Key information: Tutorials and One to Ones
Some of the general issues and concerns with tutorials
Students may face difficulties in tutorial situations in a number of ways:
- Do they understand the purpose of tutorials in general?
- Is the purpose of a specific tutorial clearly explained and set out beforehand?
- Individual student’s ability to empathise with and accommodate others in small tutorials – careful facilitation is needed
- Accessible environments within which to hold a tutorial, e.g. physical space or sensory space; can everyone hear what is being said, and are there challenges of sensory overload?
- Some students may have concern about their ability to fully participate in tutorials. These challenges might derive from concerns about: communicating their ideas; confidence in making coherent arguments; anxiety about social interaction and working with strangers; and anxiety about how they will be perceived
- Their ability to pick up on verbal and non-verbal cues from other group members or hear in an environment when more than one person is speaking
- Relating to other group members and their particular perspectives and issues.
- Some students may have particular challenges relating to topics being discussed
- Presenting their own ideas to others who they perceive to be more confident
- Some tutors may have concerns that tutorials foster dependency rather than independence
Some of the general concerns and issues of one to ones
Students may face difficulties in one to ones in a number of ways including:
- Do they understand the purpose of the one to one meeting?
- Is the purpose of the one to one clearly explained and set out beforehand? Is an agenda agreed?
- Accessible environments within which to hold a one to one meeting, for example physical space or sensory space. Can the student hear what is being said? Are there challenges of sensory overload?
- Concern about the level of understanding of their situation by the tutor
- Some students may have concern about their ability or confidence to fully participate in one to ones. These challenges might derive from concerns about: the power relationship with the tutor; confidence in making coherent arguments; anxiety about social interaction and working with strangers; and anxiety about how they will be perceived
These are just examples and students may have many other reasons for facing challenges with tutorials and one to ones. More detailed information on the particular challenges some students may find in these academic environments can be found in Case Studies 1-5.
