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AcoachingcasestudyofBA(Hons)SportBusinessManagementstudents(2009‐2012)

Pre‐amble:Thispaperreferstoanundergraduate3‐yeardegreeprogrammewherestudentsweregradually(yearonyear)introducedtoanewsystemof‘coaching’.Thisinnovativeapproachwasendorsedbya3yearJISCfundedprogrammeandledbyProfessorJanetFinlaywhosetupasupportteamtoassistintheresearchanddevelopmentofaprogrammeknownasPC3‐PersonalisedCurriculumCreationthroughCoaching.Downey(2003:21)definescoachingas“…theartoffacilitatingtheperformance,learninganddevelopmentofanother”.ThisemphasisdemonstratesashiftintheneedsanddemandsofpotentialstudentswithafocusonwhatNothedge(2003)describesasalearningprocess,whichisinitiatedandaccomplishedbythestudent. Themajorpedagogicshifthereisfromateacher/lecturerleadtoastudentleadforavarietyofpersonalandprofessionaldevelopmentinitiativeswithinthecourse.Overthetimeframeofthefunding,thePC3programmechangeddirectiononanumberofoccasions(refertotheInstitutionalStoryforfurtherdetails)butwhatfollowsisacasestudywhichevidencesasystematicapproachtorollingouta‘coachingethos’toanewcohortofstudenteveryyearfor3years.However,becauseofthewayinwhichthisapproachwasreceivedbythestudentsandbecauseofthecompatibilitywithbusinesscoachingthePC3‘coachingethos’soonbecameintegratedintoeachlevelofthedegreeandevenasanassessedpieceofworkateachlevel.ClutterbuckandMegginson(2008)relatetothisstrategywhentheyrecognisethatcoachingcanbelinkedasamaindrivertosupportcorebusiness.Theprogrammessuccessmustnotonlybeevidencedbythestaff’srecognitionofthepedagogicvalueofthischangebutmoresignificantlybythe‘studentsvoice’whichdemonstratedthatthe‘coachingvalue’wastoberecognisedasbeinganessentialtoolinthedeliveryofaseriesofmodulesandwherethestudentsthemselvesareidentifiedasthetrue‘agentsofchange’.IndeedNorthedge(2003:169)goesontodemonstrateagreaterinsightintohistheorywhenhestates,“theteacher’sroleisto‘facilitate’thislearning”.ThisdirectionalchangemustalsoberecognisedagainstabackdropofmodularreductionsandperiodicreviewwherethepressuresandconstraintsoftraditionalPersonalDevelopmentmodulesareoftenperceivedashavinglittlevalue.Inthesecasesmodulessimilartotheonesinthiscasestudyarediminishingandbeingreplacedbylessmoduleswithincreasedacademiccontentormoduleswithanewgraduateattributefocussuchase‐learningandglobalisation.Introduction:Aswiththeideologyofbusinesscoaching,coachinginthisacademicsenseofthewordhasalsotakensomeofit’sinfluencefromthevisibleaspectsoftoday’ssportscoacheswhohavehelpedtoshapethe‘thinkingandapproachestoapplyingcoachingintheworkplace’(ParsloeandLeedham2009:5).Thiscomplicatedmixbetweenthetrue

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meaningoftheword‘coaching’wasdescribedtothestudentsinthecontextofenhancingtheirownpersonaldevelopmentskills,howeversomestudentsstillfoundithardtodistinguishbetweencoaching(inthisacademicsense),sportcoachingandmentoring;Student1;‘I'menthusiasticaboutusingcoaching;weusedpersonalcoachingbetweenstudentsinourWorkBasedLearningModulelastyear.IfeltbeingcoachedbenefittedmeasIbecametorealisethatIwasactuallyawareofallmyweaknessesandwiththeencouragementofmycoachingbuddybecameperfectlyawareofwhatIneededtochangeaboutmyselfinordertodevelop.However,withoutthementoringofmycoachingbuddyIwouldn'tofaskedmyselfthesamequestionsandwouldprobablynothaveacknowledgedmyweaknesses.’Whileitisgoodtoseethevaluewhichthisstudentplacesoncoachingitisalsonoticeablethattowardstheendofthisstatementthestudentaddsthewordmentoringandthereforeitmaybetruetosuggestthatinthiscasestudent1mayhavereceivedbenefitsfromaformofmentoringpracticeaswellasfromagenuinecoachingpractice.However,thisiscommonplaceandnotuniquetothiscasestudy;indeedParsloeandLeedham(2009:3)evennotethat‘…itisnotsurprisingthatthereisstillconfusionoverdefinitionsandlanguage’andDowney(2003)notesthatotherthancoachingthereisarangeofotherapproachessuchascounselling,self‐actualisationmovementandnero‐linguisticprogramming.Thereisnowonderthen,thatstudentsthenmayoftenunderstandtheacademicway,whichtheyhavebeentaughttocoachbutthattheyoftengetconfusedaboutwhetheritiscoaching,sportscoachingormentoringetc.Todemonstratethisfurther,student2,makescommentsaboutreceivingadvicefromtheirpartnerandthiscanonlyservetohighlightsomeoftheconfusionaroundtheintroductiontotheethosofcoaching;‘NotonlywasIhelpedoutwhenIaskedmycoachingpartnersforadvice,butalsowhentheycametometoaskmeforhelpIwasabletoseethedifferentanglesthatpeopleweretakingtotackletheassignments.Itwasverybeneficialtome.’However,notingtheabovesomestudentsdorecognisetheimportanceofcoachinginrelationtothemoderndaysocietyinwhichweliveandmoreimportantlyfromaperspectiveofemploymentandthebenefitsitbrings;Student3;‘CoachingissomethingofwhichIfeelisreallyimportantinmyselfdevelopmentintwoways;IneedtobecoachedtoaidwithmyeducationandallrounddevelopmentbutalsotheabilitytocoachothersisausefultooltoaidindevelopingskillsofwhichIwillneedtouseonceemployedasIdoaimtoworkathigherlevelswithinanorganisationthereforetheabilitytocoachsuccessfullywillbeanimportantskill.’Student4alsoprovidesaninsightintohowmuchtheyhavevaluedthecoachingwork,whichtheycompletedonthecourse;

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‘TheexperiencedefinitelybenefitedmyWorkBasedLearningworkasmycoachingpartnerhelpedmetomakemyoutcomesSMARTERandalsomadememoreconfident‘Althoughsomeoftheevidenceabovedemonstratesconfusionabouttheuseofcoachingandmentoringandidentifiesthatinsomecases‘advice’hasbeenprovided,JackandMattbelowdemonstratethereuseofcoachingandinparticularthewayinwhichappropriatequestioningcanputtheemphasisbackonthecoachee; Jack:Ithinkthattheyareallimportantbutonethingthatreallystruckmeduringcompletingthediagnosticexercisesandcompletingworkinsemester1wasthatIhavepoortimemanagementskills,soIfeelthatthelearningoutcome‘Workalongwithmembersofstafftoeffectivelymanagemytimeinworkingtowardsdeadlines’willhelpmetoimproveuponthis.Matt:Whydoyouthinkthattimemanagementisaproblemtoyou?Jack:WellIfirstfounditwhilstdoingmya‐levelsandIfoundthatIrushedtodoworkandthereforeitreducedthequalityofthefinishedarticledramatically.Matt:Whyistimemanagementimportanttoyouthenandhowdidyoucomeoveryourdifficulty?

Holly’s(L4)e‐portfolio(ontheVirtualLearningEnvironment‐X‐Stream)whichevidencesanumberof‘coaching’podcasts.

Thesequestionsareopenendedandavoidbeing‘leadingorloaded’(Parsloeand

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Leedham2009:153),whichmaymisleadthecoacheeorpromotearesponsewhichhasbeenpredeterminedbythecoach.InSeptember2010,theBAHSBMcourseteamintroducedthetheoryofcoachingtotheirL4studentsviaaPersonalDevelopmentPlanningmodulewherethestaff,coachedthestudentsthroughcriticalpersonaldevelopmentscenarios.ThisincludedgainingthestudentsconfidenceinatutorialsystemandintroducingthemtoUniversitylife.Cottrell(2003:81)demonstratesthisbestbyexplainingthat‘intra‐personalskillsandqualities(howyoumanageyourselfandyourattitudes)willbeofvaluethroughouttheentiretyofyou’relife.Intoday’ssocietywhereanenvironmentbasedonovercomingandcounteractingthetrendsofthelatestrecessionareparamountinHigherEducationavalueformoneyapproachwhereacoursefocusesonpersonaldevelopmentaswellasacademiccontentmayputstudentsinanadvantageouspositionasfarasemploymentisconcerned.WhereverpossibleeachstudentwasallocatedthesametutorthroughouttheirtimeatUniversitysotheaimwasverymuchtoallowthesecoachingsessionstobuildrapportandenhancethestudentlearningandengagementforthestudents’durationatUniversity.Thecourseteamthendevisedan‘employabilitypathway’whichhasbeenintegratedintotheacademiccurriculumandthefollowingsubheadingsrelatetothemoduleswhicharedeliveredinthispathwayandprovideexamplesofthemoduleswhere‘coaching’iscurrentlydelivered:2012Level4‐PersonalandProfessionalManagementSkills:CoachingisembeddedwiththeL4PPMSmodule(PersonalandProfessionalManagementSkills‐whichreplacedthePersonalDevelopmentPlanningmoduleinSeptember2012).Inthismodulestaff,coachthestudentsthroughacomprehensivetutorialsystemofatleast3x20minutetimetabledcoachingsessionsandthesesessionsareinadditiontotheirnormaltutorappointmentswhicheverystudentisentitledto.Studentsalsohavetoevidencetheirowncoachingwithotherstudents:Assessmentguideline:•Studentswillbeworkingin2sor3stofacilitateimprovementstotheskilllevelsof

bothyourselfandothers.•StudentswillpracticethisskillwhileonFieldWeek(anactivitybasedandacademic

weekintheLakeDistrictaspartoftheFaculty’sinductionandretentionpolicy).•Thisthenbecomesafactorinyouroveralllearninganddevelopmentanditshould

permeatealllevelsoflearningandassessment

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AnoverviewofthePPMSModule(September2012)Note: Wecurrentlyusetimetabledseminarslotsasacademictutorialsandseethestudents

informalcoachingsessions. Itemswhicharediscussedinclude: Academicprogress‐especiallyrelatedtospecificdiagnosticexercisesuchasVARKand

theUniversity’s‘PositiveFuture’books Pastoraldevelopments Personalissues

Capturingthecoachingandprovidingevidence: ElectronicallyasapodcastorMP3file Viaarecordingofthecoachingmeeting Viaasocialnetwork

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Viaanalternativemethode.g.emailthreadInfutureweaimtodevelopthisinnovationtoassiststudentsacrossotherareasofthecurriculume.g.inpreparationforassessmentsinothermodules.Herearesomeexamplesofthistypeofwork;

Threelevel4students(2010)Will(ontheleft)istheCoach,Jonny(ontheright)isthe

CoacheeandJay(behind)istheObserverStudent5;‘Wehaveuseddifferentmethodswithinourcoaching,includingwrittenviaasocialnetworkingwebsite,aurallyface‐to‐faceandoverthetelephoneandfinallywehaveusedavoicerecordertohaveapermanentcopyofourcoachingsessions.Ihavealsoactedasanobservertohelptheothertwoinourgrouptoasktherightquestionstoeachotherorpromptthemwhenneeded.’And‘BothKathrynandAmandareallyhelpedmeandweallworkedwelltogetherthroughsettingupagrouponFacebookthatwecouldallrespondtoandcoachonthere.Thiswaseasierthanhavingtomeetuptocoacheachother.Itwasmoreefficienttocoachandrespondtoeachotherasandwhenwecouldonline’2012L4‐PlanningforWorkBasedLearningTheCoachingethoshasalsobeenintroducedtoadditionalareasofthecurriculumincludingthismodulein2011.Herestudentscoachotherstudentsthroughworkplacementplanningscenarioscenteredonthedevelopmentofthestudentspersonal

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LearningOutcomes(specificactionstobeachievedduringtheirplacement).Thisuniquepedagogyputsthestudentsatthecentreoftheirownlearninginaveryeffectiveway.Ropers‐HuilmanandMcCoy(2011:257)supportthisconceptwhentheyconsiderthat‘Institutionscouldprovide‘adevelopmentalrole,helpingstudentstogrowholistically’.Inthiscasestudentsarepreparingfora120‐hourplacementwithabusinessorcompanywhowillaidtheirpersonaldevelopmentinrelationtoeventuallong‐termemployment.Theaimhere,istoutilisethesecoachingsessionstobuildrapport,enhancethestudentexperienceanddeveloptheirlevelofengagementinanorganicwaybutthroughaprocesswherethestudentsindividualworkwithotherswillleadtoanimprovementoftheirpersonalandprofessionalskills.Kelly(2004)iskeentopointoutthatanycurriculumcontentshouldbeapproachedasastudyofthesocialcontextandsocialrelationsratherthanthatofstudyingknowledgeitself.Thissupportsthecourse’sethosofapproachinglearningfromvaryingperspectivesratherthanpurelyfromacontentandacademicdirection. ThisexampleprovidesevidencetosupportKelly’spositionandmakesaconnectivebetweenthestudents’academicworkandthe‘real‐world’placement,whichisaformalpartofthestudents’assessmentonthismodule[thisconversationistakenfromafacebook‘coaching’conversation];

Patrick‘George,asoneofmyweaknessesontheentrepreneurshipquestionnairewasinitiativeIwouldliketousethisasoneofmylearningoutcomeswhilstI'monworkplacement.Ifeelthisshouldbeanacademicgoalbutstrugglingtoknowwhattodoitfor?PleaseHelp!’GeorgeInwhatareasdoyouthinkyoucanuseyourinitiativeintheworkplace?’ Patrick‘Initiativecanbeusedinmanagement.Itisaverygoodskilltohavewithinstrategicmanagementtobeabletocomeupwithnewideastohelpimprovethebusiness.AsIamgoingtodomyworkplacementworkingwiththemanagingdepartmentofaleisureclub,Iwanttousetestthisskillwithinit.IfeelthatifIpairmyweaknessofinitiativewithoneofmystrengthssuchascommunicationImaybeabletoimprovemyweaknessbetterthantryingitalone.SoIwantmylearningoutcometobebasedaroundthemtwoskills.’2012L5‐WorkBasedLearningThismoduleincludesacoachingscenarioasaformalsummativeassessmentandthecontentoutlinebelowdemonstratesthis:

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Studentswillbedoingthisforeachother. Studentswillbeworkingin2sor3stofacilitateimprovementsintheskilllevelsof

bothyourselfandothers. Studentswillpracticetheseskillsinseminarsovertheweekstocome. Thisthenbecomesafactorinyouroveralllearninganddevelopmentasitshould

permeatealllevelsoflearningandyou’reassessmentThismodulediffersfromothermodulesbecausemostofthecoachingtakesplacewhilethestudentsareactuallyonplacementandawayfromtheUniversity.Schemeofwork

Wk1Lecture/Seminars:WorkExperienceCatch‐Up,Whereareyouat,whereshould

yoube,whatdoyouneedtodonext. Wk2Lecture/Seminars:Authoringyourownlifechoices.Takingpositivesteps

forwardandlearningtoaccentuatethepositive(Part1) Wk3Lecture:Authoringyourownlifechoices.Takingpositivestepsforwardand

learningtoaccentuatethepositive(Part2)&Seminar:GroupTutorialswithPersonalTutors

WK4Lecture:LearningAgreementStructure&Seminar:GroupTutorialswithPersonalTutors

WK5Lecture:TheArtofCoaching&Seminar:AppliedCoachingSkills WK6:TheArtofReflectionandReflectiveWriting&Seminar:CoachingandReflective

Skills Wk7Lecture:PosterDesignandtheReflectivePortfolio&Seminar:Q&ASession Wks8‐12arereservedforindividualtutorialswithyourassignedtutor.Anongoingprocess:Asthestudentsprogress,thecoachingemphasisrelatesmorecloselytoimprovingtheindividual‘employabilityskills’andaself‐assessmentofeachstudents’personalattributes.Althoughtheseself‐assessmentshavebeenconductedatL4aswell,thediagnosticexerciseswhichstudentsusetocompletetheexerciseisgraduallydirectedtowardstheir‘employabilityskills’throughL5(whereworkplacementsisthefocus)andthentowardsaclearundivided‘employability’focusatL6.Eachstudentcoachesanothertoenablethemtobringouta‘commonsense’approachtoenhancingspecificskillsoftheirchoice(leveldependent).Cottrell(2003)referstothisasknowingyourassets,understandingyourlimitsanddefiningwhatyoureallywant,somethingthatRogers(2004:163)discussesasa‘dilemmainaction’.Itisthese‘actions’,whichhelptoaddvaluetotheBAHSBMdegreecourseandwhilemanycourseshaveeitherreducedordevaluedtheirPDPdeliveryandtutorial/individualcontacttimethiscoursehasincreasedthisfocusbyintegratingtheir‘employabilitypathway’whichusescoachingasanessentialtoolinit’seffectivedelivery.Hereisanassessedreflectioncompletedbystudent5,whichprovidesadetailed

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overviewofthiscasestudyandprovidesexamplesofmanyoftheareasdiscussedabove:Assessment:Areflectiononthecoachingprocessbystudent6;Duringthismodulewehavebeenworkingtogethertohelpeachotherimproveourlearningagreements.TheCoachingAcademy(2010)statesthat‘Ifyouarecoached,youcantakemassiveleapsforwardinallpartsofyourlife,careerandrelationships,asthecoach,youbenefitatthesametimebecausewhenyoucoachsomeoneyouarealsodevelopingandgrowingyourself’.PersonallyIbelievetheyhavebeenreallyhelpful.ThroughthecoachingI'vereallyhadtothinkabouteachofmylearningoutcomestoseeiftheyareactuallywhatIwanttoachieve.Alsobyaskingoneandanotherwhyandhowhasmademeaskmyselfwhyandhowaboutmyownwork.Wehaveuseddifferentmethodswithinourcoaching,includingwrittenviaasocialnetworkingwebsite,aurallyface‐to‐faceandoverthetelephoneandfinallywehaveusedavoicerecordertohaveapermanentcopyofourcoachingsessions.Ihavealsoactedasanobservertohelptheothertwoinourgrouptoasktherightquestionstoeachotherorpromptthemwhenneeded.SpecificallyIhavehelpedCatherinetofinaliseherlearningoutcomesasonceIaskedherquestionssherealisedthatsomecouldbelinked,whichhasallowedhertocreatemorevariedlearningoutcomessothatshecannowgainthemostfromherworkexperience.Thisstudentclearlyunderstandstheartofaskingopenendedandleadingquestionstogainabettermoreinformedresponsefromthecoachee.Thestudentdiscussesusingthewords‘why’and‘how’whichwillallowthecoachtoputthethoughtprocesssquarelyontotheownershipofthecoachee.Thisstudentalsovaluestheotherroleofbeinganobserverandclearlyunderderstandstheimportanceofensuringthattherighttypesofquestionsareasked.Theassetsinthiscase(Cottrell,2003)andthedilemmaunderdiscussion(Rogers,2004),istheassessmentofidentifyingappropriatelearningoutcomespriortoaworkplacement.Student6takesthisastagefurtherbyidentifyingadeeperlevelofanalysis:Student6summarisesthebenefits,whichtheyhaveexperiencedwhilecompletingtheircoachingandalsoembedstheworkofPalmerandMcDowell(2010)regardingthepromotionofaforwardthinkingapproach;Supportingevidencebystudent7;Ifeelthatcoachingshouldbeusedateverygivenorrelativeopportunity.Itenablespeopletoreachgoalsandachievemovementfromwheretheycurrentlyaretowheretheywanttobe,inashortertimeframe,withmoreefficiencythanyouwouldseewithouttheuseofcoaching.Itimprovesrelationships,strengthensskillsandalsobringstolightthedifferinginsightsandideaspeoplehave.Knowledgeispowerandthemoreyouknowandunderstandthequickeryoucanaccomplishgoals,whichisinitiallywhat

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coachingenablesyoutodo.FromusingcoachinginthepastIcertainlyfeelthatithelpedmeimmensely,itallowedmetocriticallyanalysemyselfandIwasabletoturnthefindingsintosolutionswhichenabledmetoachievetheoutcomesIhadsetformyself,Iwasalsoabletobuildagreaterunderstandingofpeopleandmyinterpersonalrelationshipsimproved,myoverallexperiencewasthatcoachingworks,itdevelopstheattributespeoplehaveandmakesiteasiertounderstandandultimatelyachievetasksorgoalsset.PalmerandMcDowell(2010:63)alsodiscusstheimportanceofsettinggoalsandmakeadirectlinktosomethingwhichtheycall‘possibleselves’thesearerepresentationsofthemselvesinthefutureandthisismostcertainlyalignedtostudent2’scommentsregardingthesettingofgoalsthroughtheassessmentwhichhadbeenseti.e.identifyingpossiblelearningoutcomeswhichcanbeachievedwhileonplacement.Student2talksabouthowcoaching‘ultimatelyachievestasksorgoals’thatwill‘strengthentheirskills’andthereforeimprovesomeaspectoftheirpersonaldevelopment.2012L6‐ContinueddPersonalandProfessionalDevelopmentThisyearhasseenthedevelopmentofanewphaseofourcoachingdeliveryskills,thoseofacademic‘buddy’coaching‐wherestudentscoachandarebeingcoachedbyfellowstudentsfromoutsideoftheircomfortzone,i.e.studentswhotheydon’tknowdirectlybutwhohavealreadybeenthroughtheacademicprogramme(L6students),whichtheyhaverecentlyembarkedon(L4students).ThisstrategyintegratestheL4PPMSandL6CPPDstudentsandisdesignedtohelpbothstudentsintheiracademicdevelopmentThisworkencourageslevel4studentstotakeontheroleoftheCoachee(lookingforappropriatesupportintheearlystagesoftheiracademiclife)andtheL6studentswilltakeontheroleoftheCoach(lookingtoutilisetheir3yearsworthofcoachingexperiencetoassistafirstyearstudent).This‘buddysystem’alsoreflectstheindustryspecificelementofcoachingwherecolleaguesassistandsupporteachotherthroughasimilarprocess.‘Aflexibleframework,guidingprinciplesandstrategicapproachtodevelopingandimplementinglearning‐centeredcurricula’HubballandBurt(2004:51),isalignedtotheethosofthismodulewhereanappropriatelearningprocessforstudentshelpstosupportanareaofthestudentsdevelopmentinaformalmeasuredandopenenvironmentwhilemaintainingthestudentsthemselvesareattheheartoftheirownpersonaldevelopment.This‘Academic‘buddy’partnershipprovidesauniquelearningenvironmentwherestudentscancarryondevelopingtheireducationaldevelopmentawayfromthepryingeyesofthetutorandintheprivacyofanaturalenvironmentagreedonbetweenthecoachandthecoachee.Indeeditisthisenvironmentwherestudentscanbothhonetheircoachingskillsanddeveloptheirpersonaldevelopmentplan.ThispartnershipbetweenstudentandstudentalsodevelopstheirinterpersonalskillsandisanotherexampleofhowthispathwayandtheintegratedPC3workgenuinelyputsthestudentfirst(PalmerandMcDowall,2010).Thisisalsoevidencedbelow;

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AnexampleofaL4‘coachinggroup’onFacebookBothKathrynandAmandareallyhelpedmeandweallworkedwelltogetherthroughsettingupagrouponFacebookthatwecouldallrespondtoandcoachonthere.Thiswaseasierthanhavingtomeetuptocoacheachother.Itwasmoreefficienttocoachandrespondtoeachotherasandwhenwecouldonline.ThroughcoachingithelpedmetounderstandmoreaboutthepointIwastryingtomakeanddecisionsImadeimprovedmyexperienceinthisarea.Iwoulddefinitelytaketheopportunitytodosomecoachingagain,theeffectsofcoachinghavepositivelyhelpedmewithmyoutcomes,soIwasnotstrugglingmyselfitwasgreatthatotherscouldhelpmeandIcouldhelpthem.Summary:Sing(2003)informsusthat‘Learningrequirementsandthepreferencesofeachlearnertendtobedifferentandit’sthecoachingfocus(withinthe‘employabilitypathway’)whichevidencesthisinauniqueandinnovativeway.Indeedit’sthestudentsthemselveswhoarethe‘changeagents’hereandwhoareresponsibleforeachother’spersonaldevelopment.Thisworkisalsoabletobringthepersonaldevelopmentofthestudentstotheforeinaway,whichhasnotbeendonepreviously.DeweyascitiedinWearandSkillicorn(2009)inVanPuymbroeck(2010)lookstoexploretheterm‘thehiddencurriculum’‐Deweysuggestscollaterallearning[pastoraldevelopmentalsoknownasContinued

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ProfessionalDevelopment]mayhavemoreofalastingeffectonlearnersthanthatoftheformalcurriculum.Perhapsthistypeofwork,usingthestudentsasgenuine‘agentsofchange’caneradicatethe‘hiddencurriculum’andmakeitmorevisibleinawaywhichCottrell(2003)andRogers(2004)botharguewouldbeapositiveandrefreshingpedagogicshift?Insummaryandasawayofevidencingoncemore,thelevelofstudentengagementinthisresearchprojectandtheprocessofcoaching,thefinalexampleofstudent7scommentsaretypicalofthestudentfeedbackingeneralandwillusedtoevidenceastudentledfocusinthenewdirectionofthedegreecourseasitchangesit’scurriculumdesigninlinewiththeUniversity’sUndergraduateCurriculumRefocus.Thestudentvoiceiscleartheyarecallingforanincreasedintegrationofcoachingacrossothermodulesandagreateremphasistobeplacedonaconnectivebetweentheirownpersonaldiagnosticexercisesandtheircoachingfocus.ThesenewelementshaveallbeenembeddedinthecoursesnewCourseApprovalTemplateandthisinitselfisevidenceofhowstudentsreallycanbeagentsofchange.BibliographyAshwin,P(2012)AnalysingTeaching‐LearninginteractionsinHigherEducation.Continuum.LondonCottrell,S(2003).SkillsforSuccess:ThePersonalDevelopmenthandbook.PalgraveMacmillan.ChinaClutterbuck,DandMegginson,D(2008)4Edn.MakingCoachingWork:Creatingacoachingculture.CharteredInstituteofPersonalDevelopment.LondonDowney,M(2003).EffectiveCoaching:LessonsfromtheCoach’sCoach.ThomsonUnitedKingdom.HubballandBurt(2004).‘AnintegratedapproachtodevelopingandimplementingLearning‐CenteredCurricula’:InternationalJournalforAcademicDevelopment,9(1),51‐65.Kelly,A.V.(2004)TheCurriculum.TheoryandPractice.Sage.London.Northedge,A(2003).‘EnablingParticipationinAcademicDiscourse’:TeachinginHigherEducation.Volume8,Number2,Pages169‐180.Palmer,SandMcDowell,A(2010)TheCoachingRelationship:PuttingpeoplefirstRoutledge.London.Parsloe,EandLeedham,M.(2009)2ndEdn.CoachingandMentoring:Practicalconversationstoimprovelearning.KoganPage.London.Rogers,J(2004)CoachingSkillsHandbook.OpenUniversitypress.GreatBritain

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Ropers‐Huilman,RandMcCoy,D.(2011)StudentChangeAgentsasCitizensinContemporaryUniversities:AchievingthePotentialofEngagement.JournalofCurriculumTheorizing.Ebsco[Internet]Vol27,No3.Availablefrom<http://web.ebscohost.com>[Accessed24February2012]Sing,H.Buildingeffectiveblendedlearningprograms.(2003).EducationalTechnologyJournal.Ebsco[Internet].November‐December,Volume43,Number6,Pages51‐54.Availablefrom<http://web.ebscohost.com>[Accessed2ndMarch2012].VanPuymbroeck,M,Austin,D.RandMcCormick,B.P.(2010)BeyondCurriculumReform:TherapeuticRecreation’sHiddenCurriculum.TherapeuticRecreationJournalEbsco[Internet]3rdQuarter,Vol.44Issue3,p213.Availablefrom<http://web.ebscohost.com>[Accessed24February2012].