1st Edition
Creative Approaches to Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising A Practical Guide of Methods, Activities, and Curriculum Design
This innovative book offers a creative overview of personal tutoring and academic advising in higher education. It responds to the growing need for student support that is more inclusive, supportive, and focused on the whole student, rather than just their academic progress.
Offering a fresh perspective on how personal tutoring can be transformed from a routine academic exercise into an impactful experience, the chapters encourage readers to reimagine the role of a tutor and adopt a student-centred approach that respects individuality and promotes growth. Divided into three key sections, the first section explores new ways of working with students, including coaching, group advising, and reverse mentoring. These approaches help build stronger relationships and support both academic and personal growth. The second section shares fun and creative activities – like scavenger hunts, meme-making, and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® – that help students reduce stress, feel more connected and engaged, and build confidence. The final section shows how personal tutoring can be part of the wider curriculum, with ideas such as using mindfulness, mentoring schemes, and early support for students who may be struggling or need additional guidance.
With its blend of theory and practice, this book is an essential resource for anyone committed to making a lasting impact through education. Whether you are a seasoned tutor seeking to enhance your practice or a newcomer eager to make a difference, this book will equip you with the tools to foster meaningful connections, inspire critical thinking, and nurture lifelong learners.
Introduction: Why Creative Approaches Matter in Academic Advising and Personal Tutoring
Sue Beckingham
Section 1: Creative Methods for Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising
1. Presenting with Personal Tutees: What Do International Postgraduate Students Need?
Elina Stylianou, Ziyi Wang and Tingting Zhang
2. Enhancing Student Wellbeing and Learning in Personal Tutoring
Rebecca Upsher and Helena Zavos
3. Transforming Personal Tutoring through Coaching
Andreea Bordianu
4. Increasing Academic Tutoring Engagement through Mandatory Attendance and Assessment
Nicola Cutting
5. A Role for Reverse Mentoring in Personal Tutoring Design
Rachael O’Connor
6. An Aristotelian Perspective on Personal Tutoring: Incorporating Pathos-Centric Techniques in Listening and Response
Hieu Kieu
7. Academic Life Coaching: An Alternative to Traditional Personal Tutoring
Charlotte Lewandowski and Emma Folwell
8. The Doughnut Model of Student Support: Reducing Barriers and Empowering Students to Succeed
Wendy Garnham, Katherine Kruger and Emily Baker
9. Group Academic Advising: A Collaborative Advantage
Ellen Bel, Laura Wagstaff, Noelia Dominguez Falcon and Helen Leggett
Section 2: Creative Activities within Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising
10. Building Relationships to Enhance Belonging and Mattering
Alex McIntyre, Christine Haddow, Colin McGill, Susan Meldrum, Margarida Dias Scoon and Pamela Calabrese
11. The Use of Personal Support Diagrams to Develop Asset-Based Awareness in First-Year Undergraduate Students
Sarah Yearsley
12. Memes for Creative Personal Tutoring
Helen Tidy and Joanne Irving-Walton
13. Identifying Life’s Unhealthy Responses Using the Stress Bucket Analogy
Rachael Newman
14. PebblePad Portfolios
Leisha Nichols-Drew
15. Fostering Well-Being through Teamwork: A Team-Based Learning Approach to Pastoral Support
Tom Hughes, Ana Souto, Iman Farooq, Carmel Cain
16. Building Bridges: Engaging First-Year Students Through LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® in Academic Advising
Sue Beckingham
17. Improving Academic Success through Collaborative Projects in Personal Tutoring.
Gustavo R. Espinoza-Ramos
Section 3. Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising within Curriculum Design
18. Resilience, Reflection, and Restoration: Using Restorative Clinical Supervision in Personal Tutoring Practices
Nicola Morrell-Scott
19. A Contemplative Curriculum for Personal Tutoring
Elizabeth Munro
20. Rethinking Personal Tutoring: Creating a Dedicated Professional Mentorship Scheme
Joanna Howarth and Jane Williams
21. Harnessing the Power of Collaboration, Co-Creation, and Relational Pedagogy to Implement a University-Wide and Evidence-Informed Coaching Approach to Personal Tutoring
Barbara Silcox
22. The Value of Integrating Postgraduate Tutors into an Undergraduate Tutorial Programme
Rebecca K. Pike and Emily Bell
23. Fostering Career Development in Undergraduate Public Health Students
Genevieve Breau, Mamodesan T. Okumagba and Sally Bashford-Squires
24. Early Intervention Approaches to Underpin Academic Advising/Personal Tutoring
Emily McIntosh, Susan Docherty and Stephanie Jehan-Spiers
25. Looking to the Future of Academic Advising
Wendy Garnham
Biography
Sue Beckingham is an Associate Professor in Learning and Teaching, National Teaching Fellow, and Learning and Teaching Lead in Computing at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
Wendy Garnham is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Sussex, UK, and a National Teaching Fellow.
