Introducing TEL’s Student Coaches: An additional layer of support for TEL students

by | Nov 17, 2020 | Featured, Learning Design

College-level work requires good time-management and organizational skills. If you’ve worked with students in high school and early college, you’re likely aware that many of them haven’t yet mastered these skills.

Best Possible Path to Academic Success

After conversations with schools and students as well as reviewing student performance data over time, we found students at this age were more comfortable talking with someone closer to their own age and who had gone through a college course recently than they were talking with an adult, even their professor. So this fall, TEL launched the Student Coaching Program to provide another layer of support within our courses from current college students and recent college graduates.

With the Student Coaching Program, students enrolled in a TEL course can reach out to Student Coaches at any point during the course for help with anything from getting quick advice on how to more effectively prepare for an upcoming exam to creating a study plan for the entire semester.

“Sometimes sessions will be more focused on quiz-taking strategies to improve performance on module quizzes or walking through a mastery assignment,” said Amy, one of the first Student Coaches TEL hired. “But we can work on anything from reviewing time management techniques, trying out new study strategies, or coming up with a plan of action to achieve their academic goals.”

Like other TEL Student Coaches, Amy was excited about this role because she wanted to help students feel empowered about their learning, and share some of the lessons she had to learn the hard way.

“I think it is amazing to get to be involved in a student’s journey to academic success,” she said. “I want to make sure that I impart everything I wish I knew at that level so that these students have the best possible path to success.”

Personalized Guidance for Their First Online Course Experience

While online courses continue to increase in popularity because of the flexibility they add to student and school schedules, these dual enrollment courses are often the first online course experience many TEL students have. College-level coursework coupled with the self-discipline needed for online, asynchronous delivery means some students might need a little extra guidance. TEL Student Coaches work with students individually and in group sessions to provide the support each student needs.

“One-on-one sessions can provide value to students because they are personalized,” Amy said. “The questions and concerns of a student dictates how I prepare for and conduct a student coaching session. That is why every student coaching session looks different.”

Many Layers of Student Support

Any student enrolled in a TEL course automatically receives a short orientation course that leads the student through the platform and also provides best practices for online learning. TEL also provides an extensive knowledge base directly in the platform that covers a number of frequently asked questions as well as live support through email, phone, and chat. But Student Coaches help take a more proactive approach.

Along with the course instructors, the Student Coaches know where students tend to struggle and can help students get ahead of a tricky assignment or if they see students starting to fall behind. In an online course, many students are hesitant to ask for help, so the Student Coaches can step in to help students catch up.

At TEL, we recognize that taking an online course for the first time can be a little bit of an adjustment. With all the options for support, including our new Student Coaches, students can get the direction they need to get a successful start to their college career.

To learn more about our support options, including our Student Coaches, reach out to us to get a tour of our platform.

Popular Topics

Subscribe to Our Podcast

Download the Importance of Demonstrable Equity in Higher Education whitepaper

Follow Us

TEL Library Content Now Available to a Broad Spectrum of Learners Anytime, Anywhere
Designing and Building a Stackable Organization
How We Develop TEL Library Courses
Developing an Audience Profile for Your Online Course

Share This

Share this post with your friends!