Perspectives on the purpose of personal tutoring

Nienke Alberts (University of Bristol)

Monday, April 7, 2025 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

ENGAGEMENT

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Session Outline

Defining a clear purpose for personal tutoring is crucial for universities, because it increases student engagement with personal tutoring, provides clarity for staff, and is an important first step in impact evaluation (Lochtie et al, 2025). Yet all too often, the purpose of personal tutoring is not clear to either students (Yale, 2019; Wakelin, 2023) or staff (McFarlane, 2016; Wakelin, 2023). Moreover, research suggests that there are different interpretations of the purpose of personal tutoring between students and staff (Wakelin, 2023), and amongst staff themselves (Hughes and Bowers-Brown, 2021). Without a clear understanding of the purpose and objectives of personal tutoring, individuals have their own interpretations, which can lead to unrealistic expectations, lack of engagement, difficulties setting boundaries and inconsistency.

In this session I consider differing perspectives on the purpose of personal tutoring within a single institution. I present findings from a thematic analysis of the views of 50 members of staff and 200 students at the University of Bristol on what is the purpose of personal tutoring. I show there are multiple perspectives on what personal tutoring is for, and show how interpretations differ between students and staff, between academic and professional services staff, and between subject areas. Time will be set aside in this session for participants to explore their own views on the purpose of personal tutoring, and how these fit with the perspectives outlined in the study. Participants will engage in a group discussion on how we might reconcile these differing views of personal tutoring.

Participants will improve their understanding of how different groups view the purpose of personal tutoring, which can help manage expectations and improve collaboration.

Learning Outcomes

- Understand different perspectives on the purpose of personal tutoring and how these might be reconciled
- Consider own perspective on the purpose of personal tutoring

Bibliography

- Hughes, G & Bowers-Brown, T (2021) Student Services, Personal Tutors, and Student Mental Health: A Case Study. Student Support Services: 1-15.
- Lochtie, D, McIntosh, E, Stork, A, Walker, B W, Alberts, N & Raby, A (2025) Effective Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising in Higher Education. Milton Park: Taylor & Francis.
- McFarlane, K J (2016) Tutoring the Tutors: Supporting Effective Personal Tutoring. Active Learning in Higher Education, 17: 77-88.
- Wakelin, E (2023) Personal Tutoring in Higher Education: An Action Research Project on How Improve Personal Tutoring for Both Staff and Students. Educational Action Research: 1-16.
- Yale, A T (2019) The Personal Tutor–Student Relationship: Student Expectations and Experiences of Personal Tutoring in Higher Education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 43: 533-544.

Competencies
This session addresses the following competencies of the UKAT Professional Framework for Advising and Tutoring