Leadership for the First Year Experience: The evolving role of personal tutors.

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Title: Leadership for the First Year Experience: The evolving role of personal tutors.
Authors: Herriot, Pauline1, Duncan, Peter1
Source: Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice. 2026, Vol. 14 Issue 2, Part 2, p228-232. 5p.
Subject Terms: *Tutors & tutoring, *First year experience programs, *Student activities, *Virtual classrooms, *Academic support programs, *Educational leadership, *Academic achievement, *Student engagement
Abstract: This vignette examines how Personal Tutors (PTs) can act as ‘champions’ for supporting the first-year experience, while enhancing student engagement and retention within a large undergraduate Business Management programme. With increasing marketisation and diverse student cohorts, proactive support is essential. Many first year and direct-entry students face barriers to assessment submission including uncertainty about processes and limited awareness of support available. To address this, a streamlined system was introduced using Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) data to identify low engagement and trigger timely outreach. Complimentary measures, such as a centralised MS Teams channel, improved communication between Programme Leader, PTs and Module Leaders. These changes aimed to make the PT role more meaningful, reduce non-submissions and foster a supportive culture. Early adoption by other programmes suggests wider applicability. Future evaluation will explore the long-term impact and stakeholder perceptions to refine practices and strengthen institutional strategies for student success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice is the property of Edinburgh Napier University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: Leadership for the First Year Experience: The evolving role of personal tutors.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Herriot%2C+Pauline%22">Herriot, Pauline</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Duncan%2C+Peter%22">Duncan, Peter</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Perspectives+in+Applied+Academic+Practice%22">Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 14 Issue 2, Part 2, p228-232. 5p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tutors+%26+tutoring%22">Tutors & tutoring</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22First+year+experience+programs%22">First year experience programs</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+activities%22">Student activities</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Virtual+classrooms%22">Virtual classrooms</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+support+programs%22">Academic support programs</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+leadership%22">Educational leadership</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+achievement%22">Academic achievement</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+engagement%22">Student engagement</searchLink>
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  Data: This vignette examines how Personal Tutors (PTs) can act as ‘champions’ for supporting the first-year experience, while enhancing student engagement and retention within a large undergraduate Business Management programme. With increasing marketisation and diverse student cohorts, proactive support is essential. Many first year and direct-entry students face barriers to assessment submission including uncertainty about processes and limited awareness of support available. To address this, a streamlined system was introduced using Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) data to identify low engagement and trigger timely outreach. Complimentary measures, such as a centralised MS Teams channel, improved communication between Programme Leader, PTs and Module Leaders. These changes aimed to make the PT role more meaningful, reduce non-submissions and foster a supportive culture. Early adoption by other programmes suggests wider applicability. Future evaluation will explore the long-term impact and stakeholder perceptions to refine practices and strengthen institutional strategies for student success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice is the property of Edinburgh Napier University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 5
        StartPage: 228
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Tutors & tutoring
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: First year experience programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student activities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Virtual classrooms
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic support programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational leadership
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic achievement
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      – SubjectFull: Student engagement
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Leadership for the First Year Experience: The evolving role of personal tutors.
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            NameFull: Herriot, Pauline
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            NameFull: Duncan, Peter
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            – D: 02
              M: 04
              Text: 2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 14
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              Value: 2, Part 2
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