Baylor

Academic Coaches

Academic Coaches serve student athletes in many different ways: Academic Coaches work with students through the initial registration process as incoming freshmen. Once students arrive on campus, Academic Coaches work one on one with students to create an individualized academic plan. These plans include everything from academic support (study hall, tutoring, mentoring, learning support, etc.) to early graduation and graduate school plans. Academic Coaches meet with student athletes regularly to ensure they are on track for graduation and help them work toward their academic goals.

Academic Coaches also serve as liaisons to faculty and staff on campus. While it is important for students to advocate for themselves, Academic Coaches play a major role in communicating athletic responsibilities and travel plans with faculty and staff. In addition to communicating with faculty and staff, Academic Coaches also serve as liaisons with athletic coaches, staff and administration on a daily basis.

Lastly, Academic Coaches play a major role in the advising, major selection and course registration process for student athletes. In addition to meeting with their on-campus academic advisors, student athletes will participate in ongoing conversations with their Academic Coach to discuss major options and interests, degree maps, graduation plans, and course scheduling.

Learning Support

Learning Support is a unique part of a student athlete’s individualized academic plan. Learning Support consists of Learning Specialists, Academic Mentors, an Academic Readiness program offered over the summer and academic screenings.

The primary role of a Learning Specialist is to work one on one with qualifying students to help them improve their academic skills and utilize those skills to complete assignments and prepare for exams and quizzes. Learning specialists also work closely with academic coaches while developing support plans for student-athletes.

Academic Mentors are high achieving upperclassmen students who meet with and assist student athletes with transitional and study skills necessary to be successful in college.

Academic Readiness is a summer program designed and facilitated by learning specialists. The curriculum includes academic integrity workshops, college level writing activities and tips and strategies designed to ease the transition from high school to college.

Lastly, all incoming student athletes are screened by learning specialists using the WRAT IV Screening in order to identify any areas of additional academic need. The goal of this process is to equip student athletes with specific support tailored toward their learning style as early as possible in their collegiate career.

Tutoring

SACE coordinates individual and group tutoring sessions onsite for its 500 student-athletes. Tutors are available for a wide array of classes in order to ensure we are meeting the varying needs of our students. Students can request one-time or reoccurring sessions, depending on their academic needs. It is the tutorial program's goal to provide academic assistance for all student-athletes in need.

Each semester, SACE employs 90-120 student, graduate, and staff tutors to work with student-athletes. Tutors are content specific, tutoring only the classes in which they have demonstrated proficiency. At the beginning of each semester, SACE Tutors attend Tutor Training & Orientation to brief them on SACE, Baylor and NCAA policies and procedures. Orientation also includes breakout sessions to inform tutors on "best practices" and tutoring methods. To ensure the continued development of the tutorial staff, three in-person supplemental training sessions and two online supplemental training sessions are held each semester. The supplemental training sessions cover a range of topics to promote and develop the skills necessary to best serve the students.

In order to ensure an optimal learning environment that is accessible to the students, all tutor sessions take place in the Simpson Athletics and Academic Center. The facility has 19 tutor rooms, one computer lab, and open study areas where the majority of the tutoring sessions take place. Additionally, in an effort to provide all of the necessary resources and accommodate various learning styles, every tutor room has a computer and a whiteboard . To accommodate the busy schedules of student-athletes, SACE offers tutoring Sunday-Friday.

SACE also employs a full-time Tutor Coordinator whose responsibilities include recruiting and hiring tutors, training and development of the tutorial staff, scheduling and all other responsibilities related to operating SACE's Tutorial Program.