Academic Advising: A Guide for Queen Mary Business School Students

1.  What is academic advising?

At the Queen Mary Business School (QMBS), every undergraduate and postgraduate taught student is allocated a named Academic Advisor.

Your Academic Advisor is an academic member of sta@ who will support you throughout your studies. They are one of your main points of contact within the School and can help you think about your academic progress, identify any di@iculties you may be experiencing, access appropriate support, and make the most of your time at Queen Mary.

Academic advising is not only there for when something goes wrong. We encourage you to build an ongoing relationship with your Academic Advisor and use your meetings to reflect on your progress, discuss your goals and identify opportunities for your academic and professional development.

Where possible, you will keep the same Academic Advisor throughout your studies so that they can get to know you and understand your academic journey.

2.  What can I discuss with my Academic Advisor?

Your meetings are your opportunity to talk about your academic progress and development.

You can speak to your Academic Advisor about:

·        your academic progress and performance;

·        assessments and feedback;

·        choosing elective modules;

·        managing your workload;

·        developing e@ective study approaches and study skills;

·        adjusting to university study;

·        any di@iculties that may be a@ecting your studies;

·        your academic goals and how you can work towards them;

·        employability, career development and graduate skills;

·        support or resources that may help you succeed; and

·        concerns such as bullying, harassment or racism, where appropriate.

You do not need to wait until you have a serious problem before contacting your Academic Advisor.

If you raise an issue that requires specialist advice or support, your Academic Advisor may not always be the person who can resolve it directly. However, they can help you identify the appropriate University or School service and signpost or refer you to further support.

3.  What can I expect from my Academic Advisor?

You can expect your Academic Advisor to:

·        meet with you regularly at key points during your studies;

·        take an interest in your academic progress and development;

·        help you reflect on your academic performance and feedback;

·        contact you proactively if there are concerns about your engagement or academic progress;

·        help you identify appropriate support if you are experiencing di@iculties;

·        work with you to develop a Student Success Plan where this would be helpful;

·        direct you to relevant School and University support services;

·        discuss your academic and professional goals with you; and

·        contribute to employment references during and after your degree, where appropriate.

Your Academic Advisor may contact you even if you have not asked for a meeting. This is part of QMBS's proactive approach to student support and is intended to identify di@iculties early and help you stay on track.

4.  When will I meet my Academic Advisor?

The number and timing of meetings varies depending on your stage of study.

·       New undergraduate students – Year 1 BSc students and students entering BSc Business Management in Year 2

During your first year at Queen Mary, you should normally have:

Welcome/Induction Week – Group meeting

An introductory meeting with your Academic Advisor and other students allocated to them.

Semester 1, Week 1 or 2 – Individual meeting

An opportunity for your Academic Advisor to get to know you, discuss your ambitions and aspirations, and help you understand what to expect from university study.

Semester 1, Week 8 or 9 – Individual meeting

An opportunity to reflect on your first semester and discuss your preparation for the Semester 1 assessment period.

Semester 2, around Week 6–8 – Individual meeting

An opportunity to reflect on your Semester 1 results and feedback and discuss whether you need to make any changes to your approach to learning.

·       Continuing Year 2 undergraduate students

You should normally have two individual meetings:

Semester 1, around Week 3–4

To reflect on your previous year and discuss your approach to learning, academic goals and development during Year 2.

Semester 2, around Week 6–8

To review your progress following Semester 1 assessments and discuss what you need to do to remain on track towards your academic goals.

·       Final-year undergraduate students

You should normally have two individual meetings:

Semester 1, around Week 5–6

To reflect on your progress so far, discuss your approach to your final year and consider your career plans.

Semester 2, around Week 9–10

To review your Semester 1 performance, discuss preparation for your final assessments and review your progress towards your career plans.

·       Master's students

During your Master's programme, you should normally have:

Welcome/Induction Week – Group meeting

An introductory meeting with your Academic Advisor and other students allocated to them.

Semester 1, Week 1 or 2 – Individual meeting

To discuss your background, ambitions and aspirations and help you settle into your programme.

Semester 1, Week 8 or 9 – Individual meeting

To reflect on your first semester and discuss your preparation for the Semester 1 assessment period.

Semester 2, around Week 6–8 – Individual meeting

To reflect on your Semester 1 assessments and feedback and discuss your approach to your subsequent studies.

You may also be invited to additional meetings if your Academic Advisor believes that further support would be helpful.

5.  What is expected of me?

Academic advising works best when you actively participate in the process. As a student, we ask you to:

·        know who your Academic Advisor is;

·        attend meetings arranged with your Academic Advisor;

·        let your Advisor know if you cannot attend a scheduled meeting;

·        respond promptly to important communications from your Academic Advisor, the Student Engagement Team or your Programme Director;

·        be open about academic di@iculties or concerns where you feel comfortable doing so;

·        engage with support or resources recommended to you where appropriate; and

·        contact your Academic Advisor when you need academic guidance rather than waiting until a problem becomes serious.

Your Academic Advisor can provide better support when they understand what is happening, so we encourage you to raise concerns as early as possible.

6.  What happens if my engagement or academic progress becomes a concern?

QMBS monitors student engagement at key points during each semester. This can include indicators such as attendance and engagement with QMplus.

If your engagement appears to be low, you may receive a reminder or be contacted by the Student Engagement Team or your Academic Advisor.

This does not automatically mean that you are in trouble. The purpose of contacting you is to understand whether there is a reason for your reduced engagement and whether you need support.

If concerns continue, your Academic Advisor may invite you to a meeting to discuss what is happening and identify ways to help you re-engage with your studies.

For example, you may be contacted if there are:

·        repeated concerns about attendance or engagement;

·        missed assessment deadlines;

·        concerns about academic performance; or

·        signs that you may be struggling to continue successfully with your studies.

Where appropriate, you and your Academic Advisor may agree a Student Success Plan setting out practical steps and support to help you get back on track.

It is important that you respond when the School contacts you about your engagement. Persistent non-engagement may lead to further action under the University's student engagement procedures.

7.  What is a Student Success Plan?

A Student Success Plan is a supportive plan that you and your Academic Advisor may develop together if you are experiencing di@iculties with your studies.

It can help you identify:

·        what is currently a@ecting your studies;

·        what you would like to improve;

·        practical actions you can take;

·        support or resources that may help you; and

·        how you and your Academic Advisor will review your progress.

The purpose of the plan is to provide clear and manageable steps to help you improve your engagement, academic progress and overall experience.

8.  What happens if my Academic Advisor changes?

QMBS aims to provide continuity in academic advising and, wherever possible, you will have the same Academic Advisor throughout your studies.

Sometimes a change may be necessary because of sta@ leave, sabbatical or other circumstances.

If this happens:

·        you will be allocated another Academic Advisor;

·        the School will aim to make the transition as smooth as possible;

·        existing advising records will help your new Advisor understand the support you have previously received; and

·        where possible, you will be informed about the change in advance.

You should therefore always have a named Academic Advisor available to support you.

9.  Are my advising meetings recorded?

A basic record of your Academic Advisor meetings is kept on the University's learner engagement system, E-Clio.

This may include:

·        when a meeting was scheduled;

·        whether you attended;

·        a brief outline of what was discussed;

·        any actions you and your Advisor agreed;

·        support services or resources you were referred to; and

·        any agreed follow-up.

These records help us provide consistent support and ensure that agreed actions can be followed up. Records should contain only an appropriate summary of your meeting and should respect student confidentiality.