This blog was kindly authored by Ian Fairholm, Senior Lecturer and Senior Academic Advisor (UG) for the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath.
As part of our induction week at the University of Bath for new undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, we ensure they are given the opportunity to meet with their academic advisors (formerly known as personal tutors) for the first time. This early interaction is crucial, allowing students to connect with their advisors soon after arriving and giving advisors a chance to start building supportive relationships with their students. However, how we go about arranging these initial meetings can prove challenging.
- Pre-COVID Practices: Before the pandemic, the psychology department at Bath had a long-standing tradition of organising one-to-one meetings between academic advisors and students during induction week. Advisors were tasked with scheduling these meetings but given the large number of students assigned to each advisor, even short meetings of 10-15 minutes for each student required significant time commitments.
- Student and Staff Feedback: Feedback revealed that many students found these individual meetings intimidating. This is entirely understandable – meeting an older academic in their office for the first time only days into the university experience is likely to be nerve-wracking for many. Interestingly, reports from some department advisors suggested that they, too, found the idea of talking one-to-one to numerous 18-year-olds to be unsettling.
- Adapting to Change: The pandemic prompted us to rethink our approach. Initially, we moved to small group meetings online. As COVID restrictions eased, we sought a more efficient and less daunting alternative to one-to-one meetings. Our solution? Group meetings that would foster a more relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. This led to our induction week ‘Meet the Academic Advisor for Tea and Biscuits’ sessions.
- Practical Considerations: To ensure the success of our sessions, we initially had to accommodate the large number of first-year BSc Psychology students, all the academic advisors, and provide space for refreshments. To this end, we booked a spacious, flat room for three consecutive 50-minute slots, which meant that all students and advisors could participate without overcrowding. There simply wasn’t room on campus to accommodate all students and advisors at the same time, so three consecutive slots in the same room was the best compromise.
We needed to arrange our timetabling well in advance (due to competition with other course inductions happening in the same week), and to inform our academic advisors, so they could block out a 50-minute slot during induction week or arrange cover if necessary. While academic staff are generally encouraged to keep induction week free, they also juggle many other commitments at this time of year, so early planning is crucial. We also added details of these sessions to the Welcome Week timetable, repeatedly reminded students to attend, and clearly signed the location.
- Encouraging Attendance: From experience, we know that offering refreshments like tea, coffee, soft drinks, fruit, and biscuits significantly increases the chances of attendance for both staff and students. Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but providing refreshments certainly makes the sessions more sociable and relaxed and particularly palatable to students and staff who may have skipped breakfast. Organising these treats still requires a budget, so we consulted our very supportive Head of Department, who sees the value of activities such as these for community building and student retention. Catering to dietary needs, including providing alternative options for those with allergies and intolerances, has also become a key priority.
- Reception and Feedback: So, how have these sessions been received? Staff appreciate the efficiency of meeting all their new students in a group for 50 minutes rather than arranging multiple individual meetings. Students enjoy the opportunity to interact with their peers and academic advisors, and the awkwardness of the old one-to-one meetings is greatly diminished. Additionally, questions asked by one student can benefit the entire group in a way that was impossible with the old format.
- Addressing Challenges: Despite the positive feedback, some challenges remain. Clear directions are needed when staff and students first enter the room, so we provide signage to ensure that everyone knows where they are supposed to go. Having a comprehensive list of advisors and students to hand in the room is also helpful, particularly for students who turn up at the wrong timeslot. Having a well-informed staff member at all sessions to coordinate and answer questions has also proved invaluable.
- Managing the Environment: Given the number of attendees, the room can still become crowded and noisy. We have considered providing nearby break-out rooms to accommodate those who might find this overwhelming.
- Follow-up and Record-keeping: Staff need to record electronically that they have met with their students and identify any absentees. A reminder email to all academic advisors after the session is essential. While these group meetings are a great start, they don’t allow advisors to get to know their students individually, so staff and students need to be reminded of the importance of follow-up one-to-one meetings later in the academic year.
- Other Challenges: As the academic year begins, gathering a large group in one room can, unfortunately, become a breeding ground for Freshers’ flu. Several staff members who attended these sessions fell ill shortly afterwards. Whilst this is to some extent unavoidable, we recommend reminding staff to use hand sanitizer after these sessions to minimise the spread of germs.
Additionally, it’s not uncommon for staff to miss these sessions at the last minute due to illness or other commitments. Having a back-up staff member ready to step in ensures that students don’t feel neglected or left out.
Despite these challenges, we’ve seen great attendance from both staff and students during induction week. Students seem to enjoy the sessions, and informal feedback from staff has been positive. We’ll continue to run these meet-and-greet sessions and look for ways to make them even better for future cohorts.