AcademicExcellence andSupport Services

AESS: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES

The Learning Assistance CenterSuite 2441, French Hall-West(513) 556-3244www.uc.edu/aess/lac

Presentation Topics• Exercise

identifying effective mentoring qualities

• Structure: What is Academic Coaching?– Goals– Staff– Size

• Content: How Coaching Addresses “At-Risk” needs

• Style: What Is MI and WHY MI?– Background– Basics– Coach Training

ACADEMIC COACHING

Content, Style, and Retention

Each element of the coaching program seeks to promote student success, self-sufficiency, and retention.

The content and style are two, separate coaching components, each of which seeks to promote success.

ACADEMIC COACHING

ACADEMIC COACHING

Academic Coaching Staff

One Program Manager

10 Student Staff Members 3 Grad/Professional

Students 7 Undergraduates

Coach Majors 3 Pre-medical 1 Music Performance 2 Psychology 1 Business (finance) 1 Law student 1 Communication

(grad) 1 Sociology (grad)

Program Structure

Student driven (online, flexible scheduling, etc)

Appointment-based Individualized & Private Peer-led Coaching vs Mentoring

Academic, not personal, focus

ACADEMIC COACHING

ACADEMIC COACHING

Coaching Numbers

Students Appointments Visits Hours0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

132

499

348 325.5209

1284

987888.8

Student Usage During 13AY

ACADEMIC COACHING

Coaching Numbers

Total Students Probation/Gen 1 Self-Referral0

50

100

150

200

250

132

35

96

209

135

73

Students by Term in 13AY

Academic Coaching Impact• Data show consistent ½ grade point improvements after 4 or more

sessions, with many students achieving even more!

ACADEMIC COACHING

5+ Appts

4-3 Appts

2-0 Appts

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

0.82

0.83

0.25

GPA Impact for Probation Students, 13SS

5+ Appts

4-3 Appts

2-0 Appts

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

0.82

0.55

0.33

GPA Impact for All Coaching Students, 13SS

Academic Coaching Content:At-Risk Students and

Success Skills

ACADEMIC COACHING

ACADEMIC COACHING

Attained or returned after

Y1

Transferred after Y1

Did not enroll Y2

Reten-tion Per-cents

0.76 0.12 0.12

5%

15%

25%

35%

45%

55%

65%

75%

Public Four-Year

Attained or returned after

Y1

Transferred after Y1

Did not enroll Y2

Reten-tion Per-cents

0.66 0.09 0.26

5%

15%

25%

35%

45%

55%

65%

All Institutions

Attained or returned af-

ter Y1

Transferred after Y1

Did not enroll Y2

Reten-tion Per-cents

0.77 0.11 0.11

5%

15%

25%

35%

45%

55%

65%

75%

85%

Private Four-Year

Year One to Year Two Retention for At-Risk Students

How do At-Risk Students Fair in College?

The retention gap is largest between the first and second years of enrollment.

Retention in later years is more consistent.

Retention rates are comparable between four-year public and four-year private institutions.

ACADEMIC COACHING

Who are At-Risk Students?

Typical Demographics of At-Risk Students

First-Generation Low Socio-Economic backgrounds Attend college close to home Nontraditional/Non-matriculating

ACADEMIC COACHING

Who are At-Risk Students?

Typical Behaviors of At-Risk Students

Full-time Employment Part-time Enrollment Enrollment at Branch/Satellite Campus Living at home (with family) Involvement in activities away from

campus

ACADEMIC COACHING

Generally, at-risk students are those who, for reasons unrelated to the educational institution, enroll underprepared for the college curriculum.

Most often, the disparities in preparation exist well before matriculation into the university.

ACADEMIC COACHING

How Coaching Content Addresses These Challenges

Serves a large portion of first-generation college students and students who enter college underprepared for the university curriculum.Addresses “Learning Skills” and practices that may be overlooked in traditional course contentOffers an on-campus location for accountability (campus connection)

ACADEMIC COACHING

The Coaches’ Toolbox

Academic Coaches use a variety of tools and resources in their sessions to further promote student success.

Included are tools: Developed by the Learning Assistance

Center Adapted from sources outside of the

university Designed by coaches themselves

The Coaches’ Toolbox

Time Management Resources Effective Study Techniques Efficient Examination

Preparation The Essentials of Note-taking Goal Setting and Achievement Campus Connection

ACADEMIC COACHING

Toolkit: Note-taking EssentialsWidely-used note-taking strategies, such as SQ4R and the Cornell Method, enable students to carefully organize their coursework.

ACADEMIC COACHING

Toolkit: Time Management

Easy-to-use weekly schedule allows students the opportunity to organize class times, regularly-scheduled co-curricular events, and other recurring meetings into one convenient tool.

ACADEMIC COACHING

Academic Coaching Style:Why MI and What is MI?

ACADEMIC COACHING

ACADEMIC COACHING

Motivation and Cognition

“Modern expectancy value theories (e.g., Eccles [Parsons] et al., 1983; Feather, 1982; Heckhausen, 1977; Pekrun, 1993; Wigfield & Eccles, 2000, 2002) are based in Atkinson's (1957, 1964) original expectancy–value model in that they link achievement performance, persistence, and choice most directly to individuals' expectancy-related and task value beliefs.”

Ask the Coaches to Translate….(Wigfield, A., Eccles, J.S., Schiefele, U., Roeser, R.W., Davis-Kean, P. (2006). Development of achievement motivation. In N. Eisenberg (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology, Vol. 3: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development (6th ed.). New York: John Wiley.

Expectancy-Value Theory

ACADEMIC COACHING

So, what builds students’ self-efficacy?

What helps establish task value for academic

success?

…Not a rhetorical question, what do you do?

ACADEMIC COACHING

Experiencing MI

MI uses concrete skills to promote interpersonal understanding. This allows coaches to understand their students’ goals before offering advice.

MI focuses on listening, affirming, and collaborating, not “fixing” students’ problems.

ACADEMIC COACHING

Experiencing MI

MI Activity Break into groups of three Select a “talker” Talker tells the group a

characteristic about themselves (i.e. I’m organized…I’m quiet).

The group can only ask “yes/no” questions to learn more; talker can only ask yes/no…

ACADEMIC COACHING

Coaching StyleMotivational Interviewing (Review Handout) Counseling approach developed by clinical

psychologists Professor William R Miller, Ph.D. and Professor Stephen Rollnick, Ph.D.

Attention to language and intrinsic motivations of patients/clients

Seeks to encourage positive change among clients addressing Addiction Chronic disease management Medication programs Fitness and Healthy Eating

ACADEMIC COACHING

Coaching Style

Motivational Interviewing SkillsOARS:

O: Open-Ended Questions (process, rather than goal oriented)

A: Affirmations (avoiding “I” statements”)

R: Reflective Listening (2:1 with reference to Questions)

S: Summarizing (collecting, linking, transitional)

ACADEMIC COACHING

Coaching Style

These are common skill foci in client-centered counseling practice.

The fifth skill—Eliciting Change Talk—defines MI and envelopes all of the above skills.

DARN CAT DARN; Desire, Ability, Reasons, Needs CAT; Commitment language, Activation (willingness

to change statements), Taking Steps.

In other words, the above four skills are used to explore ideas and elicit change talk, walking the client through the items above…

ACADEMIC COACHING

Coaching StyleMotivational Interviewing Principles Express empathy

Affirmations, reflective listening, clarifying questions Develop discrepancy

Two-sided Reflections: “So, on the one hand, I hear you saying that you want a 4.0, but on the other hand, you also want your freedom and ability to see your friends. Can you tell me how you balance those two interests?”

Roll with resistance Avoid the “righting-reflex”

Support self-efficacy Affirmations, looking backward, change-planning,

information with permission…

ACADEMIC COACHING

MI and Cultural Sensitivity How does MI reflect culturally sensitive

practices? Motivational interviewing requires consultants to

demonstrate Empathy on behalf of the consultant Positive regard on behalf of the consultant, creating an

atmosphere of acceptance Does not assume homogeneity among clients from the

same cultural background

Considerations: It’s important to remember that the term “culture”

does not specifically refer to ethnic background, but things such as socioeconomic status, religion, political beliefs, and other personal characteristics

ACADEMIC COACHING

MI Addresses Diverse Target Behaviors MI has been found to be effective in:

reducing maladaptive behaviors, such as problem drinking, gambling, and HIV risk behaviors

promoting adaptive health behavior change, such as exercise, diet, and medication adherence

MI seems to represent a generalizable technique that can effectively address multiple target behaviors, such as (Hettema et al. 2005): Alcohol/Smoking HIV/AIDS Treatment compliance Gambling Intimate relationships Water purification/safety Eating disorders Diet and exercise EDUCATION?

ACADEMIC COACHING

MI Addresses Diverse Target Behaviors Furthermore, MI has been

demonstrated to become more effective with other treatment methods Can be effectively combined with other

evidence-based “styles” or content areas to address specific issues

Suggests MI could be useful in addressing target behaviors in individuals from diverse backgrounds

ACADEMIC COACHING

MI in Diverse Populations

MI has been used to encourage behavior change in individuals from diverse backgrounds Recent meta-analysis found greater

results for minority groups

Examples available for discussion during the question section.

ACADEMIC COACHING

Future Research Directions MI has been found effective in

encouraging behavior change in a diverse variety of target behaviors.

Initial results across multiple groups are promising.

Educational Research is currently limited to small or case studies.

Researchers need to Complete additional population studies. Transition into educational settings.

ACADEMIC COACHING

References

Hettema, J., Steele, J., & Miller, W.R. (2005). Motivational interviewing. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1: 91-111.Manthey, T. (2011). Using motivational interviewing to increase retention in supported education. American Journal of Psychiatric

Rehabilitation, 14: 120-136. Martino, S., Ball, S.A., Gallon, S.L., Hall, D., Garcia, M., Ceperich, S., Farentinos, C., Hamilton, J., and Hausotter, W. (2006).

Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency. Salem, OR: Northwest Frontier Addiction Technology Transfer Center, Oregon Health and Science University.

Miller, W.R. (2009). Toward a theory of motivational interviewing. American Psychologist, 64(6): 527-537.Resnicow, K., Soler, R, Braithwaite, R. L., Ahluwalia, J.S., Butler, J. (2000). Cultural sensitivity in substance use prevention. Journal of

Community Psychology, 28(3): 271-290. Resnicow, K., Jackson, A., Wang, T., De, A. K., McCarty, F., Dudley, W. M., Baranowski, T. (2001). A motivational interviewing

intervention to increase fruit and vegetable intake through black churches: Results of the eat for life trial. American Journal of Public Health, 91(10): 1686-1693.

Steinberg, Jacques. (2011). Study Finds Academic ‘Coaching’ Boosts Graduation Rates. New York Times Online. Retrieved from http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/coaching-2/

Sue, D. W., Arrendondo, P., McDacis, R. J. (1992). Multicultural competencies and standards: A call to the profession. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 447-486.

The Chronicle of Higher Education. (2010). College Completion [Data set]. Retrieved from http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/state/#state=oh&sector=public_four

The Chronicle of Higher Education. (2010). College Completion [Data set]. Retrieved from http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/state/#state=oh&sector=private_four

ACADEMIC COACHING

Using MI to Increase Healthy Eating Habits in African Americans

Target behaviors Fruit and vegetable consumption

Participants/setting Three treatment groups:

- Control Group (4 churches)- Self-help intervention with 1 telephone

cue call (4 churches)- Self-help intervention with 1 cue call

and three additional counseling calls, which employed MI techniques (6 churches)

ACADEMIC COACHING

Using MI to Increase Healthy Eating Habits in African Americans Results

- Change in fruit and vegetable consumption was significantly greater in MI group than in other two groups

- There was no difference in fruit and vegetable intake between the comparison and 1st treatment groups.

Implications- MI can be an effective strategy used to promote

healthy eating in African American individuals - NON-Clinical Settings (like Churches) may be

effective settings for interventions- Combined education and systemic changes

ACADEMIC COACHING

Using MI to Increase the Retention of Students with Psychiatric Disabilities in Post-Secondary Programs: A Case Study Past EMPLOYMENT studies found that MI

increased retention, reduced dropout rates, increased first-time employment, increased confidence in finding successful

employment and pursuing academics

Manthey (2011) expanded to educational retention within Supported Education settings SE was developed to offer continuous support towards

academic success

Found anecdotal success

ACADEMIC COACHING