Thank you for your interest in becoming a CDL Peer Academic Coach and supporting the CDL Academic Coach Program.  

What is the CDL Academic Coach Program? 
The CDL Academic Coach program was developed as a support program to help students be more successful academically.  Students in need of support are paired with a trained Peer Academic Coach who will guide them throughout the term. The student and coach will connect on a regular basis to go over the student's progress in their studies, to discuss past and upcoming assignments, and to explore new learning approaches to be more successful.  The trained coach, who is knowledgeable about the college and who is trained to help students with specific academic problems/issues that may arise during the term, will guide their students to academic support resources, college offices, and/or key college staff members as needed by the student.  It is hoped that this frequent and consistent connection with the academic coach will help the student to succeed academically.   

What are the responsibilities of CDL Peer Academic Coach? 
-	Someone to help plan and structure your term in ways that promote academic success. 
-	A person to help you troubleshoot academic issues and connect you with academic material when you need it. 
-	Regularly scheduled meetings with your assigned Academic Coach. Weekly or Bi-weekly meetings are recommended. 
-	Assistance with time management, study skills, goal setting, self-exploration and decision-making skills as a means of both personal and academic success. 
-	Development of an academic success contract, based on your academic needs, strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. 
-	Strict confidentiality with all information given to your peer academic coach. 
-	Referral information to the many college offices, department, faculty, mentors, staff and services, as you need them. 

What should a CDL Peer Academic Coach NOT do? 
-	Advise the student of what courses to take, how to design or plan their degree program, or other issues related to degree completion. All degree planning questions should be referred to the student’s primary mentor.   
-	Reach out to the student's instructors about course related issues on the student's behalf. – Student/Instructor issues should be referred to the Office of Student Services or handled by the student individually.   
-	Assist and/or counsel a student with any aspect of their financial aid and/or financial obligations with the college. With the many complexities surrounding Financial Aid, Student Loans, and a student's bill, the student needs to speak to the colleges Financial Aid and Student Accounts professionals. 
-	Tutor and/or assist the student with course assignments, projects, papers, etc... Formal academic support services should be set up to facilitate this type of assistance. 

What will be expected of a student assigned to a CDL Peer Academic Coach? 
-	Call, email, text, and/or attend all scheduled meetings with your assigned Academic Coach, as best you can. Students are expected to notify their academic coach if they are unable to attend a meeting in a timely manner, when possible.   
-	Follow up on any referral or recommendation that is made by the Academic Coach.  (ex: Contact your instructor and get clarification on the group project due next month.)   
-	Provide the Academic Coach with a clear, accurate, and up-to-date summary of your academic progress in each enrolled study. The Academic Coach cannot be effective if they are not fully aware of everything happening in your course(s). 
-	Try as best as you can to complete any "To Do's" developed between you and your Academic Coach before your next meeting. (ex: Set up your Smarthinking account and submit one essay for feedback)   
-	Keep your Academic Coach AND your primary mentor fully aware of any and all situations that could impact success in CDL studies.    
-	Ask for help, referrals, and/or assistance whenever needed.  (ex: I think I need tutoring assistance for my accounting course. Where should I begin?)