Recent years have seen a renewed interest in personal tutoring in the UK Higher Education (HE) sector with many higher education institutions (HEIs) reconsidering and enhancing their personal tutoring provision. At King’s, it is deemed key to a positive student experience and has been highlighted for its contribution to student success.
The Personal Tutor (PT) is the 'go to' person for students at university, they provide academic and personal support to students throughout their time in HE. Alongside being a Senior Lecturer in Nursing Education, I am a PT. In my PT meetings, students have the opportunity to share what is going well and any concerns. As the PT-Tutee relationship develops, the PT meeting is a chance for my students to have a voice and for me to listen. Studies have demonstrated that PTs significantly enhance students' ability to express their university experiences. This is accomplished by collaborating closely with students and providing personalised one-on-one and small group tutorials. Many students tend to approach their PTs first for advice on various matters. Other studies encourage us to consider students who prefer not to speak and the significance of silences in conversations, which are important reflections when considering the tutee’s voice.
Giving black students a voice
There is much discourse about the Black student’s experience at university, their sense of belonging and the many endeavours deployed in addressing attrition and retention (Hammond et al, 2019; Bale et al, 2020; Kauser et al, 2021). There is also a significant body of literature on the personal tutoring role, exploring its efficacy and impact on the student body in the wider context of HE. However, there is a distinct dearth of literature on personal tutoring and the experiences of Black students. How do Black students receive personal tutoring? How do these students receive support, and how does personal tutoring potentially impact their academic performance? As part of my EdD, I ran a study that aimed to address this key gap, the focus being the Black pre-registration student as a personal tutee in the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care (NMPC). For the purpose of this study, the Black student was of Black Caribbean and Black African heritage and those of the Americas and dual/multiple heritage.
Students who are defined as Black personal tutees form a significant proportion of the Faculty and I wanted to bring their voices into the personal tutoring discourse. I wanted to learn about their experiences of personal tutoring and its impact on academic performance and experience at university, particularly given my position as a Black Caribbean nurse and lecturer.
Building a more inclusive approach
From my study, it’s clear that HE approaches towards personal tutoring cannot operate on a one-size-fits-all mindset especially considering today’s diverse student demographic. Policies must adopt culturally specific language and reflect the various needs of the Black student. There also needs to be a specific focus on helping first year students transition into HE.
PTs could support Black students in building their confidence to be more forthcoming. This could be done through better relationship building and open communication between the PT and tutees, and enable PTs to have a better understanding of their issues.
Consideration could also be given to Professional Services staff acting as PTs as they are often more culturally diverse than academic staff. They also own many of the organisational and management issues that impact on the students’ academic experience.
PTs can create safe spaces where Black students can openly discuss their experiences and challenges without fear of judgment. This encourages honest communication and support. Community-building activities that connect Black students with peers and tutors can be promoted. This can include study groups, workshops, and social events.
There is no doubt that personal tutoring can provide a highly fruitful and supportive relationship. It plays an important role in the student’s experience and their success. However, there needs to be further scrutiny of the personal tutoring system and whether it meets the needs of a diverse student demographic and the cultural specificities and sensitivities for Black and other global majority students. Continuous evaluation and proactive adaptation are essential to ensure that personal tutoring remains a valuable and inclusive resource for all students, fostering an environment where every student can thrive.