GET CERTIFIED.


Four Days of Guided Coaching Intensive

Save the dates: Boston, San Antonio, Colorado.

ACTP Welcomes Dr. Saundra McGuire

ACTP proudly welcomes Dr. Saundra McGuire, the Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success and retired Assistant Vice Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry at LSU. Her book, Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies: You Can Incorporate into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation, is a Stylus Publishing bestseller. The student version of this book, Teach Yourself How to Learn: Strategies You Can Use to Ace Any Course at Any Level.  NOTE: Saundra's segment is an online experience.

 

At our institute, Saundra presents on improving student learning by teaching students metacognitive learning strategies. Saundra works actively with university faculty and students to increase their understanding of the application of cognitive science and learning theory to increasing student academic performance.

Group photo of people wearing black shirts.

Academic Coach Certification Institute

Enhance your academic coaching skills by obtaining an ACTP Academic Coach Certification, tailored explicitly for new coaching professionals in higher education or individuals seeking a refresh of their coaching fundamentals and best practices.

Develop essential academic coaching skills that set you apart and deepen your impact on students. To earn the ACTP Academic Coach Certification, participants attend and actively engage in a four-day training experience, complete pre-institute preparation, and participate in reflective end-of-day learning activities.

ACTP integrates research-based learning theories with proven coaching practices, emphasizing real-world application and the complexities that today’s college students face.

Participant learning is assessed through active engagement, guided practice, and observed coaching demonstrations—ensuring you can effectively apply skills in authentic coaching scenarios.

Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your coaching—register today!

A teal arrow makes a looping swirl with the arrowhead pointing left.
Smiling person with glasses and gray hair.
Dr. Saundra McGuire, author, Teaching Students How to Learn, and Teach Yourself How to Learn.

Certification Institute 4-Day Schedule

ACTP aims to follow our daily schedule while also providing an engaging and interactive learning environment. Times are approximate, and sessions will continue until all content is covered. ACTP kindly asks that outgoing flights on Wednesday be scheduled no earlier than 3:00 PM.  

Day 1

10:00 AM – Welcome / Bookshare / Training
12:00 PM – Lunch on your own
1:00 PM – End of day / Roundtable breakout / Training

Day 2

8:15 AM – Breakfast
8:30 AM - 9:15 AM – Roundtable
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM – Training
12:00 PM – Lunch on your own
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM – Training

Day 3

8:15 AM – Breakfast
8:30 AM - 9:15 AM – Roundtable
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM – Special Guest Dr. Saundra McGuire - via online platform
Training
12:00 PM – Lunch on your own
1:00 PM - End of Day – Training

Day 4

8:15 AM - 9:15 AM – Coffee
8:30 AM - 9:15 AM – Roundtable
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM – Training
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM – Certification ceremony & Evaluations

What You’ll Learn

Academic Coaching Foundations
  • What Is Academic Coaching?
  • A Brief History of Coaching
  • Date on Coaching & why it is important on campuses.
  • Foundational Perspective: Erickson’s Principles
  • The Working Alliance
Ethics and Coaching the Student
  • Ethics Defined
  • Ethics in Academic Coaching
  • Why Ethics Matter in Coaching Conversations
  • Ethical Decision-Making Framework
  • Core Ethical Responsibilities of Academic Coaches
  • Common Ethical Challenges in Academic Coaching
Coaching the Challenging Student
  • Reframing the “Challenging” Student
  • The Role of Noncognitive Factors
  • Key Noncognitive Predictors of Academic Success
  • Identifying Barriers: Thinking, Feeling, and Doing
  • The Noncognitive Coaching Model (NCCM)
Theoretical Perspectives in Academic Coaching
  • Coaching and Its Psychological Roots
  • Coaching vs. Therapy
  • Humanistic Coaching
  • Appreciative Coaching
  • Solutions Focused and Positive Coaching
  • Cognitive Behavioral Coaching
  • Socratic Dialog
Coaching Mindset
  • Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset
  • The Neuroscience of Learning
  • Stages of Learning and Competence
  • Coaching Students Through Frustration
Coaching Change — The Elephant and the Rider
  • Understanding the Elephant and the Rider
  • Why Change Is Hard
  • Directing the Rider
  • Motivating the Elephant
  • Shaping the Path
Motivational Interviewing
  • What Is Motivational Interviewing?
  • Ambivalence and Change
  • Core Principles of Motivational Interviewing
  • The MI Process: Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, Planning
Coaching With MBTI® Preferences
  • Preference, Not Prediction
  • Ethical Use of MBTI in Coaching
  • The Four Preference Pairs
    • Extraversion and Introversion
    • Sensing and Intuition
    • Thinking and Feeling
    • Judging and Perceiving
  • Academic Strengths and Blind Spots

Certification Institute Information

Recertification CEUs

  • ACTP-certified coaches must complete 15 hours of approved CEU credits every three years for recertification.

  • Attending the ACTP conference offers 7.5 CEUs, while presenting a concurrent session at an ACTP conference provides 4 CEUs. Registration for an ACTP conference qualifies for the 7.5 CEU's.

  • Submitting a proposal serves as proof for earning 4 CEUs.

  • Participation in coach development outside of the Annual ACTP Conference can be submitted through our CEU portal. Please include the event details, proof of attendance for each CEU, and the event schedule with session titles