The Personal Tutoring System
Background for new personal tutors
and other student support staff
Why a Personal Tutoring System?
• Focus on enhancing academic guidance and study
support
• Promote the development of graduate attributes
and co-curricular activities
• Develop a greater sense of academic community,
belonging and identity
• Integrating the approach to personal (pastoral)
support and coordination with local teams
Academic and personal support:
Online guidance and resources
• For staff http://www.ed.ac.uk/staff-students/staff/supportingstudents/home
– For personal tutors, programme directors, students support teams,
senior tutors and other staff involved in student support
– Resources, roles & responsibilities, IT tools and other support
• For students
http://www.ed.ac.uk/staff-students/students/academiclife/personal-tutor
• School documentation and contacts
Who’s who – roles & responsibilities
• School Personal Tutoring Statements
– See staff website (http://www.ed.ac.uk/staffstudents/staff/supporting-students/home)
• School Student Support Team
– First point of contact for routine enquires & referrals
– Administrative support & maintenance of accurate
records
• Senior Tutor
– Overall responsibility for School personal tutor
arrangements (including staff briefings & support)
– Advise on unusual or complex issues
– Key link/liaison with College Dean of Students &
Central Student Services
The Role of a Personal Tutor (1)
• Core Purpose – to support students to:
– Review their academic progress across complete
programme of study by providing:
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welcome at the beginning of each academic year
guidance on course choices
advice on study development
overview of progress
– Reflect on long term development based on learning
within and outwith the formal curriculum
– Help foster a sense of belonging to a learning
community
The Role of a Personal Tutor (2)
• Meetings:
– Scheduled individual meetings (and others by appointment)
– Group meetings
– Brief students on any preparatory and follow-up work
• Respond promptly to student requests for contact:
– Normally within 3 working days
– Liaise with Senior Tutor/Student Support Team where this isn’t
possible
• Share personal (pastoral) responsibilities
with Student Support Team:
– Refer to central services and specialist sources of guidance as
appropriate
• Maintain accurate and appropriate records via EUCLID
• Undertake training and CPD associated with role
The Role of the Student
• Opportunity for students
– to reflect on their academic performance
– to reflect on how their learning contributes to their
longer-term aspirations
– to engage as a member of a community of learners
• Benefits for students
• Student’s responsibilities – partnership working
– Reflect, engage, take an active approach to their
development, write records
– Preparing for meetings
• Adaptable worksheets http://www.ed.ac.uk/schoolsdepartments/institute-academic-development/learningteaching/academic-pastoral/support/resources/adaptable
1:1 Meetings
• Tailored to individual student:
– time of year, year of study, student’s progress
• Focus on core purposes & any student concerns
• Guidance, advice and resources for Personal Tutors in
preparing for and running 1:1 meetings
– http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/instituteacademic-development/learning-teaching/academicpastoral/support/resources/individuals
Group Meetings
• Considerable flexibility in timing, topic and structure
– Opportunity to link to specific elements of the degree
programme (e.g. preparation for placements)
– To deal more effectively and efficiently with specific topics
(e.g. study skills)
– To work with other personal tutors across different year groups
or support particular cohorts (e.g. joint degree students)
• Guidance, advice and resources for Personal Tutors in
preparing for and running group meetings
– http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academicdevelopment/learning-teaching/academicpastoral/support/resources/groups
1:1 and group meetings:
other ideas & approaches
1:1 and group meetings:
other ideas & approaches
• Adaptable study skills resources
– Templates & worksheets that can be used or adapted
– Includes note taking, feedback, time management
– www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academicdevelopment/learning-teaching/academicpastoral/support/resources/adaptable
• Careers & employability
– Common career themes for each year of study, prompts for meetings,
resources for students
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/universitystaff/supporting-your-students/support-for-personal-tutors
1:1 and group meetings:
other ideas & approaches
• Graduate attributes
– Introduction to graduate attributes
for staff and students
– Sample session plans
– www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academicdevelopment/learning-teaching/academicpastoral/support/graduateattributes
• School case studies
– Approaches to 1:1 and group meetings,
other aspects of student support
– www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/display/casestudies/Academic+and+Person
al+Support
eTutor – IT tools
• Minimise administrative overhead and ensure easy access to
information
• Create an enriched, personalised and dynamic supplement to the
student record
• Enable Tutee/PT/Staff to create notes related to their discussions
• Ability to add a file and link to other digital material and resources
• Provide appropriate information to relevant staff in support of our
students
• Enables students to request a meeting
• User guides, training and support for personal tutor IT tools
– http://www.euclid.ed.ac.uk/staff/User_Guides/Personal_T
utors/
Working with the School Student
Support Team
Support for Personal Tutors
University Student Support Services
• Student Disability Service
www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-disability-service/staff
• Advice on helping distressed students
www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-disability-service/staff/supportingstudents/help-distressed-students
• Student Counselling Service
www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-counselling
• Careers Service (employability and careers)
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/university-staff/supporting-yourstudents/support-for-personal-tutors
• Institute for Academic Development (study skills)
www.ed.ac.uk/iad
• A to Z of Student Support Services
www.ed.ac.uk/staff-students/students/student-services
• Advice Place (EUSA)
www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/advice