Personal tutoring

Support students with effective personal tutoring. Find resources, downloads and advice to help you fulfil this crucial pastoral role
Personal tutoring

As well as providing an excellent learning experience for all students, staff need to provide high standards of academic and pastoral support. As a personal tutor you will provide an important support role throughout your personal tutees' time at University, particularly during their first weeks, through the degree course and in any challenging times your students may experience.

Personal tutors should:

  • promote achievement
  • foster well-being 
  • encourage through life learning 
  • approach any personal, financial or legal issues that impact on a students ability to study effectively proactively and sympathetically, signposting to other services that can help in difficult situations
  • ensure each individual student is known and valued and that their needs are recognised and supported.

Personal tutoring documentation

These resources will help you stay effective as a personal tutor.

Student support services

There is a wealth of support available to students to support their studies, health and wellbeing. Personal tutors should encourage students to access these services.
Find out more about the support available

Plymouth Compass

A framework of 'future-facing' attributes that will help you navigate your whole university experience in both your taught curriculum and your extra-curricular activities.
Learn how the Plymouth Compass guides you

Personal tutoring resources 

S3 can assist in personal tutoring through providing tutee lists, attendance summaries, student module grades and reviewing assessment deadlines. The S3 server is now located at: https://s3.plymouth.ac.uk/s3/

The Learning Gateway offers a range of support services for student support, health and wellbeing. 

A self-evaluation tool to support and assist with personal tutoring - this online self-assessment tool (PU staff and students) - set up in Moodle - evaluates students early engagement with learning. It provides automated feedback, helping to identify students at risk and directing them to appropriate resources and sources of support. 

A resource on Personal tutoring and inclusivity by the University of Leeds offers helpful questions for considering Issues of inclusivity in personal tutoring.

Personal Tutors have a key role in supporting and encouraging students to engage with their employability. Resources to support this are available from the Employability in the Curriculum and Beyond website - Personal tutoring in developing employability.