SEDA Annual Conference 2016

1. Beyond survival: redefining
and invigorating the
personal tutoring
relationship
Martyn Kingsbury, Kate Ippolito and Fran Hyatt,
Imperial College London

2. Session Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
 Recognise challenges facing personal tutor systems in
the New Higher Education
 Critically examine the role and status of personal tutors
 Reflect on student perspectives and expectations of the
student-tutor relationship
 Recommend strategies to facilitate developmental and
supportive personal tutoring

3. ‘Traditional’ take on personal tutoring
 Lack of clear definition of the personal tutor role
(Stephen, O'Connell & Hall, 2008; Laycock, 2009)
 Mix of academic and pastoral roles
 Not high status
 Assumed will & ability
 Limited training & Support
 Remedial pastoral safety net
 Reference writing & advice

4. Challenges for personal tutoring in 21st
century Higher Education
 Increased student numbers & a broader more heterogeneous
intake with correspondingly broader expectations & needs
 Increasingly busy academic staff with competing demands
 Student increasingly positioned as consumer
e.g. Competition and Markets Authority
 Changing expectations around student-staff relationships and
interaction
e.g. Changes to NSS survey questions around academic support & Students
feeling part of the community

5. Review of institutional practice
 Cross College working party set up
̶ To review current arrangements
̶ To clarify the Personal Tutor role and the distinction between
pastoral and academic support
̶ To recommend models of good practice
 Working party reviewed provision across College
̶ Survey of staff & administrative support
̶ Analysed NSS & student satisfaction survey data
̶ Spoke to key organisers, faculty & students

6. The existing model
Practice is mixed across departments but typically …
 UG students allocated an academic for pastoral and general
study support
 Almost all academic staff are assigned 4-8 undergraduate
personal tutees per year (700 academic UG personal tutors)
 Regular meetings are scheduled - meeting expectation
ranges from termly to weekly - tends to decrease or be ‘as
required’ in the latter years of a programme
 Provision for PGT is more varied – varies from allocated
mentors/tutors to ad hoc arrangements
 Training is limited to a 1-day workshop + departmental
guidance & support from a departmental Senior Tutor

7. What do our students think?
I feel like a faceless student. The personal tutor system needs
to change. They don’t value you as a student.
No one really cares or knows you. It feels very impersonal.
I wish I had sought help from my personal tutor sooner as,
since then they have been a great source of support.
“
“
“
NSS Q10 – ‘I have received sufficient advice and support with my studies’
- 75% agreed with the statement
1913 free text comments – 6% about personal tutoring, 3.5 % negative
2015/16 Student Experience Survey - ‘Overall I am satisfied that the
staff within my department are interested in my wellbeing’
- 61% agreed with the statement

8. Particular issues – Mental well-being and
Study vs. life balance
Workload can be overwhelming at times and it has a negative
impact on the social life at uni.
Very little support is provide for struggling students creating an
aggressively “sink or swim” environment which is wholly
unhelpful to a serene and successful academic progression.
I feel as though more could be done … I sometimes felt as
though we were perceived/treated as high achieving students
when in reality we are human beings who are affected by the
course in all sorts of intangible ways.
“
“
“

9. Student Union …
Concerns identified were …
 variation in quality of Personal Tutor support
 lack of clear role definition
 disengagement of tutors
 potential conflict of combined personal and academic tutor
role
 infrequency of meetings

10. Student Union …
Recommendations …
 greater embedded resources for training & support
 a more standardised number of students & approach
 consider splitting the academic & pastoral care aspects of the
role
 establishing a network to assist in tutor development
 re-aligned to support students’ personal and professional
development

11. Summary…
 Not all bad – Some great practice illustrated by SACAs in
personal tutoring and Presidents awards in pastoral care
Personal tutor was amazing, he talked to me and we
decided together that I would take an interruption of
studies and then helped me get back into the swing when
it was time for me to come back
 Experience is ‘patchy’ and there is room for improvement
 Personal Tutoring role needs to be updated to better match
changing expectations and needs
“

12. Is this a situation that
you recognise
… Discussion & Comment

13. Institutional Response
Early days but we are trying to respond …
 More clearly defining the roles & expectations
 Supporting departments considering splitting the academic &
pastoral care aspects of the role
 Establishing a Personal Tutor network
 Greater training & development – including mental health first
aid and expanded local and central provision & support
 Increasing the time allocated to the role & rewarding and
promoting excellence via awards, PRDP and promotion
We want to ‘professionalise’ & recognise practice, changing culture to
promote a more positive dialogic relationship

14. What are we doing about it?
- two examples …
 Developing an engaged community
– re-vamped professional development, including an
online personal tutor guide
 Opportunity for positive developmental interaction
– the Imperial Award

15. Personal Tutors’ Guide
 Comprehensive web-based guide
 To bring together the information, contacts, resources and advice.
 To orientate and inform those new to personal tutoring at Imperial.
 To highlight new/updated information and guidance to experienced
personal tutors.
 To create a focal point and community attitude to this role.
 Authentic and persuasive
 Informed by a range of sources including students’ SACA nominations,
experienced tutors and various support services

16. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/personal-tutors-guide/
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/personal-tutors-guide/

24. Impact of Personal Tutors’ Guide
I've just spent half an hour browsing the site and it looks
absolutely fantastic, well done. It seems to cover, in
proper detail, every one of the myriad situations I have
encountered as a personal tutor over the last six years
at Imperial. I could especially have used the "Having
effective conversations" sections when I first started out
- some of the first personal tutorials I had with some shy
and quiet students were embarrassingly stilted and
awkward interactions!” (Senior Teaching Fellow, Physics)
 Active and growing focal point
 Basis for PhD Supervisors’ Guide
“

25. Challenges to establishing a
professionalised personal tutor system
 Please watch this video and consider issues raised by the
students as they describe the attributes of their personal
tutor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmbC7g-
0pEg&list=PLvaliqi_qXuFyWxR9zQdYthefU2K9fRRY&index=5

26. A framework that facilitates constructive developmental dialogue
Imperial Award
 Recognises and rewards students for co-, extra- and
curricular activities where they can demonstrate a
transformation of their attitudes or behaviour.
 Support students reflecting on their achievements in
preparation for employment/further study
 Facilitates the development of a positive, developmental
personal tutor – student interaction

27. The framework
Stream Attributes
Independent, open-minded
thought
• Innovative approach
• Creativity
• Entrepreneurial mind-set
• Practical, intelligent problem solving
Self-awareness and active
self-management
• Critical self-analysis and self-evaluation
• Social conscience and ethical behaviour
• Recognising opportunities
• Self-awareness and global mind-set
Effective teamwork
• Communication and active listening
• Motivation
• Awareness of group dynamics and
collaboration
• Leadership

28. The model

29. Role of the Personal Tutor
 Encourage students to engage in activities outside of their
course
 Help students to identify skills gained from their
experiences
 Encourage students to think about their strengths and
weaknesses and set personal development goals
 Advise and guide students on writing reflectively

30. The story so far…
 Pilot 2015/16 - initial evaluation was positive (for
students & tutors)
 Funding agreed to develop Imperial Award over next two
years
 Phase 2 pilot to launch January 2017
 Full College launch expected 2018/19

31. Do you think these
approaches will work …
Do you have other ideas
… Discussion & Comment

32. In particular…
How to establish a
meaningful Personal
Tutors’network
… Discussion & Comment

33. Our contact details
k.ippolito@imperial.ac.uk
m.kingsbury@imperial.ac.uk
f.hyatt@imperial.ac.uk