Forced Fun: questioning the role of the personal tutor in community building

"Feeling part of a community and having a sense of belonging at university impact on student outcomes, such as retention, progression, and success [1, 2]. In this presentation I consider the role of personal tutoring in the formation of learning communities, and question whether personal tutors are best placed to support the formation of peer relationships.

I will present longitudinal qualitative and quantitative data on the formation of student communities at the University of Bristol and how these communities change over time. Data come from a larger longitudinal research project, in which I follow 55 undergraduate students through their degree at Bristol. In this presentation I will draw on data collected at three points; in the first few weeks of starting their degree, in the second term in the first year, and in the first term of their final year. Data were collected through in-person and online focus groups and a survey. Data were analysed using thematic and statistical analysis.

Students felt there was a clear need for more community development and for more opportunities to facilitate the formation of peer relationships, as many students report feeling anonymous and can feel isolated within their programme.

Analysis showed that personal tutoring currently only has a small effect on the formation of learning communities, because tutorial groups at Bristol involve just a small group of individuals that meet infrequently. Currently, the main value of personal tutoring in community building is in the reinforcement of relationships that students have built in other contexts. Students themselves felt that their school or department was better placed to facilitate community development through teaching methods and events, because within schools there was a possibility of more frequent interaction and with a wider group of students. Unless personal tutoring is organised in a radically different way, it may be more fruitful to focus community building by strengthening university societies and a learning environment that allows for interaction and collaboration with peers.

There was one exception to these findings; one way personal tutors can contribute to community formation and sense of belonging is through vertical tutorials, where a personal tutor has a tutorial with their tutees in all years simultaneously. Vertical tutorials were important in making students feel part of a community within their degree programme. Students appreciated such tutorials because it allowed students to make links with students in different years and gain more information about their course.