Professional & Personal Support
Professional Support
The Institute aims to provide both instruction and opportunities for all students to develop professional competence in their chosen discipline. Support for Learning and Teaching is provided by staff in the department:
Degree Scheme Co-ordinators supervise and are responsible, on behalf of the Director, for the co-ordination, organisation and delivery of the academic programme. They can offer advice on your choice of programme.
Module Co-ordinators are responsible for individual modules and they are the first people you should approach if you have problems with a particular course.
An Academic Tutor is specified for each student to discuss and guide their progress through the academic year. Academic tutorials provide small group teaching throughout your degree to support your studies. Tutorials introduce you to and allow you to develop further key themes and ideas within your discipline with ample opportunity for direct feedback on your work. This will allow you to evaluate and reflect on your performance and how it may be improved. As part of the tutorial programme you will take part in the Academic and Personal Progress Review (APPR) programme which will require that you reflect on your learning and engage with your future career intentions. Further details about support for career planning provided by the University can be found at http://www.aber.ac.uk/careers/.
If you have problems
On academic matters, or change of degree scheme:
First see your Academic Tutor to discuss your problem, they will then refer you to your Degree Scheme Co-ordinator, who will be able to help resolve your problem or uncertainty on this academic matter.
On problems over a module:
See the Module Co-ordinator or person currently teaching the module.
You may be advised to seek further support for your specific needs and this is provided by Language and Learning Centre. Full details of the support offered may be found at: http://www.aber.ac.uk/language+learning/
Personal Support
The Institute provides personal support on welfare matters through Degree Scheme Tutors and Personal Tutors.
Degree Scheme Tutors are designated within each degree scheme to deal with pastoral, welfare, attendance, assignment deadlines, extensions to deadlines and assessment matters for their Honours group.
Personal Tutors are allocated to each undergraduate in the first year. In the second and third years your Academic Tutor acts as your personal tutor.
If you have problems
On welfare or personal matters:
First see your Personal or Academic Tutor to discuss the problem. Alternatively you may make an appointment with your Degree Scheme Tutor to discuss your problem. You will be informed what you have to do to meet departmental requirements and told, as necessary, about other support services available in the university.
The Personal Tutor provides a welfare role that is supportive and confidential. Personal Tutors are designated so that you have a member of staff you may contact to discuss any problems that arise. You should arrange to see your personal tutor, as and when the need arises, for their advice if there are difficulties or problems you wish to discuss. Your personal tutor will also arrange regular meetings with you to discuss your progress as part of the APPR programme.
Academic and Personal Progress Review (APPR) involves students, at particular points in the year, reviewing the skills they have developed, setting personal targets for the coming semester or year and most importantly, reflecting on the progress they have made.
The aim of this review process is to make you more effective in recognising your achievements and those aspects of academic and transferable skills that might be valuable additions to improve your current performance and open further career opportunities in the future. This process is formalised by the university and the department through a series of simple forms and check lists.
The University provides a suite of services to facilitate student welfare full details of these can be found at: http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/welfare/
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