In spring 1992, American River College, in California, began a Beacon College project to involve students in the life of the college through the implementation of a Peer Assisted Learning program. In the program, the college established semester-long collaborative study groups in selected math and science classes. Prior to the semester, faculty selected students who had successfully completed the courses to become learning assistants (LAs). LAs were trained in tutoring and collaborative techniques and worked an average of 6 hours per week, spending 3 hours with their collaborative groups, 2 hours preparing, and 1 hour in weekly meetings with faculty. In implementing the project, problems were identified with respect to student attendance at group meetings, room assignments, compensation for the LAs, and making sure that LAs acted as facilitators rather than mini-lecturers. To assess the project, formative evaluations were conducted by using focus groups conducted among students and faculty at the end of the first two semesters. These evaluations indicated that faculty felt that the LAs helped improve performance among students in their group, LAs reported that they had improved their knowledge and skills in the subject area and felt more connected to the college, and students indicated that they felt a greater sense of competency and connection with instructors. Appendixes contain detailed evaluation data, background information on the project, and a Beacon College Project Director questionnaire. (TGI)