Your Academic Personal Tutor for online postgraduate study

Your Academic Personal Tutor (APT) is an important contact who will play a crucial role throughout your time at the University of Leeds and beyond.

They will work in partnership with you, helping you to maximise your success and to ensure that you feel you belong as a member of the vibrant academic community here at Leeds.

Through regular contact, you will develop a professional and supportive relationship with your Academic Personal Tutor. They will:

Help you to acclimatise to the online mode of delivery for your course.
Assist you in reviewing your academic progress and help you develop independent learning skills.
Encourage you to reflect on your learning, both within and beyond the formal curriculum, and consider how it contributes to your future development and career. This includes signposting to University services and any co-curricular opportunities available in your subject area.
Support your personal and professional development by providing initial advice and signposting to appropriate careers guidance and related opportunities and services.

The support from your APT is different from the Student Education and Experience team, who offer day-to-day advice on procedural issues, timetables, registration, and submission of assessments. The Student Education and Experience team can also give advice on personal issues that affect your studies and direct you to appropriate support.

Your responsibilities as a student

Your attendance at Academic Personal Tutor meetings is optional, however, there are many benefits: the meetings are valuable opportunities to review your academic progress, seek support if you are facing challenges, and to positively reflect on your progress with an expert in your field.

Your responsibilities as a student are to:

Use the Microsoft personal booking system to organise your meeting slot with your APT. Book meeting slots thoughtfully and consider appropriate use of academics’ time and the needs of other students to book meetings.
Prepare for meetings with your APT and submit any preparatory material in good time, following the guidance on preparation for meetings given on your learning platform.
Attend and actively participate in meetings - following the commitments of the University Partnership framework.
Email your tutor, in advance of your meeting, if you are no longer able to attend and cancel the Outlook scheduled meeting.
Engage with any communications between meetings. Keeping in contact with your Academic Personal Tutor between meetings will help you to develop a professional and supportive relationship.
Record and reflect on co-curricular activities and skills development.

How the academic personal tutoring process works

You will be assigned an APT within one month of the start of your course and will be notified via an announcement from your learning platform of where to find your APT's details. Your APT will be one of the academics associated with your course of study and will remain with you throughout your studies.

Announcements will be emailed to all students during each 8-week teaching period. The announcement will include guidance on where to find the link to the personal Outlook calendar for your APT. This link will open a schedule enabling you to book a meeting if you wish.

How often you’ll meet your Academic Personal Tutor

A one-to-one, personal tutorial meeting is recommended three times across the Masters course (twice for Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma courses). Meetings will take place on Microsoft Teams.

Meeting 1 (MSc, PGCert and PGDip courses)

Just after the completion of your first foundation module. This is usually when your assessment has been marked and feedback is available. If you are completing the programme without breaks this will be during your second teaching period.

Meeting 2 (MSc, PGCert and PGDip courses)

At the start of the development modules (i.e. your fourth module). At this time, you will have at least three modules to reflect on. If you are completing the course without breaks this will be during your fourth teaching period. If you decide to take longer to complete the course the timing will vary.

Meeting 3 (MSc courses only)

Ahead of the final module carousel. This is an opportunity to discuss learning objectives and academic expectations for the final module(s), referencing and citation practice, awareness of plagiarism/malpractice, as well as signposting to University services and support. If you are completing the course without breaks this will be during your ninth or tenth teaching period. If you decide to take longer to complete the course the timing will vary.

You can also find guidance on the purpose of each meeting within the Academic Personal Tutoring section of your learning platform.

How to get the most out of your personal tutoring sessions

The sessions are a two-way partnership. You should optimise your experience by taking responsibility for your academic, personal and professional development by:

Preparing for your meetings. Before your meeting, identify what you would like to discuss with your Academic Personal Tutor. Setting an agenda ahead of your meeting will keep your discussions on track.
Actively participating. Academic Personal Tutoring at Leeds is a partnership. The more you invest in your meetings, the more you will benefit. Aim to communicate as honestly as you are able. Attend with an open mind and be receptive to ideas.
Taking time to reflect. After your meeting, set aside some time to write up your notes and reflect on what you discussed. If you agreed ‘next steps’ with your Academic Personal Tutor (for example, for you to explore MyCareer or seek study guidance from the Library), make sure you progress these steps before your next meeting.
Being respectful of your Tutor’s time. Sometimes you may have a meeting booked with your Academic Personal Tutor that you can no longer attend. If this happens, make sure you email your Academic Personal Tutor in advance of the meeting to let them know (at least 24 hours before the meeting if possible), and cancel your scheduled meeting in Outlook. Cancelling in good time is always appreciated so that the meeting slot can be offered to your peers.
Keeping in touch. Keeping in contact with your Academic Personal Tutor between meetings will help you to develop a professional and supportive relationship. Remember that your Academic Personal Tutor is there to guide you, so communicating honestly about your experience will help you get the most out of this relationship. If there are circumstances that are affecting your ability to study, try to inform your Academic Personal Tutor at the earliest possible opportunity so that they can offer you appropriate support.

If you can't attend a personal tutoring session

If you have booked a personal tutoring slot with your APT and find you are unable to attend, you should cancel the Outlook invite in your diary and send an email to your APT to inform them. You may then choose another slot.

If your tutor has regular time slots available and you cannot attend any of them (e.g. because of the time zone in which you live) please email your APT directly. You will find contact details of your APT on your learning platform.

Leeds for Life Academic Personal Tutoring Workbook

You will be able to access a Leeds for Life workbook through the PebblePad system, which has sections for you to complete to help you prepare for your APT meetings. You can also record discussions and agreed actions that you can share with your APT, although there are sections that can remain private. This is an optional resource, which you should use in the way that suits you best.

You can find a quick-start guide on using PebblePad for LeedsforLife Academic Personal Tutoring on the Digital Education Systems webpage.

If you don’t want to attend a personal tutoring session

Your Academic Personal Tutor meetings offer important opportunities to reflect on your learning journey, academic progress, and general wellbeing. However, you do not have to attend tutoring meetings if you are happy with your progress and do not have any issues that you wish to discuss. You do not need to contact your APT to explain this.

Additional support

APTs are available at other times for specific academic-related problems. If you are facing personal challenges that are affecting your studies, you should contact the Student Education and Experience team in the first instance, who will treat your conversation in confidence and provide guidance.

You may book a personal tutoring meeting at a different time than those recommended above if you have an academic issue that is seriously concerning you. If you are unsure about whether to speak to your APT, then please contact the Student Education and Experience team who will be able to advise.

If you have a complaint about the Academic Personal Tutoring process, or wish to request a change of APT, you should email the Digital Education Service at desstudents@leeds.ac.uk for the attention of the Digital Education Manager (Student Education).