Academic tutoring is key to enhancing the student learning experience, a Teaching and Learning strategic priority at Reading. Our new Academic Tutor System will enable students and staff to work together in partnership to enhance students’ academic, personal and professional development.

Following detailed research and extensive consultation with current students and staff, we are evolving our well-established tutoring system to launch an Academic Tutor System from September 2018.  Our new system focuses the Academic Tutor relationship on students’ academic, personal and professional development, provides essential discipline/School-level leadership for the system, works in partnership with our professional support services, and invests in our student welfare provision through the introduction of a new Welfare Team to support students with any personal challenges that may impact their studies. This holistic approach will ensure our students’ individual needs are catered for at every stage of their studies, aiding our students’ success.

We believe that academic tutoring has a crucial role to play in supporting the success of all students.  Underpinning the Academic Tutor System are six principles, designed to help us achieve a consistency of experience for staff and students across the University:

Academic Tutors will act as a key contact for their tutees within their School/Department, establishing proactive, effective and long-lasting relationships that promote positive engagement within the academic community.

Academic Tutors will play a vital role in upholding and embedding the principles of the Academic Tutor System, working in partnership with their tutees to support their development through proactive relationships, structured academic conversations and signposting students to specialist services for ongoing pastoral support as appropriate.

Academic Tutors will be supported by School Directors of Academic Tutoring. School Directors of Academic Tutoring will provide discipline/School-level leadership of student development and maintain strategic oversight of student engagement with their studies, success and retention within their discipline/School.

Contact Cindy Isherwood to find out more about the Academic Tutor System.