Academic Skills and Strategies to Promote Success

The Academic Coaching & Engagement program offers all students at the University an opportunity to learn and apply the skills needed to be successful in college. ACE coaches meet one-on-one with students to create either an academic or engagement plan, learn skills and strategies for success, practice methods to effectively study, and set goals for success within and beyond the classroom.

The "Academic Skills and Strategies to Promote Success" presentation is interactive and engaging; incorporating self-assessments, in-class activities, and reflection activities to cover the selected topic. ACE Coaches facilitate the session and guide students to engage in conversation and learn from one another, in addition to learning new skills and strategies from the coach.

ACE offers University 101 instructors a choice of four presentations that focus on time management, basic study skills, learning styles, or exam preparation.

Learning Outcomes

The Academic Skills and Strategies to Promote Success presentation supports University 101 learning outcomes:

I. Foster Academic Success
a. Adapt and apply appropriate academic strategies to their courses and learning experiences.
Each presentation has a wide variety of study strategies, handouts, and tips in order to improve their current study habits.

e. Identify and apply strategies to effectively manage time and priorities.
In the time management presentation specifically, the ACE Coach uses self-assessments to begin the presentation and then uses active practice strategies to help students learn better ways to manage time and priorities.

II. Help Students Discover and Connect With the University of South Carolina
a. Identify appropriate campus resources and opportunities that contribute to their educational experience, goals, and campus engagement.
The ACE Coach will inform each student about campus resources and help them to know where to receive academic support on campus.

As a result of attending this presentation students will:

• Identify skills and strategies needed to perform well at the University
• Apply strategies that can further promote their success at the University
• List resources that can benefit their academic success and personal development

Presentation Description

The presenters are ACE Coaches, who are trained graduate students primarily from the Higher Education and Student Affairs program.  Coaches are able to transfer their skills used in one-on-one sessions with students and developed in training to working in a classroom setting.   ACE Coaches are provided several resources to format their presentation. Lesson plan templates are provided for coaches to encourage consistency within the various study skills. All presentations include interactive Q&A as well as handouts and resources students can use in class.

The available presentations are outlined below:

 Learning Styles - This presentation focuses on the importance of learning styles. The presenter will work with self-assessments and show how to integrate different learning styles into students’ study routines. This presentation will also introduce note taking techniques and test anxiety strategies.

Time Management-  This presentation will cover time management in detail. The presenter will discuss effective techniques for managing a busy college student schedule while maintaining a healthy balance between academics and extracurricular activities. Goal setting, procrastination, and grades will also be explained during the session.

Basic Study Skills-This presentation is an in-depth analysis of some of the basic study skills necessary to succeed at a college level. The presenter will cover concentration, memory, listening and reading comprehension skills through various activities that work on practicing and developing these basic study skills.

Exam Preparation- This presentation focuses on exam preparation. The presenter will discuss study strategies for different types of tests, as well as effective study plans and time management for significant exams. We will also go over note taking techniques.  Again, ACE provides Coaches with suggested lesson plans and active learning strategies for each presentation topic as well as clicker presentations for most topics.

Presentation Length
50 minutes