Transforming Student Coaching to support students' personal, academic, and professional success: Insights from the Student Success Coaching Programme

The University of Galway introduced Student Success Coaching (SSC), a core commitment of an institution-wide innovation programme, Designing Futures. Designing Futures received significant government funding of €7.57m in 2020 to enhance the student experience through enterprise-engaged education, research-led learning, and cross-faculty teaching. An integral part of Designing Futures, SSC constitutes the holistic development element of the wider university programme, applying design thinking principles to support students’ personal, academic, and professional success. It encourages students to recognize their strengths and natural talents and navigate successful transitions into university life and community. Firstly, this paper outlines how design thinking theories and principles have oriented the coaching service and its implemented activities. Second, it reports on its impact by gathering evidence from students and staff. The students' feedback includes an analysis of service experiences gathered from a program feedback form and insights from a focus group with student ambassadors involved in the coaching program. The third part of the evaluation focuses on staff feedback. It begins with an overview of five case vignettes that illustrate the various issues the coaching team addresses. Finally, the reflections of cross-university stakeholder groups who had engaged with the SSC program are presented, focusing on its successes and challenges. The analysis highlights best practice for successful coaching in the university context: an integrated approach to coaching that combines one-to-one individual coaching and themed workshops; student-led co-creation through ambassador's programmes; and positioning the coaching programme in connection with wider university initiatives.