ACADEMIC ADVISOR HANDBOOK 2016-2017 PSYCHOLOGY
CONTENTS 1. The Purpose of Academic Advising 2. The Role of the Academic Advisor 3. The Role of the School in Student Support 4. University Level Support for Academic Advisors 5. Referral and Advice 6. Organisation of Academic Advising in the School of Psychology 7. APPENDIX A: A Student Guide to Academic Advising 2
1. The Purpose of Academic Advising The University of Liverpool regards the role of the Academic Advisor as a fundamental component of the relationship between academic teaching staff and students. It is a key contributor to a positive student experience. For students, time spent at University brings opportunity not only for disciplinary academic growth but also for effective and guided personal development. Academic Advisors should aim to foster partnerships with students to promote their development as independent and scholarly learners. Academic Advising, by promoting both formal and informal contact between academic staff and students, fosters a sense of an academic community. The system is intended to contribute to the academic success of students by focussing on their individual development and ensuring their academic work is monitored and supported by their advisors. The advisor-student relationship should also ensure that academic progress is not obstructed by issues which may well be resolved by timely advice from the advisor or other support/professional services staff. The Academic Advisor should also develop a relationship with a student that is supportive in encouraging students to develop their skills for self-management and employment. This will best be realised through the experience of a welldesigned and delivered programme of learning, teaching and assessment, as well as through opportunities provided outside the formal curriculum. The My Liverpool interactive resource is a website where students can find out about a wide range of co- and extra- curricular activities that they can take part in to make the most of their time at Liverpool. These opportunities include sports, music, volunteering, CE courses (some of which are free to students) opportunities to study abroad, specific activities organised by a student s school/department and many many more. Students can search the new website via www.liv.ac.uk/my-liverpool. A new My Liverpool e-portfolio system is bring introduced during the 2016-17 academic year, which will provide 3
students with a summary of co- and extra- curricular activities that they have taken part in lasting more than 7 hours, and which will also include the opportunity for students to reflect on the skills developed through participating in these activities. Activities from the My Liverpool e-portfolio will populate the Higher Education Achievement Reports (HEARs) For many new students life at university will bring great excitement along with new problems, stresses and anxieties, particularly in the early weeks. Many of these problems can be addressed if the student has the opportunity to talk and, most importantly, to be listened to. However, the Academic Advisor is only part of a network of support provided by the wider University. This handbook sets out the minimum engagement expected in your role as Academic Advisor. 4
2. The Role of the Academic Advisor All students at the University of Liverpool will be assigned a named academic member of staff as their Academic Advisor. Their role is to develop a relationship with the students assigned to them: to provide information, advice and guidance on academic matters; to direct students to further sources of information on academic matters and to the wide range of information, advice and guidance on non-academic matters available to students at Liverpool. Schools (and in some instances departments) will be responsible for the administration of this process [see section 6]. The Academic Advisor will: i. Meet with the student at the beginning of their studies and at the start of each new academic year. For new undergraduate, direct entry 2 nd year and postgraduate taught students, the initial meeting should normally take place during Welcome Week. This could be a group meeting where the Academic Advisor meets with all newly ii. iii. iv. assigned students. Ensure that the students are made aware of the additional support offered within the School and across the institution. Ensure that the students are aware that they can contact/meet with the Academic Advisor at other times during the year. i.e. AAs should provide details of their office hours. Arrange a second meeting to take place within the first 4-8 weeks of the 1 st semester. Ideally this should be a one to one meeting. At this meeting the Academic Advisor may help the student to review their experience so far, highlight the stated learning outcomes of the programme of study and discuss opportunities and a strategy for personal development [Section 6 will provided details on specific School advice for Academic Advisors. Students undertaking PBL 5
classes may have this meeting with the PBL tutor. Dates for these meetings are mapped against group rotations]. v. Arrange a further meeting (feedback tutorial) in the 2 nd semester during which overall progress can be discussed. vi. vii Keep a record of student attendance at these meetings. This is important in cases where a student complaint is made. Academic Advisors should be aware of the University Framework for Student Attendance. The sections relevant to the role of the Academic Advisor are reproduced below: Section 3.5.. The monitoring of student engagement by reviewing attendance at recordable activities will form part of the School s overall monitoring of students academic progress and their support for their wellbeing. A range of systems will be in place to do this, including the Academic Advisor system; Section 3.10. If a student (subsequently) returns to their studies, a meeting will be held with their academic advisor to discuss their attendance and investigate any underlying issues or contributing factors affecting poor attendance. Section 3.11. where a student is showing poor engagement by intermittent attendance, the normal processes for exploring the reasons for this with the student and providing support should take place, normally with the academic advisor. The Liverpool Guild of Students have prepared a short guide to Academic Advising for students. This is attached in Appendix A. A guide to how Academic Advisors within the School should structure the meetings in the best interests of the students is detailed in section 6. 6
Notes: All students will be assigned an Academic Advisor. This includes UG, PGT, PGR and exchange students. Schools will be responsible for allocating Academic Advisors and for administration of the system. Where possible Academic Advisors should be initially allocated students who are studying within programmes they are associated with. Schools will be responsible for ensuring that Academic Advisors are provided with the necessary information, training and support to carry out the role (See section 6). Additional support will be provided by CLL. www.liv.ac.uk/eddev Students joining the University at different times in the year (i.e. as Year 2 entrants, PG medics etc.) should be provided the same support as Year 1 students. Extenuating circumstances: Academic Advisors should be prepared to give advice to students on the University Policy on Mitigating Circumstances, {Appendix M of CoPA) although students can also obtain guidance from the Guild if they wish. Academic Advisors should arrange appropriate student support if they are likely to be absent from the University for any reason. Schools should ensure that appropriate cover is provided where an Academic Advisor will be absent for a substantial period of time e.g. study leave. It may be appropriate in some areas that the undergraduate dissertation/project supervisor takes the role of Academic Advisor in the final year of study. The primary PGR supervisor will be indicated in the student Liverpool Life/TULIP record as the first point of contact for student support and it is likely that the supervisor will also have the role as Academic Advisor. However, the Guide on Academic Progress of PGR Students states that all PGR students have a Progress Assessment Panel independent of the 7
supervisory team and that other independent figures are available, for example Directors of PGRs and mentors. Any of these might also carry out some of the functions of an Academic Advisor Formal timetabling of Academic Advising sessions is suggested as good practice. 8
3. The Role of the School in Student Support Each School will have a student support team, or staff identified, available to provide advice to both students and staff and refer students to specialist support services available across the University. The support team can also give guidance on non-academic/personal aspects of student life: information on who to contact will be found in the student handbook. In addition, students can independently contact central Student Support Services at any time during their studies; more information is available at http://www.liv.ac.uk/studentsupport/ Named persons within the school support team should be identified to act as an additional point of contact for students. Schools are responsible for ensuring this provision is made available and communicated to academic staff and students. Schools are also responsible for ensuring that appropriate training is provided to these individuals. The school student support team can comprise both academic and professional services staff. The organisation in the School is detailed in section 6. The school student support team will: i. Provide a point of contact within the School to provide both advice on School level procedures and signposting to central and specialised support services for both students and academic advisors. ii. Be proactive in responding to and liaising with central support services to meet the support needs of identified cohorts of students (e.g. mature, international, disabled, care leavers) and of vulnerable students e.g. students experiencing personal difficulties. iii. Be a point of contact for the Disability Support Team (or other central support services) prior to admission to co-ordinate necessary support. iv. Work with senior Academic Advisors and staff in central Professional Services to determine strategies and operations to support students with specific and complex difficulties. 9
4. University Level Support for Academic Advisors The Academic Advisor web page will provide links to all of the support required to effectively carry out the role. At the website you will be able to download copies of this handbook and discover information on all of the support services that will be available to students. http://www.liv.ac.uk/eddev/supporting-students/academic-advising/ 10
The webpage will also provide a link to an on-line Induction Guide for Academic Advisors: this is a brief (5 minute) video introduction to the role of the Academic Advisor. ilearn: ilearn is the University s online learning and skills development portal containing a skills diagnostic with feedback and interactive resources and quizzes. It can be accessed by all University of Liverpool students and has an extensive range of resources (both generic and subject specific) to support the development of skills appropriate to university level study. ilearn has proved popular and useful with students and with staff. www.liv.ac.uk/ilearn Student Representation Procedures: An enhanced student representation system has been developed and implemented to try to improve the effectiveness of student engagement and representation at all levels, from specific student issues and concerns to real involvement in the quality systems and processes throughout the institution. At the core of the new framework is an enhanced role for Student Course Representatives (who sit on Staff Student Liaison Committees) in order to facilitate greater and more in-depth student involvement in Learning and Teaching and quality issues, as well as the more operational issues. To achieve this, more (structured) opportunities for course representatives to engage with the student body have been developed, together with additional support and training for the representatives. Further information can be obtained from Trish Lunt Trish.Lunt@liv.ac.uk or Emily Spurrell Emily.Spurrell@liv.ac.uk Case Studies (Student Talking Heads): Educational Development will (in collaboration with the Guild) prepare a series of student views on the role of the AA. These will be made available via the 11
AA web page and will present the views of students from all three faculties. CPD opportunities: The University offers generic training in the Role of the Academic Advisor. This training workshop, which is part of the Certificate in Professional Studies programme, will be offered 2 or 3 times per year. You can find out when the workshop will run and book onto the next session at the Academic Advisor web pages. Bespoke training within Schools: It is intended that Schools will provide bespoke induction and training in the Academic Advisor role. Information on such training will be provided by School student support offices. Senior Academic Advisors (Senior Tutors) may be allocated in your school to provide advice for new academic advisors and to support more formal student issues e.g. progress committee issues. Academic Advisor and student reference requests: Advice for AAs will be made available on the AA webpages. The Liverpool Guild of Students have prepared a Student Guide to Academic Advising providing guidance on their responsibilities and what they can expect from their AA. [Appendix A] 12
5. Referral and Advice As a University Academic Advisor you will have a range of conversations with students and you may be able to offer advice on many issues however, it is likely that you will encounter situations that fall outside your expertise. You are not expected to play the role of a counsellor or specialist professional. It will always be in the interest of the student that, where appropriate, they are referred or self-refer on to the best advice and support available within the University. [Academic Advisors in the clinical Sciences should consult with the relevant Director of Student Support in such cases. See section 6 for contact details]. Confidentiality Confidentiality is a complex area. Often a student will appreciate that if an Academic Advisor is to help, confidential information may need to be given to others, such as Examining Boards. Academic Advisors should not pass on information obtained from a student to any third party unless a student s permission has been given, except where (1) the Academic Advisor believes that someone is at serious risk or (2) the Academic Advisor is concerned that an offence has taken place. Where it is thought that a student may be involved in criminal conduct or that others may be at risk, it is the duty of the Academic Advisor to report the matter to the director of Student Administration and Support and/or their Head of Department who will then contact the director of SAS. The University has a policy on the Safeguarding of Young People and Vulnerable Adults which can be found here. 13
University Support There is a well-established network of specialist services throughout the University to provide students, Academic Advisors and School Support Teams with advice and support in a number of specific areas: Central Student Services assist students with a range of welfare issues affecting their personal lives including traumatic incidents and safety. Student Support Services coordinate responses to wider student issues across the University such as natural disasters and cases of meningitis, and support Schools and Departments in responding to critical incidents involving students. The University produces a Student Support Guide which is available on-line from the start of Welcome Week. Copies can be collected from the School Support Team, picked up from the Student Services Centre at 150 Mount Pleasant or downloaded from the web-link above; this Guide provides full details of support available at Institutional level. Information on Central and Institutional Support available is also provided in the Student Handbook. The International Student support team will support students with visa, immigration and other relevant advice 14
6. Organisation of the Academic Advisor Programme in the School of Psychology Guidance for Academic Advisors for formal meetings with students The Academic Advisor Policy expects that formal meetings will occur between Academic Advisors and their Advisees once every semester, with an additional meeting in Welcome Week for new students and ideally a similar meeting at the start of Year 2 with returning students (although this may be more difficult to arrange). Academic Advisors may prefer to arrange initial meetings as group meetings. Below are suggestions for topics of initial discussions with students. It is not expected that Academic Advisors keep to the questions below, but rather use them as prompts to foster discussion. N.B. For clinical degree programmes, these suggested guidelines can be used to fit in with the rotation framework of meetings as appropriate. Meetings with PGT or PGR students can be arranged at appropriate times. It is important that Academic Advisors meetings and discussions that are relevant for postgraduate students (PGT and PGR) Year 1 Semester 1: Welcome Week (this meeting could take place with the group of advisees together) Main purposes: to introduce students to the Academic Advisor role, what it is and is not; to explore students motivations, initial expectations and any concerns. For example: 15
Why did you choose this degree programme? Why this university? Do you think you have a good understanding of what will be expected of you as a student on this course? What are you expecting from the staff/the University? Do you have any questions or concerns right now? Week 4-8 (ideally after the student has been given some academic tasks and received some formative feedback) Main purposes: To check that students are settling in well and identify any early issues for which support might be needed To establish the importance of feedback to student learning and check that the student understands any tasks set and feedback received. For example: Now you are about half way through your first semester here, what are your first impressions of your programme and life at this University? (Do you still feel the same motivation to follow this degree programme? Do you like living here? Were any of your initial concerns justified, or have they disappeared? Do you have new worries or concerns? - about your work, your social life, or anything else?) How are you getting on in your modules? Do you understand the feedback you are getting? Year 1 Semester 2: (should take place after Semester 1 assessment results have been received) Main purpose: 16
To encourage the student to think about his or her progress, identify strengths and areas of weakness and start to take responsibility for addressing them o The student could be asked to collect together any feedback received from assignments or exams completed so far and bring these to the meeting. This could be marks, grades, comments, ticks and crosses, scores against set criteria. It also can include any notes made from face-to-face feedback. He/she should be asked to go back over their feedback and look for positive comments, ticks or any other indications of areas where they did well, and similarly for comments suggesting that they need to improve, or mistakes that have been made, making a summary list, noting the module or placement concerned against the comment. These could then be discussed with the academic advisor. o Either beforehand or within the meeting itself, the student could then create an action plan to tackle areas that have been identified as areas for development. Where appropriate to the programme, to encourage students to think about future plans o If the programme has an explicit set of employability skills the student could be asked to comment on how he/she feels these are developing. o It may be appropriate to prompt the student to visit the Careers and Employability Service if they have not already done so. This could be done in the context of the need to keep the student s CV up to date (e.g. if the student is considering applying for work placements or vacation work experience). For example: 17
Are you happy with your module marks? Have you done as well as you expected? If not, why do you think that is? Think about the feedback from your assignments and exams so far. What seem to be your strengths? What are your areas of weakness? Is there a pattern emerging? What could you do to improve your performance? Do you know where to get help if you feel you need it? Do you have any plans for what you want to do after graduating? Would it be useful at this point to seek advice from the Careers and Employability Service? Year 2 Semester 1: Ideally a meeting should take place at the beginning of the academic session, this could be a group meeting or a one to one meeting. There should also be at least one meeting during each semester. Main purposes of year 2 meetings: - To continue to encourage student development as independent learners, through discussion of their performance and plans for enhancements. - To encourage students, particularly those who have not yet done so, to take advantage of opportunities beyond their academic programmes to enhance their personal development and future employability For example: How do you feel now about your programme of study? Are your reasons for choosing your programme still valid? Thinking about your academic performance throughout Year 1 are you satisfied with how well you are doing? Do you have specific plans for the future, after university? If so, how clear do you think you are about how to go about achieving them? Do you feel you are taking full advantage of what the university has to offer beyond your academic programme? If not, what is hindering you? Would it be valuable to you to add more skills and experience to your cv 18
(either for your own development or to enhance your job prospects)? Do you know how to go about this? [In addition questions from Year 1 Semester 2 relating to academic feedback and the student s plans for development in areas of academic weakness remain relevant at each further meeting]. This series of meetings should be continued and structured appropriately into year 3 and beyond where relevant. Postgraduate Research Students (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) Every trainee (Postgraduate Student) on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programme is allocated an Academic Advisor at the beginning of their training. The Advisor s role includes the following key tasks: - 1. To get to know each trainee more fully on an individual basis and to develop a working relationship with her/him. Formal meetings will be held twice each year, with additional meetings held as necessary. 2. To deal with specific queries individual trainees may have and provide information and explanation of programme developments; within this, to draw trainees attention, where appropriate, to information and guidance given in the programme handbooks. 3. To provide individual support as and when needed and requested throughout the three years of training. 4. To discuss feedback given by markers on coursework assignments and facilitate discussion where needed of any marking and feedback discrepancies. 5. To facilitate the trainee s self reflection during the Annual Review process. 6. To monitor performance in the acquisition of competences and in the formal assessments carried out during the programme. To raise any issues regarding these areas in relation to attendance, punctuality, behaviour in the university or on placement. 7. To review the trainee log book and previous SAT form prior to each new placement, and to assist in the development of specific contract objectives. 8. To act as a referee when trainees make job applications during their final year of the programme. 9. To liaise with other members of the programme team as necessary, to coordinate support or take other action as required. Other than in exceptional circumstances, this should be done with the agreement of trainees. 19
10. To act in accordance with University, NHS and programme-specific policies in relation to equal opportunities, confidentiality, exchange of information and other essential areas. The schedule of meetings with Academic Advisors is as follows:- OCTOBER First year trainees Initial introduction, and getting to know. To include discussion of trainee s experiences prior to coming on the course, and their hopes and fears. Also to include a review of the Academic Advisor scheme, and expectations of trainees in preparation for formal meetings. Second year trainees Annual Review, and review of logbook and competency development in preparation for their Learning Disabilities placement. Third year trainees Annual Review, and review of logbook and competency development in preparation for their first elective placement. APRIL First year trainees Interim review of logbook and competency development in preparation for drawing up the contract for their Older Adult placement. Second year trainees Interim review of logbook and competency development in preparation for drawing up the contract for their Child & Family placement. Third year trainees Interim review of logbook and competency development in preparation for drawing up the contract for their second elective placement. SEPTEMBER (Post Viva) Third year trainees only Review of programme and exit interview. 20
APPENDIX A A Student Guide to the Academic Advisor System at Liverpool All students studying at Liverpool University have an Academic Advisor (AA) who s there to offer support and guidance during your studies. They should be your first port of call if you have questions about your course, or to ask for a reference. They should be able to provide feedback on how you can improve your academic performance, and general advice on getting the most out of your time at Uni. What you can expect from your AA For your AA to arrange a meeting at least twice a year, in addition to a meeting during Welcome Week of your first year. For your AA to foster a partnership with you to support your academic growth and personal development. For your AA to be a listener and effective signposter if you have any problems, stresses or anxieties. For your AA to ensure that issues that could obstruct your academic progress are dealt with quickly. For your AA to be encouraging in developing skills for your self-management and employability. That appropriate replacement support is arranged if your advisor is to be away for a period of time (research leave etc). For your AA to review/sign off activities organised by external organisations in your My Liverpool e-portfolio. To be able to ask to see your advisor as you need them. That you can approach your AA to request a personalised reference for future employers or further studies. How to make the most of your AA Make sure you attend any arranged meetings, or make alternative arrangements early if it s not suitable. Be proactive in getting to know your AA so that they can support you getting an accurate reference from the Department. Ask your AA for help in how to get the most from your assessment and exam feedback. Where to get more information Info to follow including: o Academic Advisor site on Educational Development https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/eddev/supporting-students/academicadvising/ o Guild website, including general signposting contacts o My Liverpool https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/my-liverpool 21