PEER-LED LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

What PEER-LED LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY does

Peer-Led Learning International Society (PLTLIS) is a private nonprofit organization, founded on September 17, 2011 at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and incorporated in April 2012, dedicated to the dissemination and stewardship of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) pedagogical methodology. PLTL is a structured approach in which trained undergraduate peer leaders — students who have already completed the relevant course — facilitate small-group workshops in which students solve challenging problems through debate, negotiation, and consensus-building. The methodology is defined by six critical components: faculty involvement, integral placement in the course, peer leader selection and training, appropriately challenging workshop materials, appropriate organizational arrangements, and administrative support (Gosser et al., 2001).

PLTLIS's core "products" are community and knowledge assets rather than software: the APLL Journal (Advances in Peer-Led Learning), a peer-reviewed academic journal; The Peer Leader newsletter (Issue #47 as of early 2026); an annual international conference (14th edition scheduled for May 27–30, 2026 at City Tech, Brooklyn, NY); conference proceedings archives; and a curated resource library covering program startup, leader training, administration, evaluation, discipline-specific implementation, and workshop materials. Distribution is supported by a network of 40+ campus contacts across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean (Jamaica, U.S. Virgin Islands), and the United Kingdom, plus an e-commerce shop (shop.pltlis.org) selling publications and workbooks.

PLTLIS generates revenue through a mix of conference registration fees, shop/publication sales, donations (via PayPal and Stripe), and institutional support including NSF grants at partner institutions. There are no publicly disclosed prices, no headcount, and no revenue figures. Customer concentration is almost entirely within higher education — primarily STEM departments (chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, computer science) at universities that adopt PLTL as a curricular or co-curricular model. The organization's primary go-to-market motion is community-led: it grows by recruiting and supporting practitioners through conferences, publications, and peer referrals rather than through direct sales.

Name

PEER-LED LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

Legal name

Peer-Led Team Learning International Society

Website

https://pltlis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PLTLIS is a nonprofit educational society that supports the Peer-Led Team Learning methodology in higher education, serving universities, faculty, and student peer leaders globally through conferences, a peer-reviewed journal, a newsletter, and a community of practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer Feedback, Discussion Forums & Social Learning Communities (EDAFAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Group Work, Breakout & Collaborative Document/Workspace Tools (EDAFAGAE)

Keywords

• Peer-led learning
• STEM education methods
• Active learning pedagogy
• Collaborative learning models
• Faculty development

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Conference Registrations: The society generates revenue through annual conference registrations, hosting the PLTLIS Annual Conference which draws practitioners from around the world. The 14th Annual Conference is scheduled for May 27-30, 2026 at City Tech, Brooklyn, NY.
2. Shop / Publication Sales: The society operates a shop (shop.pltlis.org) selling publications and resources related to Peer-Led Team Learning, including workbooks and educational materials.
3. Donations: The society accepts donations through PayPal and Stripe to support the activities of PLTLIS.
4. APLL Journal Submissions: The APLL Journal (Advances in Peer-Led Learning) publishes research and accepts manuscript submissions, with Issue 6 submission deadline of August 17, 2026.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PLTLIS is a nonprofit educational society that supports the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) pedagogical model, in which trained student peer leaders facilitate small-group workshops where students solve challenging problems through debate, negotiation, and consensus-building. The society delivers the APLL peer-reviewed journal, an annual international conference, The Peer Leader newsletter, conference proceedings, and curated implementation resources to higher education institutions and faculty worldwide.

Product overview

The Peer-Led Team Learning International Society (PLTLIS) is a nonprofit educational organization that supports the PLTL pedagogical approach. The organization operates a portfolio of interconnected offerings: the APLL Journal (peer-reviewed academic publication), The Peer Leader Newsletter (monthly publication), annual international conferences, conference proceedings archives, and educational resources including Start a PLTL Program, Leader Training, Administration guides, Evaluation and Research tools, PLTL in Practice discipline-specific materials, and Workshop Materials. A shop platform provides commerce for publications and resources. The organization fosters learning through peer-led teams by supporting practitioners and institutions globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Peer Leader: The official PLTLIS newsletter providing pedagogical breakthroughs, global community highlights, and updates from PLTL research.
• APLL Journal (Advances in Peer-Led Learning)

Products and services

• APLL Journal (Advances in Peer-Led Learning) A peer-reviewed academic journal publishing research, reflections, and insights focused on peer learning, offering educators and scholars a platform to share evidence-based practices, innovative approaches, and developing trends.
• The Peer Leader Newsletter The official PLTLIS newsletter providing pedagogical breakthroughs, global community highlights, resources, upcoming events, and profiles on Peer-Led Learning, with Issue #47 published as of early 2026.
• PLTLIS Annual Conference Annual international conference providing a forum for instructors, learning specialists, administrators, peer leaders, and student facilitators to share practices in active learning curricular models, with conference proceedings published annually.
• PLTLIS Shop Online storefront operated by PLTLIS selling publications, workbooks, and educational resources related to Peer-Led Team Learning.
• Conference Proceedings Published proceedings from PLTLIS annual conferences (2012-2015 and beyond) documenting research papers, presentations, and workshop abstracts, serving as an authoritative resource for the PLTL academic community.

Quantifiable outcome

• PLTL programs improve student achievement and reduce achievement disparities in STEM gateway courses (24-year longitudinal study, Basu et al., 2025, PLoS ONE)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• New York City College of Technology, CUNYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York City College of Technology, CUNY (City Tech) is a founding institutional partner of PLTLIS. The society's inaugural conference was held at City Tech in May 2012, and City Tech has been a recurring host and supporter of PLTLIS programs, including the 2026 Annual Conference. City Tech faculty (Janet Liou-Mark, A.E. Dreyfuss) were among the founding board members.
• Florida International UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida International University (FIU) is a long-standing institutional partner. FIU faculty (Jose Alberte, Thomas Pitzer) were founding board members, and FIU has been cited for its 'Hub n' Spokes' centralized PLTL organization model and its Biology PLTL program. The FIU-designed PLTLIS logo was created by Damien Blanco, a peer leader at FIU.
• University of Texas at El PasocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUTEP is a key institutional partner, hosting the 2013 conference and contributing significantly to PLTL research. James Becvar and Geoffrey Saupe (UTEP) have been long-serving board members and editors of conference proceedings. UTEP has received grants supporting PLTL from NSF I-CORPS-L and the Dodson Fund.
• University of Houston-DowntowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUHD hosted the Second Annual PLTLIS Conference (May 30-June 1, 2013) and has been a recurring institutional partner. Mitsue Nakamura (UHD) served on the founding board, and UHD has contributed to conference proceedings and the development of PLTL in mathematics and computer science.
• University of West GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUWG has been a foundational partner, with Lucille Garmon (Professor Emerita of Chemistry) serving on the founding board and pioneering PLTL in chemistry. Dusty Otwell has served as PLTL Coordinator. UWG's chemistry workshop program has been documented extensively in PLTL proceedings.
• Queen Mary University of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQMUL is a key international partner, with Professor Tony Michael serving as Deputy Vice Principal for Education and a board member (2022-2027). QMUL was nominated for a national education award for its PLTL program and hosted the 2023 Annual Conference. Dr. Lesley Howell (QMUL) serves on the 2026-2027 board.
• Washington University in St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington University hosted the 2022 Annual Conference (June 1-4) and operates multiple PLTL programs across General Chemistry, Calculus, and Physics. Megan Daschbach serves as Director of PLTL in General Chemistry and is on the 2025-2026 board. Regina Frey (WashU) has contributed extensively to PLTL research.
• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUPUI hosted the 2019 Annual Conference ('Weaving Together Best Practices') with Pratibha Varma-Nelson as conference host. Dr. Varma-Nelson is a Professor of Chemistry, Founding Executive Director of SEIRI, and a leading figure in PLTL research and dissemination, including work on cyber PLTL (cPLTL).
• California State University, Dominguez HillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSU Dominguez Hills hosted the 2014 Annual Conference ('Peer Leaders as Agents of Change') and the 2025 Annual Conference. Mohsen Beheshti (CSU DH) has served on the board since 2013. The institution is noted for its Hispanic-Serving Institution status and PLTL implementation in computer science.
• University of the West Indies at Mona, JamaicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of the West Indies at Mona is a key international partner in the Caribbean. Novelette Sadler-McKnight serves as Senior Lecturer in Chemistry and Board Member, having presented on PLTL implementation in a Caribbean university at the 2012 conference.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• STEM Equity Pipeline National Community of Practice: This is a national initiative advancing equity in STEM education, with audiences and goals that overlap with PLTLIS's equity-oriented peer-led learning work. It is a complementary rather than competing organization, focused on broader systemic change in STEM representation.

Direct peers

• POGIL Project: Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is a comparable active learning methodology that uses student-led groups to explore content through guided inquiry. PLTLIS's own 2026 conference features POGIL alongside PLTL, signaling direct methodological overlap and shared audience of STEM faculty adopting peer-instructor models.
• International Center for Supplemental Instruction: Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a peer-led academic support model originating at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, with near-identical use cases to PLTL: trained student facilitators leading small-group study sessions in high-risk STEM gateway courses. SI is the most direct methodological peer and was also featured at the PLTLIS 2026 conference.
• Team-Based Learning Collaborative: Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a structured small-group active learning methodology used in health sciences and other STEM disciplines. TBL competes with PLTL for the same faculty adoption decisions and was featured alongside PLTL at the PLTLIS 2026 conference, making it a direct peer in the active learning methodology market.
• College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA): CRLA is the international professional association for tutoring and learning assistance programs, including peer-led models like PLTL. CRLA provides peer tutor certification, an annual conference, and a peer-reviewed journal, directly overlapping with PLTLIS's journal, conference, and practitioner-development offerings.

Emerging players

• Buck Institute for Education (PBLWorks): PBLWorks promotes Project-Based Learning (PBL), another active learning methodology that was featured at the PLTLIS 2026 conference. PBL has stronger K-12 traction while PLTL focuses on undergraduate STEM, but the methodologies compete for the same faculty adoption decisions at universities.
• National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity: NCFDD serves graduate students, postdocs, and faculty with professional development programming, including some peer-led cohort models. While not a direct methodological peer, NCFDD shares the higher education audience and community-led GTM approach.

Broad incumbents

• Council on Undergraduate Research: CUR is a broader professional association supporting undergraduate research, scholarship, and active learning across all disciplines. CUR overlaps with PLTLIS's higher-education active learning practitioner audience but operates at a wider scope, including discipline-based conferences and undergraduate research journals.
• POD Network: The Professional and Organizational Development Network is the leading US professional association for faculty developers and educational developers in higher education. POD serves a similar audience of faculty, learning specialists, and administrators who would attend PLTLIS events but at a broader scope covering all instructional development.
• International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: ISSOTL is an international professional society that supports the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education, including conferences and journals. ISSOTL overlaps with PLTLIS's academic audience but addresses SoTL broadly rather than focusing specifically on peer-led methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pltlis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peer-led-learning-international-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PEER-LED LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY