Project work in partner universities 1996 - 1999:
The University of Northumbria at Newcastle
Contact Details
| |
Professor Allan Ingram |
| Role in Project: |
Team Leader for Northumbria |
| Role in Institution: |
Professor of English |
| Telephone: |
0191 227 3730 |
| Fax: |
0191 227 4630 |
| Email: |
allan.ingram@unn.ac.uk |
| Address: |
School of Humanities |
| |
Lipman Building |
| |
University of Northumbria |
| |
Newcastle upon Tyne |
| |
NE1 8ST |
Other members of the PADSHE team at Northumbria
Head of School of Humanities
Internal Evaluators
Careers Adviser |
Professor Christopher Bailey
Liz McDowell, Gwen Marples
Yvonne Parkin |
Key Findings
-
Use of the PAR system has given the personal tutoring system more focus.
-
Staff and students alike appear to be in favour of the PAR folder system.
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Continued commitment to the PAR system by students throughout the academic
year may be reinforced by regular communication from lecturing staff about
the process.
-
The PAR system encourages students to see their personal tutor on a regular
basis.
-
It would be preferable to maintain the present system of optional completion
of the folder by students as opposed to completion being compulsory for
all students.
-
The present format of the PAR folder is unsuitable for postgraduate students
and also for mature undergraduate students.
-
Continued development of the personal tutoring system within the university
will require institutional commitment.
Commentary on customisation of the Nottingham PAR model
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Rescheduling of programme of personal tutorials in order to fit in with
established university calendar (eg end-of-year marks released after the
end of semester 2).
-
Removal of mechanisms already covered by other university systems (eg option
choice, course feedback).
-
Prioritising of student self-evaluations, both written and oral, alongside
more mechanical process of acknowledging and agreeing marks and programmes
of study.
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Emphasis on design issues in presentation of PAR folder, in order to underline
that engaging with the PAR process was a coherent and worthwhile activity.
-
Introduction of final Statement of Intent form for graduating students,
in order both to provide a sense of conclusion and to facilitate future
reference writing
Variations across disciplines
All undergraduate courses in the School of Humanities (English, History,
History of Art, Design and Film etc) are running the same model. For the
postgraduate PARs, it was decided to simplify the undergraduate version,
putting less stress on careers and on employment intentions (many of these
students are already embarked on careers) and more on skills and learning
reflection. In the case of MA Creative Writing students, it was decided
to dispense with the paper PAR and concentrate on display of student writing,
reception of and reflection on feedback from a wide potential readership,
and the compilation of a writer's cv. PARs developed outside the Department
include Psychology and Mechanical Engineering (both of whom scored 4s for
student support in their recent Quality visits). In addition a pilot has
been developed in Economics.
Core principles accepted
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Regular scheduled one-to-one meetings between student and personal tutor
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Opportunity for written and oral reflection on student progress
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Clearly identified procedures and contacts for personal problems
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Clearly identified statement of tutor's and student's responsibilities
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Documentation of student progress in terms of cv/reference preparation
Examples of best practice in use of PAR folder: staff views
Developing students' self perceptions
Tutor 1 "the evaluation ones... they are the ones that test the
tutor's skills most, because you have actually got to extract from what
a student has written...something to talk about, and in a non-threatening
manner and do it in a way that affords the student opportunities to expand
on something...perhaps...something that they didn't realise they could
expand on..."
Tutor 2 had been able to introduce into the conversation something
that he felt about a certain student's dominating manner during seminars.
This was done in such a way that the student felt both a) un-threatened
and un-offended and b) was able to take and make something positive and
constructive out to the situation with regard to his behaviour during seminars.
Tutor 3 observed that some students completed the folders very
frankly, identifying their own weaknesses and suggesting suitable ways
of tackling potential weaknesses.
Giving the personal tutor system more focus:
-
"(it) allowed the system to continue as before, but in a more coherent
way"
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"...PAR as a vehicle complements the rest of the academic role...it
is an extension and formalisation of the old system..."
-
It had helped the students to view their own experiences and offered them
the opportunity to talk to someone who wasn't necessarily involved in actually
teaching them: "so having things noted down, having something formally
agreed to talk about was quite useful"
-
"no student has the right to graduate from this degree saying, 'I think
that I had a personal tutor but I've no idea who he was...'".
Impact on teaching and learning
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Bringing of personal tutorial process firmly within the ambit of the teaching
process
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Opportunity for students to take a wider perspective, with a different
tutorial focus, on various aspects of their progress
-
Opportunity for tutors to enjoy a wider participation in student learning
process than that afforded by traditional subject focus
-
Enabling of tutors to offer a more informed representation of personal
tutees within formal University examination and mitigation processes
-
Much clearer understanding by both tutors and students of Departmental
chains of responsibility and of their relation to processes of teaching,
learning, guidance and support
Impact on institution/continuation plans
Preparations for the updating of the University central data system are
proceeding, with 2001 as a likely target. Members of the project are participating
at a high level with the intention that PARs in some appropriate form will
become a component of the new system.
Case Study Area
Mature undergraduates. See
case studies
Deliverables
-
PAR folder: undergraduate and postgraduate versions
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Mature student case study
