Student Support Slides

2. Student Support in BLS
Dr Kate Doolin
Head of Student Support,
Development and Welfare/Senior
Tutor
K.Doolin@bham.ac.uk
Room: 236

3. Student Support, Development
and Welfare
Key people in Law SSDW team
•Head of SSDW/Senior Tutor – Dr Kate Doolin
•Deputy Head of SSDW – Dr Maureen Mapp
•Student Experience Officer – Dr Emma Login
•Welfare Tutor – Noorulain Majoka
•Reserve Welfare Tutor – Dr Emma Oakley
•Director of LSAS – Dr Clark Hobson
•International Students Tutor - Dr Emma
Oakley

4. Supporting you
• Support from your peers
• Support from your student mentors
• Academic support
• Pastoral support
• Learning & Assessment support
• Welfare support
• Extra-curricular support/Student
Opportunities

5. Forms of Academic support
• Personal tutor
• Progress review meetings (transition
review)
• Seminars
• Formative assessments
• Office and Feedback Hours
• Module leaders/teaching team
• Academic Writing and Legal Skills
support: LSAS , AWAS, BIA

6. Personal tutoring
- Monitors academic progress
- First port of call to answer
questions/deal with queries
- Provide academic references
- Help with CVs, career advice, etc.
- Progress reviews (one a semester)
- Referral to welfare tutor or specialist
support services on campus

7. Progress review meetings
• Progress reviews: Semester 1, Wks 4 and 5
• Transition reviews: Semester 2, Wks 4-6
• Reflect on your academic progress and
adjustment to university
• Discuss and get feedback on academic
progress
• Get advice on study and career
• Pastoral support
• Referral to specialist student support
services or welfare tutor, where
appropriate

8. Formative assessments
• At least one piece of formative written work (i.e.
practice essay/problem solving task) is set for
most modules
• Core modules provide opportunity to do a piece of
optional formative work
• Written feedback is provided by your seminar
leader
• Feedback identifies: what was done well and what
could be done to improve the next piece of work
• May involve referrals to LSAS, AWAS, BIA and
can self refer

9. Seminars
• Prepare
• Think
• Participate
• Ask

10. Feedback and Office Hours
• Teaching staff & personal tutors
• Two hours during term time
• Can also make an appointment
outside of Feedback and Office Hours
• Check Canvas for times
• Don’t expect mini-lecture
• Come prepared

11. Academic Writing and Legal Skills
support
Developmental opportunities
•BLS Legal Skills Advisory Service (LSAS); Dr
Clark Hobson
•CAL Academic Writing Advisory Service
(AWAS) for Law
•AWAS
•Birmingham International Academy (English
Language for International Students
•Academic Skills Centre (ASC) – run through
Library Services:
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/libraryservices/library/skills/

12. Bank of Assessed Work
• Look out for and accept invitation on
canvas
• Bank contains real pieces of
assessed work from past years in
specific modules across a range of
marks
• Help you to understand school
marking criteria, academic grading
and reflect upon and evaluate your
own work

13. Learning and Assessment Support
• Extenuating Circumstances (i.e.
extensions for assessed coursework;
deferral of examinations)
• Leave of Absence (registered break
from study)
• Reasonable adjustments (Student
Support Advice documents)

14. Reasonable adjustments for
students with disabilities
“Reasonable adjustments”
adjustments made to the ordinary
methods of learning and assessment
for students with disabilities

15. Reasonable adjustments for
students with disabilities cont…
• Process for obtaining RA:
- If you declared a disability as part of the
admission procedure: Student Support
Advice document (SSA)
- Students can declare a disability at any time
while they are at University.
- Contact the University’s Disability and
Learning Support Service (DLSS) to discuss
whether an SSA is required
• Also discuss with your personal tutor and
School’s Welfare Tutor, Noorulain Majoka

16. Dyslexia or dyspraxia and other
learning specific issues
• Must have reasonable adjustments
confirmed with DLSS: Contact them asap.
• http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/suppor
• or email: learning-support@contacts.bham.ac.uk
• www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/learningsupp

17. Long-term conditions or
chronic illnesses
• University’s Disability and Learning
Support Service (DLSS) at Student
Hub, Aston Webb Building
• disability@bham.ac.uk
• https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/studentser
• www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/disability

18. Mental health
• Eg: depression; anxiety disorder, bipolar
disorder
• In order to have reasonable adjustments
need to contact DLSS asap
• Email
mentalhealth@contacts.bham.ac.uk
• Web:
www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/mentalhealth

19. School Welfare
Welfare Tutor: Noorulain Majoka
N.Majoka@bham.ac.uk
Tel: 0121 4146273
Room: G2 Law School
Works Monday-Wednesday
Drop in hours: 11:30-2:30 on Mon-Wed (term
time)
Reserve Welfare Tutor: Dr Emma
Oakley E.L.Oakley@bham.ac.uk
Drop in hours: 1-2 on Thurs-Fri (term time) in
G2 Law School

20. University-wide Welfare
Support
• University’s Counselling and Wellbeing
Service
• https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/stud
• All specialist student support services
are based in the Student Hub, Aston
Webb Building
• Tel: 0121 4145130

21. Student Funding Office
• Information and advice about financial
support
• https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/st

22. Support for International
Students
• Birmingham International Academy (provides English
language support for current overseas students)
http://
www.birmingham.ac.uk/International/bia/index.aspx
Email: presessional@contacts.bham.ac.uk
• International Student Advisory Service (ISAS)
provides advice on issues such as visas, immigration,
financial situations.
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/studentservices/inte
rnational/index.aspx
• BLS International Student Tutor (Dr Emma Oakley)

23. Guild of Students
• Advice and Representation Centre
(ARC) in Guild of Students provides
help and advice to all students on:
– Financial issues
– Housing problems
– Immigration questions
– Academic queries
– Employment issues etc
• Nightline nightline@guild.bham.ac.uk

24. Extra-curricular
support

25. Personal Skills Award (PSA)
• Formal accreditation for skills and experiences that appeal
to employers
• The modules you take appear on your academic transcript
• These are in addition to your main programme of study and
give you an additional qualification
• A range of modules to suit your personal development and
interests
• Enrolment to the Personal Skills Award is now open, with
three pathways to choose from, the PSA is a flexible and
convenient way to develop, recognise and articulate your
skills. Undertake online skills courses, bespoke accredited
modules or take part in a choice of over 200 activities.
• Find out more www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/psa and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fHY_MJbCz8

26. CEPLER
• Centre for Professional Legal
Education and Research (CEPLER)
• Advocacy opportunities – mooting, debating, negotiation
skills competitions
• Pro bono opportunities and activities – Birmingham FLAG
(Free Legal Advice Group); Street Law; Casework and
Research Assistance Group (CRAG); pro bono lecture series
• Careers guidance and careers–related events
• CEPLER Professional Development
Scheme

27. BEING HEARD
Student representation
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/registry/
policy/studentreps/index.aspx
Contact: Student Experience Officer,
Dr Emma Login
(E.L.Login@bham.ac.uk)
Application form in Welcome Booklet

28. Some examples of changes student
reps have effected:
- Changes to welcome week programme
- Increase in number of seminars
- Decrease in seminar group sizes
- More feedback on written work
- Feedback on summative work
- Longer library opening hours
- Installing vending machines and water coolers
-Typed feedback forms
-More opportunities for formative work
-More support in choosing final year options

29. Harassment & Bullying
• No tolerance policy
• Tell someone in the school – e.g. HSSDW,
Welfare Tutor, Personal Tutor, Equality and
Diversity Officer, Dr Bharat Malkani
• University Harassment Advice Service
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/hr/wellbeing/
employeesupportservices/harassment/index.as
px tel: 0121 4158774
• NOT ON – say no to sexual harassment
http://www.guildofstudents.com/noton/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=1QKDeOSJ4tg&feature=youtu.be

30. • More information about all these
forms of support and contact details
of support services – see your Law
School Student Handbook on canvas
• Look out for and accept the invitation
to BLS Student Experience on
canvas