Helping and Supporting Students Rethinking the Issues

This book examines the various kinds of student support provided by institutions of higher education, and is written mostly from the perspective of the British university system. It takes the point of view that assistance is not an extra or supplement to the educational experience, but is in fact an integral element of the educational process. Part 1 of the book is concerned with the students experience–the experience of: problems, development, transitions, and how the student experience has changed–all framed within an interpersonal and social context. Part 2 examines the issues from the perspective of the tutor. It deals with the nature of the tutor’s role and relationship between tutor and student, use and abuse of power, confidentiality, professional responsibility, and the difficulties and ambiguities of the tutor’s role. Part 3 examines institutional policy–how institutions can best provide support for students. It gives examples of institutional support, discusses pastoral care and counseling, discusses alternative models of support–via the curriculum, the workplace, peers, and groups. The book encourages tutors to experiment and innovate, and suggests that institutions examine their support systems to find ways to integrate them into the larger institutional framework. (Contains 45 references.) (JLS)