Personal Tutoring in Higher Education (review)

Personal Tutoring in Higher Education provides an international perspective on the needs of advisors in higher education, specifically in the United Kingdom (U.K.). Similar to an advisor in the United States, a personal tutor’s role is to review and support a student’s personal, academic, and career development. The research, case studies, and literature reviews presented in this book provide useful information to administrators working in the areas of advising, retention, student support, and student success.

The book is divided into three sections: “Context and Current Agendas of Personal Tutoring,” “Institutional Models and Approaches,” and “Issues and Implications for Staff.” In Part 1, the editors provide an overview of the featured authors and a description of each of the chapters.

In Chapter 2, “Personal Tutoring: A System in Crisis?,” Annie Grant establishes that most personal tutors are involved in the teaching and research aspects of their respective universities, and consequently, there has been some “staff resistance to personal tutoring of a non-academic nature” (p. 13).

Chapter 3, “Widening Participation and the Increased Need for Personal Tutoring” by Liz Thomas, outlines the need for opening up participation of advising throughout higher education and provides alternative approaches to the current advising structure. Thomas acknowledges the challenge that many institutions may have in developing “a more integrated and proactive personal tutoring system” (p. 31).

The final two chapters of this section, “Rescuing the Personal Tutor: Lessons in Costs and Benefits” by Ormand Simpson and “Student Perspectives on Personal Tutoring: What Do Students Want?” by Paula Hixenbaugh, Carol Pearson, and David Williams, provide justification for personal tutoring through financial gains and student needs. Simpson “follows the money” through the benefits and consequences of personal tutoring, specifically in the areas of student retention and re-enrollment. Hixenbaugh, Pearson, and Williams find that students want advising that will help them create connections, feel supported, and become integrated into the university community. Both chapters show that an increase in student support benefits the institution and helps increase student retention and success.

In Part 2, “Institutional Models and Approaches,” Heather Hartwell and Crispin Farbrother, in Chapter 6, “Enhancing the First Year Experience through Personal Tutoring,” introduce the research findings of a pilot program at the School of Services Management, Bournemouth University, as part of the first-year experience. The program reviews Stepping Stones, a website created to help encourage a culture of learning and a sense of community for incoming students. They report that students who use it are more likely to succeed in subsequent years.

Chapter 7, “Putting Students First: Developing Accessible and Integrated Support” by Liz Marr and Sheila Aynsley-Smith, describes the model used at Manchester Metropolitan University and introduces the Student Support Officers (SSO) pilot program. They describe its implementation and successful integration on campus.

Similarly, Chapter 8, “Creating a Network of Student Support” by Barbara Lee and Alan Robinson, describes the Students 1st program, created to fill the need for a holistic and integrated system of student support at Southampton Solent University. The authors describe the process of uniting key university offices to provide accurate information and increase communication among the offices involved.

In Chapter 9, “Platoons to Encourage Social Cohesion Amongst a Large and Diverse Undergraduate Population,” Peter Hill describes the creation of student peer groups (“platoons”) in the University of Westminster’s Business School. They were designed to provide student support during a 2003–2006 enrollment increase. The students involved relied on each other more for help in courses and showed an increase in grades and connection to the university than students in earlier years before the program’s implementation.

“Strategic Approaches to the Development and Management of Personal Tutorial Systems in UK Higher Education” by Margo Blythman, Susan Orr, Daphne Hampton, Martina McLaughlin, and Harry Waterworth concludes Part 2. It describes the authors’ nine years of experience in developing a culture and structure for advising by combining theoretical constructs with the development of advising strategies. They focus on...