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The most important role of the personal tutor is to be the first point of call for a student who needs help or support. In order for a student to feel able to confide in a tutor at times of difficulty, it is necessary for a good relationship to have been established between tutor and tutee. To build this relationship tutors are expected to meet with their students on at least five occasions in the year. The format of these meetings is chosen by the tutor. A good format is to invite each year group for a lunchtime meeting. Half an hour is usually enough and the time can be used to discuss the course, societies, sports, politics or anything else of common interest. Tutors should also see their first year tutees weekly at a ppt or pmt group, and visit their third year MEng tutees during their placement.

Occasionally things go wrong for a student and they will want to see their personal tutor individually. As a personal tutor you should use your discretion to try and resolve the problem. Feel free to consult me if necessary, and if you cannot resolve the matter then you can refer the student to me for further advice. You should also let me know if you suspect that any of the students have problems that may be interfering with their studies.

Remember that matters that arise in the course of personal tutoring are confidential. You must not discuss anything relating to a student with anyone else (including parents and relatives) unless you have the student's agreement. Be wary of anyone who approaches you in an attempt to contact a student or to discuss academic progress. If you have any concerns about any such approach, or about your relations with a student, please let me know.

The duties of personal tutors have been set out in full by the college and can be found here .

Duncan Gillies
Senior Tutor
Department of Computing
26th September 2012