Columbia Current

Who can use CAL?

All currently enrolled students in any of Columbia’s degree programs, including exchange and cross-registered students, are welcome to use CAL’s resources. Students of all skills levels are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities; no matter how strong a writer, reader, or speaker you are, we all benefit from having conversation partners and building our skillsets!

What is coaching?

Coaching is an opportunity for you to work one-on-one with one of our coaches on any project at any stage in your process. During a consultation, the coach will help you identify both your strengths and your areas for growth as well as next steps for further developing your academic skills and work. We will collaborate with you to clarify your thought, explore new tools and strategies, and lay the groundwork for future work!

What kinds of assignments can CAL help me with?

CAL coaching can address a wide variety of academic skills, which means that nearly any academic assignment may be brought to CAL for a consultation! Difficult readings, classroom presentations, research plans, reflection papers, resumes, scholarship applications, and more are all appropriate topics for consultations. We can also discuss skills such as time management organization, grammar, study skills, and audience engagement, whether or not they are attached to a particular assignment. (NOTE: Our coaches focus on helping you develop academic skills; we do not provide content tutoring.)

What happens in a typical coaching session?

Each session is different, but most videochat appointments begin with your goals for the session and a review of the assignment expectations, due date, and any concerns you may have. If the session topic is a writing project, the coach might ask you to read your essay aloud. Discussion usually begins with larger concerns (understanding the assignment, thesis development, organization, etc.) and ends with areas of further growth, be they grammar, public speaking tips, or ways to succeed in online education. We encourage you to take charge of how the session will proceed and what issues you would like us to address.

What are your coaching hours?

You can always find our most up-to-date coaching hours listed on our "Connect with a Coach" page.

How do I book, change, or cancel a coaching appointment?

Appointments are made, modified, and cancelled using our online scheduling system called WC Online. Select the "Schedule an Appointment" button at the bottom of this page to get to WC Online, or visit our "Connect with a Coach" page to learn more!

Appointments can be cancelled up until the start of the appointment time with no penalty. Alternatively, you may contact the CAL staff directly by email or phone to notify them of your cancellation.

What kind of coaching appointment should I book? Can I change the type of appointment after I have reserved my session?

CAL offers two kinds of appointments, both of them online. If you want to speak with a coach in real time (synchronously), select the Online Videochat option. If you want the coach to review your work and send you written coaching notes (asynchronously), choose the Document Review option. Document review might work best for students who live in a different time zone and may find it difficult to meet with a coach over videochat because of the time difference.

You are free to change the type of appointment up until the start of the appointment. Visit our "Connect with a Coach" page to learn more about our different online coaching modes and how to set them in WC Online.

How do I create my WC Online profile?

Click "Register for an Account" on the WC Online login page and complete the form. Visit our "Connect with a Coach" page for more details!

Will the coach read my paper before the consultation?

CAL cannot guarantee that your coach will have the opportunity to read material that you send ahead of time. While we will do our best to pre-read drafts if possible, please know that the coach will not always be able to do this, especially for longer papers. Thanks for understanding!

What should I bring to a consultation?

WC Online allows you to easily attach materials to the appointment form (see our WC Online video tutorial for more details). We encourage you to provide the following helpful materials for a consultation:

• Your assignnment description.
• Specific questions about the assignment.
• Your working draft of the assignment (if applicable). Remember that you do not need to have a complete draft of a written assignment to meet with a coach. If you have a draft, though, even if it is incomplete, be sure you have it with you, and make it available to your coach!
• Any feedback from your instructor.

What should I do if no appointments are available on the WC Online calendar?

Add yourself to the waiting list! In WC Online, click "Waiting List: " below your preferred date and complete the form to submit your request. You will be notified if there is an opening that matches your preferences. If you are repeatedly unable to book an appointment, please email the CAL staff (writing@ctsnet.edu). By using our waiting list and/or emailing the CAL staff, you help us discern how to make CAL coaching more available to students!

WC Online won't let me in! What's going on?

If you have an account in WC Online but the platform will not allow you to log in, it is probably for one of two reasons:

• Your account has been frozen due to three or more missed appointments.
• The email address or password you have entered does not match the email address or password attached to the account.

In either case, simply reach out to CAL staff (writing@ctsnet.edu) to resolve the issue. (Note: Accounts frozen due to no-show activity must remain frozen for one full week and are only reactivated by request.)