Student difficulties
Most of us experience difficulties of a personal or psychological nature at some time. For students these may be academic or personal and are usually an unpleasant but relatively normal aspect of life. However, they can at times become so overwhelming that they impede effective functioning. For students with deadlines to meet and crucial examinations to prepare for, such difficulties can have a very serious impact on their ability to sustain academic progress. When problems block effective learning then action may need to be taken. If the personal tutoring system is working well the Tutor is likely to be the member of staff who knows an individual student best and is in the most appropriate position to monitor a student's progress and provide advice and support.
Students may experience periods of physical or mental illness, social isolation, serious family problems, unwanted pregnancy, financial difficulties, be victims of crime or suffer bereavement and the break-up of close personal relationships. Others may get into difficulties through their use of alcohol or recreational drugs.
The intensive period of study required for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree course can create its own particular pressures and for some students these may exacerbate other problems, or even become the problem itself. There may be students who find the transition to university and separation from home particularly difficult, or who are anxious about the standards of work expected from them. They may find that they do not have the appropriate study or time management skills needed to be successful at university. Many students have previously been high achievers and may put themselves under considerable pressure to try to remain at the top. For students from other cultures, and mature students too, there are all the additional problems of adapting to changes in lifestyle.
The pastoral role of University staff
The University is not in loco parentis (in place of parents) in relation to its students but it does have an important duty of care ie a duty to exercise reasonable responsibility to attend to a student's health and welfare. There are a small number of students under 18 years of age for whom there is an additional duty of care and it is advisable to contact the Head of Student Services with regard to this group . Staff are also advised to be aware of their responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act Part 3: Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) accessible at www.skill.org.uk/
Identifying difficulties
Many students will approach staff directly with their difficulties but Personal Tutors also rely on colleagues to let them know if their tutees are experiencing problems. The first time that academic staff may become aware that a student is experiencing difficulties can be when a student is persistently absent from lectures/classes, fails to meet course deadlines, or when coursework marks drop dramatically. Sometimes students' problems may lead them to do too much work, but ineffectively, rather than too little, and this can also be a cause for concern.
There are also a number of other warning signs that may be apparent to anyone who comes into contact with a student. These can include:
- behaviour that indicates that the student is persistently tense, sad or miserable
- loud, agitated or aggressive behaviour
- very withdrawn or unusually quiet behaviour
- erratic attendance
- difficult spoken communication
- lack of congruence between spoken and written presentations
- obvious change in personal appearance e.g. weight loss/gain, lack of personal hygiene
Some students will mention that there is a problem or may readily respond to expressions of concern. However, others may conceal their difficulties so successfully that the nature of their problems cannot easily be detected. A student may feel embarrassed or worried about the consequences of telling someone in their Department or hope that the problem will just go away.