Resources for Academic Tutors who will play a crucial role in supporting students’ academic transitions, into university and between years.
This year in particular, students might be anxious about what they have missed out on over the last couple of years of their education, and it will be important to reassure them, be patient and not focus solely on what they perceive to be “lacking”. See the What students have told us page for details of student-articulated concerns and anxieties.
Striking the right tone in meetings, signposting students to appropriate sources of support, and helping students identify their strengths and weaknesses will all be vital in ensuring students feel confident in starting the next part of their university career.
To help Academic Tutors do this effectively, the following resources, along with all the other information in this Toolkit, may be useful:
Guide for Academic Tutors, 2021-22
Suggested meeting outlines/topics
Guide to running Welcome Week tutor meetings
Document with other useful links for tutors
There are also a number of documents and links that you may want to share with your students:
Meeting guidelines and downloadable guide
Please also encourage all your first year tutees to complete the online Study Smart course. Study Smart has been updated to reflect how students will be learning this year – with advice on learning in a blended way, including tips on studying from home and tutorials on organising studies and taking notes from videos.
There is a new self-reflection section on the back of the certificate where students can rate their confidence in some of the key academic skills covered in the course. Academic Tutors could start a useful conversation with their students by asking to see these at meetings.
