Student Support & Development

1. Student Support& Development Personal Tutors EventSeptember 2007.

2. Programme • Background: The SSD Context • Defining SSD • What’s New? • Student Support- Personal Tutors as a “GP” / gateway • Student Development- Beyond solving student problems- Personal Development Goals- Discussion Groups / Role-play • Feedback / Close.

3. Background: The SSD Context • Increased institutional focus on the “student experience” following the 2006 NSS results, and also feedback from the International Student Barometer. • Review of “Personal & Academic Support” was conducted Feb-May 2007. • Input from B2B Consultants who conducted student focus groups in all schools. • University Teaching Committee has agreed the recommendations and the Quality Manual has been updated for the 2007-2008 session.

4. Defining SSD • Student Support and Development (SSD) refers to the range of University provision intended to help students maintain and improve their wellbeing, personal and academic development, understanding of University practices, employability, and sense of community. • All University staff have a role to play in delivering an integrated SSD offering.

5. What’s New? • “Student Support & Development” (SSD) replaces “PAS” to focus attention beyond (only) helping students with problems. • All schools must now define and communicate the role of their personal tutors. • There is now a booklet of University guidance on the role of all personal tutors. • All schools are also required to produce their own local supplement to this guidance. • Student responsibilities have been defined. • Potential for more formal UQA SSD auditing.

6. Personal Tutors as a “GP” / Gateway • The role of all personal tutors now includes being a “gateway to the wider SSD provision of the University”. • This is to try and offer all students an integrated SSD offering from the University. • You need to know where to direct students with particular support or development needs. This may be to somebody else in the School, or to a central support department. • The University Guidance lists key central support services. Hyperlinks are in the QM.

7. Beyond Solving Student Problems • B2B Consultants identified that many students do not see the relevance of personal tutoring. • Personal tutor systems across the University do seem to help those c.25% of students with problems, but do not really add that much value to the majority. • Personal tutoring needs a new focus on developmental as well as problem solving activities. • One way to do and clearly signal this is via the new Personal Development Goals initiative.

8. The Concept • To invite students to set and reflect on a “personal development goal” (PDG) with their personal tutor every semester. • PDGs may relate to any area of potential achievement that does not result in an assessment grade or academic award. • PDG will run within our existing schedule of personal tutor meetings. • Recording goals is a student responsibility.

9. Potential Outcomes / Benefits • An improvement in the relationship between students and academics. • A signalling of the relevance of, and renewed interest in, personal tutoring. • A heightened emphasis on student employability. • Students encouraged to maximize their University of Nottingham experience. • An increased consistency in personal tutoring provision across the University.

10. The Pitch to Students • Personal Development Goals are an invitation from your personal tutor to help you set and reflect on challenges in order to: • Be more prepared to gain employment. • Not regret what you didn’t do at university.

11. How PDGs will Work. • Poster campaign (including Student Union) . • Distribution of student flyer. • Entry in student handbook. • Students told our PDGs during induction. • Input sessions for students from the Centre for Career Development and the Student Union. • Your tutees should be expecting to set one or more PDGs with you this Semester. • You simply have to ask your tutees if they want to set a goal(s), show some interest, and ask them to keep a record.

12. Goal Setting • PDGs may relate to any area of potential achievement not measured via an assessment grade or academic University award. • The best goals will be simple, tangible, memorable and potentially achievable. • Employers often ask students to say how they have overcome challenges, shown leadership demonstrated teamworking skills, etc. • Setting and reflecting on PDGs may hence improve potential employability. • Goals may also link to wider development.

13. Potential Goals • Investigating work placement or final employment options and identifying possible companies to apply to. • Undertaking a volunteering activity. • Undertaking a sporting activity. • Helping to run a student society. • Becoming a member of a Hall committee or team. • Learning about another society or culture. • Improving writing/research skills. • Improving time management skills. • Increasing levels of tutorial contribution. • Identifying and applying for study abroad/campus mobility options. • Developing ideas for a dissertation topic.

14. And Now . . . • Any Questions? • Discussion Groups • Role-play of goal setting

15. THAT’S ALL FOLKS!