Role of Personal Tutor for Undergraduates

As detailed in the University's Quality Handbook for staff, the personal tutor should provide a first point of contact between student and department, be available for consultation at reasonable times, and where appropriate refer the student for specialised advice.  Amongst other things, personal tutors should:

1. Arrange meetings with personal tutees at least three times during the first year and at least twice a year after that usually in September/October and March.  At these meetings personal tutors should go through relevant examination scripts and assessed assignments with their personal tutees to help them understand their general, overall strengths and weaknesses and so be able to improve their performance.  This should involve advice on general study skills and advice about what is sensible to tackle and how to achieve the improvements suggested.  If a personal tutee needs to discuss substantive, subject based information then they should be referred to the relevant module coordinator.
   
2. Encourage and support personal tutees in completing and updating their Personal Development Plans.
   
3. Ensure that personal tutees know when you are available to see you or how they should contact you to make an appointment.
   
4. Be a first point of contact if a student has a problem which might affect their studies (e.g. long-term illness, bereavement, family problems, financial worries etc) and be prepared to advise them where they may be able to obtain specialist help.
   
5. Ensure that students with problems are aware of what they need to do in order to have these taken into account for assessment purposes.  As a matter of good practice it may be sensible to confirm this advice in an email, copied to the Examinations' Secretary so that it is clear that they have been given the correct advice.
   
6. Write references for their personal tutees.

    7.   For further information regarding available support for students, see Supporting Students.