Learning Support Examples at University

Why might it be of interest?

While many of our young people will be applying for the Disabled Students Allowance to support their studies at university this might not be the case for everyone.  And even when you are applying for a DSA some services will be provided by the university anyway.  It might be helpful to have some examples of the type of support you might expect.

Learning Support Service Study Skills Tuition

This was written with students with a specific learning difficulty, eg dyslexia, in mind but may well also be relevant to students with disabilities.

 Working with students:  support the learning of students while:

• They write an essay
• Solve a problem
• Try to understand, cope with a problem based learning situation
• Plan and research a piece of written work
• Make observations to move a student forward

Support with feedback:  and met cognition:

• Make independent constructive comments on essays, dissertations and other assignments
• Discuss the feedback given by academic staff
• Discuss points made by psychologists and needs assessors in their reports
• Record progress

New ways:

• Look out for, suggest, negotiate and evaluate alternative approaches to learning that may prove more efficient, enjoyable and rewarding
• New ways may mean organizing and thinking about things slightly differently
• Designing a simple learning aid or handout
• Using some existing assistive technology

Concepts and principles:

• Help students to prepare to battle with difficult concepts and principles
• Attempt to provide supportive learning conversations during which students can make their own discoveries

Specialist programmes and techniques:

• Use specific approaches to support student learning
• For example, precision teaching techniques, phonics programmes and memory palace sessions
• Research and design appropriate packages of support

Invisible support:

• An offer to support students by email or an informal drop-in
• The invisible support option is always there even if you don’t need it
• It is available to all learning support service’s students