Tutoring at LSHTM
Anna Foss
Educational Supervisor for the Postgraduate Certificate
in Learning and Teaching (PGCILT) and Tutor and
Project Supervisor / Advisor for the Control of
Infectious Diseases MSc
Helpful reference document on
intranet
 You are here: Home > Teaching Programme >
Staff Resources
 Teaching Programme - Staff Resources
 Teaching Policies and Codes of Practice -
covers Orientation, Tutorial Support, Module
Design and Management, and Evaluation and
Review:
http://intra.lshtm.ac.uk/tpd/taughtcourses/staffr
esources/tpols_cop_1_2_3_5.pdf
Faculty of Public Health & Policy
(PHP)
PHP MScs
PHP, through Taught Course Director (Hannah Babad),
allocates Tutors to 4 MScs:
1. Health Policy, Planning & Financing (HPPF)

2.
Public Health (PH)

3.
Course Directors: Helen Hogan, Kiran Nanchahal,
Jennifer Gosling, Wendy MacDowall
Control of Infectious Diseases (CID)

4.
Course Director: Neil Spicer
Course Director for PHP: Anna Foss
Public Health in Developing Countries (PHDC)

Course Director for PHP: Tanya Marchant
Policy
1. Each student allocated a personal Tutor to deal
2.
3.
4.
5.
with academic matters and pastoral care
If academic matters beyond scope of Tutor then
Tutor to find another member of staff
Where the personal relationship is clearly not
working – first contact MSc Course Director
Tutors to be familiar with School’s formal policies
on tutoring
Each Tutor must keep him/herself fully informed of
the actions of PHP Teaching Committee, via MSc
Course Committee and/or MSc Course Director
Role of personal Tutor in PHP
 Tutor should make him/herself available to each




tutee for one half-hour every fortnight in Term 1 and
then once every 3 weeks
Tutorial must be for tutee alone
Responsibility of tutee to make regular appointments
to see Tutor – but Tutors should follow-up on
students who do not make contact
Students may request additional meetings and
these should be accommodated when appropriate
If Tutors are absent for longer than two weeks they
should delegate another Tutor
Tasks of tutor
The Tutor will where possible:
 provide guidance on choice of teaching modules
 report problems to Course Director
 be aware of problems with languages, literacy or
numeracy
 offer advice on assessments
 offer help with examination skills
 approach staff for help and advice on behalf of tutee
 maintain awareness of mental & physical health of
tutee and provide guidance if appropriate
 provide information regarding changes to course
Tutorial Record Form
 Available from MSc Course Administrators
 Tutor responsible for ensuring form is
completed and signed by Tutor and student
 Copy should be retained by Tutor
 Completed forms should be given to MSc
Course Administrator each term
 Discussion via email with students should
also be retained
Key Skills
 Tutors have a particular duty to support their
tutees in identifying and addressing any
problems




English for Academic Purposes (Lucy Allen)
Basic Maths (Anna Foss)
Student Advice & Counselling Service
(Frankie Edwards / Emma Nabavian)
Careers Office (careers@lshtm.ac.uk)
 Tutors may be expected to set and review a
piece of written work during Term 1
Academic roles
 Supervising / advising / tutoring and marking MSc




Projects
Examination setting and marking for the June Exam
Papers
Attending teaching related Committees and events
Not all roles required of all tutors - depends on MSc
and level of experience
It is recommended that staff only Tutor on one MSc
to avoid duplication of allocated responsibilities
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical
Diseases (ITD)
Taught Course Director:
Graham Clark
ITD: Term 1
 Meetings: minimum - fortnightly (term one), about every
three weeks thereafter (at least once in C, D and E slots)

Ask tutee how they want to arrange this:
 regular fixed time during the week (weekly/fortnightly)
 tutor available at fixed time
 ad hoc - student to e-mail tutor to set up meeting
 Tutor to keep contact by periodic e-mail and meet if desired
 If initial meeting indicates language difficulties enquire if
attending English for Academic Purposes classes
 Set an essay based on agreed topic to be handed in at fixed
time before end of Term 1
 Explain how projects are organised - see project handbook
 Meeting to discuss Term 2/3 module choices
ITD (and PHP and EPH):
Terms 2 and 3
 “Struggling students” may be eligible for extra support






(PASS)
If requested, advise on Module assessments
Monitor Module grades posted by TSO on U drive
Advise / encourage completion of the project CARE
form
Offer to advise on organising revision for exams and
to review attempts for structure / depth of content
Regularly check on progress during the project and
write-up period
Be willing to act as referee on job / academic
applications
Main differences in ITD compared
to PHP
 Tutor is rarely the supervisor on most MScs
 Way in which projects are found by / allocated to the
student:
 Student discusses ideas with tutor who directs them to
potential supervisors (internal or external)
 ITD send round list of potential projects and
supervisors towards end of Term 1
 Tutors often tutor on more than one MSc
 Tutors not expected to be involved in exams unless
invited to be part of exam board or provide questions
 Limited use the tutor record form but tutors must
keep email correspondence
Faculty of Epidemiology and
Population Health (EPH)
Taught Course Director:
Craig Higgins
Main differences in EPH compared
to PHP
All the procedures / policies are the same in EPH
as PHP except for:
 In EPH some but not many use the tutor record
form – responsibility for this is left with tutor
 MSc courses vary slightly from each other in
some of their practises such as whether tutors
help students with past exam questions

Once assigned to an MSc you will be informed of
what is expected