Personal Tutoring in Higher Education (review)

Personal Tutoring in Higher Education provides an international perspective to the needs of advisors in higher education, specifically from within the United Kingdom (UK). 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 ". The editors' "Introduction" begins the first section and provides 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 reveals that most personal tutors are involved in the teaching and research aspects of the university, 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 reveals the challenge 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. Subsequently, 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.

The second section, "Institutional Models and Approaches," begins with chapter 6, "Enhancing the First Year Experience through Personal Tutoring" in which Heather Hartwell and Crispin Farbrother introduce the research findings of a pilot program within The School of Services Management as part of the first year experience. The program reviews Stepping Stones, a website created to help encourage a culture of learning and create a sense of community for incoming students, which helps students succeed throughout their university/college career.

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. A description of the implementation and successful integration of the SSO on campus is provided. 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, known as "platoons," in the Business School, which were designed to provide student support during the university's 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 in years prior.

"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 provides the conclusion to this section and 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. The authors focus on four key areas in...