- Part 1 - Key overarching policies and principles of UCL
- Part 2 - Curriculum planning and design
- Part 3 - Learning, teaching and assessment
- Part 4 - Student recruitment, admission and reception
- Part 5 - Student support and guidance
- Part 6 - Staff support and development
- Part 7 - Academic quality review, monitoring and feedback framework
- Part 8 - Management and organisational framework
Academic and Pastoral Advice to Students and Student Discipline
contact: Dr Ruth Siddall, Dean of Students (Welfare)
Information
General introduction
1. Academic and pastoral advice to students is co-ordinated by the Dean of Students (Academic) and the Dean of Students (Welfare) who work together from a single office at 4 Taviton Street which is headed by the Dean of Students (Welfare). The Dean of Students (Welfare) is responsible for considering matters of policy regarding student welfare and makes recommendations to Academic Committee or other appropriate UCL bodies.
Academic Advice
2. There is a hierarchy of tutors to whom the student may turn but, in practice, the student does not have to follow the hierarchy. For undergraduates, the Personal Tutor, or Departmental Tutor1 will be the principal focus for academic advice and for postgraduates it is the student's supervisor. Faculty Tutors and Postgraduate Advisers have managerial roles in the context of student academic matters but see students with individual difficulties either at the request of the student or at the request of another tutor.
Pastoral Advice
3. Departmental Tutors and Postgraduate Supervisors are also often the first to be consulted by students seeking pastoral advice but, depending on the problem and the student, advice may be sought directly from the Dean of Students (Welfare)2, the Adviser to Women Students3, the Student Counsellor4 or the UCL Union Support Services5. The variety and independence of the sources of pastoral advice are important features for an effective operation. It is not uncommon for cross-referral between the various sources of welfare support and, provided this is done with the student's full knowledge, it is another important feature of the system. The Wardens6 of student residences also play a role in providing pastoral advice to students.
Student Accommodation
4. The Student Residence Office of UCL and the University of London Accommodation Office in Senate House provide students with advice on accommodation in UCL-operated halls and houses and on private-sector accommodation. UCL student accommodation comprises halls of residence where there is a catering service and student houses which are self-catered.
5. The Residence Office at UCL may be consulted by students seeking accommodation. The development and implementation of policy for allocating places in UCL student accommodation is overseen by the Director of Estates. The UCL halls of residence and some of the larger student houses have resident Wardens who can provide pastoral advice to students and are responsible for maintaining discipline within their student residences
Careers Service
6. Advice to students about their future careers is an important part of the total advisory service to students. Students have direct access to the Careers Service facilities and the Careers Service liaises with Departments to ensure appropriate careers advice to students on specific degree programmes. The activities of the Careers Service are led by the Head of the Careers Service, reporting to the Vice-Provost (Operations).
Discipline
7. The healthy function of any large community requires discipline. Most minor disciplinary problems can be resolved at Departmental level. More serious problems are referred to the Dean of Students (Welfare), who has a disciplinary function in addition to the more prominent welfare role. The Wardens of the student residences have disciplinary powers delegated by the Dean of Students (Welfare) to deal with disciplinary issues within their student residence. Rarely, very serious disciplinary offences are dealt with by the Discipline Committee.
November 2012
1 ‘Departmental Tutor’ can be taken to mean Degree Programme Tutor for degrees which are not Departmentally-based, e.g. BA Modern European Studies, BSc Human Sciences.
2 See Duties of Dean of Students (Welfare).
3 See Adviser to Women Students.
4 See Student Psychological Services.
5 See Support Services of UCL Union.
6 See Duties of Wardens of Student Residences.
(c) UCL (University College London) 2010
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