Part personal advisor and part cheerleader, success coaches are focused on supporting online students at Arizona State University in achieving their goals. From helping adjust to life as an online student, to offering success strategies and time management tips, to connecting students to the various resources at ASU, success coaches are available to help smooth any bumps in the road and to cheer students on as they cross the finish line.
“We help students set academic goals, no matter how big or how small. We also help facilitate their individual connection to ASU so that students feel like they are an important part of the Sun Devil Nation,” says Success Coach Lead Lynn Bagnall. Lynn has more than 20 years of experience, working in both K-12 and higher education prior to coming to ASU. In her current role as Success Coach Lead, Lynn guides her group of coaches to continually grow in the quality of their coaching conversations.
All ASU Online students will have a coach committed to guiding them through their educational journey, from the day they start until the day they graduate. Coaches have a strong understanding of each student’s academic program as well as the university support services available to students, such as career services, resources for health and wellness, academic tools, and goal-setting/goal progression tools.
“Success coaching is great, especially in the first and second term when you’re still figuring everything out. I had so many questions, I just kept asking and asking and asking,” says Reese Hann, a geography major living in Northern California.
“I brought up that I’m not going to have any chance to take a public presentation class and I’ve learned it’s important to have that skill. I asked my success coach if she could give me some resources about public speaking and it wasn’t even an hour later that she got almost 10 resources to me.”
Reese’s story is one of many. We know our students are unique and their educational journeys are their own – and ASU’s online program was designed with that in mind. Our students are not going through this alone, and the success coaching team is committed to being with them every step of the way.
“It’s helping someone see the big picture,” says Success Coach Kissa, Powell. “We’re encouraged to do everything we can to help our students. What I really love is that our students are so enthusiastic about being in school. They are receptive when I tell them that although things may seem difficult right now, we can get where they want to go together — I’m going to empower them to get to that point.”
Success coaching is one of the many resources ASU Online students have available to them throughout their student journey. The relationship formed between a success coach and student will lead to a greater sense of involvement and engagement and is one more level of support to help get students to their ultimate goal, graduation!
Learn more about support tools available to you in your ASU Online program.