Once a student has enrolled with us and had their initial consultation to choose a degree path, we will set up a second consultation with the student within a week or two. This call should be with the student and their chosen Accountability Partner (AP). The AP should be someone with whom the student has a close relationship, who can encourage the student to keep going, and who will ask questions when progress is lacking. People to consider as an AP would be a parent, sibling, best friend, spouse, pastor, instructor, etc. We will provide this person with a “Guide to being an AP” to coach them in what is expected of them and some instruction on how to be a good accountability partner.
We will walk the student and AP though an explanation of the personalized degree map, and how to read it. We will also talk through goal planning to estimate degree completion as well as help each student create a progress schedule for studies, exams, and courses.The student and AP will choose a set time weekly or bi-weekly for a time to connect. The AP will ask some questions provided to them in their “Guide.”
We will then regularly email both the student and the AP based on the created progress schedule. This email is to remind the student and partner where you have planned to be at this point. We will also include any updates to your degree template that may be applicable. The AP should reply to our email with the status of the student. This can be as simple as “_____ is doing well and on schedule.” Or “_____ is having some challenges in _____, and we are going to work toward ______.” This response does not need to be lengthy. The goal of this is to assist the student in moving forward and having the support needed. We will monitor each student’s progress, and if needed, we will make suggestions based on the emails from the AP. Also, at our discretion, we will periodically call a student at no charge to check on them and to see how they are doing.
We will also have a scheduled call when the student reaches 70-90 credits. This is the student’s responsibility to call and to schedule. This call is included in all DL Education packages. At this point, we will take a more hands on approach to guide the student through the final stages to insure successful completion of the degree of choice.
Please note – this system is designed to assist a student. If a student cheats and becomes his or her own accountability partner, they will only hurt themselves and their progress. If a student feels that they do not require an AP, we will not mandate this system, but we strongly recommend it to help insure each student’s educational success.