Key Information

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

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