PPLS Tutoring Staff (Casual Tutors)
Welcome to the PPLS tutoring staff pages. We are keen to support our postgraduate tutors and hope this webpage will prove a useful resource. To differentiate between a Personal Tutor (PT) and a Tutor who runs a tutorial the latter is now to be called Casual Tutor to differentiate between the two roles. Local induction and seminars provided by PPLS are designed to be especially relevant and are on topics suggested by tutors. Tutors themselves have reported that informal sharing of resources, techniques and experience with their peers, particularly those more experienced than themselves, was among the most effective teaching support they received. It is therefore important that tutors participate in these sessions.
Key Documents
- The PPLS Casual Tutors Handbook 2012-2013 (PDF) contains essential guidance on tutoring in the School with additional specific information for each of the subject areas.
- PPLS Casual Tutors Handbook 'At a Glance' 2012-13 (PDF).
- Tutoring Staff: Contractual Matters (PDF).
- The Code of Practice for Confidential Information (PDF) has been provided to help you to apply the principles of how to handle sensitive information and to state clearly the School's position on important subjects like confidentiality.
- The PPLS Teaching and Marking Policy for Postgraduates (PDF) describes the School's new processes for the recruitment of tutors.
- The Guidelines for attendance monitoring of PPLS students (DOC) describes the procedure on how tutorial attendance should be monitored and what to do if a student does not come to tutorials.
- The University Code of Practice on Tutoring and Demonstrating (PDF) is designed to ensure that all tutors and those locally responsible for overseeing their work have a clear understanding both of what to expect from the University, and the School in which they carry out their teaching, and of what is expected of them in meeting their contractual obligations.
- The PPLS Disability/Schedule of Adjustments Guidance (PDF) summarizes the key procedures and support mechanisms that exist for students with a disability and outlines some of the 'adjustments' that can be made.
- The PPLS Guidance on PhD Students' Career Development Activities (PDF) offers advice to PhD students and relevant faculty (such as the PhD student's supervisors) regarding career development activities.
- The Getting Started with Learn guide (PDF) provides a basic overview of the Learn virtual learning environment. It is intended to help course administrators and academic staff become familiar with the system and to help them gain confidence in its use.
Welcome Event Wednesday 19 September 2012
This year's welcome event (doc) brought together tutoring staff and other key people in PPLS. It was an opportunity for tutors to get to know each other and welcome new tutors to the School as well as a forum to share ideas and best practices. Guidelines on how to use Learn are detailed in the Learn Training Manual.
Judy McCulloch, Learning and Teaching Projects Officer, co-ordinates the tutoring events and support. If you have any queries, comments and suggestions for future events please email Judy McCulloch.
University courses and resources
In addition to the PPLS support, the University offers generic induction centrally to tutors from across the University through the Institute for Academic Development (IAD). This consists of orientation courses for new and relatively new tutors, designed only for tutors who did not get the chance to participate in their School induction; and also induction for more experienced tutors who are interested in developing their teaching to a more enhanced level (i.e. when you have been teaching for a couple of years, these sources may become relevant to you).
The IAD website provides further information and other resources for tutors (Support for Tutors and Demonstrators).
Especially recommended, also, are the Resources for Tutors and Demonstrators, a comprehensive set of online materials put together specifically for tutors and demonstrators teaching at Edinburgh, with material on all aspects of tutoring. For more experienced tutors the IAD provides:
- a series of 'enhanced development' workshops on themes like course design, lecturing and documenting teaching experiences
- a new framework for documenting teaching experiences and encouraging reflection on teaching in Pebblepad (not yet available but coming very soon)
The IAD has also published a Handbook on tutoring and demonstrating which is widely used across this University and beyond.
Useful web Resources
All Subjects
Assessment and feedback
The University assessment and feedback website aims to help staff and students take a fresh look at feedback and explore ways in which its provision might be improved, and to share examples of good practice across the University.
Philosophy
- The Higher Education Academy (HEA) Philosophy website has a lot of useful information, resources and publications with a very helpful section for students on essay and dissertation writing.
- Advice on writing Philosophy essays.
Psychology
- Guidance on essay writing (really aimed at students but useful for tutors to have a look at and recommend).
- British Psychological Society research digest: good for brief overviews of current research which could be useful when looking for further examples and topical research to discuss in tutorials.
Language Sciences
- The Higher Education Academy (HEA) Linguistics website with a lot of useful information, resources and publications.
- The (HEA) English website offers a range of activities, information and ideas to help tutors/lecturers enhance the student experience including teaching ideas.
- The tutors' wiki for Linguistics and English Language. It is an online space that can be viewed by anyone and edited by LEL tutors who obtain editing privileges by contacting Professor Caroline Heycock.