University of Maryland Global Campus Expands Coaching Program for First-Time College Students

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 03/18/24

With the goal of increasing student retention and graduation, the online University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) has engaged nonprofit student coaching organization Inside Track to expand the university's coaching program to give support for first-time college students.

Inside Track will work one-on-one with up to 600 new students over their first five months to give personal support in that "critical first year of study and provide short-term expansion of coaching support," according to a news announcement.

The organization will also provide intensive training, development, and certification to UMGC coaches, staff, and administrators to learn the best practices of student coaching. It will also use student feedback data to help the university develop a usable coaching model for years to come.

The coaching can be especially helpful to students from underrepresented backgrounds, the release noted, citing UMGC student demographics:

  • Average age: 31;
  • Undergraduates working full time: 79%;
  • Those working and caring for children: 35%
  • Underrepresented minorities: 54% (28% of whom identify as African American); and
  • Military affiliated students, including active duty, in the reserves, spouses and dependents, or veterans: over 53,000.

"Given the rich diversity of the students we serve, taking a holistic approach to understanding their needs, aspirations and barriers has always been a core tenet of UMGC's work throughout our history as an adult-serving public university," said Martina Hansen, senior vice president and chief student affairs officer. "The unique combination of InsideTrack's evidence-based methodology and the 'teach-to-fish' approach will enable us to provide even more personalized support for students as they navigate the complexities of higher education."

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • Abstract geometric shapes including hexagons, circles, and triangles in blue, silver, and white

    Google Launches Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet

    Google has introduced Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental, a new artificial intelligence model designed to reason through problems before delivering answers, a shift that marks a major leap in AI capability, according to the company.

  • Training the Next Generation of Space Cybersecurity Experts

    CT asked Scott Shackelford, Indiana University professor of law and director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, about the possible emergence of space cybersecurity as a separate field that would support changing practices and foster future space cybersecurity leaders.

  • Two stylized glowing spheres with swirling particles and binary code are connected by light beams in a futuristic, gradient space

    New Boston-Based Research Center to Advance Quantum Computing with AI

    NVIDIA is establishing a research hub dedicated to advancing quantum computing through artificial intelligence (AI) and accelerated computing technologies.