Student coaching

The mentoring system, based on students supporting students, has been set up to strengthen support for Bac1 students.

Supporting students in their learning is a core concern at the Université de Liège.

Numerous services and actions to help students succeed exist at institutional level and within the Faculties, at every stage of the curriculum.

At Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, the mentoring scheme is particularly focused on supporting students in their efforts to succeed and in their learning of the student's profession.

The principle is based on

• coaching of Bac1 students by students in higher years,
• assistance with difficult courses, advice on time management and new aspects of university teaching,
• mentoring of a group of 15 students by a student mentor for 20 hours, between mid-October and mid-February.

At Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, the targeted courses are Physics: Thermodynamics in the 1st term and Particle Mechanics in the 2nd term.

Coaches

At Gembloux, coaches are called "leaders"

They are bachelor students who have completed this teaching unit.

Leaders are trained and supported by a faculty advisor (the pedagogical coordinator).

Their role is to mentor new students through regular meetings (weekly 30-45 minute sessions):

• each leader helps a group of students to work on the targeted course: discussions about the subject, methods for writing a syllabus...
• the leader also gives advice on time management: understanding and noting course deadlines, drawing up a work schedule...
• the leader draws new students' attention to the teachers' requirements.

Program results

The program was evaluated through a survey carried out by IFRES in collaboration with Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech's pedagogical coordinator.

On the basis of a questionnaire submitted to leaders and participants, it emerged that this support was particularly beneficial in terms of performance and study strategies.

The program was also seen as a way of forging links between students: being in contact with peers from the same year and with students who had succeeded in the first year was perceived very positively.

Taking part in this program also encourages a different way of learning, sharing with other students and collaborating: answering one's own questions on the one hand, and being able to explain to others on the other, enables one to check one's own understanding of the subject matter.

coaching at ULiège