Personal Tutors

[The text below should be amended and/or replaced to reflect the programme’s particular structure of personal tutors. Information should include the specific details of personal tutorial meetings in the programme, the way in which the programme records personal tutorial meetings and the process for contacting personal tutors. Information on how students can request a change of personal tutor should also be included]

The University has a framework for Personal Tutors. The following is an extract; the full text can be found on the Academic Development Unit website:

Departments must ensure that they have an established system for personal tutor support; all students must be assigned a designated personal tutor.

Role
The role of a Personal Tutor is a complex one that incorporates academic, professional and pastoral components.

The rationale for the existence of personal tutors is to:

  • Ensure that all students have a named person who they can go to for support
  • Have someone within Schools and departments who will ensure students do not ‘fall through the gaps’
  • Support student retention and progression
  • Have someone who provides general academic and pastoral advice and who can point students in the direction of other resources

The core elements of the Personal Tutor role are to:

  • Provide general academic support and assist students with their academic development
  • Provide support for personal development planning (PDP), in conjunction with other mechanisms that may be developed by Schools
  • Impart professional advice
  • Act as a first port of call for pastoral, professional or academic concerns or advice
  • Act as a ‘friend’ to students
  • Point students towards other sources of more specific support – academic, professional and pastoral
  • Be available to students and, where possible, be proactive in setting up meetings or drop-in sessions

A personal tutor is not expected to:

  • Provide specialised medical or health advice to students
  • Provide specialised academic advice
  • Mark a student’s work in their capacity as a personal tutor, unless that work was specifically set for a personal tutorial (for example a tutorial essay)
  • Chase students unduly who do not attend designated sessions

Meetings and records

Personal tutors should attempt to make initial contact with their tutees at the beginning of the first term to introduce themselves and to explain their role. Personal tutors should also aim to hold a meeting with returning tutees at the beginning of the second and third years. Where possible, students should retain the same personal tutor throughout their time at the University.

Students should have the opportunity to see their personal tutor on an individual basis at least once a term. Tutors are expected to advertise availability or designate sessions to all their tutees. In addition to this it is expected that tutors will be available for ad hoc meetings as required and that they should make the mechanisms by which students should request such meetings clear.

All personal tutors must keep some form of a record of their tutorial role, although there will be no set structure.

Any records of personal tutoring should be of value to the students. Different types of record may be suitable for different subject areas or different types of students. Record keeping based around personal development planning and career development planning will be encouraged where appropriate.

Further information on personal tutors can be found on the Learning Development Centre website.