Getting Support

Seeking help when you need it is a crucial part of the uni journey. 

Navigating uni coursework can be a challenge! Seeking help isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength.

Adaptive help-seeking is the best way to make sure you keep improving in the long term.

Here are some important facets of adaptive help-seeking:

If one approach doesn’t work, try another until you find what suits you best!

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Seeking support is crucial in navigating the challenges of University-level coursework.

Seeking support can be expedient or adaptive.

Expedient help-seeking is focused on immediate problem-solving.

Let’s say you’re struggling with a particular concept in one of your classes. By approaching your tutor, lecturer, or knowledgeable classmate for the solution, you aim to find a swift way to meet your deadlines effectively.

This type of support is immediate, but it may not help you develop a deeper understanding of similar problems later on.

Alternatively, adaptive help-seeking is focused on developing your problem-solving skills and improving your learning process in the long term.

Let’s explore some facets of adaptive help-seeking.

Reflecting on your strengths and areas for improvement can help you pinpoint when you should seek help.

You might do some practice quizzes or practice essay or assessment questions to help you understand which concepts you may need clarification on.

Understanding your learning preferences can help you seek the support that will be most effective for you.

It’s good to seek help as soon as difficulties or questions arise, rather than waiting until the problem is more urgent.

You can reach out to your tutor or lecturer for a consultation to ask questions and gain clarification on topics you are finding difficult.

You can form or join a study group with classmates to share insights, discuss complex concepts, and support one another.

Academic support services at your university can support you with workshops, drop-in sessions, mentoring programs and more.

If one approach isn’t effective, try different approaches until you find what works best for you.

By actively engaging in class discussions and asking questions, your tutors and lecturers will be able to give you the most valuable guidance and feedback.

Remember seeking help is a strength.

Familiarise yourself with your university’s academic support services to guide you when you require support.

Where can I go to get support with my studies at uni?

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Saoirse – Bachelor of Arts/Law

It was my first year of uni. It was the second term, and I was still settling in; it was my first proper law subject, and the midterm assignment was coming up, and I just didn’t really know what I was doing, so I ended up failing the exam- which for me, was a really big blow, but I found that I had a lot of support from my lecturers. When I got that mark, it wasn’t just thrown away into the dust. I felt like even though I failed, it was illuminated, but not in a bad way. It was like, ‘this girl needs a little more support, and we’re going to help her.’ And I think that also really helped me in realising that it was my first year in university. I’m still finding my way in my second year, and it’s okay to fail sometimes. This is all so new, and you can’t expect yourself to know exactly what you’re doing as soon as you start. I found, especially looking back to my first-year courses compared to now, I think that my lecturers were really engaged and making sure we knew what we were doing and leading us into some of those big exams that we’ve never even seen before. And so I found that to be really supportive.

Also, in terms of when I did fail that first year, my lecturer called me back after class. She said, ‘Anyone who got a mark around 50, you need to come to my office, and we’re going to have a discussion.’ She told me, ‘I have no doubt that you’re going to pass this course. You need to work hard.’ That made me really feel like, okay, if she believes in me, I do too. And so I think that lecturers and teachers at university, they know that you’ve come here by choice, and they know that you want to study here, you want to study your degree. So, they want to help you get through university. Sometimes, lecturers at university will offer you direct support. So, that’s what happened when I failed my exam; my lecturer said, ‘Come to my office if you failed or you’re close to failing.’ And that was a really good way for me to understand that lecturers and teachers and staff here at university want to support you in any way they can. So, sometimes it can be direct like that and that kind of makes it a little less intimidating, because they’re calling you to their office.

Another way that you can indirectly connect with teachers and staff at university is on forum pages and discussion pages through your faculty. This can be really helpful; it’s a little less direct, you’ll be messaging them by your own choice, but it’s not as intimidating. I think also, in classes, it’s really important to speak up and really create a connection with your teacher., because they’re here to teach you and so that sort of relationship is established, and it means you can ask any questions you need to redirect your learning, because that is what you’re here for, really.

So my advice for any students who want to connect to their university lecturers or teachers for supper is definitely to just reach out and don’t be afraid or intimidated. This is seriously what they’re here for, and they want to help you get the best mark possible. Otherwise, they’re not doing their job correctly.

 

Daphne- Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

So, tutors are students who might be further on in their study, but they’re also very well versed in the topic that they need to teach. So, they’re kind of a bit more on your level but not as intimidating as a lecturer, whereas a lecturer might be years and years into their study; very proficient in the field they’re studying in, and you might call them doctors as well. That’s also one thing that’s quite different. Tutors have really helped me in my courses because they’re a lot more approachable. I can relate to them a bit more, and I can talk to them about things that are closer in my study, like, ‘How do I apply for this?’ or ‘If I’m writing this essay, how do I structure it this way?’ They’ve been really helpful in. Whereas lecturers are more about the big picture. Of course, you can talk to them about lecture content, but also much bigger things in the field. If you have a specific area of study you’re interested in, you might ask a lecturer, ‘Hey, I’m interested in this; do you know what avenues I need to go down to approach that pathway?’ So, both tutors and lecturers have been really helpful through my studies.

I’ve reached out to tutors for help, particularly with my assignments. Let’s say I’m unsure how to structure an assignment, or there’s a specific paragraph that I think, ‘Oh I don’t think I worded this correctly but I want somebody else to run through it’- I’ve gone to tutors to double check that. Another thing I’ve gone to tutors for is if I’m stuck on an idea. For my degree, I have to write a lot of research reports, and that requires you to maybe come up with your own experiment, which can be a pretty daunting task. But tutors are more than happy to help if you’re stuck and not knowing what to do, and you kind of need a push in the right direction, that’s how tutors have been a help to me.

So the way I’ve reached out to tutors is after class, or even during class, if you just put your hand up they can come to you. After class though is a great time because it’s that limbo period where everybody is leaving but there’s also a bit of time for you to actually talk to them and get detailed feedback. Another way is email if you kind of want to synthesise your question a bit more. I find email really easy especially if you want to do numbered questions, then you can send it all at once and they usually reply back with each answer, which is amazing. So, that’s how I approach tutors for help.

So one thing when reaching out to tutors is making sure that when they give feedback to you, try not to take it too personally. Obviously, the tutors and academics are there to help you, and any feedback they give will be there to help you and it will be positioned in a good light- so that’s one thing to keep in mind. Another thing to keep in mind is just time conflicts. So, a tutor might really busy and they might not be able to get back to an email that you might send. So again, don’t take it too personally. There’s nothing wrong with just following up with a second email, “Hi, you didn’t see my email previously, but I really want this question answered. Is it okay if you answer it as soon as possible?” There’s also nothing wrong with that; to remind a tutor to answer a question.

 

Peter- Bachelor of Economics/Computer Science

I found the catalyst to reaching out to my tutors was, if I’m honest, one of them is that every week they’re saying, ‘Reach out to me if you need any help’, but also the fact that they know this class really well, and I’m with them each week. They give me so much information and- we all have questions. So I find the best way to get questions answered is from the tutors themselves.

I’d say a positive outcome that came out from reaching out to one of my tutors was in one of my Economics subjects. It was a math-based subject, and it was quite difficult at the beginning. And I found myself not getting questions correctly or understanding how to complete them. So, I reached out to my tutors following a class and he was able to go through some of the questions with me and actually help me understand them to the point that when it came to the assignment, I knew what to do and I was able to do well in this assignment. So, I’ve been able to connect with tutors in different ways, they’re actually accessible in more ways than you actually think.  

One of the ways that I’ve been able to engage with tutors is following a class. If they have time, maybe five minutes, I’ll be asking them a very specific question and they can help me in that moment. But they’re also available on Moodle and also email as well. I sometimes email tutors a page of work that I’m confused on, and they’re able to help in that way, which is really good.

The independent nature of university can be quite daunting when you’re coming to university. I was taken aback by the realisation that, ‘Wow, I need to be reaching out to these services, I need to be doing all these different things.’ But the best thing I can say is: take your time. You don’t have to rush into all these things. You don’t have to rush into being the perfect person at studying. It’s okay to figure things out and you can reach out as you’re figuring things out. People are there designed, ready to help you and they want to help you. And I think for me that was the biggest thing to understand, was people want to help you in university. You’re not left alone, and you’re goin g to get there towards the end.

 

Sweta- Bachelor of Commerce/Law

In one of my courses, for example, I really wanted some feedback on my midterm assignment because I felt like I could have done better. I was happy with my mark, but I wanted to improve more for the final exam. So, I emailed my tutor, I set up a time with him for a consultation, and he spent about twenty minutes with me, just going over each detail of my midterm assignment, giving me feedback that was personal to what I had written and what I could improve on. I used that feedback in my final exam and got a mark that I was really happy with. And it just shows that tutors and lecturers are there for you in a way that they understand you want to do better, and they will help you do better. It was important for me to reach out to the tutor because I felt they were the best person equipped to help me with the goal I had in mind, which was getting a better mark on my final exam. They know the course, they know the content, they’re the ones marking it and they’ve seen what I have written. So, I felt that reaching out to them was the best option to fulfill my goal of getting a better mark.

 

Tahrima- Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy & Economics

So the first time I reached out to my tutor was generally after my tutorial, just going up to them and asking, ‘Hey, I’m kind of confused about this topic, and I’d like to write about it for my assignment. Is there any way you could clarify it for me, please?’ It’s as simple as that, and he was more than happy to help me. This term actually, I also reached out to another one of my tutors, and I emailed them after my tutorial, asking, ‘Hey, I need help with my assignment. I’d like to just fluff out and bounce off ideas. Would you mind setting up a time so we can just have a chat?’ He was more than happy to do so, and when the day came, and we sat down, I just told him my ideas, and I was able to bounce off someone who knew what the assignment was and had a good idea about it. Even though he wasn’t doing the assignment for me, he was giving me a lot of pointers to help me do the assignment on my own. So, I’d definitely recommend reaching out to tutors first before other academic sources if it is a very course-specific question.

Some tips that I’d have for incoming students to reach out to the lecturers are first by drafting a really great email, starting off with introducing yourself, being very formal, so using capital letters and full stops, but also being very genuine about why you would like the help. Maybe try to introduce yourself prior to writing the email, so they know who you are. So, just even walking into the class, just saying ‘hey’ and sitting down, that’s it. You don’t need to do anything fancy, but that’s all. So, tutors and lecturers are not daunting people. They love what they do, and they’re more than happy to guide you, because they much rather you understand the content and them having to explain it three times than you walking out being confused and then thinking you’re alright.

Tutors and lecturers

“Tutors and lecturers are not daunting people; they love what they do and are more than happy to guide you.” – Tahrima 

Pro tip: Because they set exam questions and mark your assessments, it pays to listen to them carefully when they give assessment or exam advice! 

Academic support services

“I reached out to this service at my uni that helps structure your writing. They helped me restructure an assignment and I did really well! It gave me confidence as well on how to approach future assignments.” – Peter 

At every uni, there are academic support services available. Here are some useful ones you might find at your uni:

Pro tip: To find these services look-up “*your uni* academic skills” or “*your uni* peer-assisted study sessions” etc
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Peter- Bachelor of Economics/Computer Science  

There was a time when I had to reach out to university academic support it was for completing an assignment for one of my Economics courses. We have a service here at the university where you can give them notes or the way you’ve structured an assignment, and they can help give you feedback and better ways to structure it. So, you’re able to write it better. I reached out to this service; they helped me restructure the assignment and also pointed out areas I should be focusing on more and less. This helped me perform really well, and it gave me confidence as well in how to approach future assignments.

So one problem that made me reach out was when I got to a point where I was really confused, sitting at home, I was looking at this page, and not getting anything done. Then I realised, ‘Okay, the best place to go is to someone who knows better than me’. So, I reached out, went online to see what kind of support services I could access. I found there’s a support service just for academic support on assignments and I reached out to them. I think if I’m honest, if I had not reached out to receive support, I might have still sat there looking at that assignment, maybe it would’ve even prompted me to do things you shouldn’t be doing, like looking at online essays, copying them, and trying to get around completing it to the best of your ability. I find that reaching out to the service drew out the best from me, rather than making me sit there, stressing out, worrying about things, and not doing the best I could academically.

Non-academically, there are so many support services where you’re able to reach out, and they can give you not only support but build your confidence. And I find that the biggest thing when you come into university is being confident in yourself.

 

Saoirse – Bachelor of Arts/Law

When you do face a setback, like a bad grade or something, you really connect with others who may have gone through the same experience, so you’re not feeling as low or disappointed with that mark. I think it was really awesome that we were offered peer tutoring during my degree. This really helped me connect with other students and made me want to seek out other people to see how they study and see what they were really grasping from the course, just so I can realign myself with what have set me back. So peer tutoring is where you come together with your peers, other people who are studying the same thing as you, maybe in the same year as you, and you might have some people who are a little more advanced who can give you a little more help and direction. You can find that through your faculty at uni or even online.

Peer tutoring has helped me so much academically. It’s been really nice to hear from students who are a little bit more advanced than me and hearing their advice and ways to approach topics. Because, especially for my degree, I don’t really know anyone in the legal field in my family or close friend group, so I was really happy that I could have someone who could mentor me and guide me in terms of direction. It was really great; it was just a small group of about six of us, and we really engaged with our peer tutor. But after class, I would talk to those people in my group, and one of the girls, who’s now one of my best friends, we met through that class, and we really connected first on academic stuff, and then we took it out of the classroom and went for lunch and things. Seriously, it’s just been great to meet people who you might not normally meet in your classes; sometimes university classes are really big and so having those smaller groups where it’s not really like a tutorial setting but more of a learning from others situation can be really nice. It sort of makes you feel a little more at ease with your exams and your upcoming tests, but also just to have a support group of friends who help you study and have fun.

 

Eamonn- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Software)

The support services at the university have always been broad. They cover every aspect of university life. Of course, it covers all of your academic stuff, like you’ve got your tutors, you got your lecturers, and you’ve got classmates to help you whenever you’re struggling in your course. But on top of that, university is more than just you academics. We have all these services that are there to support you at any stage of your university life, from your finances to your personal health to your mental health. All of these things are just really important parts of helping you become just a better person at university.

If someone is struggling in their first year and they really want to go and find help but they just don’t know where to go and look for it, I think the most important thing is that you need to feel brave enough to ask for help. The university will always have some sort of centralised system where you can approach them first, and then they’ll be able to easily tell you, ‘This is the place you need to go; this is what they can offer you.’ And for the most part, all of it usually for free for you or at least catered towards university students.

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Eamonn- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Software)

It was really important for me to connect with my peers at university because I’m actually a regional student. So, when I first came to university, I had no friends at all, and it was a really hard time for me to adjust because I was learning to live away from home and basically go and become an independent adult. So, being able to find go and a support circle I think is so so important for any new student because they can help or talk about, and just provide support and for you to know that you’re not the only person going through the pains and struggles of adapting to a new environment.

Something that I’ve discovered about myself when connecting to my peers is just how much that I can personally change. University is a time of learning, both academically but also self-discovery and learning who you can become as an adult. So, for me, being able to connect with my peers and being able to surround myself with all these different people was so important to me because it really developed who I am fundamentally as an adult. My peers, for me, have always just been the support circle that I think is the most important part of any experience and the people I can fall back on and talk about anything that I want, whether from being able to go and give me some help understanding some sort of topic. Most of your friends generally are going to come from similar sort of degrees, and they’re able to go and walk you through the things that we’re learning at the same time.

So, for a lot of students, I think the best place that I would recommend you go an reach out to for a lot of social interaction is all of your clubs and societies. They always charge you with a little bit of social interaction. Your clubs and societies have always been so important because this is a place where people go and actually bond, communicate, and are motivated to approach.

 

Julian- Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

So, I’d say the biggest way that I have personally connected with peers at university is student societies. You can find pretty much anything that you can think of, like an anime society or societies for people’s particular degrees.

I’ve been a member of the psychology society for the past three years, and that has been amazing. With student societies, on one hand, you can attend events they organise. Most societies will do really big social events throughout the year, like a ball which really is like formal, they might do cruises where you go out for a night and get socialise with people. These are great opportunities to meet new people because everyone at an event by a particular society will have the same interests as you and there are going to be some people are similar in personalities. And nn the other hand, there’s also being able to volunteer within those societies to be the people planning the events, which is exciting. You can come in as a first-year and, by the end of that year, and you can be the one planning those big events, which is a great opportunity. And so I’ve made really incredible, long-lasting connections that will last me beyond my university degree. I’m extremely grateful for that.

And the other thing is just building a lot of more soft skills, like working with people, collaborating, and being able to even just send good emails. So, it’s been a great opportunity to meet other like-minded people and also develop myself as a person.

With those courses, you usually get course group chats for that specific course, which are really helpful, because people type in a question that you’re probably already thinking, that says, ‘Hey I don’t know what this question in the assignment means’ or ‘What did you guys do for this.’ And people are really surprisingly helpful and people will answer questions almost instantly; you’ll usually get a response in a minute or two with someone who either said they had the same problem too or someone who has a solution. So it’s a really great environment to be in. The long-lasting connections that I’ve made are obviously a really great emotional support too. You can be doing the same courses and you can help each other more tangibly by sharing notes with each other or, ‘This is how I worked on this assignment,’ on a more intangible level, it’s just great to have a group of people who can empathise with what you’re going through. If you’re struggling with a course, it’s so nice to have everyone around to make you realise, ‘Okay, everyone is havign a hard time with this course, it’s not just me.’

 

Tahrima- Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy & Economics

The courses where I actually have a friend in, and I’m actively discussing content, I understand the content a lot better as well. So, working with peers is definitely a strength, because you can feed into different perspectives, and different minds and how you perceive different things. So, it’s a really great way to for learning and I’d highly recommend working with peers and studying with them.

So, it’s a really great way to meet people, and I absolutely know that the friends I’ve made in, for example, my law courses are friends I’ll definitely have throughout my whole degree. So, I definitely recommend walking into class on the first day or second dayand just asking, ‘What do you do? What’s your name?’ It’s honestly very generic, but it’s honestly the best way to make friends.

In my law course making friends there, that’s the first point of university. Like, I made a friend on the way. In our law courses they’re very engaging, discussion-based, and group work-based. So, just even starting off with being open to working in group work and then, once the task is done, just floating off into conversations about what’s your name, what’s your double degree, where are you from, things like that. It really helps build a foundation which then helps create friendships. And next thing you know, we’re getting lunch after class and talking about how class was. I guess building the initial connection is about reaching out to people and being willing to listen to what they have to say. Even if we don’t have class together, to just reach out to them, ask how it’s going, how are you finding things, how you feeling for the exam; very generic questions. Or even if you know they’re doing the same course as you in the future, just tell them, ‘Hey I’m doing this course next term, is that something you’re interested in, and if so do you want to pick the same tutorial? Which lecture are you going to be attending?’ Things like that. So, trying to match up classes so that when you’re coming into uni, you’re still getting the uni work done, but then you’re also with friends makes uni a lot more interesting. 100% just reach out to people because people who are in their first year, in your first-year courses, are new to the degree, so they’re probably just as nervous as you are. So, reaching out and making a friend will give you a familiar face to walk into each class with.

 

Ethan- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Master of Biomedical Engineering

One of my courses was a math course, right, and the content really wasn’t sticking for me. So, having the opportunity to ask a peer I made during class over a more informal mode of communication, via text, and getting a much faster response, really aided my learning and helped me achieve good results. So, having the opportunity to come into campus and attend an in-person class really helped me interact with students, and eventually form friendships and bonds with them that still stick with me today.

I feel like having a call with a friend is very helpful, because we can keep each other accountable for your work. I’m not too much into study groups; I’m more of a one-on-one, intimate, less formal kind of study person. And that helps me understand the content, having to ask the question to the person over the call and get their input and feedback. Having a peer to connect with at university really helps you not only academically, so you’re able to ask them questions, get feedback, compare results, that sort of thing but also helps you more on a mental level. Because doing it alone isn’t that feasible in my opinion. It does get a little daunting and a little exhausting sometimes, having to trudge through a few assignments by yourself. So having a friend to just have there for support, to talk to them and have a time to unload and just hang out with is super helpful in keeping your motivation and morale up when undergoing university studying.

Learning from classmates 

“I’ve made incredible long-lasting connections that will last beyond my university degree, which I’m extremely grateful for.” – Julian 

Discussing academic content with other students in your classes is one of the most common ways to seek help.

Here are some things you could try:

  1. Attend classes: Attend and actively participate in all your classes. Going to class isn’t just about learning the content, it’s also an opportunity for your lecturers and tutors to get to know you so it’s easier to reach out for support when you need it. 
  2. Be proactive: Don’t wait until the last minute to seek support from a tutor or lecturer. As soon as you think you might need some guidance, make a plan to reach out. 
  3. Utilise office hours: Most lecturers and tutors have dedicated ‘office hours’, usually a weekly one-hour block where students can drop into their office (or online) to ask questions or discuss course content or feedback. Reach out to schedule a meeting during your lecturers’ office hours and take advantage of 1:1 advice. Pro tip: Use the email templates below!
  4. Bring questions: Before your meeting, think about what specific help you need. If the meeting is about an assessment, you’ve already received written feedback on, make sure you carefully read the feedback and have questions. This will help your marker to give you more specific feedback where you need it or clarify the feedback they’ve already given. If you’re meeting about course content, make sure you’ve done the readings carefully and reflected on which parts you need clarification on. This will help you get clear and specific answers from your lecturer or tutor. 
  5. Take notes: During your meeting, take notes to record what their responses are for each of your questions and the key points discussed. The notes will help you remember their advice and apply it to your current and future subjects and assessments.  
  6. Seek guidance (not answers!): Focus on getting guidance on the ideas you already have, rather than expecting specific answers. Lecturers and tutors want you to think for yourself, not spoon-feed you answers. For example, if you’re seeking help on an essay: Tell your tutor or lecturer about your essay thesis and evidence you’ve chosen to back it up. Ask them for guidance on whether your plan will effectively answer the essay question. If you’re seeking help on a data science report: Explain the data you are using, your hypotheses and the modelling approach you want to take. Ask for guidance on whether your plan is the best approach to analyse your data and prove your hypothesis. 
  7. Be open to feedback: Responding to feedback is a skill that takes practice! Lecturers are highly regarded experts in their fields. Their feedback is a great opportunity for you to learn about your chosen field and do even better in future assessments. Pro tip: You often lose access to the course online platform once the term or semester is over, so keep a record of all the feedback you’ve received across different assessments and courses. This can help you see patterns in feedback from different markers and revisit feedback in the future. 
  8. Be kind: Be kind and respectful when connecting with your lecturer or tutor. They are often juggling many things, so being kind and mindful of their time goes a long way in developing a positive relationship with them.

Attend and actively participate in all your classes. Going to class isn’t just about learning the content, it’s also an opportunity for your lecturers and tutors to get to know you so it’s easier to reach out for support when you need it.

Don’t wait until the last minute to seek support from a tutor or lecturer. As soon as you think you might need some guidance, make a plan to reach out.

Most lecturers and tutors have dedicated ‘office hours’, usually a weekly one-hour block where students can drop into their office (or online) to ask questions or discuss course content or feedback.

Reach out to schedule a meeting during your lecturers’ office hours and take advantage of 1:1 advice.

Pro tip: Use the email templates below!

Before your meeting, think about what specific help you need.

If the meeting is about an assessment, you’ve already received written feedback on, make sure you carefully read the feedback and have questions. This will help your marker to give you more specific feedback where you need it or clarify the feedback they’ve already given.

If you’re meeting about course content, make sure you’ve done the readings carefully and reflected on which parts you need clarification on. This will help you get clear and specific answers from your lecturer or tutor.

During your meeting, take notes to record what their responses are for each of your questions and the key points discussed.

The notes will help you remember their advice and apply it to your current and future subjects and assessments.

Focus on getting guidance on the ideas you already have, rather than expecting specific answers. Lecturers and tutors want you to think for yourself, not spoon-feed you answers.

For example, if you’re seeking help on an essay: Tell your tutor or lecturer about your essay thesis and evidence you’ve chosen to back it up. Ask them for guidance on whether your plan will effectively answer the essay question. 

If you’re seeking help on a data science report: Explain the data you are using, your hypotheses and the modelling approach you want to take. Ask for guidance on whether your plan is the best approach to analyse your data and prove your hypothesis.

Responding to feedback is a skill that takes practice!

Lecturers are highly regarded experts in their fields. Their feedback is a great opportunity for you to learn about your chosen field and do even better In future assessments.

Pro tip: You often lose access to the course online platform once the term/semester is over, so keep a record of all the feedback you’ve received across different assessments and courses. This can help you see patterns in feedback from different markers and revisit feedback in the future.

Be kind and respectful when connecting with your lecturer or tutor. They are often juggling many things, so being kind and mindful of their time goes a long way in developing a positive relationship with them. 

Tips on approaching lecturers and tutors

Approaching lectures or tutors can be intimidating at first, but it’s often the best way to get the guidance you’re after. Remember, they are there to support you and help you learn!

Here are eight tips for approaching lecturers and tutors and email templates for you to copy and paste when you need to reach out!

Emailing your lecturer or tutor

Want to reach out to your tutor or lecturer but not sure how to write the email?

Cut and paste the templates provided, fill in the blanks,
and you’re good to go! 

To: [Your tutor/lecturer’s email address – it is normally found in the subject outline document]

Subject: [Put the subject code and topic of your email here, e.g. LAW1001 – Assessment 1 Essay Question]

Hi [tutor/lecturer’s name],

I hope you are well.

I am a student in your [subject code] class and wanted to reach out as I have a few questions on the upcoming assessment [provide assessment details]. I hope you can offer some guidance on my questions listed below:

[Question 1]

[Question 2]

[Question 3]

[Include context for your questions. For example, “I have read paper x, paper y and paper z. My understanding is that paper y builds on paper x by demonstrating that ABC. Am I on the right track with this interpretation of this paper? I think it will be important in building my thesis for the assessment”]

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Kind regards,

[Your first and last name, student number] 

To: [Your tutor/lecturer’s email address – it is normally found in the subject outline document]

Subject: [Put the subject code and topic of your email here, for example: ENG1002 – Open hours]

Hi [tutor/lecturer’s name],

I hope you are well.

I am a student in your [subject code] class and wanted to reach out to see if you’re available to book a time to meet during your open hours next [day and date, for example: Wednesday 18 March]?

I wanted to meet to [give some context around why you want to meet, for example: “to go over what you talked about in this week’s lectures as I was having difficulty understanding how concept X relates to concept Y”, OR “to go over in more detail the feedback you’ve provided on assessment X so that I can understand how to improve for next time”]

If your office hours next week don’t suit you, please let me know your availability.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Kind regards,

[Your first and last name, student number]

To: [Your tutor/lecturer’s email address – it is normally found in the subject outline document]

Subject: [Put the subject code and topic of your email here, for example: BUS1003 – Subject Resources]

Hi [tutor/lecturer’s name],

I hope you are well.

I’d like to follow up on an email I sent you on [date you sent your first email; topic of email].

I am a student in your [subject code] class and reached out previously to [here you can copy and paste the content of your previous email that you want a response to].

I understand you have a busy schedule. Please let me know if it would be easier to make a time to meet to discuss.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Kind regards,

[Your first and last name, student number]

Reflect

Journalling is a great way to self-reflect.

It can help you reflect on your successes, and setbacks and consider how you might change course to keep your goals on track.

Try these prompts throughout your first term/semester to hone your skills at getting the right help and the right time.

What do I know?

What content do I feel confident in with this week/month?

What could I use some help with?

What are the concepts that I’ve found more challenging this week/month? What have I tried so far to better understand this?

How can I get the help I need?

What’s the best approach for understanding this concept? How can I build on what I’ve tried already?

How did I go seeking help?

After trying X, do I understand the content better? Why was it helpful? Why wasn’t it helpful?
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