AAA Peer Coaches
- Rachel Veretto & Dawn Boll
- Francie Rottini & Nicole De La Fuente
- Denise Pearson & Nicole Suttle
- Rachel Veretto & Dawn Boll
- Francie Rottini & Nicole De La Fuente
- Denise Pearson & Noehli Batres
Developmental education students are not college-ready, and nationally are the students least-likely to graduate, transfer, or secure a credential. Therefore this program specifically targets the retention and completion of these developmental education students. This project will hire student-staff who have successfully completed AAA090 to attend class and provide individual and group support and referrals for current students. Leveraging social norming positive psychology (Schultz, Nolan, Cialdini, Goldstein, & Griskevicius, 2007), peer coaches norm academic struggles and problem-solve by connecting students with academic support services such as tutoring and iFocus academic workshops. Peer coaches will lead classroom discussions, meet 1-1 with students, and host drop-in peer coaching sessions to connect with students in a myriad of ways. Peer coaches will be comprehensively trained by the staff in the Center for the First-Year Experience, will journal about their experience, and receive feedback from the AAA Instructor on an ongoing basis.
Objectives
- Increased student GPA in AAA090 sections with a peer coach compared with similar students in AAA090 courses without a peer coach
- Increased student completion in AAA090 sections with a peer coach compared with similar students in AAA090 courses without a peer coach
- Increased student success (C or higher course grade) in AAA090 sections with a peer coach compared with similar students in AAA090 courses without a peer coach
- Increased use of campus academic and support resources for students in AAA090 sections with a peer coach compared with similar students in AAA090 courses without a peer coach
- Increased co-curricular engagement for students in AAA090 sections with a peer coach compared with similar students in AAA090 courses without a peer coach
- Weekly 30min meeting with instructor(s)
- FYE/AAA Peer Coach staff meetings each month
- Biweekly meetings together peer coaches with an AAA instructor to mentor/coach them on projects.
- 30min 1-1 meetings with students once a semester minimum
- Drop in/peer coach office hours (5 hours per week in FYE/Horizon Hall Study Room)
- Weekly personal reflections about experiences, objectives, successes, and challenges documented in an ePorfolio
- Create and maintain course ePortfolio as a model repository for student learning
- Provide class announcements about Aims programs/events/services each class session
- Take in notes every class
- Lead in-class small group discussions/activities
- Attend training sessions before each semester
- August 2015 training focused on program overview, expectations and responsibilities
- January 2016 training will focus on deliberating the first semester, brainstorming continual improvement for Spring and allow for 1-1 meetings between instructor and peer coach for planning purposes.
- Peer coaches and instructors will be attending the 2016 Rocky Mountain Peer Leadership Conference on March 12, 2016.
- 90% of students in the four sections with peer coaches said “Having a Peer Coach in my AAA090 class added value to my first year experience.
- 92% of students said “Having a Peer Coach in my AAA090 class increased my awareness of academic and support resources at Aims.
In the News!
FYE-FYI: AAA & FYE Peer Coaching Program
The Center for the First-Year Experience (FYE) and the AAA academic department have collaborated to offer an embedded peer coach pilot in four AAA sections this fall and three AAA classes this spring. Peer coaching is a high impact retention initiative which has been well established in higher education literature (Astin 1993, 1996; Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt, & Associates, 2005; Kuh, Schuh, Whitt & Associates, 1991; Pascarella & Terenzini 1991, 1994, 2005; Schroeder & Mable, 1994). Student learning and personal development are enhanced by the presence of a competent peer who has been successful navigating similar academic experiences (Minor, 2007).
Former AAA students who have successfully completed the course attend all class sessions and provide individual and group support, making referrals to campus resources as needed. Leveraging social norming positive psychology (Schultz, Nolan, Cialdini, Goldstein, & Griskevicius, 2007), peer coaches norm academic struggles and problem-solve with students. Peer coaches lead appropriate classroom discussions, meet 1-1 with students, and host drop-in peer coaching sessions. Peer coaches are comprehensively trained by the FYE staff and they have journaled about their experiences while receiving feedback from the AAA instructor on an ongoing basis.
Initial student data from a fall 2015 AAA course post-assessment indicate high affinity for the embedded peer coach (PC) model:
· 92% of students strongly agreed/agreed “having a PC in my AAA class increased my awareness of academic and support resources at Aims.”
· 90% of students strongly agreed/agreed “having a PC in my AAA class added value to my first-year experience.”
Five peer coaches have been hired for the 2016-2017 academic year and will be imbedded in 10 AAA sections in the fall. For more information about the program, please contact Rachel Veretto at rachel.veretto@aims.edu or x6641.
Reports