Students struggling academically or with time management skills will have an additional, powerful resource in the form of a fellow student to coach them to success. The Academic Success Center’s Peer Academic Coaching Program at Kent State University is now available for all students.
Peer Academic Coaching is a personalized one-on-one coaching service that pairs a student with a peer coach to develop proficiencies vital to an academic environment like Kent State, such as time management, study strategies and resilience
“The goal is to help you become more effective and efficient at learning, at being a student, at balancing work with student life and wellness,” said Amanda Shah, director of the Academic Success Center.
This program was piloted for two years with a small number of students from the first year experience course. Because of success seen in the pilot, the program is now available for all Kent State undergraduate students.
“Whether it is a junior or senior who is prepping for medical school and is looking for accountability and studying more efficiently or an incoming first-year student who is overwhelmed with all the things going on, it works for everybody,” said Rachel Cordy, assistant director of the Academic Success Center. “As long as students show up and are willing to work and are open to learning, it can be a magic fix-all for a lot of things.”
Shah said students have seen the most success after completing the recommended amount of sessions, which is biweekly throughout the semester or about six sessions. Students who were coached have seen an increase in their GPAs throughout the semester into the following semester as well.
Signing up to participate in this program is similar to signing up for a tutor session or an advising appointment. Students can self schedule through the Academic Success Center’s website or call 330-672-3190 if they would like a staff member to schedule it. There is no cost to participate and students can sign up at their leisure.
The program is a benefit to the coaches too, who learn strategies for themselves while guiding students, Cordy said. They also earn a wage. The Academic Coach role is a paid, student-worker position. The requirements for coaches include being a sophomore, junior or senior within any major with at least a 3.0 GPA.
Shah and Cordy suggest students interested in this program to take a chance and try it because once the first initiative is taken, students tend to stick around. They also expressed that honesty and transparency between the student and coach is essential for both to understand what is working or not working.
Students looking for more information about the Peer Academic Coaching program and how to get involved can visit https://www.kent.edu/coaching.