What works? Exploring personal tutoring for student success

HEA Seminar Series

16 November 2010

University of Reading

Background

collaborative project on student retention and success University of Reading and Oxford Brookes University

HEFCE & Paul Hamlyn Foundation funded

survey and interview data on students’ expectations and experiences of the personal tutor system

interviews with personal tutors

examples of how different schools manage personal tutoring

INTERVENTIONIST Oxford Brookes University

PASS a co-ordinated support approach (Personal & Academic Support System) School of Life Sciences

Longitudinal approach

AN OPT-IN SUPPORT SYSTEM University of Reading Study skills (One stop shop) Personal tutorial system

Personal tutoring for first years

Academic development

Tutor & Tutee

Pastoral care

Smoothing the transition – ‘settling in’ and ‘getting on’

Process and ownership

Identifying ‘at risk’ students Monitoring attendance Monitoring engagement Monitoring grades

What works for students?

Effective personal tutors: • Have good communication skills ‘listening’ • Care about you • Make time to see you • Know who you are • Are knowledgeable • Offer guidance and advice • See you as a person ‘a whole person’ • Know where you can go for support

Developing a relationship with your personal

tutor can depend on your degree course

...They have to be able to judge how best to talk to the person they are talking to... One thing about our personal tutor is he says things in a jokey way that I know other people take seriously...I think he is just a bit sarcastic and I think you have to judge that with the person you are talking to really...because if someone comes to you and they are really upset about something you don’t want to use sarcasm really.

It’s being reassured ... you can do it ... we walk into this strange environment...your personal tutor being there for you. You need a tutor that understands the dilemmas of students and helps them to achieve something. Technology...mainly everything you find out is by email ... you don’t know their body language...body language tells a lot...if you don’t see the person – if you look at someone eye to eye you can figure out something might be wrong...

Examples of School Initiatives

Reading - School of Systems Engineering ‘Student Engagement System’

Reading – Chemistry & Food Biosciences ‘Personal Tutor Meeting Record’

Reading - School of Law tutorial ‘attendance monitoring’

Oxford Brookes – School of Life Sciences ‘PASS tutorials’

The PASS model in the School of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University

Personal tutors

All First Year Students

PASS Tutorials

Module Leaders

Students with Resits

PASS Resit Support

Mentors:

Head of Student Support

(Personal Tutors)

Badly Failing Students

PASS Intervention

Personal & Academic Support System

PASS

3 types of support:

Target:

Delivered by:

PASS Referrals (support for pastoral issues, all students):

Head of Student Support and Student Support Co-ordinator Underpinned by:

PASS Questionnaire (all new first year students): at risk assessment.

PASS: Personal and Academic Support System

PASS Tutorials: group tutorials with academic advisors (personal tutors)

Staff and students closely matched by discipline being studied

Fortnightly group tutorials delivering academic skills training

Assessed coursework contributing to a compulsory skills module

The greatest benefit is relational

Compared with other possible benefits of PASS tutorials (eg: skills, peer relationships):

89% said they had enough contact with their personal tutor through PASS to feel known as an individual. Of these, 67% believe this helped them through their first year.

88% feel comfortable enough to turn to their tutor with academic problems. Of these 77% found this helpful.

What students said… “I feel it is a great system to get to know your

academic advisor [personal tutor] and this makes me feel more involved in the Life Science department.”

“you can hear other's opinions or difficulties which maybe similar to how you feel or can learn from them”

“if you are struggling and you don't email your advisor for some reason, you will have the opportunity in a PASS session.”

“… made me feel as a first year student that there were people to talk to if needed…”

The greatest challenge is staff

engagement 64% of students in the survey thought that their academic

advisor ‘believed in’ the importance of PASS tutorials. The experience of the remaining 36% of students is of concern:

“I think PASS tutorials would work well if my academic advisor was engaged more in what had to be done.”

“I think [PASS] is successful but feel that it depends on the academic advisor. Unfortunately the attitude and lack of interest or commitment to [PASS] on the side of the academic advisor can play a large part in affecting how the student views the advisor’s role and the effectiveness of [PASS].”

How to increase staff engagement Staff would like to be entrusted with more

responsibility for the tutorials:

more clarity and less detail in their instructions

freedom to deliver tutorials in their own way, less directive, more responsive

Increase their engagement with content and student issues, such as independent and reflective learning

Response to staff concerns

Onus for how tutorials are delivered has shifted from the centre to the tutor

Tutorial materials are less prescriptive, outlining learning outcomes for each tutorial but delivery left to the tutor

Ideas for teaching the skills + materials available if tutors choose to use them

PASS end of semester lunch (appreciation)

PASS referrals

Safety net for students with personal issues affecting their studies

Self referral or staff referral

Addressing student’s issues enables them to get back into their studies

Staff know that their tutees’ needs are being addressed

Referring on to specialist advisors

PASS and student retention

PASS tutorials began in 2005/6 and PASS intervention began in 2006/7

75

80

85

90

95

100

2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9

Year group

% R

ete

nti

on

What works?

• Relationships between students and staff

– Accessibility

– Consistency

– Interest and concern

• Staff engagement

• Training for personal tutors

Acknowledgements

Dr Kirsten Hall: Project researcher who conducted PASS student survey and staff interviews

Bryony France: Student Support Coordinator who monitors staff and student engagement with PASS

Dr Andrew Rendell: produces PASS tutorial materials

Steve Belt: Planning Support Officer

Eve Davey: Teaching Office Manager, School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Sarah Fleming: Project Support Officer

Jane Mills: Student Support Adviser, School of Law

Dr Richard Mitchell: Director of Teaching and Learning, School of Systems Engineering

HEFCE/PHF: for funding this research