Students today are under pressure. The mounting demands of assignments and high academic expectations can lead to a cycle of increased stress and anxiety, affecting both their performance and overall well-being.
However, there is a solution. As university-level learning moves beyond rote memorisation, students must adopt active learning strategies, ongoing review practices and strategic learning planning that factor in balanced time for learning as well as personal time for self care. This holistic approach is essential for navigating the complexities of academic life successfully.
What is the Learning to Learn Better programme?
The Learning to Learn Better programme is designed to equip students with practical learning strategies and self-regulation skills. It features small, hands-on group sessions where students learn to enhance their study habits, manage their time effectively and reflect on their learning experiences.
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A core component of the programme is the coaching sessions, where students receive individualised support to translate insights and knowledge gained from the workshop into concrete actions tailored to their own learning needs. By integrating coaching into this framework, the programme ensures that students not only acquire efficient study strategies but maintain their well-being throughout their academic journey.
Coaching using metacognition and self-regulation
Coaching is an essential tool for fostering effective study habits and improving student well-being. After taking the Learning to Learn Better programme, students reported significant improvements in time management and sustained learning momentum after receiving coaching interventions. Coaches work with students to identify specific challenges and develop actionable, personalised strategies to address them.
A critical starting point in coaching students who struggle academically is engaging in “change talk”, a process that helps them reframe unhelpful or limiting beliefs. Through structured conversations, students define their learning goals, helping them take action. For example, instead of thinking, “I’m too busy and tired to focus on learning,” students are encouraged to shift their mindset to: “With a structured learning plan, I can make the most of my time and stay productive.” This transformative coaching is rooted in metacognitive strategies and self-regulation skills, including critically assessing learning processes, managing time effectively and building sustainable study habits.
For instance, an engineering freshman struggling with mathematics initially found the subject overwhelming and anxiety-inducing, which negatively impacted her mental health. Through coaching, she implemented manageable strategies such as solving a few maths problems daily, studying with a peer and incorporating short breaks as rewards. By breaking tasks into smaller, more digestible components and dedicating just 20 to 30 minutes per day to the module, she gradually overcame her resistance. This incremental approach not only improved her academic performance but reduced her anxiety, fostering a more positive attitude toward learning.
Another fundamental aspect of coaching is fostering a mindset that embraces setbacks as part of the learning process. Students are encouraged to focus on growth and adaptation, rather than becoming fixated on outcomes. Despite careful planning, challenges such as missed study sessions, lower-than-expected grades or disruptions to learning routines are inevitable. Metacognition encourages progress that lies in a student’s ability to recognise setbacks, reflect on what went wrong and re-engage with renewed purpose.
For example, a student who repeatedly misses study sessions might work with their coach to identify underlying causes, such as unrealistic scheduling or external stressors, and adjust their learning plan to be more flexible and sustainable. This approach not only helps students regain momentum but builds resilience and self-awareness, essential skills for long-term academic success.
Managing the ‘deflating balloon’
Students often start the semester highly motivated but as the semester intensifies through lectures, tutorials, projects and assessments, many struggle to maintain consistency. By mid-semester, those lacking structured learning strategies are experiencing heightened stress, disrupted sleep and diminished well-being.
Coaching interventions at this critical stage help students develop realistic study plans that reduce stress and enhance learning efficiency. For instance, committing to three 30-minute study sessions throughout the day can help students log up to two hours of focused learning daily. By doing this, students can better manage their workload, reduce procrastination and enhance retention.
To ensure consistent and efficient learning without sacrificing work obligations, students can also collaborate with coaches to explore customised learning time, such as scheduling in breaks, establishing boundaries as an employee or rearranging daily schedules. When the student sees their own progress, it reinforces motivation, instilling a sense of control that alleviates stress and improves well-being.
Coaching plays a pivotal role in higher education by bridging the gap between academic demands and student well-being. By fostering effective learning habits, promoting self-regulation and integrating well-being into academic planning, coaching empowers students to succeed in their studies while maintaining healthy balance in their lives.
As universities continue to seek strategies for enhancing student success, we believe embedding coaching within educational frameworks stands out as a powerful and evidence-based approach to supporting students in higher education.
Bavani Divo is senior educational developer and May Lim is associate professor and assistant provost (applied learning), both at Singapore Institute of Technology.
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