With most lecturers, the best way to contact them is by email, and then set up an appointment with them. It's very unusual to turn up at their office, just expecting an appointment, unless it's something really urgent. - Andrew
You may be surprised to discover that the role of a university tutor can vary from one country to another. When you arrive in the UK you may find some differences between what university tutors do in the UK and what university tutors do in your home country.
In these activities you will listen to a British student talking about his relationship with tutors on his university course and do a quiz to test yourself about the role of university tutors in the UK.
An interview with a British student
You are going to listen to an interview with Andrew, a British student in his second year of study on an undergraduate degree course. The interviewer asks Andrew some questions about his contact with tutors on his university course.
Andrew
Instruction
Read the statements first, and then listen carefully to Andrew talking about his contact with different tutors on his course. Some of the statements below are 'True' in relation to what Andrew says, and some are 'False'. Move each statement into the appropriate box, check your answers and then look at the feedback. You can listen to the interview as many times as you need to.
To listen to the audio, click the play button once. You can move between parts of the audio by dragging the slider left or right.
You can move items from the list into a box by clicking on them and dragging them into a box with your mouse. If you change your mind, you can still move the items from one box to another.
There is a transcript for you to look at if you need help: Audio transcript (pdf, 14kb).
True
False
Andrew could not choose his course modules in his first and second years.
Andrew is given a printed receipt to show that he has submitted an assignment.
Andrew receives most assignment feedback from his lecturers by email.
Andrew sees his Personal Tutor once a week during his second year of study.
Andrew uses online submission for most of his course assignments.
Andrew's lecturers all run seminars as well as giving lectures.
Personal Tutors help with course concerns, work extensions for personal reasons and monitor general progress.
Students are advised by their Personal Tutors on which modules to take each semester.
Here are the four 'True' statements: Personal Tutors help with course concerns, work extensions needed for personal reasons and monitor general progress. Andrew could not choose his course modules in his first and second years. Students are advised by their Personal Tutors on which modules to take each semester. Andrew uses online submission for most of his course assignments.
Here are the four 'False' statements, which have been corrected by changing and highlighting the incorrect part: Some of Andrew's lecturers run seminars as well as giving lectures while some only give lectures. Andrew sees his Personal Tutor once a term during his second year of study. Andrew receives a barcode by email to show that he has submitted an assignment. Andrew receives most assignment feedback from his lecturers a couple of weeks later during lectures, and it is in the form of cover sheet.
How seminars and lectures are arranged and who delivers them will vary according to the subject you are studying. Similarly, the way in which you are required to submit your assignments and how you receive them back may be different. The relationships that Andrew has with the various lecturers and tutors on his course are quite typical but you may find that on your university course there may be some minor differences.
Listen to the interview with Andrew again using the transcript above if you need to check your understanding. The parts of the transcript containing the answers to the listening task are highlighted.
Knowing what to expect from your tutors
What do you expect in terms of when and how you will be able to see your tutors in the UK? How do you think you should address your tutors? By doing this quiz you can test yourself to find out if you know what to expect from tutors in the UK.
Instruction
Study these six questions about working with university tutors in the UK and select the answer that you think is right for each. When you have finished, calculate your score and read the feedback for each question.
Click on the radio button next to the option you wish to choose to answer each question. You can click on another option if you wish to change your answer.
1. How often do you expect to see a course tutor?
Twice a week (in most cases)
This means that if you have a number of tutors for your course you will probably see each of them more than once during the week. Some international students, who are used to having a single tutor and one course module per term or semester, may find that having sessions for several course modules to attend, each with a different tutor or tutors can be a little confusing at times. The number of times you see a particular tutor and how many course modules you will be required to take in a semester will depend on how courses are organised in your subject area. How well you get to know a tutor will also depend on the degree of contact that you have with him or her.
2. What do you think is the correct way to address your tutor?
Use their title and family name, e.g. Professor Jenkins, Dr Lowell or Address them by their first name
The appropriate way to address lecturers and tutors can vary according to the subject area in different British universities. Using a person's full title might be thought of as a little too formal on a day to day basis in many subject areas, whereas in some more formal contexts or traditional subject areas it might be the standard way, for undergraduate students in particular, to address their lecturers. The best advice might be to observe what British students on your course do and copy them.
It is sometimes appropriate, more often on masters level degree courses, to use first names with tutors in British universities, but to be sure that this level of informality is suitable it is best to observe and copy what British students do.
'Teacher' is not used as a form of address in Britain. 'Sir' and 'Madam' are not used in university contexts in Britain.
3. If you needed to see your tutor, how would you do this?
Email them to ask for an appointment
It may be acceptable to catch some tutors at the end of a seminar for a few moments or you may be able to sign up for an appointment. Many tutors will operate a weekly appointments schedule requiring you to sign a list that is often posted outside their office. It is not normally acceptable to knock on a tutor's door without an appointment unless it is an urgent matter. This is because tutors have very busy schedules. It is not common practice in the UK to telephone your tutor, although it might be necessary sometimes.
4. If you have a problem that is affecting your study who should you go to see?
An assigned personal tutor
It is highly likely that your university will operate a personal tutoring system or some kind of equivalent. This means that as well as your academic tutors, who will be responsible for dealing directly with you in terms of your course work, you will also be assigned to a personal tutor, who will oversee your general progress during your studies at the university. If you have a serious problem that is affecting your study you should contact your personal tutor about it in the first instance.
5. How do you expect your tutor to deal with your assignments?
Email them back to you with feedback or Leave a printed copy for you to collect with your grade and feedback
Tutors and Academic Schools adopt different practices regarding the return of written assignments and grades to students. It is most unlikely that assignments will be posted back to you at your home address or that tutors will have time to go over every student's assignment with them in detail, but you can expect either of the two methods mentioned above to be used.
6. How many tutors do you think you will have on your course during one semester?
Between three and eight tutors
The number of academic tutors you will see depends on how many course modules you will be required to take in a semester and how these courses are organised and taught in your subject area. You will probably be required to take more than one course module per semester and each module may involve contact with more than one tutor. In most cases, you can expect to see a minimum of three tutors and a maximum of eight during one semester.
How much do you know about what to expect from your tutors in the UK? When you have finished, click below to calculate how many correct answers you have and look at your score below to find out what your score shows.
Find your score below and read your profile:
Score: 5 or 6 Well done! Your score suggests that you already know what student/tutor relationships are like at university in the UK. You may already have experienced university study in the UK or the same kind of student/tutor relationships may exist at university in your home country.
Score: 3 or 4 Your score suggests that you are already partly aware of what to expect from your tutors at university in the UK even if this may be a little different to how things work at university in your home country. There may be a number of similarities with how you have worked with university tutors before. When you start your studies in the UK, do not be afraid to ask if there is some procedure or aspect of working with your tutors that you are not sure about.
Score: 2 and below Your score suggests that you are used to a rather different way of working with tutors at university in your home country. Don't worry! Some of these differences are simply due to cultural difference and you can quickly learn how to work effectively with your tutors in the UK. Don't be afraid to ask if you need to ask a question about how to submit and receive your assignments back. Even British students need to ask some of these questions at the beginning of their courses.
Would you like to review the main points?
In these activities you have found out what you can expect from the university tutors on your course in the UK. This should help you feel more confident about the course that you are going to study and will be particularly useful when you start your studies. Knowing how to work with your tutors is an important factor in getting the most benefit from your studies in the UK.
An interview with a British student
once. You can move between parts of the audio by dragging the slider left or right.
Knowing what to expect from your tutors
