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About Your Tutor

Who is your Academic Tutor & what do they do?

All undergraduate and postgraduate taught students are assigned an Academic Tutor—an academic staff member in your School or Department who serves as your key contact throughout your degree.

You should meet with your Academic Tutor at least three times a year to discuss your progress. While your Tutor may arrange group meetings with multiple tutees, you can always request a one-on-one session for a more private discussion.

Academic Tutors work in partnership with students and the University’s support services to enhance your academic, personal and professional development. You can speak to your Academic Tutor about any academic or personal matter which may be impacting your ability to study.

Your Tutor will do their best to help you, but in some instances they may need to direct you to a specialist support service and can speak to the service on your behalf (if you give your permission to do so).

Your Academic Tutor helps you to:

  • Develop plans for your academic and personal development.
  • Make informed decisions in relation to your course.
  • Connect with other academics in your field of study.
  • Maximise available development opportunities.
  • Access additional University support services as appropriate.

FAQ

We believe that it is beneficial to continue with the same Academic Tutor throughout your time at the University, but if there is a genuine reason for wanting to change your Academic Tutor, you should discuss this with your School Director of Academic Tutoring.
You should meet with your Academic Tutor as least three times a year. This can be in person, or online if it isn’t convenient for you to come to campus.
Yes, all undergraduate and postgraduate taught students are assigned an Academic Tutor. This includes students who are visiting from abroad and studying part of their degree at Reading.
The University and Students’ Union offer many different support and advice services, so if you know which one you need to access we encourage you to access this directly. If you’re not sure which service you need to access, your Academic Tutor can help to direct you to the most appropriate one depending on the issue. You can also contact your Support Centre with any queries about our services, what they offer and how to access them.
If you’re struggling to think of what to say to your Academic Tutor in meetings, take a look at our suggested list of discussion topics on the Top tips page. It’s always useful to bring a recent assignment with you too, as your Tutor can help you to understand the feedback you’ve received and highlight things that you can do to improve your academic work.
You can see who your Academic Tutor is on the RISIS portal. Log into RISIS and select ‘Programme and Modules’, then ‘Programme Information’. Alternatively you can contact your Support Centre.
Each academic school has a School Director of Academic Tutoring, or multiple Departmental Directors of Academic Tutoring. These are senior members of academic staff who support the Academic Tutors within their school/department. You can see the list of School Directors of Academic Tutoring.
If your Academic Tutor leaves the University or changes role, your School will contact you to let you know who your new Academic Tutor is.
Remember, your Tutor will often be busy teaching, marking or conducting research so many not be able to respond to emails or meet at short notice. If you cannot get hold of your Academic Tutor, please contact your School Director of Academic Tutoring who will be able to assist.
You are assigned an Academic Tutor in Welcome Week when you first start at the University. In most cases, you will have the same Academic Tutor throughout your time at Reading.
Your Academic Tutor may email you to check on your progress or suggest a meeting, but you should be proactive and contact them to set up regular meetings.

Find out more about working with your Academic Tutor

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