In recent years, closing the awarding gap in higher education has become a primary focus for UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Arguably, the increasing scrutiny from the Office for Students (OfS) has prompted HEIs to confront the persistent attainment gap, particularly between White and Black students. While data reveals that Black students are less likely to achieve an ...
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Contributions should be submitted to blog@ukat.ac.uk
Leadership Challenges in Personal Tutoring - Developing a Community of Practice
Across the sector there is distinct evidence of changing support needs (e.g. greater emphasis on promoting mental health and well-being) and behaviours of students (e.g. time spent on campus). In response to the changes, The University of Bedfordshire and the University of Sussex are undertaking reviews of their Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) delivery models and while sharing th ...
Leveraging Analytics to Enhance Personal Tutoring Outcomes: Opportunities and Challenges
Aniekan Essien explores how integrating student data from learning analytics can transform the way that personal tutors approach their role and support their students.
Personal Tutoring and the Sustainable Development Goals
In his piece, Associate Professor Michael Talbolt delves into the essential connection between higher education and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Talbolt emphasizes the profound impact of effective personal tutoring in addressing global challenges and encourages readers to explore the transformative potential of higher education in promoting sustainable development.
Tutoring in Higher Education: How to better support students with learning disabilities
Lauren Hall, a student from York St John University, recently attended the 2021 UKAT Annual Conference. In this piece, she reflects on her learning from the conference and on a presentation which really stood out to her about how personal tutoring can really benefit all students, but especially those with learning disabilities.
Student Engagement is key to student retention and success in Higher Education
Student Engagement is key to student retention and success in Higher Education. Whilst engaging in educationally purposeful activities is not essential to academic success (Kuh et al 2006), in-class involvement has been shown to be critical to the students’ experience of success (Tinto, 2012). Within the UKAT Student Engagement SIG we take a broad definition of student engagement, embracing engagement with programme, their studies and personal academic tutoring. We consider how we as tutors and education providers can design programmes of activities that students can see the benefit of engaging with.
Do you love your students?
Do you love your students? That might seem like an odd question, and not one we often stop to consider, but perhaps we should? Personal tutoring operates differently in different institutions, and even in different areas of the same institution. In recent years I’ve been intrigued by how we define personal tutoring as no one unified definition exists. At the 2020 UKAT Conferenc ...
Creating a ‘sense of belonging’ for international students through intercultural Personal Tutoring
The Personal Tutoring for International Students SIG aims to create a professional network of personal tutors working to understand the issues, concerns and challenges of working with overseas students. In this BLOG Lousa Hill and Maria Hussain explain their SIG in more detail.
Reflections on bullying in Higher Education
It was Anti-bullying week from 16-20 November 2020. This year the theme was 'United Against Bullying' and there was a slew of events on various social media using #antibullyingweek and #abw20 where you can still go to see some of the action. It also seems a good time to reflect on bullying in the context of the higher education sector.
No student left behind
Hengyi Wang, Debbie Sperring, Dr Sarah Watson and Lizzy McKinney – Student Academic Success Advisors at the University of Sussex Business School – have produced a very useful overview outlining how they have tried to ensure that no student is left behind due to moving teaching online, especially international students.