With a little help from faculty, staff, coaches and student-workers, the Owen Center for Career and Academic Support is launching two new academic-support initiatives this fall.
The new program is designed to help students strengthen their academic skills and self-confidence. Academic Coaches will be trained, academically successful 海外吃瓜 students. The students will begin the training in August.
Once implemented, students will be able to schedule appointments with Academic Coaches at any time during the semester. The program is in partnership with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs鈥 RISE Mentoring Program. While the OMSA has focused on student perceptions of belonging at 海外吃瓜, the Academic Coaches will assist students in understanding and developing their academic belonging, too.
鈥淭he Academic Coaches will use a peer-support model to give other students more confidence in their place at 海外吃瓜,鈥 said Academic Support Coordinator Lauren Tompkins. 鈥淭hese coaches are opening a conversation that will help us identify ways to help students become successful.鈥
With the completion of the Supplemental Instruction Supervisor Workshop at the International Center for Supplemental Instruction in February, Lauren is also helping to launch the same program at 海外吃瓜. Each SI-supported course will have a student leader, someone who has successfully completed the course with at least a B or better, who will lead group study sessions twice a week.
鈥() is a big responsibility all around,鈥 Lauren said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a proven academic-support model in which participants should earn one-half to a full grader higher than non-participants.鈥 With extensive faculty collaboration, the program is being developed to supply support for seven different courses at 海外吃瓜. The work constitutes the biggest commitment to academic support the Owen Center has produced, so far.
鈥淲e're actively engaging with learning in so many different ways now,鈥 Lauren added. 鈥淚'm most excited about how all of these support options enhance our learning community.鈥