Posts
By Karen Fernau
GCU Magazine
 |
| Photo: Rick Vacek |
 |
| Felicia Roberts, 20, is one of the learning advocates (LEADs) who help guide older learners … Photo: Ralph Freso |
Her lifeline was Felicia Roberts, a Grand Canyon University senior and learning advocate, or LEAD, who is part of an innovative program that pairs high-achieving, 20-something students on campus with online distance learners age 40 and over.
In several phone conversations, Roberts guided Miller through the nuts and bolts of writing citations and research techniques for required papers. Equally important, the 20-year-old Sociology major turbo-blasted Miller’s confidence.
“Felicia’s bionic, able to help me with all kinds of work and keep me motivated,” said Miller, a part-time caterer in Detroit and mother of seven working toward a degree in Christian Studies.
“Working with Felicia makes me feel like I belong back in school and, although I am far away, that I really am a part of GCU. With her help, I know I will succeed.”
That, according to Trish Anderson, program manager for Student Development and Outreach, is exactly what the LEAD program is designed to accomplish.
“Our learning advocates are more than just good with content. They are like great balls of sunshine, following GCU’s mission of serving and supporting,” she said.
“LEADs are Christian-hearted students who let online students know that they are here to walk alongside them.”
The Roberts-Miller relationship reflects a paradigm shift in academic assistance. The traditional formula pairs older, experienced teachers with younger, eager learners. LEAD upends the norm.
Today at GCU, tech-savvy, brainiac millennials are offering English and math help to Generation X, Baby Boomers and The Greatest Generation, many out of school for decades and newcomers to digital learning.
“The last time I took a class, it was with paper and pen in a classroom,” Miller said...
Starts with English and math
The LEAD program for 40-and-over online students was launched last June by the Learning Lounge, the heralded GCU program — led by Executive Director Joe Veres — that provides free academic assistance to both GCU students and K-12 students attending nearby schools. Ten of the Learning Lounge’s staff of 75 “LEAD”ers are assigned to the new online service.
Their assistance focuses on entry-level English and math, two building-block subjects that returning students must master before enrolling in additional classes. Learning advocates help students in 30-minute telephone sessions and, when necessary, with screen-sharing technologies.
The program operates as a two-way street. Online students can call to schedule appointments, and online instructors can flag students who need help.
GCU’s full-time online teaching staff and learning advocates work closely together, sharing information and insight in a coordinated effort to help online students succeed.
Online instructors also offer one-on-one help to students, but many are more comfortable working with other students, even those decades younger.
Read more...
Source: GCU Today
