By Tate Luckey–
For students who are struggling with getting a good start to their academic career, or even those who need a quick confidence boost, REACH is the service for them. Not only do they provide tutoring, graduate exam prep, and a whole resource center dedicated to up to 200 level math courses, they also are providing a newer service referred to as Peer Academic Coaching.
According to Dr. Geoff Bailey, Executive Director of REACH and Testing Services, Peer Academic Coaching is designed to help students develop their academic skillsets to achieve their goals.
“We help students establish specific, SMART goals and identify challenges that might detract from their academic success as well as help identify resources (U of L services, people, departments) that can support their academic lives,” he said. The other REACH services, by comparison, are more focused on course content and learning the specific subject matter.
And don’t worry about the service being virtual either. While the pandemic has definitely left a ripple in how educators like him and Mark Woolwine, Assistant Director of Learning Resources, approached REACH as a whole, no student utilizing this service will talk to a coach through a screen.
Students who sign up can meet one of eight different peer coaches in BAB 427. “Our peer coaches record students’ progress in CardSmart and review information about previous appointments to ensure we’re helping them continue to make progress on topics or developing skills that are critical to our students,” Bailey said.
Students who are interesting in being a coach can sign up here. The only requirements are to have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a faculty or staff recommendation. If you’d like to sign up for a coaching appointment, you can do so here.
Graphic by Eli Hughes // The Louisville Cardinal
