Faculty as Facilitators and Coaches

What it is:

The role of the faculty member as a Facilitator and Coach signifies a crucial shift in the Learning-Centered Paradigm. Moving beyond the traditional focus on lecturing and content delivery, faculty take on the role of supporting and developing student learning and potential. In this capacity, faculty create a conducive learning environment, stimulate student thinking and questioning, guide them in finding information, provide constructive and timely feedback, and support students in discovering effective learning strategies for themselves.

They also serve as role models and inspire students. This aligns directly with the KKU Learning Paradigm’s redefined role of faculty, shifting from content delivery to designing learning environments and methods, and explicitly mentioning the faculty as “Coach.” It is also central to Education 4.0’s emphasis on personalized learning and developing future-ready skills.

How to implement it:

Implementing the role of a facilitator and coach involves designing diverse learning activities that go beyond passive listening, such as group activities, problem-solving exercises, presentations, discussions, or projects. Faculty must prepare effective probing questions to guide student thinking without providing direct answers.

They utilize coaching techniques like reflective questioning, active listening, and providing specific, constructive, and actionable feedback to help students understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Faculty also design and manage the physical and psychological learning environment to encourage participation, collaboration, and a safe space for experimentation and expressing diverse ideas. Using technology to create flexible learning platforms and support individualized learning is also a key aspect. Assessment focuses on the student’s learning process and self-development alongside content mastery.

Practical Tips for Implementation:

Shift Class Time: Reduce lecture time to make space for interactive activities. Provide pre-class materials (like readings or videos) for content delivery.
Develop Questioning Skills: Practice asking open-ended, probing questions that encourage deeper thinking and exploration rather than simple recall.
Master Active Listening: Pay close attention to student responses and ideas, showing genuine interest and encouraging further elaboration.
Provide Effective Feedback: Move beyond simply assigning grades. Offer specific, timely, and constructive feedback that helps students understand why they received a certain grade and how they can improve. Focus on effort and strategy as well as outcomes.
Design Collaborative Activities: Structure group work effectively, ensuring clear roles, responsibilities, and opportunities for all students to contribute and learn from each other.
Create a Safe Environment: Foster a classroom culture where students feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and sharing different perspectives without fear of judgment.
Utilize Coaching Conversations: Schedule brief individual or small group meetings with students to discuss their progress, challenges, and learning goals, providing personalized guidance.
Model Lifelong Learning: Share your own learning journey, how you approach challenges, and your strategies for staying updated in your field to inspire students.

Its value and benefits:

Faculty acting as facilitators and coaches significantly contributes to developing KKU graduates ready for Education 4.0.

Enhancing “Wittaya” (Knowledge & Skills)

It provides intensive practice in critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration within a supportive environment. Learning through doing and receiving guidance from faculty leads to more effective skill development.

Promoting “Jariya” (Ethics & Characters)

Through interaction with faculty as coaches, students learn responsibility, disciplined work habits, how to receive feedback, and continuous self-improvement. The positive faculty-student relationship inspires good values.

Sparking “Panya” (Wisdom)

Challenging students to reflect, find solutions independently, and generate new ideas helps develop self-directed learning skills, a key component of wisdom. This aligns with Education 4.0’s emphasis on creativity, future-ready skills, and entrepreneurship.

Faculty are vital in driving the new learning paradigm and producing well-rounded KKU graduates capable of facing challenges and contributing to society with wisdom and integrity. This approach also helps address the challenge of student passivity by actively engaging them in the learning process.