Short course
Coaching: An Introduction
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates and time:
28/09/2026 - 30/11/202618:00 - 21:00
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£475.00
Helping anyone interested in using coaching, whether professionally, as a life skill, or to achieve better results in their work with others. Thought-provoking and practical, we explore the theory and skills of good coaching.
Whether you are just curious about coaching, have a little understanding of what it involves, would like to develop some core skills in it to use in your work, or think it might be useful in parenting, or as a life skill, this is the course for you. In a supportive environment, we shall explore the core skills, the mindset necessary to be an effective coach, understand the boundaries of coaching, and what you need to do to protect yourself and your 'client'.
Regardless of your starting point, you will have plenty of opportunities to put your learning into practice and you should emerge with solid skills, the ability to self-assess and improve, and the confidence to apply coaching in ways that you have not previously tried.
Some students may wish to go on to our Advanced Coaching course, but this introduction stands alone and should leave you ready to work in your chosen way.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Course starts Monday 28 September 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Mondays, 6.00-9.00pm.
Week 1: Defining coaching and its outcomes.
Week 2: Coaching as a teaching and learning tool; the role of reflective practice.
Week 3: Core skills for coaching.
Week 4: Coaching ‘models’.
Week 5: Observation and feedback.
Week 6: Protecting the client and ourselves.
Week 7: Different coaching contexts and third party relationships.
Week 8: Using ‘assessments’ to find substantial development needs.
Week 9: Psychological insights and coaching.
Week 10: How coaches develop; review; future plans.
Course aims
To introduce the essentials of coaching, and practise the core skills, in a supportive environment, so that participants will feel confident using these in their work, day-to-day life, as a parent or volunteer.
Course objectives:
- To understand coaching as an educational tool helping others to achieve change in their lives.
- To have the knowledge and skills to apply coaching in a variety of contexts.
- To evaluate our own skill level and develop plans to enhance it.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to have learnt how to:
- be capable of explaining core concepts of coaching to a lay person;
- be able to assess the ethical considerations of a coaching scenario and how they would avoid/address them; and
- have a balanced perspective of their own coaching development and plans to develop themselves further.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Teaching methods
Using a virtual learning environment (Canvas), background notes will be provided shortly before each session so that you can read up on the week’s theme in advance if you wish.
We try to make sessions interactive and dynamic – you won’t find the tutor hiding behind a lectern!
Classroom activities will vary, involve a range of discussions and creative tasks, in both the full and smaller groups.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Assessment
You will be set various pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed pieces of work totalling 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Dr Graham Wilson
After a PhD in behavioural science, I worked in leadership, organisational development, consultancy, and coaching. Around the turn of the millennium, I qualified firstly as a psychodynamic psychotherapist and then as a spiritual counsellor, becoming a Registered Member of the BACP.
From 2013, I’ve taught psychology, counselling, coaching, and photography at Oxford and elsewhere. Through teaching, writing many textbooks, professional and public dialogue, I aim to make these subjects accessible and relevant to everyone.
A Research Fellow of the Ronin Institute (RIIS2.0), I also serve on the executive of the APHE, am active in the BACP Research Teaching Network, a Fellow of the RAI, and member of the IVSA.
Academic credit
Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS Points)
Please note, students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you wish to gain credit from completing this course you must register to do so before the course starts.
Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.
Learn more about the Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee for assessment and accreditation.
Digital certificate of completion
Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee (with no assessment) | £475.00 |
| Assessment and Accreditation Fee | £60.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Library facilities
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.
- More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website.
- This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information.
Preparatory reading
- Little Book of Big Coaching Models / McGrath, James and Bates, Bob
Module code: O26P521PCW
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page.
How to register for accreditation and assessment
To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.