Learning Circles

Learning circles are free study groups for people who want to learn something together in their neighborhood. Most learning circles meet for 90 minutes per week and last for 6-8 weeks. Each learning circle is led by a facilitator, who chooses the topic, sets up the space each week, and helps to ensure that things flow smoothly. Without a teacher in the room, learning circles succeed through peer learning, a practice in which every participant is expected to bring their own experiences, share with one another, and give feedback. Learning circles are happening around the world, for a full list of active learning circles, visit p2pu.org/en/learning-circles.

In the first meeting, you’ll get to know your fellow learners and familiarize yourself with the course materials that you’ll be using for the duration of the learning circle. Your facilitator may contact you before the first meeting with additional information.

Learning circles use free online courses as the basis of study. These courses come from online course providers, universities, and non-profit organizations from around the world. Any online course can be used, so long as it is free for participants and not in violation of the terms of service of the course provider.

No. Learning circles are free to participate in and free to start.

P2PU is not a university and does not offer any accredited degree certificates. Some of the online courses that are used in learning circles provide the option to purchase a certificate, which you can do if you so choose. It is, however, possible to receive a certificate of completion following your learning circle. You should speak to your facilitator if this is of interest to you.

When you sign up for a learning circle, your email address and information provided in the signup form will be shared with the facilitator of the learning circle. You should expect to receive at least one email when you sign up, one email per meeting and maybe one or two other emails from your facilitator with extra information and/or a request to provide your feedback on the experience. Additionally, if you opt-in to hearing about future learning opportunities from P2PU, you will receive infrequent emails (4 messages per year or less) from P2PU. If at any point you’d like to withdraw consent, you can do so by following the instructions included in all messages we send you. Alternatively, you can also withdraw consent on this page.

If you’d like more information, you can review our privacy policy, terms of service or contact us at privacy@p2pu.org.

Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU) is a non-profit organization based in the United States, with team members in the United States, Canada, Germany, and South Africa. Founded in 2011, the mission of P2PU is to create and support liberating alternatives to mainstream higher education, rooted in the values of equity, peer learning, and community. P2PU launched learning circles in partnership with Chicago Public Library in 2015. For more information about P2PU and learning circles, visit https://www.p2pu.org.

Yes! With a little bit of practice, anybody can facilitate a learning circle. Everything that you need to get started is available at https://www.p2pu.org/facilitate.