This course has been endorsed by the Board of Executive and Professional Education, University of Cambridge.
Aims of the course:
Students will benefit from:
- Knowledge and understanding of life coaching
- Awareness and role of a life coach
- Developing practical ability in the skills of life coaching
- Designing and managing a structured life coaching programme
- Demonstrating critical awareness of the legal and ethical considerations of life coaching
- The richness gained from working with a group of like-minded colleagues from different locations around the world
Target audience:
- Those considering becoming life coaches
- Those interested in learning more about life coaching
- Coaches in training
- Working coaches
Learning outcomes:
As a result of the course, within the constraints of the time available, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of life coaching
- Understand the role of a life coach
- Conduct a simple life coaching session
- Know how to design and manage a structured life coaching programme
- Understand the legal and ethical considerations of life coaching
- Appreciate the importance of ongoing development and supervision
- Be aware of and manage boundaries safely
Course content overview:
- The core skills of coaching
- Subjects brought to life coaching
- The role of the life coach
- Personal development and readiness for life coaching
- Running a life coaching practice
No prior coaching experience is necessary, although students would normally be working within organisations or working professionally with organisations.
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online):
Orientation Week: 5-11 September 2022
Week 0 Preparing to study this course
Purpose: This week introduces students to the VLE and studying online. It will emphasise the central role of discussion in doing philosophy, and the importance of the forums to the course, and establish a good atmosphere for discussion amongst the group
Learning outcomes: By studying this week the students should have:
- Become familiar with navigating around the VLE and from VLE to links and back
- Tested their ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sorted out any problems with the help of the eLearning team
- Investigated the ICE Online Resources repository
- Learnt how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
- Used Qmail to introduce themselves to other students and discuss why they are interested in the course and what they hope to get out their studies.
- Contributed to a discussion forum in response to News item sent out on behalf of the tutor.
- Completed some background reading suggested by the tutor
Teaching Weeks: 12 September-16 October 2022
Week 1 The core skills of coaching
Purpose: The focus of Week 1 is to explore the core skills of coaching.
Learning outcomes: By studying this week the students should have:
- Knowledge and understanding of core coaching qualities and skills
- Understanding of a coaching model
Week 2 Subjects brought to life coaching
Purpose: The focus in Week 2 is on typical subjects brought to life coaching and how to work with these. It will also explore the twin concepts of awareness and responsibility
Learning outcomes: By studying this week the students should have:
- Knowledge and understanding of common topics brought to coaching sessions
- Knowledge and understanding of the concepts of awareness and responsibility
- Taken part in a coach practice session with a fellow student
Week 3 The role of life coaching
Purpose: Week 3 focuses on the role of the life coach. It will explore the legal and ethical responsibilities within coaching and also how the coach can create a safe environment.
Learning outcomes: By studying this week the students should have:
- Knowledge and understanding of the legal and ethical responsibilities within coaching
- An understanding of the importance of boundaries
- Knowledge and understanding of the importance of creating a safe environment – both for the client and the coach
Week 4 Personal development and readiness for life coaching
Purpose: The focus in Week 4 is on personal development and readiness for life coaching:
- Life coaching competencies, which will build upon general coaching competencies
- Exploring the relationship between the coach, client and co-created reality
- Practice coaching session
Learning outcomes: By studying this week the students should have:
- Greater awareness of life coaching competencies and their current ‘level’
- Deeper understanding of the coach / client relationship and the co-created reality
- Taken part in a coach practice session with a fellow student
Week 5 Running a life coaching practice
Purpose: Week 5 focuses on more of the practical aspects of running a life coaching practice. It also stresses the importance of supervision for the coach and supervision / ongoing development.
Learning outcomes: By studying this week the students should have:
- Knowledge and understanding of the practical aspects of running a life coaching practice.
- Understanding of the concept of supervision and its relevance for coaching.
- Appreciation of the ongoing need for continuous personal and professional development.
- Reflections from the second coach practice session
Feedback Week: 17-23 October 2022
Week 6 What next?
Purpose:
• Assessment of student learning
• Assessment of student satisfaction
• Encouragement of further study
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards,etc).
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
What our students say:
"I have achieved a more rounded view of my life and career coaching experiences to date, including being a parent coaching my (adult) children. It's all one skill set, and I started out believing that the coaching element of my life had been career only - it isn't. Consequent upon that, and the coaching feedback I received from my enthusiastic coaching peers, I will be starting my action plan NOW instead of deferring due to lack of confidence. So this is life changing."
"Thanks to the University of Cambridge for creating this online course but a massive thank you to Keith. A great guy, a terrific coach and tutor. It was good to see the master at work and many of the things he has said over these last 6 weeks will stick with me."
