Our Students are the Village: A Peer Coaching program Creation Story
1. Peers
Engaging as
Energizing
Resources Our Students are the Village:
A Peer Coaching Program
Center-based & Creation Story
0nline Presented by
Dr. Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein, Director of Academic Support
Academic SUNY Empire State College - Northeast Center
Collaborative National College Learning Center Association
27th Annual Conference
Helpers Reno, NV
October 6, 2012
Enhancing
Success
2. Agenda
• Overview & Introductions
• Creating
• Implementation
• Impact
• How can our story help you?
4. SUNY Empire State College’s Northeast Center
(NEC) Office of Academic Support (OAS) is one of 9
such offices at the college with a Director of
Academic Support (DAS) at each location.
There are approximately 20,000 undergraduate
students at the college.
At the Northeast Center (NEC), we offer our
services to approximately 1,900 students directly
affiliated with the center.
Northeast
Center We have 1 fulltime Director of Academic
Support, 2 half-time Learning Coaches and 10 Peer
Coaches.
Programs & Services - The NEC Office of Academic Support offers workshops; individual
appointments with learning & peer coaches; academic skills development and study strategies
courses; we have print and online resources; and we offer online content area tutoring as well
as onsite and online peer coaches.
Space & Resources - A Student Success Lab/study space and a computer lab are available for
individual and/or group work on assignments , individual
appointments, workshops, assessments, and/or using online resources.
5. Mission
The staff of the Northeast Center Office of Academic Support (OAS)
operate as a collaborative team, striving to establish a friendly
welcoming learning environment for all students.
Our mission is to:
•support students in becoming successful independent learners
through a comprehensive array of services and resources tailored
to students’ individual academic needs and goals;
•deliver these services and resources via individualized and group
programming in face-to-face, telephonic and virtual formats; and
•work with students, staff and faculty with the expectation that
willing students can reach and exceed their academic potential
with appropriate assistance.
6. The Academic Support Team
Sarah Spence-Staulters Kate Stockton
Learning Coach Learning Coach
Peer Coaching Coordinator Academic Eye Instructor
Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein
Director of Academic Support
7. A learning coach at the Northeast Center is a college graduate who:
• Provides direct academic support to students in one-on-one or small group settings
• Works with students in both face-to-face and virtual environments
• Conducts workshops
• Present at orientation
• Develops academic support materials for both online and print mediums
• Performs secondary assessment
• Either
Teach credit bearing studies – Enhancing the Academic Eye (an advanced level version
of ESC101 that includes academic research skills instruction)
http://academiceye.pbworks.com
OR
Coordinates all aspects of the Peer Coaching Program including the daily operations as
well as the training and supervision of students who are peer coaches.
http://peercoaches.pbworks.com
http://necacademicsupport.pbworks.com/
8. Apeer coach is an alumna/us or a current undergraduate
or graduate student trained to guide and encourage other students in
improving their academic performance and developing as life-long
learners.
What do Peer Coaches Do?: Peer coaches assist students by focusing
on enhancing general study skills, tutoring in specific content
areas, navigating through college resources, and developing study
strategies within their Areas of Study.
Peer coaches work in both face-to-face and virtual environments. They
are trained by the staff of the NEC Office of Academic Support following
internationally recognized certification standards set forth by the
College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA) for peer tutors. Peer
Coaches work as volunteers, work-study, or practicum students.
http://peercoaches.pbworks.com/
9. Brief Overview of NEC Peer Coaching
Peer coaches assist students by focusing on enhancing
general study skills, tutoring in specific content
areas, navigating through college resources, and
developing study strategies within their Areas of
Study.
Peer coaches work in both face-to-face and virtual
environments. They are trained by the staff of the NEC
Office of Academic Support following internationally
recognized certification standards set forth by the
College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA) for peer
tutors. Peer Coaches work as volunteers, work-
study, or practicum students.
11. How does peer coaching fit into the Office
of Academic Support?
• Peer coaches provide a perspective that only
another student /recent graduate can give
– Peer Coaches have been in the same shoes and
could have faced the same struggles
• Supplement and expand the ways in which
current students can get their questions
answered and find support
– Peer Coaches provide a non-threatening peer
perspective
13. Successful Academic Support Services Include…
Proactive interventions,
Supportive environments,
Personalized support systems,
Small group tutorials,
Development of students’ basic learning skills,
Teaching of study skills and learning strategies in the context of
academic content courses,
Opportunities to interact in informal settings and develop personal
relationships with faculty, and
Opportunities to experience success.
- Adapted from Maxwell and Casazza & Silverman
16. 1. We wanted students to help
other students. We are a non-
traditional college and wanted
to have peer coaches who
understand what that entails.
2. We wanted certification from
the College Reading and
learning Association
3. We wanted all of the
information about the program
to be accessible at any time.
17. We followed an intentional design that
included the following elements for
consideration:
• Service Delivery Model(s)
• Responsibility & Ownership
• Professional Standards
• Tailoring Training
• Feedback & Evaluation
• On-going Professional Development
& Sharing
19. Service Delivery
• How Students Access a Tutor/Peer Coach
– Self-referral
– Faculty-referral
• Where Students Can Get Assistance
– Onsite & Online
• Resources
• Study aids
• Presentations
• What Help Can Students Get?
– Content Tutoring
– General Study Skills
– Critical Thinking
– Navigating College Resources
– Computer/Information Literacy
20. • Peer coaches (rather than tutors)
• No group
• Individual
• Workshop presentations (student panel)
• Appointment (evenings, work schedule, 1 hr-ish)
– Form triage (low-pc, mid, high-Lisa)
• Smarthinking for content
• Elluminate/Collaborate for at a distance
• Workshops
21. Responsibility & Ownership
• Encouraging peers to take initiative, ask
questions, and help.
– Working yourself out of that job.
– “Teachers are those who use themselves as
bridges, over which they invite their students to cross;
then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully
collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their
own.” –Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer and
philosopher (author of Zorba the Greek & The Last
Temptation).
• Delegation
– Raise your kids well, then trust.
22. Peer Coaches Participate in the Program
Paid Work Study
Students who qualify for Federal Financial Aid work study status can receive payment for their
work as a Peer Coach and will also receive all of the general benefits listed above.
3 have participated as work-study student s
Practicum
A practicum is a credited bearing study that gives students both a theoretical and
practical/work experience in the field of learning assistance and adult learning. Anyone
interested in the practicum should obtain approval from their mentor, then enroll in the study
as an independent study with the Director of Academic Support (Lisa D'Adamo-Weinstein) and
pay for it as they would any other credit bearing course at the college. Students can earn 2-4
credits as part of their college level degree program and will also receive all of the general
benefits listed above.
2 have participated and completed the practicum
Volunteers
Students who volunteer will not receive pay or course credit, but they will gain work
experience for their resume and will also receive all of the general benefits listed above.
11 are currently participating as a volunteer
23. PRACTICUM COURSE INFORMATION
TITLE: The Theory and Practice of Learning: Learning Assistance and Academic Support
for Post-Secondary Learners
Offered at 2 or 4 credits, Advanced, Liberal
A. PURPOSE - The purpose of this practicum is for students to develop a theoretical
grounding in the field of learning assistance and to engage in practical applications for
teaching/training postsecondary learners. Students in the practicum will learn about
the scholarship and best practices of college level learning assistance and academic
support by reading about and engaging in discussion of academic literature on
appropriate theories of adult learning, student engagement, academic skills
development, and learning center pedagogy. They will also engage in hands-on
practice in assisting college level learners in enhancing general study skills, tutoring in
specific content areas, navigating through college resources, and/or developing study
strategies and resources within specific Areas of Study or general learning skills
development.
24. B. LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Most of the work for this study will occur as part of the student’s work as a peer coach. The ten
hours of training that all peer coaches undertake is a part of the initial theoretical and practical
foundations of the study and should be completed before engaging in other learning activities of
this practicum.
There are THREE CATEGORIES of learning activities:
1 - PEER COACHING: TRAINING, ENGAGEMENT, & REFLECTION
The amount of time spent over the course of the term should range between at total of 100-140
hours for 4 credits and 50-70 Hours for two credits. These hours include peer coach
training, meeting with the course instructor, and working with students or on specific academic
support projects. Scheduling of the bulk of these hours is determined between the student and
the Peer Coaching Program Coordinator and/or practicum instructor.
The first 10 hours of this time commitment are derived from the official Peer Coach training
(outlined @ http://www.peercoaches.pbwiki.com).
Additionally, five to ten of the remaining hours should be spent in individual meetings with the
course instructor to discuss the readings for the study. A specific schedule will be developed
between the instructor and the student after the student completes the 10 hours of training.
The remaining hours should be dedicated to specific engagements focusing on the all aspects of
academic skills counseling including preparation, evaluation, and conducting individual and
group support in face-to-face and virtual environments. These engagements will range from
observation to active participation.
25. 2 – ACADEMIC READING
All required and supplemental readings and course materials will be available online at
http://bit.ly/PracticumReadingsList (Please Note – the instructor updates the site each term
and students in the practicum may be asked to add some of their work to the wiki).
3 – WRITTEN WORK
Two 8-10 page formal written essays are required for this study:
Theory Essay – This essay should be grounded in the literature and should include critical
theoretical analysis of assigned readings and/or relevant research. The essay should explore
research, theories and practices gained from course materials, independent
research, discussions with the instructor, and experiences at the practicum site. The essay can
be a combination of a literature review that includes relevant examples from the practicum
experience or it can solely be about the areas of interest the student has in the literature and
research. The student should plan to hand this essay in around the midpoint of the term.
Practice Essay - One essay should be reflective in nature and articulate the specific experiences
at the practicum site as well as the knowledge and skills gained during the practicum. This essay
should be handed in at the end of the term as a summative/reflective piece and to document
the entire practicum experience.
27. • Level 1 (learning coaches/ Level 2-3)
• Break-up training (2x a month, full day,
evening sessions)
• Adult learning theory to meet adult/returning
students
• Refresher/skills ready to enter upper level
classes.
28. Tailoring Training
• Don’t reinvent the wheel, but paint it a color
you like.
– Standards like: ATP training, CRLA, others.
– Additional resources: online, journals, videos, etc.
• Addressing student/institutional needs and
resources.
29. We designed our training around the College Reading and Learning Association standards.
Our training consisted of the CRLA required 10 hours.
6 hours are face-to-face and cover:
Definition of tutoring and tutor responsibilities
Basic tutoring guidelines and/or Tutoring do's and/or Tutoring don'ts
Techniques for successfully beginning and ending a tutor session
Adult learners and/or Learning theory and/or Learning styles
Assertiveness and/or Handling difficult students
Role modeling
Setting goals and/or Planning
Communication skills
Active listening and paraphrasing
Referral skills
Study skills
Critical thinking skills
Compliance with the ethics and philosophy of the tutor program and/or Sexual harassment and/or
Plagiarism
Modeling problem solving
Other (please specify)
4hours of independent/ supervised training
Scavenger Hunt for Empires State College Resources
Attending several workshops
Researching websites and other online resources
30. Feedback & Evaluation
• Different levels (student, supervisor, self-
reflection)
• Quantitative/Qualitative
• Observation session
• Feedback forms
• Recording online sessions
• Coach the coaches
31. Ongoing Professional Development
• Think “Professional Development” Not
“Training.”
• More Than Just a Class or Event.
• Feedback/Evaluation Spiral of Growth
• Broader Approach/Two Birds With One Stone
– (peer coaches, presentation skills, resume, job
skills)
• Other Certifications (NCLCA LCLC)
33. We began training
In the Spring of
2011 we trained
our first 6 Peer
Coaches.
But, they did not
start working
with students
until Fall 2011.
34. The Peer Coaching Team
2012-2013
Business, Writing &
Economics & General
Writing, Accounting Study Skills History
Library &
Research Writing
& Graduate
Studies
Writing, Cultural
Writing, Cultural Studies Studies &
& Introductory Math Graduate Studies
Business
Technology &
Management
Math, Writing & Business Critical Thinking, Psychology & Writing
39. What are the numbers?
13 = Total # of peer coaches trained - July 2011-June 2012
July-Dec 2011 - 10
Jan-June 2012 – 3
9 = Total # of peer coaches meeting with students - July 2011-June 2012
July-Dec 2011 - 5
Jan-June 2012 - 4
25 = Total # of students meeting with peer coaches - July 2011-June 2012
July-Dec 2011 - 15
Jan-June 2012 - 9
47 = Total # of appointments between peer coaches and students - July 2011-June 2012
July-Dec 2011 - 30
Jan-June 2012 - 17
40. What are the students saying?
“For me this is a much needed service due to returning to a learning environment after
30 years Thank you.”
“I liked the encouragement. I liked how she made me think about the material that I
needed help with. I like her easy going manner.”
“Very hands on and took time to explain trouble spots. Explanations were concise and
allowed me to se what was wrong with my approach.”
“The peer coach was a good listener and very understanding of the topic.”
“I liked the time spent with out pressure. I wish I took advantage of Peer Support earlier
in class very beneficial to the course.”
“The coach was good about visual examples working on the problems with me and made
the formulas understandable.”
“Gave me visual aides to complete my project. I like the one on one help.”
41. What impact has there been on grades?
Most of the students are in the 1st or 2nd term, but there have been 5th and 6th term
students as well.
10 of the students were “A” students each term and in the term they worked with the
peer coach
8 of the students had a grade range of A-NC, but the term with the peer coach was their
best term, passing all classes.
2 students got straight As in their first term (spring 2012)
2 students had their best term with As and Bs and before and/or after were As-Ds.
1 student passed both classes she got assistance with and w/d from the other
1 student did not pass the class he got assistance with
43. What Can You Take Away from
Learning the Story of Our Program?
44. Things for You to Consider
We followed an intentional design before
implementation that included the following
elements:
• Service Delivery Model(s)
• Responsibility & Ownership
• Professional Standards
• Tailoring Training
• Feedback & Evaluation
• On-going Professional Development
& Sharing
45. What is the ONE GREAT PROJECT/IDEA/AREA that
you want to work on when you get back to your campus?
46. Make a Plan for Yourself
Take a few minutes
to jot down the
ideas you have for
enhancing your tutor
program.
47. ACTIVITY – Focusing on Just One Thing
For Peer Coaching/Tutoring on Your Campus
Directions: Pick from your idea list. What is your number one interest/priority?-- You
can determine this based on your center/college’s constraints, $$$, time
(workload, seasonal demands, etc.), staff desires/access, student needs, access to
technology, etc.
Defining your top priority…
Major idea/goal/priority -
Narrowing it down…
List at least 3 components related to this idea/goal/priority –
1.
2.
3.
What research/people/resources/etc. do you need to connect with to get a start on
making your idea/goal/priority a reality? Outline some of the first steps you need
to take.