Academic Tutoring at the University of Leeds

Nervous about the second semester? Your Academic Personal Tutor is here to help!

Finals are coming to an end and the new semester is approaching. New classes, schedules, assignments, and subjects can be daunting, but the Academic Tutors at the University of Leeds are here to help–for free!

Each student registered at the university has an academic tutor already assigned to them based on their areas of study.

Academic tutors work alongside the LeedsforLife Workbook, accessed on Pebble Pad under the “Resources” link, which allows students to highlight certain areas that the tutor can review with them.

After opening the LeedsforLife Workbook, several categories will appear. These categories, listed as Your Wellbeing, Your APT, Your Skills, Your Student Success, and Your Future, have dropdowns that offer questions and reflections sections.

For example, in the Wellbeing section, students are able to create a Wellbeing Plan to work on personal relationships, physical activity, mindfulness, and more.

John Sinclair, a professor and APT (Academic Personal Tutor) at the University of Leeds, said resources such as the LeedsforLife workbook and tutoring can help students at the very first signs of difficulty, and that accessing these helpful resources is crucial to getting through all the problems faced by students.

With all the changes introduced by online learning, Sinclair noted that students are facing an array of different problems. Further to this, his own job has changed immeasurably with basic human interaction being more difficult to maintain online.

Sinclair said the artificial environment of online learning has made staff rethink the way they teach and the formats they use, but some things have remained the same.

“I’m here to help students learn, that is my first job,” Sinclair said. “But supporting students isn’t all about supporting their learning, is it? It’s wider than that.”

Sinclair pointed to the LeedsforLife Workbook, where students can give their tutors an introduction to themselves, their ambitions, and information about themselves that students might feel uncomfortable verbalizing.

“Having to explain a problem that you have hurts,” Sinclair said, “And if we have some form of record that we can read beforehand, we are not poking around in the dark.”

Sinclair said that tutoring at the University of Leeds is not just about academia, but everything about the student. Not just their personality or background, but also where a student has been and what has brought them to the University of Leeds. In the LeedsforLife Workbook, the section ‘Your APT’ enables students to fill out information about themselves and highlight their goals and ambitions; these sections can be as detailed or vague as the student wants. In this area, the assigned Academic Personal Tutor will be able to review the goals and ambitions to better understand their students’ needs.

Students can even do a personal quiz in the Wellbeing section to check-in with non-academic needs, with questions such as:

• Do you maintain a healthy and balanced diet during times of stress?
• Do you take time to notice your surroundings or practice mindfulness?
• How do you feel about the positive personal relationships in your life?

These questions and others encourage students to self-reflect and share both achievements and struggles with their APTs. The tutors are also here to help students reflect on their learning and provide materials to support their future careers and ambitions. Professional development is a crucial aspect of University life, and the Academic Tutors can provide initial advice and additional resources for career guidance and co-curricular opportunities.

The tutors at Leeds understand that adjusting to university life is full of unexpected challenges, which is why tutors are here to listen to students’ stressors and anxieties, guide them academically and help each student develop their ambitions.

For more information on Academic Tutors, visit the Study Support page to watch videos and read about the steps students can take to further their studies