Are personal tutors an anachronism?

Personal tutoring is one of the most pleasurable bits of being an academic - and one of the most scary! My background helps, I taught in a sixth form college for many years before slithering into academia and they do take personal tutoring seriously and train their staff in how to do it. So I have been able to translate skills developed for dealing with 16-19 year old students to the slightly older ones that present themselves in my office these days. I also have the advantage of being ancient (and female), being a kind of 'Department Mom' that even students who aren't mine feel happy coming to talk to. So, what do I do? Above all, LISTEN to them. Then point them in the right directions, support them in whatever they are trying to accomplish. Take ownership of problems - I'm often heard to say that I have no idea about the issue they've brought up but I'll find the answer, then scuttle off and find it, and get back to them. The key thing is to take an interest in these youngsters.

Most universities expect personal tutors to offer pastoral care, and increasingly academic staff are expected to undergo a range of training across various disciplines to do that job. No longer just academic tutoring.

Early in the piece the authors state "it would be a strange university at least in the anglophone world.... did not offer pastoral care" they make two mistakes 1. they conflate pastoral care with how it is delivered by personal tutors. Imagine delivering pastoral care different ways, e.g. through trained professionals employed for that specific purpose 2. they conflate the UK with the anglophone world. If they had ventured abroad they would find that there are plenty of anglophone countries where universities do not operate personal tutors yet students are well-cared for. Examples: Canada, Aus, NZ. No such thing as a personal tutor. Instead there are academic advisors when needed, well resourced student services covering health, well-being, also issues related to religious belief. This allows the academic staff to concentrate on academic issues, and ensure that students have access to qualified expert help when needed Part of the reason this model is feasible is that more students live at home and therefore have greater family support day to day. The UK pastoral model is a relic that might need to be revised along with other aspects of university life