Inquiring Rather Than Informing: An Approach for Holistic Development of Science and Engineering Student

Contribution: This article explores the impact of academic coaching on science and engineering students through a pilot study. The study proposes integrating academic coaching as a standard component of the student support framework. Background: Unlike mentoring or informing, coaching or inquiring practice encourages higher education students to engage in critical thinking and analyze complex problems, which can enhance their problem-solving skills. This helps students discover situations and options on their own, leading to the creation of action plans. Research Questions: 1) What is the degree of influence that the academic coaching approach has on the personal development of students? and 2) In what ways has academic coaching facilitated the achievement of academic goals for science and engineering students? Methodology: The coaching program was created for a one-semester term and was offered free to students at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Students who participated were new to coaching and had limited knowledge of it. To collect data, a survey was conducted using MS Forms, consisting of Likert and open-ended questions, and was distributed among the students who joined the coaching program. A total of 42 students participated, resulting in a participation rate of approximately 42%. Findings: The study discovered that integrating coaching practices could improve the holistic development of students. This has implications for the creation of student support systems in higher education, supporting personal tutorials, and strengthening the training of personal tutors and tutees.