UKAT Blog

On Monday, April 7, I had the honour of attending the UKAT Annual Conference 2025, themed “Shaping the Future of Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising in Higher Education.” Representing Manchester Metropolitan University and the student voice at this national forum was both a privilege and a profound responsibility. Engaging in meaningful conversations about the evolving landscape of academic support, I was inspired by the collective commitment to fostering inclusive and supportive educational environments. The conference underscored the vital role of student perspectives in shaping policies and practices that directly impact our academic journeys. Being part of this dialogue reinforced my belief in the power of collaboration between students and educators to drive positive change in higher education.

UKAT recently delivered our first workshop on ‘Setting Boundaries in Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising’ using LEGO^® Serious Play^® (LSP) as the medium to communicate and discuss some tricky issues for staff at Harper Adams University.  The workshop explored colleagues’ individual boundaries around their roles as senior tutors, course tutors and professional service staff who provide advice and guidance to students. 

In this blog, Prof. Louise Taylor at Oxford Brookes University, describes an activity that she developed, which is well suited to personal tutoring sessions. It is grounded in social-psychological theory and aims to increase students’ sense of belonging by strengthening their identity as a member of their discipline. The activity creates an essential space for students to learn about the impact of identities on their learning, reflect on their own identities, and engage in research-informed activities for strengthening their own discipline identities. By creating this space during personal tutoring sessions, students will be supported to enhance their university student identity, which will underpin improved academic outcomes. 

As higher education (HE) strives for inclusivity and equity, rethinking the tutor-student dynamic is vital. Tutors, advisers, and support staff are central to creating a respectful, collaborative academic environment where students feel heard. David Ausubel aptly observed, “The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows.” This highlights the importance of valuing students’ prior knowledge in the advising interactions aimed at empowering students' educational development.

In the hectic world of universities, we sometimes overlook or take for granted the human need for connection and the value of connections in shaping and moulding our experiences, relationships, and our wellbeing. Interactions with those around us can have a lasting impact, it can make your day, open lines of communication and create lasting bonds. For staff, connections can enhance our communities of practice which has been shown to be a powerful tool for professional development (MacPhail, 2014), reveal surprising links across institutions and encourage us to work in different ways. For students connections can create a sense of belonging, noted as critical to student retention (O'Keeffe, 2013), support wellbeing and make the learning experience more valuable and memorable.

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 upper-second or first-class degree, the OfS mandate aims to "eliminate the unexplained gap in non-continuation between the most and least represented groups of students by 2024-25 and eliminate the absolute gap by 2030-31" (OfS, 2022, p. 24). Accordingly, many HEIs are making asserted efforts to implement systemic and pedagogical reforms to reduce disparities in student outcomes.

A recent online panel discussion, hosted by United Kingdom Advising and Tutoring (UKAT), explored the urgent need to address the awarding gap. Chaired by Denise Miller, and attended by 154 participants, the panel discussion featured contributions from nationwide experts, including Eleanor St Hilaire, Claire Brown, and Josephine Gabi. The discussion focused on reimagining personal tutoring and academic advising to reduce the awarding gap.

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 ...

Aniekan Essien explores how integrating student data from learning analytics can transform the way that personal tutors approach their role and support their students.

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.

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.