Personal Academic Tutoring

Personal Academic Tutoring (PAT)                                

The revised (2024) Personal Academic Tutoring guidance documents found here are designed to support PATs to enhance their practices and be confident about what is expected of them.

Our previous Personal Academic Tutoring Policy was approved by Academic Board in December 2018. It is acknowledged that across the University there are some excellent examples of personal academic tutoring and where this occurs, those staff will recognise much of what is contained within this policy document. This policy is not intended to change good practice that is clearly working well but rather seeks to reinforce good practice as well as requiring others to emulate it such that there is a consistently good and meaningful experience for all students across the University. However, all provision should be critically evaluated against the principles and objectives contained within the Policy.

PATs play an important part in Closing our Gap (Degree Award Outcomes) for our Black students and other students identified as requiring support and interventions via our Access and Participation Plan. Principally, this is though their capacity to support engagement and attainment on a one-to-one basis and coach students to success.

Improving Student Outcomes is a key element of the PAT role and engaging students with the Student Learning, Wellbeing and Employability services available at CCCU.

PATs can also have a significant impact on supporting student transitions, building sense of belonging, equity and inclusion in their roles by scaffolding conversations with their students year on year focused to their success and aspirations for their future graduate employment.

We have updated and developed three guidance documents for PATs designed to offer practical information and advice which will be useful whether new to personal academic tutoring or been involved for some time to;

• Support students effectively considering student retention, engagement, attainment and progression
• Explore some common issues that students may raise and ways of dealing with them
• Be confident in the range of support offered by central services and other agencies and when and how to refer students to them
• Provide guidance on how to structure effective PAT conversations across levels of learning

These are situated in the download links at the side of the page. There is one updated long PAT guidance document and a second document focused to guide PATs to effective conversations across levels of learning.  The third is focussed to signposting students effectively. 

Please click here for a special edition of the RAPPORT journal, on the subject of 'Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising', put together by SEDA (the Staff & Educational Development Association).

Keeping Mental Health in mind 

Developed by the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, this e-learning package is designed to give non-specialist staff the skills, knowledge and confidence to offer support for students’ mental wellbeing.   Visit the Charlie Waller Memoral Trust website