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Academic Advisor Handbook 2014- 2015
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CONTENTS
1. The Purpose of the Academic Advisor Framework
2. The Role of the Academic Advisor
3. The Role of the School in Student Support
4. University Level Support for Academic Advisors
5. Referral and Advice
6. Organisation of the Academic Advisor Framework in the School of Engineering
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1. The Purpose of the Academic Advisor Framework
The University of Liverpool regards the role of the Academic Advisor as a
fundamental component of the relationship between academic teaching staff
and students. It is a key contributor to a positive student experience.
For students, time spent at University brings opportunity not only for
disciplinary academic growth but also for effective and guided personal
development. Academic Advisors should aim to foster partnerships with
students to promote their development as independent and scholarly learners.
The Academic Advisor framework, by promoting both formal and informal
contact between academic staff and students, fosters a sense of an academic
community. The framework is intended to contribute to the academic success
of students by focussing on their individual development and ensuring their
academic work is monitored and supported by their advisors. The advisor-
student relationship should also ensure that academic progress is not
obstructed by issues which may well be resolved by timely advice from the
advisor or other support/professional services staff.
The Academic Advisor should also develop a relationship with a student that is
supportive in encouraging students to develop their skills for self-management
and employment. This will best be realised through the experience of a well-
designed and delivered programme of learning, teaching and assessment, as
well as through opportunities provided outside the formal curriculum. The new
My Liverpool interactive resource is a website where students can find out
about a wide range of co- and extra- curricular activities that they can take part
in to make the most of their time at Liverpool. These opportunities include
sports, music, volunteering, CE courses (some of which are free to students)
opportunities to study abroad, specific activities organised by a student’s
school/department and many many more……. Students can search the new
website via www.liv.ac.uk/my-liverpool
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For many new students life at university will bring great excitement along with
new problems, stresses and anxieties, particularly in the early weeks. Many of
these problems can be addressed if the student has the opportunity to talk
and, most importantly, to be listened to. However, the Academic Advisor is
only part of a network of support provided by the wider University.
This handbook sets out the minimum engagement expected in your role as
Academic Advisor.
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2. The Role of the Academic Advisor
All students at the University of Liverpool will be assigned a named academic
member of staff as their Academic Advisor. Their role is to develop a
relationship with the students assigned to them: to provide information, advice
and guidance on academic matters; to direct students to further sources of
information on academic matters and to the wide range of information, advice
and guidance on non-academic matters available to students at Liverpool.
Schools (and in some instances departments) will be responsible for the
administration of this process [see section 6].
The Academic Advisor will:
i. Meet with the student at the beginning of their studies and at the
start of each new academic year. For new undergraduate and
postgraduate taught students, the initial meeting should normally
take place during Welcome Week. This could be a group meeting
where the Academic Advisor meets with all newly assigned
students.
ii. Ensure that the students are made aware of the additional support
offered within the School and across the institution.
iii. Ensure that the students are aware that they can contact/meet
with the Academic Advisor at other times during the year. i.e. AAs
should provide details of their office hours.
iv. Arrange a second meeting to take place within the first 4-8 weeks
of the 1st semester. Ideally this should be a one to one meeting. At
this meeting the Academic Advisor may help the student to review
their experience so far, highlight the stated learning outcomes of
the programme of study and discuss opportunities and a strategy
for personal development [Section 6 will provided details on
specific School advice for Academic Advisors. Students
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undertaking PBL classes may have this meeting with the PBL tutor.
Dates for these meetings are mapped against group rotations].
v. Arrange a further meeting (feedback tutorial) in the 2nd semester
during which overall progress can be discussed.
vi. Keep a record of student attendance at these meetings. This is
important in cases where a student complaint is made. Academic
Advisors should be aware of the University Framework for Student
Attendance. The sections relevant to the role of the Academic
Advisor are reproduced below:
Section 3.5. …. The monitoring of student engagement by reviewing
attendance at recordable activities will form part of the School’s overall
monitoring of students’ academic progress and their support for their
wellbeing. A range of systems will be in place to do this, including the
Academic Advisor system;
Section 3.10. … If a student (subsequently) returns to their studies, a meeting
will be held with their academic advisor to discuss their attendance and
investigate any underlying issues or contributing factors affecting poor
attendance.
Section 3.11. … where a student is showing poor engagement by intermittent
attendance, the normal processes for exploring the reasons for this with the
student and providing support should take place, normally with the academic
advisor.
A guide to how Academic Advisors within the School should structure the
meetings in the best interests of the students is detailed in section 6.
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Notes:
All students will be assigned an Academic Advisor. This includes UG,
PGT, PGR and exchange students.
Schools will be responsible for allocating Academic Advisors and for
administration of the framework.
Where possible Academic Advisors should be initially allocated
students who are studying within programmes they are associated
with.
Schools will be responsible for ensuring that Academic Advisors are
provided with the necessary information, training and support to carry
out the role (See section 6). Additional support will be provided by
CLL. www.liv.ac.uk/eddev
Students joining the University at different times in the year (i.e. as
Year 2 entrants, PG medics etc.) should be provided the same support
as Year 1 students.
Mitigating circumstances: Academic Advisors should be prepared to
give advice to students on the University Policy on Mitigating
Circumstances, although students can also obtain guidance from the
Guild if they wish.
Academic Advisors should arrange appropriate student support if they
are likely to be absent from the University for any reason. Schools
should ensure that appropriate cover is provided where an Academic
Advisor will be absent for a substantial period of time e.g. study leave.
It may be appropriate in some areas that the undergraduate
dissertation/project supervisor takes the role of Academic Advisor in
the final year of study.
The primary PGR supervisor will be indicated in the student Liverpool
Life/TULIP record as the first point of contact for student support and it
is likely that the supervisor will also have the role as Academic Advisor..
However, the Guide on Academic Progress of PGR Students states that
all PGR students have a Progress Assessment Panel independent of the
supervisory team and that other independent figures are available, for
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example Directors of PGRs and mentors. Any of these might also carry
out some of the functions of an Academic Advisor
Formal timetabling of Academic Advising sessions is suggested as good
practice.
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3. The Role of the School in Student Support
Each School will have a student support team available to provide advice to both
students and staff and refer students to specialist support services available
across the University. The support team can also give guidance on non-
academic/personal aspects of student life: information on who to contact will be
found in the student handbook. In addition, students can independently contact
central Student Support Services at any time during their studies; more
information is available at http://www.liv.ac.uk/studentsupport/
Named persons within the school support team should be identified to act as
an additional point of contact for students. Schools are responsible for
ensuring this provision is made available and communicated to academic staff
and students. Schools are also responsible for ensuring that appropriate
training is provided to these individuals. The school student support team can
comprise both academic and professional services staff. The organisation in the
School is detailed in section 6.
The school student support team will:
i. Provide a point of contact within the School to provide both advice
on School level procedures and signposting to central and
specialised support services for both students and academic
advisors.
ii. Be proactive in responding to and liaising with central support
services to meet the support needs of identified cohorts of
students (e.g. mature, international, disabled, care leavers) and of
vulnerable students e.g. students experiencing personal difficulties.
iii. Be a point of contact for the Disability Support Team (or other
central support services) prior to admission to co-ordinate
necessary support.
iv. Work with senior Academic Advisors and staff in central
Professional Services to determine strategies and operations to
support students with specific and complex difficulties.
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4. University Level Support for Academic Advisors
The Academic Advisor web page will provide links to all of the
support required to effectively carry out the role. At the website
you will be able to download copies of this handbook and discover
information on all of the support services that will be available to
students.
http://www.liv.ac.uk/eddev/supporting-students/academic-advising/
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The webpage will also provide a link to an on-line Induction Guide
for Academic Advisors: this is a brief (5 minute) video introduction
to the role of the Academic Advisor.
iLearn:
iLearn is the University’s online learning and skills development
portal containing a skills diagnostic with feedback and interactive
resources and quizzes. It can be accessed by all University of
Liverpool students and has an extensive range of resources (both
generic and subject specific) to support the development of skills
appropriate to university level study. iLearn has proved popular
and useful with students and with staff. www.liv.ac.uk/ilearn
Student Representation Procedures: An enhanced student
representation system has been developed and implemented to
try to improve the effectiveness of student engagement and
representation at all levels, from specific student issues and
concerns to real involvement in the quality systems and processes
throughout the institution. At the core of the new framework is an
enhanced role for Student Course Representatives (who sit on Staff
Student Liaison Committees) in order to facilitate greater and
more in-depth student involvement in Learning and Teaching and
quality issues, as well as the more operational issues. To achieve
this, more (structured) opportunities for course representatives to
engage with the student body have been developed, together with
additional support and training for the representatives.
Further information can be obtained from Trish Lunt
[email protected] or Kylie Williams [email protected]
Case Studies (Student Talking Heads): Educational Development
will (in collaboration with the Guild) prepare a series of student
views on the role of the AA. These will be made available via the
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AA web page and will present the views of students from all three
faculties.
CPD opportunities: The University offers generic training in the
Role of the Academic Advisor. This training workshop, which is
part of the Certificate in Professional Studies programme, will be
offered 2 or 3 times per year. You can find out when the workshop
will run and book onto the next session at the Academic Advisor
web pages.
Bespoke training within Schools: It is intended that School will
provide bespoke induction and training in the Academic Advisor
role. Information on such training will be provided by School
student support offices.
Senior Academic Advisors (Senior Tutors) may be allocated in your
school to provide advice for new academic advisors and to support
more formal student issues e.g. progress committee issues.
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5. Referral and Advice
As a University Academic Advisor you will have a range of conversations
with students and you may be able to offer advice on many issues
however, it is likely that you will encounter situations that fall outside your
expertise. You are not expected to play the role of a counsellor or specialist
professional. It will always be in the interest of the student that, where
appropriate, they are referred or self-refer on to the best advice and
support available within the University. [Academic Advisors in the clinical
Sciences should consult with the relevant Director of Student Support in
such cases. See section 6 for contact details].
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is a complex area. Often a student will appreciate that if an
Academic Advisor is to help, confidential information may need to be given
to others, such as Examining Boards. Academic Advisors should not pass on
information obtained from a student to any third party unless a student’s
permission has been given, except where (1) the Academic Advisor believes
that someone is at serious risk or (2) the Academic Advisor is concerned
that an offence has taken place.
Where it is thought that a student may be involved in criminal conduct or
that others may be at risk, it is the duty of the Academic Advisor to report
the matter to the appropriate authority and/or their Head of Department.
University Support
There is a well-established network of specialist services throughout the
University to provide students, Academic Advisors and School Support
Teams with advice and support in a number of specific areas:
Central Student Support Services assist students with a range of welfare
issues affecting their personal lives including traumatic incidents and safety.
Student Support Services coordinate responses to wider student issues
across the University such as natural disasters and cases of meningitis, and
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support Schools and Departments in responding to critical incidents
involving students.
The University produces a Student Support Guide which is available on-
line from the start of Welcome Week. Copies can be collected from the
School Support Team, picked up from the Student Services Centre at 150
Mount Pleasant or downloaded from the web-link above; this Guide
provides full details of support available at Institutional level. Information
on Central and Institutional Support available is also provided in the
Student Handbook.
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6. Organisation of the Academic Advisor Framework in the School of
Engineering
All academic staff in the School of Engineering are Academic Advisors (tutors).
Each year they are assigned a new group of 4-6 Year 1 tutees, and they remain
that group’s tutor for the entire duration their studies.
Every member of staff therefore has three or four tutor groups active at any
time. The extent and nature of interaction with each group varies significantly
according to the year of study.
Our tutorial activity is designed to address the School of Engineering L&T
Strategy, and it goes significantly beyond the minimum expectation set out in
University-wide policy.
A collection of useful resources for tutors are posted on VITAL, and there is a
tutor guidance workshop at the start of each academic year. Dr Matt Murphy
is available throughout the year to provide additional advice and support as
required.
6.1 Year 1 Tutorials
These group sessions are timetabled for one hour every week and are
compulsory for all students, with attendance recorded in the Yr1 Labs and
Tutorials VITAL site. These tutorials provide a combination of:
Pastoral Support (typically 6/24 sessions):
Induction
Development as a learner
Attainment and engagement monitoring
Periodic 1-1 meetings to review progress and performance. Academic Support (typically 14/24 sessions):
Small group problem solving classes from core science modules (Solids & Structures, Thermo-fluids, Materials).
These are predominantly academic in nature but also provide an opportunity to uncover and address pastoral issues.
Formal Teaching & Assessment (typically 4/24 sessions):
The engineering curriculum includes many elements of group work, and in Yr1 students commonly work in their tutor groups. Several components of group teaching and assessment are therefore scheduled as part of the tutorial programme.
At the start of each semester academic staff are provided with the week-by-week schedule for Year 1 tutorial activity. Detailed notes and guidance are
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given for each session, and full worked solutions for the problem classes are distributed by the relevant module coordinators. 6.2 Year 2 Tutorials
There are no timetabled tutorial sessions for Year 2 students but tutors do continue to have a pastoral support responsibility to their tutees. Tutors are expected to, as a minimum, organise the following tutor group activities:
Semester 1, Week 1-2: Group Meeting
To welcome students back; to look ahead to the coming year; to encourage students to begin think about their life and employment after university; to remind students of the importance of work placement and study abroad opportunities
To uncover and address any pastoral care issues
To set a weekly time slot when students can drop in to see their tutor according to their need throughout the year.
Semester 2, Week 3-4: One-to One Meetings
To review semester one performance and engagement
To discuss student’s extra- and co-curricular activity, and to review their plans to find graduate employment.
6.3 Year 3 & Year 4 Tutorials In Year 3 every student undertakes a 300 hour individual project, and an important element of this is the regular interaction with their project supervisor. A close working relationship normally develops and the responsibility for pastoral / academic support and guidance therefore transfers from tutor to project supervisor.