Personal Tutoring Guide
Exeter Campuses
2015 - 16
1
PART 1 - The Role of the Personal Tutor................................................................................................. 3
1.
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
2.
Why is the role of the Personal Tutor important? ...................................................................... 3
3.
Code of Good Practice – Personal Tutors ................................................................................... 3
4.
Training and resources to support the Personal Tutor ............................................................... 4
5.
Preparing to be a Personal Tutor ................................................................................................ 4
6.
The roles and responsibilities of the Personal Tutor .................................................................. 5
7.
Personal Tutor support for Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students .............................................. 6
8.
The importance of first meetings with your Tutees ................................................................... 6
9.
Group Tutorials ........................................................................................................................... 7
10.
Responsibilities of Tutees ....................................................................................................... 8
11.
Communication....................................................................................................................... 8
12.
Managing information as a Personal Tutor ............................................................................ 8
13.
Recording tutorial progress and attendance .......................................................................... 9
14.
Resources to support your role as a Personal Tutor............................................................... 9
PART 2 – Detailed Guidance ................................................................................................................. 10
15.
Boundaries ............................................................................................................................ 10
16.
Confidentiality....................................................................................................................... 10
17.
Encouraging independent learning....................................................................................... 11
18.
Academic Skills Development ............................................................................................... 11
19.
Employability and Graduate Development........................................................................... 11
20.
Writing references ................................................................................................................ 12
21.
Student complaints ............................................................................................................... 13
22.
Identifying that a student may be experiencing difficulty .................................................... 13
23.
Common academic problems ............................................................................................... 13
24.
Academic appeals ................................................................................................................. 16
PART 3 – Emergencies and Specialist Support...................................................................................... 16
25.
Critical and emergency incidents .......................................................................................... 16
26.
Emergency problems ............................................................................................................ 16
27.
Signposting and support from other services ....................................................................... 18
28.
Mental Health ....................................................................................................................... 19
29.
Dealing with absence ............................................................................................................ 19
30.
Evaluation of the Personal Tutoring System ......................................................................... 20
31.
Personal Tutoring Record Template ..................................................................................... 21
32.
Senior Tutor Contact Details ................................................................................................. 22
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PART 1 - The Role of the Personal Tutor
1. Introduction
All taught students at the University of Exeter are assigned a Personal Tutor throughout
their programme of study here. The Personal Tutor is an invaluable resource for students
and serves as their first point of call for any queries they may have about their programme of
study.
The Personal Tutor is there to encourage and support students to look after their own
interests – whether related to their studies or other aspects of their life. Personal Tutors are
there to provide guidance and advice, discuss academic progress, and help students to
develop a range of academic and professional skills. Personal Tutors are also able to refer
students to sources of additional support should they need this. There is a comprehensive
list of sources of support at the end of this Guide.
The University of Exeter values the role of the Personal Tutor and views it as integral to the
student experience. This Guide has been designed to provide you with information and
guidance to support your role as a Personal Tutor, and to provide you with information and
contact details for the full range of support available to you and your tutees.
It is one of your vital roles to identify a student who may be at risk. In emergency cases
involving immediate danger to yourself or others, you should contact: Estate Patrol (phone
extension 3999).
2. Why is the role of the Personal Tutor important?
Personal Tutoring at the University of Exeter provides each student with a named academic
contact within their Discipline who they can talk to about their academic development and
any personal concerns. You can therefore be extremely influential in enhancing the quality of
the students’ experience.
As a Personal Tutor, you have a key role in supporting your students to achieve their
potential and to provide advice as the first port of call for students in difficulty, directing them
to appropriate sources of help and guidance. At times, it may also be necessary for you to
challenge students over their progress, performance or attendance. It is important to stress
that you are not expected to be a specialist advisor or counsellor, and if in any doubt, you
should refer students promptly to the Senior Tutor in your discipline or directly to specialist
help.
3. Code of Good Practice – Personal Tutors
The University has a Code of Good Practice2 for our Personal Tutor System, effective from
August 2010, which underpins this guidance document. The Code defines a set of minimum
standards, and is available at the link below. Some of the key principles are as follows:
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Every College must ensure that all its students receive regular one to one and / or
group meetings with Personal Tutors, to discuss students’ academic progress and
encourage them to engage in Personal Development Planning (PDP).
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/businessandcommunity/university/estatepatrol
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%206/6B(2010)Personal%20Tutor%20System%20CoP%20FINAL.pdf
3
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Personal Tutors should also be a first port of call for students’ pastoral concerns,
although Tutors are advised to signpost students to specialist support services for
serious issues.
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Tutors should meet with their first year tutees at least twice each semester. Non-first
year undergraduates and PGT students should have at least three Personal Tutor
meetings per year.
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Personal Tutors should ensure that their first meeting with new taught student tutees
(UG and PGT) is held by the end of their first week of study.
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Personal Tutors should initiate a tutorial when there are reports of unsatisfactory
attendance or performance, or any other cause for concern or wellbeing issue.
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Each College should have at least one Senior Tutor or equivalent key contact for
Personal Tutors, who can provide guidance, support and resources. Senior Tutors
should be able to manage more complex cases such as those involving disciplinary
and Fitness to Study procedures.
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Colleges must provide Personal Tutors with basic information about their personal
tutees at the outset and tutees’ academic progress throughout their degree
programme.
4. Training and resources to support the Personal Tutor
New Personal Tutors should be provided with training and development, and a copy of the
Personal Tutor Guidance. Initial training and further development sessions for Personal
Tutors should be arranged by each College on a regular basis.
Student Services provide resources for staff. A good example is the Wellbeing Services
Resources and Self Help Materials webpage.3
5. Preparing to be a Personal Tutor
Your need to maximise the time you are allocated on tutoring and minimise the time spent
on related administration. To save time, at the start of the year ask your College about the
following:
●
How and by whom are my tutees allocated to me in my College?
● Who ensures that the Personal Tutor system is properly described in student handbooks
and induction sessions, including information about tutees’ responsibility to make good
use of it?
● Who ensures that basic information on your tutees is given to you?
● Who arranges a change of Personal Tutor? It is good practice for a student to be able to
request a change without having to give a reason.
● Who allocates a replacement Personal Tutor in the event of you leaving or being absent
for a significant period of time during a semester?
● What are the procedures for following up with students who fail to attend meetings?
● Who monitors the operation of the Personal Tutor system in your College?
● Who ensures that you are aware of the requirements of your role, arranging training as
necessary, and making sure that you have an up-to-date copy of this Guide?
3
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing/resources/
4
● What assistance is available to you in arranging referrals of students to support
services?
● Who is your point of contact with the relevant services within Education and Student
Experience (formerly Academic Services)?
Clarify?
● Who is your College AccessAbility Liaison representative?
● Who is your College Employability Officer?
● Who is your College Careers and Employability Representative (academic lead)?
● Who is your College Academic Misconduct Officer
● Who is your College Equality and Diversity representative?
● Where are your first aiders located?
6. The roles and responsibilities of the Personal Tutor
As well as agreeing the basic principles outlined above, the Vice Chancellor’s Executive
Group (VCEG) approved the following formal role description for Personal Tutors.
Role Description
The Personal Tutor will have primary responsibility for:
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Developing and maintaining a safe and confidential relationship with their tutees
Providing advice and support to tutees in matters related to academic work and
students’ personal development
Working with tutees to find appropriate pathways to resolve difficulties
Representing the University to the tutee and the tutee to the University
Maintaining effective communication with other support services on behalf of
tutees.
Main duties and responsibilities
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Maintaining regular contact with each tutee
Giving appropriate support to each tutee
Documenting tutorial support
Providing guidance on Personal Development
Supporting tutees in their career development
Following up with tutees who are not making satisfactory progress
Liaising with other members of academic and professional staff, as appropriate
Maintaining currency of other sources of support within the University
Providing information regarding academic progress, assessment and
examinations
Writing references for your tutees on request
5
7. Personal Tutor support for Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students
All Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students at the University of Exeter should have a named
Personal Tutor, and receive personal and academic support which addresses their needs.
This can present particular challenges, given the relatively short duration and wide variety of
such programmes. However, for the same reason, the timing of progress checks and review
of feedback is particularly important. The Code of Practice: Personal Tutor
System4suggests that PGT students should have at least three Personal Tutor meetings per
year.
Please note that support for the personal development and welfare of Postgraduate
Research (PGR) students is covered by the Code of Practice – Supervision of Postgraduate
Research Students5.
8. The importance of first meetings with your Tutees
It is important that key information is communicated effectively to students, but especially
to first year UG students during induction and beyond. Students will arrive at the University
with mixed emotions and a diversity of expectations. Induction tends to be a time of
information overload and so much of the key guidance is lost. 1st years are immersed in a
brand new environment both on the programme and in their personal lives. It is therefore
important to communicate a genuine interest in the welfare of your tutees. Before you meet
with your tutees for the first time, you should familiarise yourself with background information
about them. This will help you to ask the right questions and pre-empt possible difficulties. It
may also highlight the need for referral to more specialist services at a very early stage.
You may find it helpful to use the following checklist in planning your first meetings:
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Clarify for the student the role of the Personal Tutor.
Establish how your tutees can contact you, including your office hours.
Establish the basis for a good relationship; spell out the boundaries for the relationship;
show care, concern and respect.
Ask the students about themselves, their decision to come to Exeter, their particular
interests in the subject and longer term aims.
Outline the expectations of students at Exeter. This is particularly important for all first
year students to support their transition to a new learning environment.
Ask about your tutees’ accommodation and whether they need financial advice
Check that they are aware of their academic timetable.
Encourage your tutees to prepare in advance for meetings with you.
Help the student understand their own responsibilities, including the need to familiarize
themselves with referencing conventions and avoidance of plagiarism (refer them to the
materials on ELE).
Reinforce the importance of the Student Information6 webpages.
Ensure your tutees know the arrangements for changing Personal Tutors.
Ensure your tutees know what support is available in an emergency.
Check that your tutee knows the Residence Life Team member for their University
accommodation.
Both you and your tutee should note action points and deadlines agreed in the tutorial.
4
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%206/6B%282010%29Personal%20Tutor%20System%20CoP%20FINAL.pdf
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%207/7Epgsuper.pdf
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/students
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9. Group Tutorials
In addition to students having the opportunity to meet with you one-to-one, some of your
tutorials could be organised as group sessions. Group tutorials are a valuable means of
assisting students in building networks of peer support. A standard agenda used across a
year group can be useful in providing the structure for timetabled tutorial activities and
discussion.
Nancy Stevenson (2009)7 noted that structured group tutorials help students make the
transition to learning in Higher Education when the focus is on enabling students to develop
study skills, reflect on their learning and plan for their future. Here, the tutor has a role in
familiarising students with the practices, norms and skills required for learning at university.
A group tutorial programme can provide a structure and rationale for the interaction of tutors
and students, with a clear place and value within the curriculum.
Each tutorial should have a defined task and opportunities for discussion. Topics can
include:
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What is expected of students at Exeter, and how an Exeter education can offer more
than just a degree. Refer students to the GUILD website here8
Discuss and agree ground rules and boundaries for working together as a tutor group
Exeter’s expectations of students
Student expectations of University, their aspirations and experiences
The skills and knowledge the student have brought with them to university
Discussion of any questions and difficulties associated with university life, and
developing resilience to deal with these (See Part 2 of this document)
Myth – busting and HE terminology – what does it all mean?
Independent study; how to be efficient and effective
Information on referencing and plagiarism,
Use of the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE)
Time management – balancing academic work with other commitments / your social life
Assessment norms, assessment criteria and marking – what are they?
Exam procedures, practicals, review and revision
Sources of support and how to access these
Professional Development planning (i.e. skills evaluation and auditing, setting learning
objectives, group working, essay planning, and referencing, and how these relate to the
Exeter Graduate attributes (see section 14)
Careers and employability development opportunities (see section 15)
Merits of a group session9
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Encourages social contact with fellow students
Speeds up the settling-in process
Encourages students to raise issues early on
Encourages students to discuss minor issues among themselves and develop a
supportive peer community
Sets a pattern for staff-student dialogue, as well as peer dialogue - a useful model for
future group work and seminars
Generally, an aid to retention. Students feel part of the institution more quickly, and
feel listened to
Efficient use of your time: saves you repeating the same messages to each student
on an individual basis
Increases face to face contact time for students, as group sessions can be longer
than one-to-one tutorials
If you choose to run group tutorials, you need to let your tutees know that they can
request a private meeting with you to discuss sensitive matters.
9
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/PAT%20extended%20guide%20final.pdf September 2014
7
10. Responsibilities of Tutees
It is important that you are explicit with your tutees about their responsibilities to ensure a
successful relationship. As a minimum these responsibilities should include:
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Contact you if they are going to be absent in advance and or to agree an alternative
time to meet.
Check their University e-mail every day and their internal post at least twice a week,
and respond as appropriate.
Be proactive in seeking support from you when needed.
Tell you about any disability or health condition that they would like support with.
Notify the College Office if they are ill and unable to attend University.
Notify you if they are experiencing problems which are affecting their attendance or
having an adverse effect on their academic progress.
Contact you immediately if they feel that their performance in upcoming examinations
is going to be affected by ill health or other extenuating circumstances.
Keep personal records up to date in Exehub, to amend contact details.
Tell you about any part-time work they are doing during term time – you might need
to discuss how this fits in with their course requirements.
Attend mandatory co-curricular sessions including the eXfactor.
11. Communication
Communication is critical to a good relationship between tutor and tutee. The following
guidance should be noted:
● Acceptance – do not making snap judgments about someone based on the way they
look, talk, dress, behave, etc.
● Listening – put your own pre-occupations to one side to allow you to be focused and
attentive, making eye contact and being clearly interested in what is being said. Don't
come over as if you are too busy to listen or too ready with a quick answer.
● Empathy – distinguish this from sympathy, which may suck you into attempting to do too
much for the student or becoming inappropriately involved in their problem.
● Paraphrasing- briefly paraphrase what has just been said reassures the student that
you are listening and have understood what they have said. It gives them an opportunity
to clarify if you have not heard them accurately.
● Questioning – beware of bombarding the student with too many questions. Depending
upon the context, discern the relative merits of asking a closed questions such as “How
many A-levels do you have?” compared to an open question such as “Could tell me a bit
about your A-levels?”
● Summarising - give a brief summary of the conversation from time to time and at the
end, to check your understanding and clarify what has been covered and move it on to
the next step. Avoid ‘diagnosing’ the problem or issue.
● Considering options – explore, with the student, possible courses or action they might
take towards resolving a difficulty, to help them come to their own decisions.
12. Managing information as a Personal Tutor
It is important for each College to clarify the roles of Personal Tutors and administrative staff,
with administrative staff providing a support role for Personal Tutors, but you will need to
determine that relationship within your own College and be clear regarding your College’s
policies and administrative functions. However it is important that you keep records of each
1:1 meeting that you have and a brief note of the purpose and outcome of that meeting,
bearing in mind the requirements of Data Protection 10.(see below)
 SITS – the University’s central student record system
SITS 11 is the student record system used by the University. It is used to record information
about the student's academic lifecycle from application through to award. Installation of the
10
11
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/dataprotection/
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/it/systems/sits/
8
software and access to the data held is restricted to authorised staff but your College
administrative staff will have such access.
13. Recording tutorial progress and attendance
It is important that you keep brief notes of what has been discussed with the student. These
should include the date and time of appointment, issues discussed and details of decisions
made. You should also make a note of any concerns that you have about a student’s
wellbeing and what actions you have taken. You can use the recommended pro forma to do
this. A copy is attached as an appendix.
The Data Protection Act12 requires that you must tell your tutees that you are keeping notes
and for what purpose, how they will be stored and who has access to them. You must
check within your College the procedures for storing such information. Ensure that the notes
you make are accurate and sensitive and that you would be happy for the student to read
them if this were requested. It is good practice for you and your tutee to jointly agree
and sign a record of each meeting held.
You should follow up any unexplained absence from classes on the part of your tutees by
email and, if no reply is forthcoming you should discuss the matter using the organisational
structures appropriate to your College. Non-attendance is often one of the early indications
that a student is in difficulty. The Code of Good Practice - Unsatisfactory Academic
Progress13 in the Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) manual identifies the formal process
dealing with unsatisfactory attendance and academic progress.
14. Resources to support your role as a Personal Tutor
In some cases you may be able to access information quickly for your tutees. Sources of
information for you include:
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Student Information Desk (SID) (see section 24.1)
14
The student counselling service provides useful self-help support .
15
16
The Faculty Office and the Student Cases Office also provide a comprehensive
website on all matters within their jurisdiction, including interruption, appeals, critical
incidents and misconduct.
Further information about Student complaints and appeals17 explains clearly the way
the University deals with student cases.
The student record system18 is a good way of finding more information about, for
example your tutees, accessing student marks, emailing tutor groups.
The Personal Tutoring19 webpage - including guidance, policies and resources
You can get support for yourself from the Staff Safety and Wellbeing team20 or from
Care First services21 on 0800 174319.
These topics and services are explained in more detail in Part 2 of this Guide.
You are likely to encounter a very wide range of issues, each with their own level of need.
Details of common problems and how you may be able to support students are given here.
12
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15
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18
19
20
21
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/dataprotection/
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/acadprog.htm
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/counselling/self-help/
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/taught/
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/eqe/apsa/qualityreviewandstudentcases/studentcases/
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/studentcomplaintsandappeals/
http://srs.ex.ac.uk/
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/staffdevelopment/aspectsofacademicpractice/personaltutoring/
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/wellbeing/
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/carefirst/
9
PART 2 – Detailed Guidance
15. Boundaries
It is advisable for boundaries to be agreed between you and the tutees about the kind of
relationship you have with them, its purpose, when and where you meet, what you can and
can’t help with and mutual respect required. Agreeing boundaries and ground rules will
provide a reliable framework for you and your tutees.
Discuss boundaries and ground rules at the first meeting to help avoid difficulties in the
future. It is also important that you do not encourage your tutees to become emotionally
dependent on you. You will need to be accessible but also encourage them towards selfreliance and resilience.
Staff are strongly advised not to enter into an intimate relationship with a student for whom
they have a responsibility in the areas of teaching/learning, assessment, selection, pastoral
care or research. Such relationships can lead to perceived or actual conflicts of interest,
which can have a detrimental effect on the teaching and learning environment for other
students and colleagues. For further details please see the University website here: Code of
Professional Conduct: relations between staff and students/between staff
16. Confidentiality
Be clear in your meetings with students that the information they share with you is
confidential. Nearly all our students are over 18 and the University does not act in loco
parentis. In such cases, the Data Protection Act does not allow the release of information
about students to third parties, even to parents or legal guardians, without the explicit
consent of the student.
If you enter into discussion with your tutee about a serious problem, the nature of any
confidentiality being offered by you must be made clear and if you consider you need to
share information about your tutee with someone else, you should first seek the students
consent in writing. Nevertheless, confidentiality is an important factor in building up a trusted
relationship with your tutees.
There are a number of areas where you will need to use your judgement:
●
22
If your tutee appears to be distressed, contact the Senior Tutor in your College. If a
student reveals that they are suicidal or self-harming in any way, you should stress that
the student should seek immediate professional help from their GP or A&E at the nearest
hospital. If necessary, offer to help them make an appointment by offering to ring the
service with them. The student may decide, however, that they do not want to access
support at that time. In such cases you are strongly advised to contact the Student
Counselling Service22 or the Wellbeing Consultants at AccessAbility, to talk the situation
through, and to clarify if there is anything else that can be done at this stage and to
receive support for yourself.
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing/counselling/
10
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Where a registered student has declared a criminal conviction or it becomes known they
have a criminal conviction and is on a relevant programme of study i.e. working with
children or vulnerable adults, you must inform the Student Conduct and Welfare23 office.
In the case of students who disclose a criminal conviction but are not on a course where
that is necessarily relevant, there is no expectation that you should pass this information
on. However, the conviction may be relevant in terms of the safety and welfare of others.
If in doubt, you can contact the Student Conduct and Welfare office and – without
necessarily revealing the identity of the student – give the circumstances
of the case, seeking further advice, as appropriate.
17. Encouraging independent learning
“The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.”
Carl Rogers (1969) ‘Freedom to Learn’
Research24 shows that one of the biggest barriers to students progressing in their first year is
their inability to adequately develop independent learning skills. Personal Tutoring can be a
valuable forum for students to discuss their learning needs and skills development. The QIA
explore independent learning and what it means. You can access the QIA publication
‘Independent learning and the expert learner’25 here.
There are a wide range of free resources for you to use, available on the internet. A
particularly useful selection is available (free from copyright restrictions) from Learn Higher26
18. Academic Skills Development
Helping students to develop their academic skills should be an integral part of the academic
experience. The Student Engagement and Skills team 27can help to develop bespoke
resources, as well as provide workshops, to support the embedding of skills-based activities
into core modules. Workshops on the following themes, and tailored to the needs of the
subject being studied, are available subject to demand:
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Essay and report writing
Time management
Dissertation planning
Reading and note-making
Critical reading and writing
Presentation skills
Revision and exam techniques
Referencing and avoiding plagiarism
Students can also be directed to the interactive online skills resources on ELE (on the front
page under Student Resources). These are suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate
taught students. Students can also be directed to a series of ‘How to…’ study guides via
the website above. Interactive online skills resources are also available on ELE.
19. Employability and Graduate Development
Experience of the world of work can make a real difference to students’ employability and
professional development, and Personal Tutors can have a major role in encouraging
students to make the most of the opportunities available to them – at University and in the
wider community. It is important that you make students aware of the opportunities provided
23
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26
27
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/administration/complaintsandappeals/complaints/
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsld/resources/independent.html
http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/xcurricula/el/assets/documents/independent_O.pdf
http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/learning-at-university/independent-learning/
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/eqe/skills/
11
by the award-winning Career Zone28 and the role that independent learning and generic
skills acquisition can play.
Employability and Graduate Development or the Career Zone (student facing services) can
help students at all stages of career planning. The professional careers staff will guide
students towards making an informed choice of career. The Service, based in the Forum,
provides a comprehensive range of support including, careers information, an extensive
employability programme for students to develop employability skills, careers fairs where
students can meet potential employers, a mentor programme, internship schemes and oneto-one careers guidance.
Students can have their participation in the employability programme recognised by
registering to complete The Exeter Award. The skills sessions which count towards the
Award include:
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Personal Development Skills Sessions (e.g. negotiation, time and stress
management, presentation skills) and sessions for entrepreneurial students
The eXfactor, a one day mandatory course for all first years
Employer and Alumni presentations
 Sprint – a four day personal and professional development course for women
 Sector-specific training for aspiring educators, students interested in working in the
green sector and in international trade , for example.
My Career Zone is the web site that supports students with accessing career appointments,
information, events and vacancies. Students need to log in using their Exeter credentials and
update their preferences to ensure the information they receive is targeted to their interests.
www.exeter.ac.uk/mycareerzone29.
All of the above are promoted to students, in a series of Careers talks aimed at first,
penultimate and final year students. Students will be invited to attend a talk which covers the
key messages about what they should be doing to develop their employability. Your help in
encouraging your students to attend these talks is very much appreciated.
Information and resources for staff30 on the Career Zone website outlines what staff need to
know to support students in PDP, career planning, accessing training and events and
making the most of the opportunities available to them. You will also find a series of
resources31 that you can you use in group tutorials to encourage your students to explore
employability issues. In particular, you may want to look at the Career Timeline which is
designed to give students clear messages about what to do, and when. These same
messages are central to the ‘Careers talks’. You may also wish to use the Subject Career
Factsheets32 which contain information about the skills developed through the study of your
discipline and the career destinations of students.
Each College has an Employability Partnership Agreement with Employability and Graduate
Development. This sets out exactly what level of support, and staff time, will be offered to
the College. Your College Employability Officer or ADE will have a copy of this. A small team
of EGD staff is assigned to each College to deliver Employability related activity.
20. Writing references
Writing references is part of your role. A student should always ask your permission before
naming you as a referee. If you are not a student’s tutor, it is reasonable to decline. You are
normally expected to provide at least incontestable factual information in a reference. You
should submit a copy of the reference to the student’s departmental file. Reference requests
can come in when you are not available to deal with them personally, so it is important that
28
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/exeter/
https://mycareerzone.exeter.ac.uk/
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/staff
31
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/staff/resources
32
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/degree/
29
30
12
your opinions are accessible so someone else can provide a meaningful reference. Before
you write the reference, ensure you are familiar with the data protection guidance33.
Information about writing references is also available on the staff section of the CareerZone
website34
21. Student complaints
Your tutee is encouraged to discuss their complaint with you first but if they wish to pursue
their grievance then the Student Complaints Procedure35 in the TQA Manual (and can also
be found in the University Calendar) outlines how the student may pursue a complaint and
the stages of the process.
22. Identifying that a student may be experiencing difficulty
As Personal Tutor you may the first person to notice that a student may be developing
difficulties. Your tutee’s behaviour may give cause for concern and alert you to potential
problems. For example, a sudden change in academic performance; missing seminars and
lectures; repeated requests for mitigation; increased dependence on you or others;
disruptive or bizarre behaviour; extreme mood changes; sudden weight loss or weight gain.
Support your tutees in the first instance by expressing your concern to them, listening to the
problem and making sure that you have all necessary information, including the student’s
name and location; a description of the circumstances and the type of assistance needed.
Try not to diagnose the student’s problems. In many cases you will then need to refer the
student to additional or specialist help and support. If you need help in deciding whether or
not to refer the student, contact your Senior Tutor or the Wellbeing team for advice. All
students can access this help and support independently by contacting the Student
Information Desk (SID)36 in the Forum at Streatham or the St Luke’s Campus Library front
desk in person, by telephone or by email.
23. Common academic problems
23.1.
Voluntary withdrawal or interruption of studies
Students may feel that they are unable to continue on their course, either permanently or
temporarily. In such cases, they are required to discuss their options with you as their
Personal Tutor. It is important that you allow them time and space to think about the real
reason for their decision and that you help to support them in finding their own solutions.
A decision to leave a course or change course usually has considerable practical and
financial implications to say nothing of the emotional impact. The guidelines you should
follow, including possible referral, are outlined in the Procedures for the Interruption and
Voluntary Withdrawal of Taught Students 37 in the TQA Manual. Withdrawal and interruption
forms are available from Registry Services 38or from your College Office.
33
34
35
36
37
38
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/dataprotection/
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/staff/resources/
http://www.admin.ex.ac.uk/calendar/live/ugfaculty/complaints.htm
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/services/ssc/
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%206/6Duginterrupt.pdf
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/administration/registration
13
23.2.
Extenuating Circumstances
You should encourage your tutees to tell you about any extenuating circumstances that
might be affecting their performance as soon as possible, and check whether they want to
submit information about their situation to your College's Mitigation Committee39.
Remind students that it is very difficult for extenuating circumstances to be taken into
account in retrospect, and that they should be submitted prior to the exam or assessment.
Explain your College’s procedures for considering extenuating circumstances clearly, and
the deadlines involved. (Consult your College Office for details of these.) Ideally, the student
will be able to provide medical supporting documentation to authenticate their extenuating
circumstances, but some students might not have seen anyone for help, so will need to
explain their situation themselves. Stress that it is unreasonable to expect the Counselling
Service40 to provide a useful letter if they have not been supporting the student already,
unless the student is now committed to engaging with the counselling process to look at why
they might have been experiencing problems. Also inform them that disability is not a
mitigating circumstance in itself where reasonable adjustments for the disability have already
been made.
23.3.
Plagiarism and cheating (Academic Misconduct)
Plagiarism and cheating are regarded by the University as very serious offences and a range
of penalties can be applied, including expulsion. The Faculty Office has produced some
useful Information for Students41. This information defines the terms, links to the TQA
manual and explains the University’s procedures to assist students from falling foul of the
regulations. Please refer to the Code of Good Practice on Managing Academic Misconduct
(including plagiarism, cheating and collusion.) 42
Some students may genuinely not understand how plagiarism is defined and may not have
fully developed the skills to avoid it. You are therefore strongly encouraged to direct your
tutees to this information and to the ‘Academic Honesty and Plagiarism’ resource and the
‘Skills for Referencing’ resource available to all students and staff on the University's Virtual
Learning Environment, ELE, under Student Resources/Undergraduate Skills on the front
page.
Colleges use the plagiarism detection tool, Turnitin for certain types of assessment. (For
more information on Turnitin, contact Education Quality and Enhancement43 or visit the
Turnitin pages44.).
23.4. Discipline
In the first instance, advice should be sought from the Policy Advisor (Student Welfare and
Conduct)45 on non-academic related disciplinary matters and the Deans of Taught
Programmes and Graduate Research for academic-related matters. For further information
please see the University Disciplinary Procedures46.
23.5. Health, Wellbeing and Fitness to Study
If a student is not performing to the required level academically, or if you are concerned
about their level of attendance and you suspect that the underlying cause is related to
disability or other possible barrier to wellbeing, then there may be reason to implement the
Cause for Concern and Health, Wellbeing and Fitness to Study procedures.
39
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%208/8C%282010%29MitigationCttees.pdf
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing/counselling/
41
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/taught/
42
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%208/8Lplag1.pdf
43
eeu@exeter.ac.uk
44
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/staffdevelopment/aspectsofacademicpractice/assessmentandfeedback/academichonestyandpla
giarism/turnitin-moreinformation/
45
mailto:studentconductmail@exeter.ac.uk
46
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/policies/calendar/part1/otherregs/discipline/
40
14
This process is intended to provide a supportive alternative to the disciplinary procedure if
wellbeing issues are evident. There are three levels of the procedure and the level at which
the procedure operates depends upon the level of concern.
You can find out more about the Health, Wellbeing and Fitness to Study procedure here47.
23.6. Academic failure
Your tutee might be angry, disappointed, confused or surprised about their results, so it is
important to offer them time to absorb the news, and to be clear about their options. It might
help to arrange to see them again a few days later when they have had a chance to think
about what you have discussed. Make sure you are familiar with the University's
Undergraduate Degrees and Awards: Assessment Procedures48 regarding referrals,
deferrals etc. in the TQA manual. If your tutee wants to appeal against an exam board
decision, refer them to the Students’ Guild49 for academic representation services.
23.7. Referral and Deferral
If a student fails a module for the first time, and that module cannot be condoned, they have
a right for referral in that module. In cases of valid mitigation (with supporting evidence), a
student can be deferred.
Referred and deferred exams are normally taken in August/September. For referrals, the
mark is capped at the pass mark. Referral has financial implications for the student.
International students may take refer/defer exams in their home country provided that they
apply to do so with the Exams Office50 .
A student who is absent from an exam without reasonable explanation, will be ‘deemed to
have withdrawn’ by the Board of Examiners.
Make sure you are familiar with the University's Undergraduate Degrees and Awards:
Assessment Procedures51 and the Taught Postgraduate Awards Assessment Procedures 52
regarding consequences of failure. These procedures should be read in conjunction with any
discipline specific regulations appropriate to the College.
23.8. Repeating a module
Under certain circumstances, as a consequence of failure in up to 30 credits of referred
modules, the Board of Examiners can permit a student to progress carrying the failure, i.e. to
retake the failed module(s) in their next stage of study. As a result of studying more than 120
credits in one year, there could be timetabling and workload issues for the student which
they may wish to discuss with you.
23.9. Repeating a period of study or exams (with or without attendance)
If a student has been given permission by the Board of Examiners to repeat part of their
course in full time or part time attendance, there will inevitably be funding implications for
them. For international students, a repeat year will have immigration implications. Students
who are repeating their exams without attendance the following year should be referred in
the same way, as they need specific advice and guidance about practical matters and
financial entitlements during their time out. Rules about these issues are complex and
change frequently so please refer your students to advice from the Fees and Funding53
team, or from International Student Support 54.
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/policies/calendar/part1/otherregs/health/
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/ugexams2.htm
http://www.exeterguild.org/
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/administration/examsandassessment/ugpgt/
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%208/8Eugexams2.pdf
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/pgtcrit1.htm
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/students/studentfinance/index.shtml
http://offices.exeter.ac.uk/international/information/support/index.shtml
15
24. Academic appeals
Students have a right of appeal against academic decisions and recommendations made by
Boards of Examiners and Faculty Boards (or Deans acting on their behalf) that affect their
academic progress. The University has an Academic Appeals 55 procedure which sets out
the scope of the process, the grounds of appeal that will be allowed and how an appeal will
be considered. Students should be directed to the Guild Advice Unit 56 who can help them
with the appeal process. Appeals can be made with respect to:




formal assessment result
degree classification
decision consequential to an academic failure
a decision relating to postgraduate registration status
Take care to emphasise to the student the difference between the Academic Appeals
Procedure and the Complaints Procedure 57, Equal Opportunities 58 or Protection of Dignity
at Work 59. Advice can be sought from the Student Cases Office in the Old Library, or the
Students’ Guild Education Office.
PART 3 – Emergencies and Specialist Support
25. Critical and emergency incidents
It is one of your vital roles to identify a student who may be at risk. In emergency cases
involving immediate danger to yourself or others, you should contact Estate Patrol (x
3999).60
Students may be at risk in a number of ways, e.g. risk of suicide, self-harm or harm to others
a victim of assault or experiencing harassment. If you are very concerned about a student,
you should also tell the College AccessAbility Liaison Representative and the College Senior
Tutor. For incidents that may require extremely timely or emergency action, see the policy:
Welfare incidents 61 and the guidance immediately below in section 25.
26. Emergency problems
In rare situations students may exhibit behaviour that gives rise to very real concern and
require urgent intervention. Clearly some critical incidents will overlap with emergency
situations.
In very extreme circumstances where there is an immediate need for help, or e.g. if you
consider the student is seriously at risk of harming themselves or others and is refusing help,
or you are seeking assistance without their permission, then call Estate Patrol campus
security on phone extension 3999. If they do not respond immediately, contact the
emergency services (999) yourself.
If the situation is serious you can get help from:
55
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/calendar/live/taught/appeals.htm
http://www.exeterguild.org/advice/
57
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/calendar/live/taught/complaints.htm
58
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/eo/index.shtml
59
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/media/universityofexeter/humanresources/documents/equalityanddiversity/Protection_of_Dignity_at_
Work Study_policy.pdf
60
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/businessandcommunity/university/estatepatrol
61
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/media/level1/academicserviceswebsite/pdfs/welfare_incidents.pdf
56
16
-
The Student Health Centre 62 01392 676606
Estate Patrol (3999)
The Emergency Services (999)
Out of Hours GP service (08456 710270)
NHS Choices 63 NHS111
Residence Life Team 64
Chaplaincy65
Some general pointers on what to do:
●
●
●
●
●
●
Remain as calm as possible.
Talk to the student remembering that they may well be frightened. Try to establish
whether your tutee has had any such difficulties previously and if they are on any
medication.
Keep the students details to hand – full name, date of birth, contact number, GP contact
details if possible
Reassure the student that there are people available who can help.
If the student is able to accept help, refer them to their GP. If necessary, contact the GP
and make them an appointment as a matter of urgency.
Send someone else to get help, if the student gives permission, so that they are not left
on their own – and so that someone else knows what is happening.
The Counselling Service 66 and Wellbeing Consultants at the Wellbeing Centre can also offer
advice to staff in relation to thinking the situation through without necessarily disclosing the
identity of the student.
Remember that the student may need to be identified (e.g. if you consider they are at
serious risk of harm to themselves or others) so it is important not to give undertakings of
absolute confidentiality. It would also be advisable to discuss the situation with your line
manager as well as making a note of what has happened.
As students are normally over 18, the University is not in loco parentis; you should not
contact a student’s parents without the student’s express permission. Students should be
encouraged to give their permission for their parents to be contacted if this is considered
appropriate. Contact your Senior Tutor or the College AccessAbility Liaison Representative if
the student refuses this consent.
At all times try to avoid putting yourself in a dangerous situation by ensuring that, whenever
possible, another member of staff is aware of the situation; doors should be left open and/or
you should have a colleague with you if you fear you may be facing a potentially volatile
situation. In the case of a direct physical assault, try to extricate yourself: do not exacerbate
it by retaliating.
An emergency always arouses strong feelings in everyone; the Student Counselling
Service67 / Wellbeing Services are always happy to discuss a crisis before, during or after
the incident. You can get support for yourself from the Staff Safety and Wellbeing team68 or
from Care First services69 on 0800 174319.
62
http://www.exeterstudenthealthcentre.co.uk/our_contact_details_t41258.html?a=0
http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx
64
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accommodation/currentstudents/residencelifeteam/
65
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/chaplaincy/
66
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/counselling/inanemergency/
67
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing/counselling/
68
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/wellbeing/
69
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/carefirst/
63
17
27. Signposting and support from other services
24.1 Student Information Desk (SID)
The SID team are available to answer student and staff enquiries via the telephone, in
person or via SID Online. SID Online is the new way to view student support information and
get answers to your and their questions. You can use the system to ask about services
provided by the following teams: Finance, Registry, Accommodation, Study Skills Advice,
Disability Support, International Student Support, Multi-faith Chaplaincy, Counselling and the
Students' Guild Student Advice Unit. Access SID Online.
As a front line service, the best way for University staff to contact any member of the team
for a quick question is via Office Communicator - the whole team are logged into this on a
daily basis and will be able to respond as soon as they are available.
The Student Information Desk on the Streatham Campus is located in The Forum. The SID
is open Monday – Friday: 08:00 – 20:00 and Saturday: 10:00 – 15:00. Telephone:
0300 555 0444 from UK (or +441392 724724 if calling internationally.)
The Student Information Desk on the St Luke’s Campus has re-located to the St Luke’s
Library front desk. From 1st September 2014, they will be open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday
(with additional support available from the Forum, 8am-8pm M-F).
24.2 Wellbeing/ AccessAbility Services
When a student is experiencing problems which require help that you believe to be beyond
your abilities, remit or role, it is important to signpost them to someone more appropriately
trained. Such services may be within or outside the University, and are detailed on the
Wellbeing Services pages of the University website.
If your tutee will not accept help, then ensure the student understands the implications of this
decision and how not seeking support may impact on their ability to achieve their potential. It
is important they understand that by refusing support, it may not be possible for them to
access special exam arrangements, specialist equipment or suitable university
accommodation, for example.
ILPs (Individual learning Plans)
ILPs are required for all students who require disability related support needs / reasonable
adjustments at university. These are set up by the Wellbeing team and shared with the
Colleges on a ‘need to know’ basis. You should be informed of any students who have been
provided with an ILP and you should have a copy of the ILP to refer to.
Revealed disabilities/ health conditions
If your tutee has already disclosed to the University that they have disability related needs
which require particular support, then this information will be recorded on SITS or
AccessAbility will have informed your College AccessAbility Liaison. Check that students are
aware of AccessAbility70 and strongly recommend that they visit it if they have not already
done so. AccessAbility can offer a range of support strategies for students with disabilities,
as well as advice for staff71.
Unrevealed disabilities/ health conditions
For students who might be underperforming, dyslexia (or other specific learning difficulties)
is a very common reason. You could ask colleagues whether the student shows a
70
71
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accessability/
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accessability/staff/)
18
discrepancy between the standard of their oral contribution in class and their written work – a
common indication of dyslexia and semantic pragmatic language disorder. They may have
problems taking notes in lectures and find it hard to organise their thoughts into a coherent
and well organised essay.
Alternatively, students may have a range of other physical disabilities, long term health
conditions or mental health difficulties that they have not recognised or disclosed. In such
cases, encourage them to contact AccessAbility72.
28. Mental Health
Under the Equality Act (2010) the University, and each individual employee of the
University, has a legal responsibility to respond to students with mental health
difficulties and needs.
You may well be the first person to notice that a student is struggling and it is impacting on
their mental health. A student’s mental health difficulty may be exhibited with relatively mild
symptoms or by presenting with more severe problems, bizarre experiences and changed
behaviour. Try to talk to the student to find out more about their situation and how they
understand what is happening. This may be a situation that they have experienced before
and may already have strategies that help them manage at these times, for example they
may already have sought professional help. However this may be the first time they have
experienced these difficulties and feel very distressed as a result.
In either situation, inform the student of the support services that are available to them. A
comprehensive list and guide to support services for students is available on the website: AZ Student Services73.
At a later time check back with the student to see if they have chosen to access any support.
If you remain concerned the Helping Distressed Students booklet will help you think the
situation through or you can contact the Wellbeing/ AccessAbility (01392) 72438) to discuss
the situation. You can do this in confidence and without identifying the student.
If you have concerns about a student but they decline to accept help ensure the student
understands the implications of this decision and how not seeking support may impact on
their ability to access their course and other aspects of university life. This could include
being unable to access special exam arrangements, specialist equipment or applying for
ongoing university accommodation.
Any contact with a student in relation to their wellbeing and mental health needs to be
documented including issues discussed, support offered and agreements made. Any
decision by the student not to access support and any concerns you have should also be
noted with any ongoing concerns raise the issue within the relevant structures within your
College. It may be appropriate to refer to and implement the University guidance and policies
such as Health, Wellbeing and Fitness to Study procedure 74 , Fitness to Practice75, or the
Guidance on Supporting Students experiencing Mental Health Difficulties.
29. Dealing with absence
If you are not teaching your tutees yourself, you will rely on other teaching and support staff
to notify you if your tutees are failing to attend or are making insufficient academic progress.
Colleges should ensure that everyone is aware of these responsibilities, so that such reports
72
73
74
75
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accessability/contact/
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/az-services/
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/calendar/live/sas/health.htm
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/student-cases-and-conduct/fitnesstopractice/
19
can be followed up as soon as possible. You should certainly follow up on repeated or
sustained periods of absence. Contact the student and ask them to come and see you to talk
about their recent absence. In the first instance, this should not be done within the
disciplinary process. Early intervention may be all that is needed at this point.
If, however, your student fails to respond to invitations to meet, and you have concerns about
the student's academic progress you should discuss the matter using the organisational
structures appropriate to your College. If the student is absent through illness, and the
absence is between four and six consecutive days, then your tutee should complete a
Personal Sickness Certificate and submit it to their College. Blank certificates can be
obtained from your College Office and from the Statement of Procedures – Student Illness76
in the TQA Manual.
If the student has a known or suspected disability, including mental health difficulties, that is
affecting their progress or are the cause of absence, you should consider implementing the
Health, Wellbeing and Fitness to Study procedure77 as an alternative to any disciplinary
procedures.
30. Evaluation of the Personal Tutoring System
The effectiveness of the Personal Tutoring System at University level is monitored in a
number of ways. In part this is done through analysing the results of internal University
surveys and the National Student Survey78 (NSS). However, the students’ experience of
tutoring is often reported on through internal quality processes such as the Quality Review
Framework and the Annual Student Experience Review as well as during external audits by
the Quality Assurance Agency79. Student focus groups about Personal Tutoring are a useful
way of gathering more informal, richer feedback from students, and to date Education
Quality and Enhancement80 has run a number of these, at the request of individual Colleges.
Just as reflecting on student feedback is an important aspect of your teaching role, it may be
useful to you – from time to time – to ask your tutees directly about the support you’ve
provided as a Personal Tutor – what has worked well for them, and what they would like
improved. Their comments can be extremely helpful in thinking about your own professional
practice – and can encourage students to play an active part in what should be a two-way
conversation between you.
76
77
78
79
80
http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/stuillness.htm
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/policies/calendar/part1/otherregs/health
http://www.thestudentsurvey.com
http://www.qaa.ac.uk
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/divisions/eqe/
20
31. Personal Tutoring Record Template
Personal Tutoring Record
This information is confidential and must be kept securely on the Students’ File
Student
Student ID Number
College
Department/Programme
Contact Number
Mobile
On first meeting your tutee at the beginning of the academic year please check whether or not they have the following;
Accommodation
Timetable
Disability
College/Programme
Handbook
Use this space to make a general note of your discussions and any actions taken. If the student declares a disability
please make sure that they are aware of the disability support from the AccessAbility Team within the University
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accessability/
Tutor’s signature:
Date:
Student’s signature:
Date:
21
32. Senior Tutor Contact Details
This list of academic staff with an overview of personal tutoring within their area, is derived from contacts
supplied by Associate Deans (Education) and/or Assistant Managers (Education). If you are aware of any
inaccuracies, additions or changes that need to be made, please contact ASPIRE@exeter.ac.uk
College
Discipline
Modern Languages
English
History
Humanities
Classics and Ancient
History
Theology and Religion
Archaeology
Drama
Geography
Life and
Environmental
Sciences
Biosciences
Psychology
Sports Sciences
Maths
Engineering, Maths
and Physical
Sciences
Social Sciences and
International
Studies
Engineering
Physics
Camborne School of
Mines
College Senior Tutor
Environment and
Sustainability
Sociology, Philosophy
and Anthropology
Education
Accounting
Business School
Finance and
Investment
Management
Senior Tutors / key contacts for personal tutoring
Aidan Coveney
Kate Hext (Cornwall)
Deborah Freeman
Margaret Yoon
Alan Booth (Cornwall)
Sarah Toulalan
Sharon Marshall
Jonathan Hill
Marisa Lazzari
Robert Morkot
Fiona Macbeth
Sarah Dyer (Streatham)
David Harvey (Streatham BA programmes)
Damian Mansell (Streatham BSc programmes)
Mike Leyshon (Cornwall)
Nicky King (Streatham)
Andy Pye (Cornwall)
Alison Hill (Streatham PGT)
Sara Burton (Streatham)
Mark Ramsdale (Exeter)
Louise Pendry
Richard Winsley
Alan Barker
Mohammad Saidi
Hugo Lambert
Phillipe Young
Bill Barnes
Paul Wheeler
Greta Bosch (Streatham)
Robert Lee
Michael Hauskeller
Dana Wilson-Kovacs
Hazel Lawson
Katy Balch
Ian Andrews
Stanley Gyoshev
Sandy Williams
Exeter Medical
School
Jim McGarrick
Clare Gallon
Flexible Combined
Honours
Mike Dobson
INTO
Nicola Davies
Student’s Guild
(Welfare)
22