For 外网天堂 psychology professor Kory Phelps, helping students has always been about more than what happens inside the classroom.
A Cincinnati native and MSJ graduate himself, Phelps first came to the university in 2010 as a psychology major and graduated in 2014. Now, years later, he is back at his alma mater as a psychology faculty member and, this semester, as the assistant director of the Learning Commons.
Phelps’s path back to the Mount was not necessarily something he had planned. After graduating, he worked as a case manager at Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services, helping oversee treatment and everyday needs for people living with serious mental health conditions. He later earned a graduate degree in clinical psychology in Morehead, Ky/, and worked as a licensed mental health therapist in Eastern Kentucky.
When Phelps found out he was going to become a father, he moved back to Cincinnati. Since his therapy license was specific to Kentucky, he needed to find a new career opportunity in Ohio.
“I found an opening in the Department of Psychology here at my alma mater, and so I jumped at the opportunity to apply,” Phelps said.
That decision brought Phelps back to the Mount, where he has now spent about seven years teaching psychology.
Although teaching was his primary role, Phelps found himself becoming increasingly interested in another part of college life: helping students figure out how to succeed.
“I would always include in my courses a little blurb on, ‘This is how you study this effectively,’” Phelps said.
Whether he was teaching students about psychopathology or the brain and nervous system, Phelps wanted them to understand more than just the information they needed to know for an exam. He also wanted them to understand how to learn it.
He might give students mnemonic devices to remember complicated information, encourage them to quiz themselves or remind them not to wait until the night before an exam to study.
“I was sprinkling a little bit of academic success into the courses itself,” Phelps said.
That interest eventually led Phelps to the Learning Commons.
As assistant director, Phelps helps oversee several resources designed to give Mount students extra support. One of the biggest is peer tutoring, which is available to students for free. He receives tutoring requests, pairs students with tutors and hires and trains tutors when one is needed for a particular subject.
He also oversees the Writing Studio, where students can get help with everything from brainstorming and outlining to revising papers and becoming stronger writers.
For students who may not need help with one particular assignment but want to improve their overall academic habits, Phelps provides academic coaching. During these one-on-one appointments, he works with students on skills such as studying, time management, taking notes and effectively reading a textbook.
“Basically, I’m dipping into my psychology background to help people be their best self in the classroom,” Phelps said.
That is one of the things that makes the Learning Commons such a natural fit for Phelps. Instead of only teaching students what to learn, he gets to work with them on how they can become better students.
“It’s really gotten me interested in student success,” Phelps said. “Again, not just content.”
The Learning Commons is available to every Mount student, and Phelps hopes students will take advantage of its resources before they become overwhelmed. Sometimes, however, getting students through the door can be the hardest part.
“I like it to be for all students,” Phelps said. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink, I guess.”
For Phelps, the goal is simply to make sure students know that they do not have to figure everything out on their own.
His work at the Learning Commons also connects to a future goal of returning to school to earn a doctorate. Phelps sees his experience supporting students as another step toward that goal.
For now, though, Phelps continues to teach, mentor and support students at the university that first introduced him to psychology more than a decade ago.
From being a MSJ student himself to becoming a professor and now helping students through the Learning Commons, Phelps’s journey has come full circle. While his role may have changed over the years, his focus has remained much the same: helping people become successful.
As Phelps puts it, his work is about “not just teaching content, but just helping students be successful in the classroom.”