teaching experience early in your academic career. It also makes a great addition to your resume!

As a PLTL leader, you’ll act as a coach or a mentor to six to eight students. But don’t worry—we’ll make sure you have the training you need to succeed.

Before the semester begins, you’ll attend an orientation where you learn to guide and direct your students’ learning. Throughout the semester, you’ll also have weekly meetings with the faculty and other PLTL leaders to review the upcoming material and take your understanding of the material to the next level.

How to become a PLTL leader

To be eligible, you must have received a B or better in C105 and be in good standing with the university.

The faculty who teach C105 are very involved with the workshop program and help pick the next semester’s leaders.

If you’re interested in applying, please get in touch with us.