Dr. Coyne, lead educator coach

We sat down for a conversation with Dr. Sandi Coyne to learn more about what it means to be an educator coach in the Bay Path Online Degree Completion program, and to hear about what inspires her in her own work.

Your title is “lead educator coach” – but what exactly is an educator coach?

It’s a combination of a traditional instructor and a life coach. They create a customized educational experience by providing academic instruction, as well as practical career advice. Coaches provide a guided experience, helping students get to where they want to go: personally, professionally and academically.

What do you think students will like most about having educator coaches?

In my experience, when you know someone really cares about you, that’s what keeps people in a program. You’re not just another number, and you can’t get that experience in larger institutions. You own your academic path, but we help guide you by really knowing you and listening to you.

How will you get to know students in an online environment?

It’s not as hard as it might seem. Coaches are very accessible. In addition to an online interaction, we have “coaches on call” if a student needs additional one-on-one guidance or instruction.

It’s also a shared learning community, which creates an interdependent learning process. No one person has all the answers. We rely on each other for new insights and experiences, which only enhances everyone’s education.

Did you ever have a coach or a mentor?

I had a few mentors but never a formal coach until I trained to be a coach. It’s helpful to have someone listen to you objectively. Working with a coach also showed me that there’s never an end. You’re always a work in progress. There is something very exciting and freeing about that point of view.

How did you end up becoming a professor at Bay Path College? What influenced you in your own career decisions?

I never intended to be a professor. In my prior career I helped women who were on the edge of life: homeless, troubled, even desperate.

Eventually, I decided to transfer my skills to help students develop into business leaders. I like to see what people can do with their lives when they truly take charge. That’s how I look at Bay Path students. I like to think: “How can I increase opportunities for you?”

What do you like best about teaching at Bay Path College?

We transform lives. I can work with mothers who are working and raising kids at the same time because I can relate to that existence. It’s a struggle. It’s important to have someone there to guide and motivate you while juggling multiple priorities.

It’s also nice to work in a place that challenges the status quo, and where you are surrounded by like-minded women. We try new things to create a more impactful education for women.

What is the one thing that you want students to know about this new program?

You are not a blank slate: you come in with passion, purpose, and potential. We want to help you use what you already have inside you.