Academic Coaching Teaches Students to Learn

Though it is a fairly new addition to the long list of PVCC resources available to students, Academic Coaching is credited to the success of many successful PVCC alumni. From helping students develop academic skills, like note-taking and time-management, to providing stress management techniques, Academic Coaching is an invaluable resource that all students stand to benefit from.

Located in the Writing Center of PVCC, Academic Coaches provide personalized sessions to help students balance work, school, and daily life. The writing center opens each weekday at 9 a.m., and the Academic Coaches are available by appointment. 

Ruth Yoder, a PVCC alumni, has been an Academic Coach for about three years; she meets with students daily to help them discover the tools that are needed to succeed in their Academic lives. With each student being unique in their learning styles and capabilities, different students require different strategies. One such strategy is a regularly scheduled visit.

“Every week, your meeting with someone who is asking you how your studies are going,” says Yoder.

She is speaking to the sense of accountability that students are provided by Academic Coaching. That sense of accountability comes into play when students make appointments on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Yoder believes that this encourages students to stay caught up on assignments and put forth a greater effort to maintain their grades. Of course, recurring visits are not required, and students may attend sessions as much or as little as they desire. 

Yoder has a plethora of resources available to her which she is able to provide to students, her own experience being the first go to. Yoder exposes her students to new ways of thinking through topics and problems. When a student approaches her with an issue that doesn’t fall in line of her expertise, Yoder is knowledgeable and able to point them in the direction of an alternative resource that may better serve them.

Yoder, along with the other experienced Academic Coaches, are a reliable asset to the PVCC student body. Whether you are just wanting supplemental advice or needing extensive help designing an effective study plan, Academic Coaching is a PVCC resource that you will undoubtedly benefit from.