DEPARTMENTAL GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL TUTORS

Transcription

1 DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENTAL GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL TUTORS This document is to be read in conjunction with the College Guidelines for Personal Tutors - currently under review and available from mid-october at: sibilities. An old version of the document can be found at: Responsibilities/ROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIES-PersonalTutor.pdf Each new mathematics student is assigned to a member of the academic staff who acts as the student s Personal Tutor while the student is an undergraduate in the Department. In a large department such as ours, it is easy for a student straight from school and/or overseas to feel lost. Many students find the transition to university a difficult one and need our encouragement and support. The purpose of meetings with Personal Tutors is to: deal with any outstanding mathematical difficulties to identify any problems the student is having (both academic and personal) direct students to external support if needed (health/finance/visa/accommodation, etc.) to ensure that the student is doing a reasonable amount of work and is adjusted to college life to advise on course options/future studies to monitor the progress of the student to generate enthusiasm for Mathematics! It is very important that all students maintain regular contact with their Personal Tutors and we must do all that we can to ensure that they do so. We have a duty of care for our students, in particular for those with (mental) health problems, and personal, academic and general support are often identified, through SOLE/NSS surveys, as areas in which we can improve. You will find that most of your students will not need very much support, yet regular meeting are necessary to ensure that we keep track and help those student who need it. In addition, we have an obligation to Local Education Authorities (LEAs), other funding bodies and the UK Border Agency to ensure that students are attending and making reasonable progress. Rules relating to undergraduate student attendance can be found in the Undergraduate Handbook. If a student is not keeping appointments with you or fails to respond to s it is your responsibility to follow up. Also, please let the relevant Year Tutor know so they can investigate. Towards the end of their time here, most students will ask for a reference: The reference you provide should be based on your personal and academic interaction with the student and provide a fair, professional, informative and detailed picture of the student s ability beyond the metrics offered by the exam results. If you need any information on a student, you may access their file through the Undergraduate Maths Student Office. Please give a copy of any reference you write to the Undergraduate Maths Student Office for the student files.

2 FIRST YEAR PERSONAL TUTEES In the First Year you should meet your personal tutees every week for at least half an hour. You may see your tutees as a group but it is also important that you set aside times when they can see you individually. You will be asked to record their attendance on an online attendance form: There is further information about the Student Attendance Monitoring System (SAM) below. Some questions from First Year course worksheets will be designated for informal discussion in the weekly personal tutorial meeting: The students will not get any marks for this exercise but I am hoping that it will give you something constructive to talk about in personal tutorial meetings and enable you to monitor the progress of your tutees from an early stage. SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH YEAR PERSONAL TUTEES You should see your Second, Third and Fourth Year tutees approximately once a month but weaker students may need to be seen more frequently. MEET YOUR PERSONAL TUTOR WEEKS (MYPTW) In the Autumn and Spring Terms, two weeks (beginning the 20 th October, 24 th November, 26 th January and 2 nd March) are designated Meet Your Personal Tutor Weeks (MYPTW) when students MUST report to their Personal Tutors. The first meeting each term is a quick check-in to make sure that the term has started well and to catch any early concerns. For the second meeting each term, you will be provided with information on your tutees academic progress and asked to review this with them. It is important to check that your tutees are keeping up to date with their work and to identify any problems that arise. In each MYPTW week you will be asked to record their attendance on an online attendance form: There is further information about the Student Attendance Monitoring System (SAM) below. In the week beginning 24 th November, you are asked to fill out a more comprehensive report through SAM on your Third and Fourth Year tutees and to provide a generic reference for the student file. If you have provided a reference for a tutee before, you do not need to provide a generic reference but please make sure to turn-in a copy of the actual reference provided. It is important that copies of ALL references are kept in the student s file as these will be used by others as a basis for further references. In the week beginning 2 nd March, you are asked to complete a more comprehensive report on your First and Second Year students through SAM. If any of your personal tutees fail to meet with you in the weeks assigned, please follow-up with them. If they have not seen you by the end of those weeks, despite your attempts to contact them, please contact their Year Tutor immediately. In the Summer Term, week beginning 8 th June, we will ask you to have an official meeting with your First and Second Year tutees. Attendance should be recorded on SAM. This meeting is to check on the students exam experience and progress on their projects. If any of your tutees has a problem which you feel will disrupt their studies, please inform their Year Tutor. There is a lot of help available in College for students. Links to useful College websites are listed in the Undergraduate Handbook and can be found on the Student website: If you have any questions or concerns about your role as Personal Tutor, please contact: A Year Tutor Year 1 Tutor, Professor John Barratt: ma.yrentry2014@imperial.ac.uk Year 2 Tutor, Dr Almut Veraart: ma.yrentry2013@imperial.ac.uk Year 3 Tutor, Dr Robert Nurnberg: ma.yrentry2012@imperial.ac.uk Year 4 Tutor, Dr Vahid Shahrezaei: ma.yrentry2011@imperial.ac.uk The Undergraduate Liaison Officer, Mrs Inkeri Hibbins: i.hibbins@imperial.ac.uk The Senior Tutor, Dr Gunnar Pruessner: ma.st@imperial.ac.uk

3 STUDENT ATTENDANCE MONITORING SYSTEM (SAM) To ensure improved oversight of students progress and to enable assistance to struggling students, personal tutorial meeting attendance will be monitored through an online form system in [Instructions on how to use the Student Attendance Monitoring System (SAM) are attached]. First Year Personal Tutors are asked to fill-in the form weekly. This is to help provide appropriate scaffolded support and identify any problems that may arise early. Regular absenteeism is often indicative of more serious underlying problems, which we hope to catch at an earlier stage with improved communication. Second, Third and Fourth Year Personal Tutors will be asked to fill-in the form during the Meet Your Personal Tutor Weeks (however, notes may also be added in other weeks). The forms will have an alerting system to allow Personal Tutors to report any concerns to the relevant Year Tutor, the Senior Tutor and/or the Undergraduate Liaison Officer. In addition, First and Second Year Personal Tutors will monitor students attendance at weekly tests/coursework submission and First Year students will also be monitored in regards to their attendance at the group tutorial led by Fourth Year students.4 th year led group tutorials and English classes (if required). Any students missing more than three expected interactions with no explanation will be asked to see their Year Tutor for follow-up. Students with a higher number of missed interactions may be placed on an attendance warning by the Head of Department. Students with ten consecutive unexcused absences will be reported to Registry and, if they are on student visas, to the Home Office. Third and Fourth Year students are currently only monitored through the meetings with Personal Tutors as there is a freedom of course choice. Due to the reduced number of expected interactions, it is especially important that any Third and Fourth Year students not attending tutorial meetings are reported immediately. Dr Gunnar Pruessner Senior Tutor

4 Student Attendance Monitoring System SAM PLEASE REMEMBER THAT INFORMATION ON SAM BECOMES PART OF THE STUDENT S FILE AND STUDENTS CAN REQUEST THROUGH THE PERSONAL INFORMATION ACT INFORMATION HELD ON THEM. Document prepared by Inkeri Hibbins , updated Step by Step Guide How to: 1. Go to: 2. Log in with your College username and password 3. You should get to the following page: From where you will be able to update the attendance for any of your tutees per year either for: a. the current week [first links] b. any week you have not updated previously by using the click down menu at the bottom. You can also display the full student attendance for each of your tutees per year group, or all years at once using the links next to Display student attendance

5 INFORMATION FOR 1 st YEAR TUTORS: 4. 1 st Year Tutors Please update the attendance weekly at your tutorials. Click on the attendance for the current week for Year 1 You will be redirected to the following page: Which should have your name at the top right and all of your tutees names listed with their CID, title and links as well. Enter yes/no/excused per student 5. To note attendance for the week, please tick yes, no, or excused for each student s attendance that week at the tutorial. You can also write notes next to their name for reasons for excuses/other information you deem important to note. If there is a concern about a student, please send an from the page to alert us of concerns:

6 All s go directly to Inkeri Hibbins, Undergraduate Liaison Officer (ULO), but you can also have the go to the Year Tutor (YT) and/or Senior Tutor (ST) as appropriate. We will then follow up with you/student as appropriate. (You can cut and paste the note field if this is appropriate.) Please note the student s name in the message as the system will not know which of your tutees you are referring to! Example: Enter reason for excuse Send re student concern (in this case will go to all three, ULO, YT and ST as both ticked; ULO receives as default) 6. Once you are finished updating, make sure to press update student info or the update student info and send message button to make updates. As soon as you do this, the screen should change and attendance will be marked in colours example:

7 7. Once you are done, you can exit, go back on your browser to the main page, or use the links at the bottom of the page to go to the page you want to go to: Links to other pages PLEASE UPDATE YEAR 1 ATTENDANCE EVERY WEEK! THANK YOU! If you forget one week, please use the drop down buttons to update the missing weeks.

8 MEET YOUR PERSONAL TUTOR WEEKS FOR ALL YEARS: 8. For Meet Your Personal Tutor Week - week 3 Autumn and Spring Term Follow the instructions 4-7 for First Year Tutors, but update information for ALL YEARS, Years 2-4. Please note any concerns in the notes box, and alert any serious concerns to the ULO/YT/ST immediately using the box 9. For Meet Your Personal Tutor Week - week 8 Autumn Term Follow the instructions 4-7 for First Year Tutors for Years 1 & 2. For Years 3&4, follow the instructions 4-6 for First Year Tutors, and in addition: Fill out the Meet Your Personal Tutor Week (MYPTW) form under each student: MYPTW form 10. To do this, click on the link and you will be redirected to a page for that student please fill in the information under each box (the student s name and CID should be on the top line with your name as well):

9 11. Once you are done, please click the submit and close button to save (the submit only will keep you on the page, but not close) 12. Once you submit and close, you will be redirected to the main page, where you will see the MYPTW form you have submitted has changed in colour. If you need to revisit the page to make further changes, you can just click on it again and update, please remember to submit and close at the end. IMPORTANT: The MYPTW forms are ONLY available under week 8. If, for example, you are unable to see your tutees in week 8 but have approval to see them in week 9, please go to week 8 to find the document to file. Please note attendance in the correct week of your meeting. 13. Tutors of final year students in Years 3 & 4 are also asked to provide a generic reference at this point for the student to have on file. Please submit a reference using the Reference link under the MYPTW form link.

10 You will be directed to a page where you can either upload a pdf of an existing reference, or you can fill out the reference form online, preview, and save. If you prefer to just write this separately, not on the database, and turn it in to Ms Harvey s office, please do so. 14. If there are specific concerns about a student, please send an immediately (from the front page to the appropriate person to ask us to review the form immediately and we will do so and contact you/student for further information.

11 HOW TO SEE FULL INFORMATION ON A STUDENT S ATTENDANCE: Information: In Year 1, the following attendance is recorded: a. Personal Tutor meetings b. Weekly tests c. Group Tutorials d. English classes (if appropriate) In Year 2, the following attendance is recorded: a. Personal Tutor meetings (weeks 3 & 8 as compulsory, but other week meetings can also be added to show extra meetings) b. Weekly tests In Year 3&4, the following attendance is recorded: a. Personal Tutor meetings (weeks 3 & 8 as compulsory, but other week meetings can also be added to show extra meetings) Other attendance may at times also be included, if students are told ahead of time of compulsory attendance at a certain session (eg. plagiarism awareness sessions) 1) From the main page, click on Display student attendance for the year you wish to see: 2) Here you will be able to see all information held on the student s attendance per week. If no information is included for a week, no information will be shown. Example: for week 2, I can see the following, and if I scroll right, I can see information for the following weeks.