Academic support

The Enhancement Tutor scheme developed out of an increasing demand for timely and targeted support for students at particular moments of individual need. Enhancement Tutors enhance the support offered via personal tutoring with specific academic skills training, language support, confidence-building, support for resubmissions, academic integrity training, support for employment/scholarship/PhD applications when needed.

The scheme is open to all Education Studies students at any level (for self-referral) and is also open for any member of staff (academic or professional) to refer any individual if they recognise that they might benefit from some additional support.

The Enhancement Tutor team are Graduate Teaching Assistants who are given department training and support to fulfil the role. The initial scheme focused on individual students, but more recently academic staff have requested support for particular groups of students. One benefit includes the matching of students and Enhancement Tutors according to shared first languages. The scheme so far is having positive impact for referred students and has also been helpful to the tutors themselves who report that they are gaining additional skills and useful professional development.

Output: The Enhancement Tutor Scheme page invites referrals and will provide informative and reporting content will be added in the future.

Next steps: The Enhancement Tutor team is in the process of developing further. The department is also developing materials and resources to support other departments interested in starting their own scheme. There are also plans to develop specific disability and wellbeing support, where the department can recruit and provide specialist Enhancement Tutors with increased training for particular needs. The department also continues to increase the range of language support on offer.

SMASH is a weekly academic support drop-in service, hosted by the department throughout terms 1 and 2. In the sessions, students can get help with work associated with any first- and second-year modules offered by the department. The aim is to provide students with a time, place and support for their independent study. Key features of SMASH:

• Judgement-free support with studying lecture material and understanding feedback, an opportunity to ask questions and practice problem solving
• Staffed by lecturers and Graduate Teaching Assistants, most of which teach first and second year modules
• Two separate sessions for first- and second-year students respectively. Each spans a two-hour slot chosen to minimise timetable clashes.
• To accommodate different modes of study and learning preferences, the hub is offered in two separate rooms. One room is for more interactive work, the other room is for quieter study.
• Students can either drop-in and ask specific questions, or use the space to work and ask questions as they arise.

Output: More information on SMASHLink opens in a new window (Warwick staff/students only).

Next steps: This year, SMASH has been separated for different year groups, which has been very successful.

The department is trialling lecturers using SMASH as part of office hour provision. This makes it easier for students to visit as a group and encourages dialogue between module leaders and students. It also resolves timetabling problems for lectures.

As a trial, the department dedicated some of the SMASH provision for supporting specific modules for specific assignments. This increased the uptake of support, particularly by students from other departments.

The University's Personal Tutors play an important role in helping students gain the most from their studies.

Since 2022, the Dean of Students Office has worked with current students to enhance existing guidance and create new resources to help Personal Tutors support students from a wide range of backgrounds and with a broad and unique set of experiences.

This has included updating the Personal Tutor meeting 'checklists' to Conversation Starter resources, designed to encourage rapport and dialogue between tutor and tutee and tailored for the different needs as their education journey progresses.

Student Inclusion Officers have also been employed to work collaboratively to create online resources with a focus on the specific needs of underrepresented student groups.

Outputs: A bank of webpages which will continue to grow. This includes:

• Anti-racist Personal Tutoring
• Supporting Student Carers
• Supporting neurodiverse students
• Supporting LGBTQUA+ students

Please note, these resources are visible to Warwick staff only.

A small number of dedicated study skills sessions were organised, both online and in person, to help students develop academic skills such as essay writing and note taking. The aim was to provide benefit to students from underrepresented groups, first generation students and/or those who had not previously studied Classics.

Though the sessions did have some limitations in terms of timing, the ability to facilitate discussions and tailor to individual needs, overall the department felt the sessions offered an important opportunity for students needing access to further support. This is because students were given the opportunity to consolidate the skills they had learned in other modules.

Outputs: Student feedback was positive in that the sessions offered support that was specific to the field of Classics and Ancient History.

Next steps: The department plans to run dedicated skills sessions again, based on student needs identified via student and staff feedback or survey data. There are also plans to use data regarding the A-Level topics of incoming students to guide the focus of study sessions, in order to support the transition to university for students from underrepresented backgrounds and/or those who have not yet formally studied Classics. Student peer mentoring, support for Classical languages and writing skills support are also part of the department's inclusive education plans.