1st Edition

Coaching and Mentoring Students in Higher Education A Practitioner Guide to Developing Independent Learners

Edited By Enya-Marie Clay, Jennifer Hillman, Dave Lochtie Copyright 2026
340 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

340 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

340 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Coaching and Mentoring Students in Higher Education provides student support and learning development professionals with a comprehensive, evidence-based guide for delivering coaching and mentoring interventions with students. Focused on the context of higher education, it shares practitioner and research insights from a range of coaching and mentoring programmes and considers their... Read more

Introduction: Coaching and mentoring students in higher education
Enya-Marie Clay, Jennifer Hillman and Dave Lochtie

1. Confidentiality and the ethics of coaching and mentoring students
Jenny Lynden

2. Coaching and mentoring through an equity lens
Jo Blissett and Enya-Marie Clay

3. Working with students: Contracting and chemistry
Chrissie Farley, Joshua Samuels-Hylton and Emma Vance

4. Coaching and mentoring for wellbeing
Fareeha Karim and Leanne Lindsay

5. Coaching, mentoring and the learning development toolkit
Jennifer Hillman and Mary-Jayne Wilton

6. Peer mentoring in higher education
Catherine Comfort and Chris Kubiak

7. Developing coaching skills in student support practitioners
Jane Dudeney and Georgina Durley

8. Coaching supervision: Supporting staff development and wellbeing
Julie Stock, Helen Williams and Richard Peat

Postscript: What might the future hold for coaching and mentoring in higher education?
Martin Ousley

Biography

Enya-Marie Clay was previously a personal learning adviser at The Open University, UK. Enya has trained as a career leader and has worked in further education as a careers lead and librarian.

Jennifer Hillman, Ph.D, is a senior manager in the Academic Development team for Associate Lecturers at The Open University, UK.

Dave Lochtie is an operations manager for Ann Craft Trust. Dave previously served as senior operations manager for the Personal Learning Advice Service at The Open University, UK.

‘The time for more coaching of students in HE has come. This book is a welcome response to challenges in Higher Education learning and teaching. It shifts the focus from what students learn to how they could do it. Coaching approaches transform teaching and learning into provision that is tailored to each student, their unique goals, backstories, and circumstances.’

Klaus-Dieter Rossade, Professor and Executive Dean, Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Languages Studies, The Open University, UK.

'This timely book is an inspiring resource for higher education, offering practical tools, case studies, and thoughtful insights to foster a coaching culture that supports both staff and student development. It serves as a powerful advocate for person-centered methodologies and relationships, addressing critical topics like ethics, equality, and wellbeing with depth and care.' 

Jelena Matic, Senior Educational Developer and Creator of the Coaching in Higher Education Network. 

‘This volume gives great insight into the growing culture of coaching at The Open University (UK), where the mission is to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. It absolutely makes sense to take a person-centred approach to enable individuals to realise their own solutions in higher education.’

Paul Miles, Learning Lead for Leadership and Management, Organisational Learning, The Open University, UK.