Personal Adds: making improvements to the personal tutoring scheme
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The document discusses the importance of personal tutoring in enhancing student success and retention at Leicester University, addressing challenges such as student-staff ratios and the need for improved training and support for tutors. It outlines a process for improving personal tutoring through student involvement, ongoing meetings, and holistic guidance, while also recommending a structured training program for tutors to better fulfill their roles. Lastly, it emphasizes the establishment of senior tutors to oversee the personal tutoring system and ensure adherence to quality standards.
Personal Adds: making improvements to the personal tutoring scheme
- 1. Personal Adds: Making improvements to the personal tutoring scheme Chris Willmott Molecular and Cell Biology cjrw2@le.ac.uk
- 2. Importance of personal tutoring Crucial role of Tutor (aka Academic advisor) Student retention Student success Student satisfaction Beneficial to student and to institution
- 3. Challenges • Student-Staff ratios • REF and emphasis on research income/outputs • Automation of information access - Module selection online - Results accessed directly • Increased busyness “do more with less”
- 4. Local imperative • QAA Review (Feb 2016) confirmed quality and standards of provision at Leicester • Identified examples of good practice • Three recommendations for action including: “to ensure that departments are fully implementing the Code of Practice for the personal support of students, for all modes of programme delivery”
- 5. This presentation • Process – students as partners • Progress – ongoing project, interim observations
- 6. Process • Working Group - Academics - Students - Students’ Union officers - Support Service staff Met four times (Jan-May 2016) • Four sub-teams - Code of Practice * - Staff training - Recording of meetings - Infographic *
- 7. Progress • Who should be tutors? • What are their responsibilities? • What should they record about meetings? And how? • What training & support will they need? • Who checks system is running appropriately?
- 8. Who? • Should there be Personal tutors? • Academic v non-academic? Academics – traditional model, subject knowledge Support services – expertise but constraints • All academics or only sub-group? “Not all academics are naturally suited to an advisory role or are prepared to commit to one. Excusing some staff their personal tutor responsibilities places additional pressures on others.” (Grant, 2006) All academics, with training and support
- 9. Responsibilities (Watts,1999) • Ongoing support: continuity of contact, building trust & confidence – 4 meetings per year – Not primarily based on “office hours” – Timetabled? Personal tutor weeks • Holistic guidance: academic & personal advice – Structured programme – Discipline-specific careers advice
- 10. Responsibilities (Watts,1999) • Ongoing support: continuity of contact, building trust & confidence – 4 meetings per year – Not primarily based on “office hours” – Timetabled? Personal tutor weeks • Holistic guidance: academic & personal advice – Structured programme – Discipline-specific careers advice
- 11. Responsibilities (Watts,1999) • Ongoing support: continuity of contact, building trust & confidence – 4 meetings per year – Not primarily based on “office hours” – Timetabled? Personal tutor weeks • Holistic guidance: academic & personal advice – Structured programme – Discipline-specific careers advice • Advocacy: – e.g. Reference writing & representation • Referral to specialist agencies: passing on at appropriate time (Goldilocks principle)
- 12. Links to specialist support • Infographic + web-based resources (inc FAQs)
- 13. Record keeping http://tinyurl.com/BioSciPTform • Tutor logs that meeting has occurred • Option to note key points & principal actions • Form goes electronically to Senior Tutor • Emailed copies to Tutor (and tutee)
- 14. Training • Needed:- changes in practice - impetus from QAA • Tension: sufficient training for all without alienation of research-dominant, training-resistant staff • Settled on two-part scheme - Mandatory online training module – all tutors - Additional F2F tutorial - new staff induction - all Senior Tutors - staff considered negligent - anyone wishing to undertake as CPD
- 15. Core training to include • Introduction to CoP and purposes of tutoring • Understanding of local procedures (& rationale), including: - how to record meetings, what not to record (data protection) - where and when to refer tutee to specialist • Reference writing • Understanding of equality & diversity implications on academic performance • Safeguarding issues
- 16. Senior Tutors • New role – oversight of PT system • 3-4 STs per College • Monitoring PT meetings • Ensuring engagement with training • Annual reminder of CoP (inc amendments) • Look for trends across disciplines • Offer advice re development of better practice
- 17. Recognition for tutoring • Realistic credit in workload models • Criterion for promotion
- 18. Acknowledgement Annette Cashmore 4th March 1958 – 28th May 2016
- 19. Any Questions? E-mail: cjrw2@le.ac.uk Twitter: cjrw Slideshare: cjrw2 Delicious: chriswillmott Blogs: www.bioethicsbytes.wordpress.com www.biologyonthebox.wordpress.com www.biosciencecareers.wordpress.com www.lefthandedbiochemist.wordpress.com