In 2016, I applied to Student+ because I wanted to help students along the way and share my experience with planning, structuring outside of my field. So a coaching program is successful for me when I see that the student has made progress, has developed himself. If during the weekly sessions I also get to hear tales of small talk and a pleasant mix of serious, open and honest conversation with fun, then that's really great. It is so nice to see a student blossom. It's often in little things like a student casually mentioning that they have a new love in life or have found a job on the side. That energizes me.
It is a challenge for me to get a student with ASD 'in the talking chair' and to find a connection. ASD was a relatively unknown area for me and yes, I too had gotten a standard image of it after seeing movies like Rainman and Forrest Gump. Fortunately, that image has been refined considerably in practice and as a result of the trainings that Student+ gave to study coaches. I now see that there is a lot of talent and creativity in these students. Also outside of Fontys ICT you see that autism is increasingly in the spotlight. The TV program "It's autistic here" with Filemon Wesselink is a good example.
The guidance provided by Student+ to study coaches is very professional. In addition to a training course at the beginning of your work as a study coach, a meeting is organized every month. A speaker is invited or we discuss a central theme based on practical examples. I learn a lot from that. Just like the feedback that Student+ gives in response to reports of coaching interviews or the annual evaluation. Through a monthly newsletter you are informed about issues that play in Student + and the field.
Furthermore, it is pleasant to walk around at Fontys ICT. I feel welcome there. The coaching is not only appreciated by Student+, the students but also by the teachers. I also notice this by invitations to the annual 2-day seminar in Malle (Belgium), extra theme meetings, ICT DAY and the dinner to close the academic year.