7: Student Support

Pastoral Care and Welfare

There are various sources of student support and guidance available to you within the Department and the University, but the one that you might find most easily accessible is the pastoral care system within the Department.

In the Department of Economics, there is a network of Personal Tutors (PT), and Year Tutors (YT), headed by the Senior Tutor, who works under the overall responsibility of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Each of these roles carries specific responsibilities.

The Senior Tutor is Dr. Amira Elasra and your Person Tutor is Emil Kostadinov. We also have Student Support and Progression Officers, Tina MacSkimming and Inga Turner who are available for all students based in the Department of Economics.

Personal Tutor

The Deputy Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr Emil KostadinovLink opens in a new window, is your Personal Tutor (PT) and you can turn to them for confidential advice regarding personal or academic matters. Your Personal Tutor is an important contact with the Department and University.

Your Personal Tutor is there to help you when things are not going as well as you would like. Perhaps you have concerns about your academic work or personal development. However, your Personal Tutor is also there to talk with you when things are going well! You might like to arrange an appointment with your Personal Tutor to discuss some of the following things:

• How your modules are progressing - which subjects you enjoy and which you find more challenging, and prioritising your workload.
• Changing modules.
• Gaining feedback on your academic progress and areas that can be improved.
• Gaining feedback on your personal development, such as skills that you should develop.
• Your non-academic achievements to help your tutor write your reference.
• Concerns about application forms for internships/jobs.
• Asking about references and how to request them.
• Gaining advice on further study.

It is important that you know your Personal Tutor and that they know you, as this will enable them to provide you with much more effective feedback on your academic and personal development. By discussing your personal and academic development, as well as your future career plans, your Personal Tutor will be in a much better position to write you a reference and you will be in a stronger position having benefited from their expert feedback and advice. Your Personal Tutor will respect any confidences (subject to University guidelines on confidentiality).

Year Tutor

The main responsibility of the Year Tutor is to act in the role of a Senior Tutor for their respective year group. Your Year Tutor is the Year 2 Tutor Eleanya Nduka. The role of each of the Year Tutors will be based on the following responsibilities:

• Any medical or personal extenuating circumstances that are affecting your ability to study and/or engage in your degree course. Any evidence should be submitted via the mitigating circumstances portal on Tabula under 'personal circumstances'.
• Any additional support that you may require from University Support Services.
• Any concerns you have over your engagement.
• Any issues relating to Departmental or University rules and regulations.
• Temporary or Permanent Withdrawal queries.
• Any problems relating to plagiarism.
• Concerns that you may not wish to raise with your Personal Tutor.

In addition to this, the Year Tutor may ask to meet with you if the Department or University has concerns about your attendance or engagement on your degree course; in particular if you are missing too many monitoring points or non-engagement at seminars.

Year Tutors may represent you in University processes, such as in the investigation of plagiarism, other sorts of cheating, exam boards and in the investigation or disciplinary committees, although more severe cases may be referred to the Senior Tutor.

The Director of Undergraduate Studies oversees the academic success of all undergraduate students. They collaborate with the Senior Tutor, Year Tutors and Student Support and Progression Officers to ensure your academic well-being. If you encounter academic challenges, they will proactively reach out to you. We will use various methods, including face-to-face meetings and Microsoft Teams calls, to schedule these meetings.

Senior Tutor

Under the guidance of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the Senior Tutor Amira ElasraLink opens in a new window has overall responsibility for the operation and design of the Personal Tutor system in Economics. The Senior Tutor also directs the Academic and Pastoral Support team involving Personal Tutors and Year Tutors, who may defer cases needing higher-level support to the Senior Tutor, particularly those in which support at a University committee, is required.

Another aspect of their role is to review cases of students with poor attendance or study records. When records identify cases of students with poor attendance or with other apparent study problems, the relevant Year Tutor will have the responsibility of contacting students to suggest a review meeting.  If a meeting is required we will use various platforms to contact you such as email and Microsoft Teams. Students might choose to involve the Personal Tutor in this discussion.

Find out more about the Senior Tutor on the Pastoral Support webpageLink opens in a new window.

Daily drop-in sessions and the Academic and Pastoral Support (APS) team

Your wellbeing is important to us and we are always here to help you. If there is something troubling you, or hindering you from focusing on your studies please do make contact with our Academic and Pastoral Support (APS) teamLink opens in a new window. One of the members of the team will be able to discuss your concerns and signpost you to the appropriate person or service when needed. It is important to understand the mitigating circumstances process and make the department aware of any extenuating circumstances that could affect your degree course.

To support you the departmental APS teamLink opens in a new window provides twice-daily drop-in sessions where you are welcome to make an appointment to speak with one of the members of our team. The drop-in sessions will be held during term time in the Student Welfare Support room (S0.90).

Our Student Support and Progression Officers, Tina MacSkimming and Inga Turner are members of the department APS team. They are here to offer pastoral support to students. They are available to discuss concerns about your ability to engage efficiently with your degree course and they will provide you advice on how to apply for mitigating circumstances or extensions. You can meet them in their sessions available through our daily drop-in sessions. Should you need to speak to them or the APS team outside of these sessions, you can email them at economics.pastoral@warwick.ac.ukLink opens in a new window to arrange a meeting.

Please note: none of the above meetings is to be a replacement for attending your Personal Tutor meetings.

There may be times when you will experience academic or personal issues or have mitigating circumstancesLink opens in a new window. If you do, please consider contacting us during our working hours between 9:00am-5:00pm Monday to Thursday and 9:00am-4.00pm on Fridays. We are here for you. If you are on campus and require out-of-hours emergency help please contact Community Safety on 024 7652 2222 or read the emergency contact information.

The University has a very detailed webpage describing how Warwick operates its welfare system. It is important to make yourself familiar with all the services available to you: Wellbeing Support Services

Additional Departmental support

If you are unsure about something, it is always best to talk to someone about it. There are a range of different people available to have such a conversation with, depending on your situation and who you feel comfortable talking to in the first instance.

Academic Lecturers and Advice and Feedback Hours

The lecturers who will be providing your lectures within each of your modules are there to provide you with guidance on their subject area. You may only see them for an hour per week. However, every member of the academic staff has two advice and feedback hours per week. You should make use of these as a means of clarifying any areas of confusion within previous lectures or to discuss future topics. You can also use them to discuss areas that you both find interesting. You should always ensure you are prepared for your lecturer’s advice and feedback hours.

You shouldn’t be using them as a means of asking the lecturer to repeat the lecture but should attend them with specific questions or areas of confusion that you would like clarification on.

Module Support and Feedback Class Tutors

For core modules, you will have small module Support and Feedback classes with tutors, who go over topics within your module in much more detail than in lectures. These are essentially a feedback session and should be used as such. You are in much smaller groups than in lectures, so this is a good opportunity to discuss questions and concepts and receive feedback on your approach to problems and understanding key concepts. These tutors also have advice and feedback hours every week during term time.

Module Support and Feedback classes allow for more informal, less scripted interaction and occur. Each of these classes is managed by a tutor who will:

• invite you to raise problems
• provide feedback on your understanding of the material
• lead discussion
• invite you to lead the discussion, usually after some preparation
• assign and grade coursework
• record your attendance, participation and marks
• offer you any individual advice, in or out of the module Support and Feedback class.

It is important that you take the opportunity now to clarify any areas of confusion and develop your understanding of the topics by further reading and discussion with your peers and tutors.

Other on-campus support services

There is a comprehensive network of support and welfare services available to support you in times of difficulty. There is often more than one service which may be able to help, and services work together to ensure that any problems are dealt with swiftly and effectively.

Wellbeing Support Services acts as a hub for all the different support services. You can visit them if you have a problem, query or difficulty, but aren’t quite sure who can help. Wellbeing Support Services will help where they can and refer you on to other more specialised services where relevant.

Dean of Students Office

The Dean of Students Office plays an important role in the student learning experience at Warwick comprising of academic and professional services staff and students working in close partnership, with strategic leadership of academic support, through the personal tutoring system and the University’s Inclusive Education approach.

The University Counselling Service

The University Counselling Service provides an opportunity for all students at any level and at any time of study at the University of Warwick to access professional therapeutic counselling so that you may better develop and fulfil your personal, academic and professional potential. There are a wide variety of services, including individual counselling, group sessions, workshops and email counselling.

t: +44 (0)24 7652 3761 or internal extension 23761 and speak to one of the University Counselling Service Administrators.
w: warwick.ac.uk/counsellingLink opens in a new window
e: counselling@warwick.ac.uk

If you are on campus and require out-of-hours emergency help please contact Community Safety on 024 7652 2222 or read our emergency contact information.

Disability Services

Wellbeing Support Services work to help you with disabilities, such as hearing and visual impairments, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, AD(H)D, dysgraphia, mobility impairments, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, ‘unseen’ disabilities such as asthma, epilepsy and diabetes and any other conditions to address barriers to study.

Disability Services can help make reasonable adjustments to facilitate study and provide advice and specialist services to you.

t: +44 (0)24 7615 0641 or internal extension 50641
w: warwick.ac.uk/disabilityLink opens in a new window
e: disability@warwick.ac.uk

The Residential Community Team

All students who have accommodation on campus have access to the Residential Community TeamLink opens in a new window (RCT), a peer support service, consisting of current Warwick students.

The Chaplaincy

If you need space to reflect in the midst of a busy academic life, you can find it at the ChaplaincyLink opens in a new window. It's a place of safety, care and encounter for anyone who would appreciate a quieter space and the support of the Chaplains.

The University Mental Health Advisors

The Mental Health Advisors work within Wellbeing Support Services and are available to provide you with mental health difficulties with advice, information and support as needed to facilitate academic work and participation in University life. All communication is confidential and informal. You are encouraged to disclose your mental health issues either at enrolment or at any time afterwards so that they can actively take part in how best to manage any difficulties that may arise.

To arrange an appointment with a Mental Health Advisor, please visit their Wellbeing Support Services and make contact through the online portal:
w: Wellbeing Support ServicesLink opens in a new window
e: mentalhealth@warwick.ac.uk

The Health Centre

The Students’ Union Advice Service

The Students’ Union Advice CentreLink opens in a new window (WSUAC) offers free, independent, non-judgmental, impartial and confidential advice to Warwick students. The team of experienced advisors provide friendly, professional and practical advice and support or/and signposting on a range of enquiries.

The Student Funding Team

The Student Funding SupportLink opens in a new window team offers information, advice and guidance on all aspects of financial support. This includes government grants and loans, and undergraduate scholarships and bursaries provided directly by the University to students. The team administers a number of the University’s hardship funds to students and can provide budgeting advice.

Student Visa Advice and Mobility

Student Visa AdviceLink opens in a new window has a team of qualified advisers to assist you on all immigration and related matters (including student visas and travel overseas), working closely with other University and Students’ Union services to offer induction and generalist support with welfare matters and crises.

The Student Mobility teamLink opens in a new window offer opportunities for post-study work. There are also regional specialists including a team that administers student exchange/study abroad programmes. More information on the opportunities can be found here.Link opens in a new window 

Community Safety

The University Library

The LibraryLink opens in a new window is open 24/7 and provides a range of study spaces and information resources to support your studies at Warwick, including books, journals and databases and a specialist librarian for economics. It is located on Library Road, a short walk from the Department of Economics. You will need your university ID card to access the library and borrow library books.

Additional study and social space for postgraduate students is available in the Postgrad Hub at The Junction. The Postgrad Hub is open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Sunday and you will need your university ID card to access the space.

The Help Desk is located on the 1st floor of the library and is open 8am to 8pm Monday to Sunday. You can contact library staff in person, by telephone or email, for all general library enquiries. Jackie Hanes, the economics librarian, is also available to help you with library, research and referencing matters. She is available 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and can also be contacted by telephone, email or MS Teams chat, and you can book a 1-2-1 appointment.

Library Contacts

All new students receive an introduction to the library during welcome week. There is also an online library induction programme, Get Started, which includes virtual and self-guided library tours, and training on how to use reading lists and find books and journals.

Most modules have an online reading list, which is available via Moodle or directly from Talis AspireLink opens in a new window. You can link directly from your reading list to library resources. Login to digital library resources with your university IT user number and password. You can also use Library SearchLink opens in a new window, the library’s search engine, to access the full range of library books, journals and databases.

The library’s collection of print economics books is shelved on the 5th floor of the library. You can borrow up-to 999 for 365 days, providing they are not required by another user. Use My Library Account to request and renew library books, including click-and-collect and recalling/reserving on-loan library books.

The library’s Subject GuideLink opens in a new window includes recommended books, journals and databases for economists, sources of economic data and statistics, and guidance on academic skills, referencing and research support. You can also contact the economics librarian and book a 1-2-1 appointment on-campus or online.

The library provides access to many specialist resources for economists including The Economist and Financial Times digital newspapers, and company and financial databases including Capital IQ, Fame, Orbis, Finaeon, Statista and LSEG Workspace. The economics librarian can help you access and use specialist economics databases.

Information and Digital Group (IDG) Services

You can find essential guidance on getting started with university IT services by visiting the Student IT InductionLink opens in a new window website.

Your email address

Once you have registered with Information and Digital Group (IDG) and your account has been activated you will have a usercode, password and an email address which is usually in the format:

initials.surname.number@warwick.ac.uk, initials.surname@warwick.ac.uk or firstname.surname@warwick.ac.uk

This address will be your ‘official' University email address which we will use, in the future, for all email communications. It will be your responsibility to ensure that you check this email account. You can access this account via Insite or via webmail at warwick.ac.uk/mymail.

Information and Digital Group (IDG) Service Desk

IDG provide a dedicated Service Desk to assist with IT-related issues. You can contact them online, via email, by phone or by coming to the drop-in centre on the first floor of the Library. Further information on how to contact IDG can be found at Services and Support

Network access from student residences

There is Wi-Fi available in all on-campus student residences.

Computer security

Any computer attached to a network is susceptible to attacks from viruses and spyware. IDG provide guidance and links to free anti-virus software to help keep your computer safe.

Open access areas

There are many open access areas operated by IDG. (You will need your University ID card to enter some of the open access areas.) The computers are all connected to the network and the internet and provide access to printers, the Library online catalogue and a wide range of software applications. All computers in open access areas run on the Windows 10 operating system (except room A0.01 — SUSE Linux). Further information can be found at: www.warwick.ac.uk/workareasLink opens in a new window

Printing

To print from printers in the University, you will need to register your University ID card with the printing system (you only need to do this once). To do this, visit a Kyocera printer (situated on all floors in the Library and in other IT Services work areas) and swipe your University ID card against the printer card reader. Press Cancel at the PUK screen. Type in your IT Services username and password on the printer screen and press OK.

You will also need enough credit in your printing account to print to other printers in the University. You can buy printer credits online with a debit or credit card or check your credit at warwick.ac.uk/printercredits. Any credit remaining in your printer account will be lost when you leave the University. No refund of remaining credit will be given.

Printing costs are as follows:

A4 black and white (per sheet): 5p single sided, 8p double sided
A4 colour (per sheet): 15p single sided, 28p double sided
A3 black and white (per sheet): 9p single sided, 16p double sided
A3 colour (per sheet): 30p single sided, 58p double-sided

Further details can be found at: warwick.ac.uk/studentprint

Software

The University has a wide range of software for economists. Besides generic software, such as Microsoft Office, email and web browsers, the econometric software we use includes Stata and SPSS. You will be given appropriate guidance on software use when the time comes. It is very important that you download and have access to STATALink opens in a new window. You will use this software extensively in EC226.

All software available to students at Warwick can be found in the IDG software listLink opens in a new window.

Other software which may be of particular interest to students in Economics are described below:

Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac software

Maple (win/mac), Mathematica (win/mac), MATLAB (win/mac), Minitab (win), NVIVO (win), SAS (win), SPSS (win/mac) and S-PLUS (win) are all available for use. For assistance with locating and installing software, please contact the Information and Digital Group Service Desk: services/idg/services-support

Bloomberg room

The Department has two Bloomberg Terminals located in room S0.55. The Bloomberg Terminal is a computer software system which provides access to current and historical financial information on individual equities, stock market indices, fixed-income securities, currencies, commodities and futures for both international and domestic markets. It also provides company profiles and financial statements, analysts' forecasts, news on worldwide financial markets and audio and video interviews and presentations by key players in business and finance.

You can book the use of one of the terminals in half hourly sessions from Monday-Thursday 9-4.30pm and Friday 9-3.30pm. Please note that there are restrictions in the amount of data you are permitted to download. This is imposed by Bloomberg and further information is provided by the terminals.

You will only be able to use the terminals if yo have completed the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) e-learning course. You can view all the information at at: warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/.../bloombergbookings

Access to economic datasets online

The UK Data Service provides a unified point of access to data from the Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS), the Census Programme and the Secure Data Service.

ESDS gives access to the NS Databank, OECD Economic Indicators, IMF and UNIDO datasets as well as Longitudinal, Large Scale and Qualitative datasets.

CASWEB (Census Area Statistics on the Web) provides access to UK census data and associated geographical boundary data.

This website requires Athens Authentication. The first time you use these services you will be asked to register so have your Athens username and password ready.

National Statistics Online provides many UK statistics, including Census 2001 data. Registration is not required.

Getting help

If you have general problems logging into IDG open access areas you should follow the procedures published for these rooms. If you have specific problems relating to the computers or printers in S2.81a you should contact the Department’s Computer Support Staff at economics.it@warwick.ac.ukLink opens in a new window.

IT Training

The University of Warwick has recently teamed up with LinkedIn Learning to provide learning opportunities for learning IT skills for 2025/26.

The provision includes opportunities for you to learn Microsoft applications and academic software including:

• Stata
• SPSS
• Mathtype
• Mathematica
• Matlab
• Qualtrics

Please note that if you fail to attend a course or provide adequate notice of cancellation, on two occasions, you will have any existing bookings to other courses cancelled and the right to book on further courses withdrawn.

General information

Dignity at Warwick

We are committed to ensuring a working and learning environment in which all University members (staff and students) are treated fairly and with dignity and respect, and where bullying and harassment are not tolerated.

All staff and students have the right to be treated fairly, a responsibility to encourage a culture of dignity and respect and to challenge inappropriate behaviour. It is expected that we all contribute to ensuring that the University continues to be a safe, welcoming and productive environment, where there is equality of opportunity, fostered in an environment of mutual respect and dignity.

We are all responsible for ensuring that individuals do not suffer any form of harassment or bullying . We encourage the constructive discussion of differences of views and to raise issues with the relevant individuals before they escalate.

The Behaviour Misconduct RegulationsLink opens in a new window outlines unacceptable behaviours. If you experience an incident(s) of sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment, discrimination, or hate crime, please tell us what happened via secure and confidential online platform called 'Report + SupportLink opens in a new window' . You can report anonymously or speak with an advisor. If you submit a report to speak to an advisor, a specially trained Liaison Officer will contact you within 2 University working days.

On enrolment all students at the University of Warwick are asked annually to agree to our Link opens in a new windowWarwick ValuesLink opens in a new window Link opens in a new windowand complete the Link opens in a new windowStudent Conduct: what you need to knowLink opens in a new window Moodle course.

Diversity and values within the department

Health and Safety

To feel and stay safe on campus, please familiarise yourself with some guidelines that the Community Safety team have provided for students on the Community SafetyLink opens in a new window website. It offers advice on how to stay safe in your student home on and off campus, and how best to protect your property. You will also find details of who you need to call when in need of help.

You are strongly advised to download the new 'SafeZoneLink opens in a new window' App to your phone which connects you directly to campus safety and support teams in real time if needed while on campus.

The Social Sciences building is open 07:00 – 22:00 everyday. These hours apply to all work rooms in Economics and therefore rooms must be vacated outside of these hours. If you would like to continue working after this time, the Library across the road is open 24 hours a day. Please may we remind you, for your wellbeing, it is good to take regular breaks. We would also like to make you aware of the Social Sciences lone working policyLink opens in a new window. We ask you not to leave personal belonging unattended in any of the study rooms at any time.

Everyone in the Department must comply with appropriate legal requirements and University requirements as laid down in the University's Health and Safety PolicyLink opens in a new window.

The Head of Department holds the ultimate responsibility for health and safety within the Department, but delegates elements to the Director of Operations, Sarah Duggan, whose roles include that of the Department Health and Safety Officer (DHSO).

You should inform the DHSO of any situation that you consider a real or potential hazard or shortcomings in health and safety arrangements. The situation will be added to our risk register, the risk evaluated, and reasonably practicable measures should be put in place to eliminate or reduce the risk.

We will make suitable arrangements for health and safety within the limits of available financial and physical resources. Any relevant information on health and safety will be communicated to people in the Department.

Information on fire evacuation procedures, first aid and emergency contact details can be found on laminated notices in all rooms allocated to the Department. You should also familiarise yourself with the evacuation procedure for other buildings on campus where you have lectures and classes.

Student Data

Student Privacy Notice

The University of Warwick is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. We ask you to read the Student Privacy NoticeLink opens in a new window carefully as it contains important information on who we are, how and why we collect, use and share personal data, your rights in relation to your personal data and on how to contact us and supervisory authorities in the event that you have a query or complaint.

Statement on use of Student Data

The Department of Economics believes that the investigation of student data is integral to the success of our students and the development of the programmes we provide. As a quantitative discipline, the department values the appropriate, secure, and accurate use of these records to inform internal policies related to the academic success and wellbeing of students.

Engagement with student records forms a central part of the administrative roles held by professional services and academic staff. As always, our goal is to do so in accordance with university’s policies on data sharing and privacy, which fall within the GDPR guidelines.

In addition to these standard uses, we analyse individual-level student data using appropriate statistical methods to better understand the engagement and performance of our students. This research often requires us to combine records from a range of official repositories. For example, we may match demographic information with pre-university student characteristics (e.g., secondary school qualifications) and academic performance to better identify and understand inequalities within our programmes. We also try to measure engagement with educational resources, such as class attendance and usage of online material, to better understand the relationship between effort and attainment.

When doing so, the focus is never on the individual student, but rather the distributions of key variables and correlations between them. This practice of data-usage has helped us target our resources better by first identifying shortfalls in the provision of our programmes. It has also provided important insights into the usage of resources we provide and how this translates into academic success.

We encourage students to participate in data collection exercises. We actively promote participation in the National Student Survey, the results of which play an important strategic role within the department. We also run internal surveys to measure key variables that are not captured in administrative records; for example, student expectations and well-being.

To better promote the academic success and well-being our students, we need to measure and analyse these outcomes. As a department, we aim to do so in a manner that is transparent and preserves the privacy of all students. We therefore encourage all students to engage with the department in this process and welcome any queries.

Policies and regulations

• Warwick Student Community Statement
  
• Children and Young PeopleLink opens in a new window 
• Data Protection RegulationLink opens in a new window 
• Personal Conflicts of Interest PolicyLink opens in a new window
  

• Feedback and ComplaintsLink opens in a new window
• Smoking PolicyLink opens in a new window
• Examination and Assessment Policies
• Policy on the Timing of the Provision of Feedback to Students on Assessed WorkLink opens in a new window
• Moderation GuidanceLink opens in a new window
• Proofreading PolicyLink opens in a new window
• Regulation 8 Regulations for First DegreesLink opens in a new window
  
• Regulation 10 Examination RegulationsLink opens in a new window
• Regulation 11 Academic IntegrityLink opens in a new window
• Regulation 23 Student Disciplinary OffencesLink opens in a new window
• Regulation 31 Regulations governing the use of Information Management, Security and Records ManagementLink opens in a new window
• Regulation 36 Regulations Governing Student Registration, Attendance and ProgressLink opens in a new window
• Rules for AwardLink opens in a new window
  

The information in this Handbook was correct at the date of publication. Changes may be made during the academic year where appropriate. Teaching staff (or their availability) and departmental facilities do sometimes vary, or become unavailable, for reasons beyond the University’s control. Where this happens, the University will ensure the minimum of disruption and will ensure that the expected standard of education is maintained. Statements of departmental policy are made in good faith and are an honest attempt to describe current practices, but they do not replace entries in University regulations. In the event of uncertainty the University CalendarLink opens in a new window and RegulationsLink opens in a new window take precedence.