The Learning Center’s Academic Coaching Model: Empowering Students to Take Charge of Their Lives Theresa Maitland, Ph.D., CPCC Kristen Rademacher, M.Ed., CPCC Marc Howlett, Ph.D. Across the Old Well Advising Conference September 25, 2015

Breakout Session Goals Understand the Learning Center’s Academic Coaching Model Core beliefs/assumptions Fundamental tools Role of student/coach Phases of a coaching conversation/session Observe a sample coaching conversation/session Distinguish coaching from other methods of communicating with students Explore the application of using a Coach Approach in university settings Learn about future Coach Approach professional development opportunities available via the Finish Line Grant

Academic Coaching What does this term mean to you? Academic Coaching with a small “c” Academic Coaching with a big “C” Evolution of the Academic Coaching Academic Coaching at UNC

Coaching Demo Watch the coaching demonstration and Note the roles played by the coach and student Consider how the conversation is similar and/or different to the way you work with students Notice the flow and structure of the conversation Jot down questions you may have

Academic Coaching A collaborative relationship that empowers students to: Set and take action toward goals Stay accountable and committed to goals Understand their habits and thinking patterns Understand their strengths and weaknesses Improve self-regulation Learn effective study skills Reference co-active coaching book and cti training

Fundamental Coaching Beliefs & Assumptions Students are “naturally creative, resourceful and whole.” They are not broken. They do not need to be fixed Students, not the adults, are the experts on their lives The person, not the problem, is the focus Challenges are opportunities for growth Coach is fully engaged, present and flexible Coach and student are collaborative partners Coach does not work harder than the student Coach guides students to arrive at their own strategies Remind participants who completed the readings that they will notice some adaptations of the core coaching beliefs and tools in our adaptation.

Fundamental Academic Coaching Tools The Fundamental Coaching Tools Academic Coaches use to promote growth and action in students Ask open-ended questions Listen fully Stay curious Guide creation of action plan Manage yourself Curiosity guides the conversation, not information gathering.. Curiosity evokes discovery, openness and playfulness The Curious coach doesn’t have all the answers but is joining the student in a quest to explore. The natural outcome of curiosity are open, guiding probing powerful questions that are designed to help the student reflect and access their own wisdom and knowledge. Listening fully is one of the most important tools in coaching. Skilled coaches listen to not just what is said but everything else that is unsaid and to their own intuition . This type listening goes beyond just hearing the words and focusing on ourselves and our reaction to what is being said (Level 1) but a total focus on the other person with our full attention and using our all of senses-what we see feel and sense subtly and intuitively. Listening and reflecting back with empathy , and with a desire to clarify and fully understand as well as noticing how you respond impacts the student. While coaching helps students grow in awareness its main purpose is to facilitate action toward a students goals and provide accountability that allows them to account for what they did or didn’t do, reflect on what helped or hindered and learn from their experiences. For coaching to be effective, the coach must manage themselves to ensure that they are not steering the session away from the student’s goals or that they create a positive, supportive, trusting, non-judgmental relationship that keeps the student and the student’s goals at the center of the conversation

Student and Academic Coach Play Active Roles Set agenda for session Keep student focused on agenda throughout session Self-Reflect: How do I want my situation to be different? How do I want to be different? Ask questions to promote self-discovery Brainstorm options and ideas Ask questions to generate possibilities, broaden and evaluate perspectives Try out an idea, practice a strategy Provide guidance and feedback Make commitments to use strategy independently Ask questions to help student develop a clear action plan Agree to be held accountable Brainstorm accountability measures

Learning Center Coaching Model Four phases of a session Set the Session Agenda Self-Reflect and Learn Explore Options and Actions Commitments and Accountability The Learning Center has adapted the Co-Active Coaching Model created by Whitworth , Kimsey-House and Sandahl to include 4 phases of a coaching session or a conversation. The first phase requires the student, not the coach to set a clear agenda for the conversation which typically includes a situation or problem that student wants to changes. As the student talks through their selection for the focus of the session the next phase allows the student time to reflect and learn about the situation being discussed and/or themselves. Eventually, the conversation shifts to the future and the student and coach engage in brainstorming ways to change either the students perspective or behavior to bring out the desired goals the student has set for the session. The final phase of the conversation pins down the broader brainstorming into the student selecting one option and a clear plan to follow and for accountability. In Section 2 of the book Coaching Questions by Stoltzfus other models for structuring a coaching conversation are shared. If anyone took the HR Coaching 101 class the “lazy coaching model “ was shared.

Integrating Questions in a Coaching Session Set the Session Agenda "What would you like to focus on today?" "How do you want to use our time?" Self-Reflect and Learn "What would success look like in this situation?" "What have you learned from last week?" "What behavior needs to change to meet your goal?" Explore Options and Actions "What steps are needed to complete this?" "How will you handle possible pitfalls?" "How will you track progress?" Commitments and Accountability "What do you commit to doing?" "When?" "How do you want to be held accountable?" The Learning Center has adapted the Co-Active Coaching Model created by Whitworth , Kimsey-House and Sandahl to include 4 phases of a coaching session or a conversation. The first phase requires the student, not the coach to set a clear agenda for the conversation which typically includes a situation or problem that student wants to changes. As the student talks through their selection for the focus of the session the next phase allows the student time to reflect and learn about the situation being discussed and/or themselves. Eventually, the conversation shifts to the future and the student and coach engage in brainstorming ways to change either the students perspective or behavior to bring out the desired goals the student has set for the session. The final phase of the conversation pins down the broader brainstorming into the student selecting one option and a clear plan to follow and for accountability.

A Coach Approach What is similar and different between a coaching conversation/session and the way you work with or talk with students? In what ways are you already using aspects of a coach approach? Which aspects of a coach approach might be a good fit for your work with students? How might using a coach approach impact your work/conversations with students?

Academic Coaching: What the Research Says Improved Self-Regulation Skills Increased self-awareness Better management of time, emotions and stress Better Planning Skills Realistic and detailed goal setting Ability to persist, evaluate and modify plans Improved Academic Achievement Improved independent completion of assignments Higher grades, retention and graduation rates References: Field et.al, 2013; Richman et.al, 2014, Bettinger and Baker, 2011 * Handout A small but growing body of studies (including two studies done at the Learning Center) evaluating at the impact of individual & group coaching on college students. Some studies focused on students diagnosed with ADHD/LD, others focused on transitioning first-year students and some studied the impact of coaching on any college student. The literature suggests that students receiving coaching had: This includes the two studies we conducted at UNC. Overall coaching impacts important : Self-regulation or self-management skills needed for college. Making students more self-aware of strengths, weaknesses and patterns of behavior Allowing to students to have better use of their “executive functioning skills” to be more conscious about making decisions about time and to manage their emotions and stress level. Better Planning Skills Able to make plans that allow for a more balanced and deliberate way of living time Set more realistic, clearer goals and make more logical and specific action plans Result in more ability to follow through with a plan and modify it when necessary Improved Academic Achievement Improved ability to complete assignments on time Use of more effective study strategies Better grades One large-scale study evaluating coaching for first-year college students found that students who were coached were more likely to persist in college and had significantly better retention and graduation rates. These differences held up over time.

The Learning Center & The Finish Line Project Learning Center Initiatives: Provide training and support for campus partners to develop coaching skills Develop academic coaching materials and resources Design and conduct Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) to study coaching’s impacts and effectiveness Host a national conference on Academic Coaching Develop a Peer Coaching curriculum and program Sign up to receive information about future professional development opportunities

Thank You! For more information on Academic Coaching at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill http://learningcenter.unc.edu Theresa Maitland: tmaitlan@email.unc.edu Kristen Rademacher: krademacher@unc.edu Marc Howlett: mhowlett@unc.edu