Learning support

Disabled researchers undergo an assessment of their requirements and recommended support is funded through the DSA (Disabled Students' Allowances). A researcher who is, for example, dyslexic will probably have access to a learning support tutor. Their role is to create a level playing field for the researcher by providing relevant, timely and appropriate support. Their methods will vary depending on the requirements of the individual.

Here one tutor explains what she does.

‘Postgraduate research students are obviously far more aware because they have a basis of undergraduate knowledge and skills. Even those who come to research MAs with limited experience of extended written work at undergraduate level have that intellectual capacity. They are more aware and switched on. They discuss, I think, at a higher level with you, even though they are struggling with the written element and sorting out their ideas. Certainly discussion is a key element in supporting postgraduate research students.

Usually the main issues seem to be: sorting out ideas, understanding the language of research, the differences (in level) from undergraduate to research ideas. But they have it all there; they just do not always know they have it there. Very often we talk it through, pulling out from conversations with them the key elements and presenting that back to them to say: ‘Is this what you are talking about? Is this the focus?' And then you can see the light bulb going on and they'll say yes. Then it is mind-mapping it or writing it down and I will usually be the person who does that.

Their questions are: What do I do with all this work, this research, these ideas? How do I put it into written format? How do I structure it? Usually they have been left to get on with it. One research student was just told to step up their skills but with no indication about how to do that. The other research students I have on the MA side are getting a lot of support which is good and I am just supplementing that. That has been by arrangement with the supervisors and the course leader.

The academic staff just recognised the issues as general disorganisation in the students' written work for the research elements. They could not provide the support at the level it was needed.

It's mainly structure and language. Stepping up and using a more specific research language or specific course related language. It's about using research language. They can grasp a definition and they know it. They understand the word on its own, but not how to use it in context.

When I am supporting a student with planning their thesis, I usually get them to tell me what their research is about; to outline the focus. Just to explain it so I understand a little bit about what they are trying to write about. That just helps me because usually they have everything everywhere and understanding the focus helps me to keep it pulled in. I usually just make notes as they are telling me a bit about their research. It involves going through and pulling out the key elements and then fitting that into what goes into the methodology, what is in the literature review. How does the literature review information relate to the research? It is linking it all together and making sure you have the forward and backward movement.

I gained my own knowledge of how to structure the thesis from reading a large number and analysing how they are put together.

I suppose they can pass their thesis to me for proof reading ,because it is not a supervisor, it's not a friend; it's a professional service provided by somebody who understands why they may have structured something in a bizarre way and can give constructive feedback. We are able to say what they should concentrate primarily on ...spelling errors, sentence structures, any inconsistencies. If they have written something inconsistent, it usually jumps out at you if they have failed to mention it before. I will flag it up and say: ‘This strikes me as something you haven't mentioned before, or you are relating it to something that I can't see. Would you go back and just check that?'

Ideally, I will give feedback in a one-to-one session, just to talk through and find out if I have understood everything - because obviously it is not my area and I am not the supervisor. I talk through all the spelling errors and any inconsistencies that I pick up which I think could be a problem. If it is not clear what it means, I ask them to explain it to me and, by getting them to do that, usually they say straight away: ‘Ah yes, that's right.'

I do write on their work; I try to use different colour pens. Most of them are not offended by red for errors, and I try to use green or another colour for other sort of comments or suggestions.

Supervisors have never challenged the support I offer. Our priorities as support tutors are to proof read, to look for grammar and spelling errors and inconsistencies in the text.

In the process of learning support you just see the growth in confidence. They realise their own potential. I think they come in feeling knocked down, that they are pretty average. Then when they get comments back, they realise that they can actually achieve and they jump up from an average performance to excellence

A lot of students are anxious when they come in. We build up the sessions week by week and obviously they start to trust you. When they go out of the room, lots of students leave the door wide open. Sometimes you get the anxious backward glance and they whisper: ‘Bye. See you next week.' The day they walk out and say, ‘Right, great, fantastic, see you next week,' smile and shut the door is when I know it's worked.’

Sandy Alden, Newcastle University, 2005