Supporting Your Students

Supporting Your Students

A list of resources for students are provided in the categories, listed on the left and the table below. Their accompanying agencies are listed at the bottom of screen.

Academic Skills Development

If you wish to incorporate academic skills development into a course, for example in critical thinking, academic writing, presentation skills or mathematical principles, the Student Learning Service will be pleased to collaborate with you in the design and delivery of such a session. Please contact sls@abdn.ac.uk.

You can also recommend the Student Learning Service Academic Skills Workshops or Study Advice Sessions to your students.

Academic skills development online resources are available in MyAberdeen. Look in ACHIEVE, under Organisations for undergraduates and Academic Learning Resources for postgraduates.

Appeals and Complaints

All information for staff relating to Appeals and Complaints can be found in the 'Appeals and Complaints' pages of the Academic Quality Handbook. 

Information for students on Appeals and Complaints can be found under 'Your Studies, Appeals and Complaints' on the University's Students' InfoHub webpages.

Discipline

All information pertaining to the Codes of Practice on Student Discipline (Academic and Non-Academic) and Fitness to Practise policies and guidelines, which set out the procedures to be followed in the case of disciplinary offences by students, is available in the Academic Quality Handbook.

In addition to the electronic versions, you can also access the Codes in hard copy on request from:

Registry Student Services
King's College
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX

Graduate Attributes and ACHIEVE

ACHIEVE: FAQs

Graduate Attributes

As part of Curriculum Reform, the concept of a specific set of qualities, known as Graduate Attributes, emerged. These were designed so that a University of Aberdeen education would enable graduates to become:

  • Academically excellent
  • Critical thinkers and effective communicators
  • Open to learning and personal development
  • Active citizens

You will find a full listing of the individual attributes at Aberdeen Graduate Attributes.

To support the reformed curriculum and to offer students resources to develop and achieve these Graduate Attributes, the ACHIEVE site was launched to all Level 1 students in September 2010, and has now been extended to all undergraduate students. ACHIEVE can be found in the My Organisations section of MyAberdeen.

ACHIEVE on MyAberdeen

This online resource offers undergraduates the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the range and meaning of the Aberdeen Graduate Attributes and provides them with a comprehensive collection of resources to assess and reflect upon their present skills and development needs. This will help them make the most of the opportunities available to develop their skills through taught courses and also through co-curricular activities, such as work placements, study abroad and volunteering.

The ACHIEVE site offers materials to help students to improve their skills and links to university services, including the Student Learning Service and the Careers and Employability Service. The site has been developed by the Centre for Learning and Teaching and the Careers and Employability Service under the guidance of a Curriculum Reform Implementation Board sub group (which includes College Directors of Teaching and Learning, DIT and Students' Association representation) and in consultation with School Directors of Teaching.

You will find this new resource in the My Organisations section of MyAberdeen. To help make the most of the service, workshops will be held for students during the year, details of which can be found on our new students web pages. Information will also be found in flyers around the campus.

If you have any queries or feedback about the ACHIEVE resource, please email graduate-attributes@abdn.ac.uk

ACHIEVE: a Brief Guide

The University of Aberdeen's Graduate Attributes are a wide-ranging set of qualities which students will develop during their time at Aberdeen and will help prepare them for employment, further study and citizenship.

The ACHIEVE MyAberdeen site offers students resources that will enable them to assess, reflect and improve their skills and development needs.

The site is largely intuitive, presenting the four main areas of the Graduate Attributes on the home page with descriptive text indicating the resources within each heading. Resources are provided as documents (PDF and MS Word) and interactive tools to self-assess and improve skills.

Within the "How can I use this site?" button on the Home page, students are encouraged to use their personal portfolio which is accessible with the ACHIEVE site. Instructions as to how to set up and use the e-Portfolio can be found within the same section.

Students can explore the resources within each section and actively self-assess skills such as writing, numeracy or IT.

The ACHIEVE site also contains links providing information for students.

The ACHIEVE resources are found within MyAberdeen and accessible to all staff and all undergraduates.

You can find a PowerPoint slide to promote ACHIEVE in your introductory course lecture in the Graduate Attributes FAQ section of the Centre for Academic Development website.

Financial Guidance

Students can encounter financial difficulties for a number of reasons. In the first instance, you should encourage them to make an appointment with a Student Support Adviser, in the Student Advice and Support Office, on the second floor of the Students' Union Building. The Student Support Adviser will help them to work out what financial assistance they might be eligible for and what options might be available to them.

The Student Advice and Support Office also administers the Discretionary Fund and the Childcare Fund. These funds are provided by the Scottish Government to assist students who experience unexpected financial difficulties or who have formal childcare expenses. Unfortunately, only UK students are eligible to apply for these funds.

Further information on financial guidance for students is also available from the Infohub.

International Students

British immigration legislation is complex and the International Student Advisers in the Student Advice and Support Office are the only people in the University permitted to give immigration advice. They are professionally trained to provide specific immigration advice and their services are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.

If a student you are supporting requires advice or information on UK immigration matters, you should contact an International Student Adviser in the first instance by emailing student.international@abdn.ac.uk.

Library Skills

Staff in the Library can help you to improve your information retrieval skills. We offer practical workshops and a toolkit of resources to help you find information quickly and effectively to meet that all important deadline.

For more information go to Information Skills page on the Library website.

Monitoring

The University monitors the attendance and performance of all students throughout the academic year in two ways

MyAberdeen

MyAberdeen is the University’s Virtual Learning Environment and is based upon the Blackboard Learn 9.1 environment.

For more information about MyAberdeen or contact details please visit the eLearning page within the Teaching and Learning section.

Tuition Fees

For students

Detailed information and advice on the current tuition fees and related policies and regulations can be accessed through the Tuition Fees section.

For members of staff

Staff under contract of employment with the University wishing to undertake studies at the University may be entitled to full or partial payment of their tuition fees from their Department or Section. This is conditional on meeting certain criteria and obtaining permission from the Head of College. The Staff Tuition Fees Policy sets out the full details and conditions of this.

Staff wishing to request assistance with their tuition fees can complete and submit a Staff Tuition Fees application form, once they have consulted the policy and secured the relevant School and College level approvals.

Student Forms

A number of forms which students may require during their time at the University are provided on the Infohub website, should you need to direct them to a particular form.

One form which is not available to students, but a staff member may require, is the Recognitions form. It may be necessary to complete this form where a student has previously studied the content of a course, either at school level or at another university, which is compulsory for their degree programme.

Contacts

Careers and Employability Service

The Careers and Employability Service aims to inspire career success for all through collaboration, innovation and professionalism.

Through our inclusive, responsive and professionally-accredited service, we provide opportunities to:

  • Explore options, enabling individuals to make informed choices about their future through accessible, approachable and effective careers education, information and guidance.

  • Develop employability skills, confidence and experience through innovative curricular, co-curricular and work-related activities in collaboration with university colleagues and employers.

  • Connect our University community with regional, national and global employers and organisations, to build effective partnerships and create diverse opportunities.

Delivering these objectives contributes to and aligns with the University’s 2040 strategy commitments to be inclusive, interdisciplinary, international and sustainable.

We actively promote the University of Aberdeen’s policy on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and adhere to the AGCAS Code of Practice.

For more information visit our website, email careers@abdn.ac.uk or phone +44 (0)1224 273601.

Infohub

The Infohub, based in the Students' Union Building on Elphinstone Road, is a first port of call for many student queries and is supported by a comprehensive website. Full contact details, including a link to the website, are provided below.

The Students' Union Building
Elphinstone Road
Aberdeen
AB24 3TU

Tel: +44 (0)1224 273040
Email: infohub@abdn.ac.uk

Library

The Sir Duncan Rice Library
University of Aberdeen
Bedford Road
Aberdeen
AB24 3AA

Tel: +44 (0)1224 273330
Fax: +44 (0)1224 273956
Email: library@abdn.ac.uk

Registry Office

The day-to-day administration of matters relating to degrees is undertaken by the Registry Officers who are based in the Student Services team. Full contact details for the Registry Officers are provided below.

In addition, the Student Services team provides a Duty Registry Officer service in the Infohub (term time only) from Monday - Friday each week (closes at 1pm on Wednesdays). Students can drop in to see the Duty Registry Officer without an appointment.

Telephone Medicine: +44 (0) 1224 43 7927
Telephone all others: +44 (0) 1224 27 3505

School Email address
Biological Sciences biologicalsciencesregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Business businessregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Divinity, History, Philosophy & History of Art dhparegistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Education educationregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Engineering engineeringregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Geosciences geosciencesregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Joint Institute (SCNU) scnujointinstituteregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Law lawregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Language, Literature, Film & Visual Culture llvcregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Medical Sciences medicalsciencesregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Medicine medicineregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Music musicregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Natural & Computing Science ncsregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Psychology psychologyregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
Qatar qatarregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk 
Social Sciences socialscienceregistryofficer@abdn.ac.uk
School Retention Task Force Members

School

Retention Task Force Member

Contact Details

School of Biological Sciences

Dr Clare Trinder

e:  c.j.trinder@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 274107

Business School

Dr Allan Sim

e:  a.j.sim@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 272463

School of Divinity & Philosophy

Dr Helen Pierce

e:  h.pierce@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 272621

School of Education

Dr Yvonne Bain

e:  y.c.bain@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 274548

School of Engineering

Dr Andrew Starkey

e:  a.starkey@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 272801

School of Geosciences

Dr Malcolm Hole


e:  m.j.hole@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 273434
 

School of Language, Linguistics

Music & Visual Culture

Dr Alexandra Lewis 

e:  alexandra.lewis@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 272671

School of Law

Dr Jon Fitchen

e:  j.fitchen@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 273845

School of Medicine,

Medical Sciences & Nutrition

Prof Rhona Patey

e:  r.patey@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 437960

Dr Steve Tucker

e:  s.j.tucker@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 437491

Dr John Barrow

e:  j.barrow@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 437493

School of Natural &

Computing Sciences

Dr William Harrison

e:  w.harrison@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 272897

School of Psychology

Dr Dannette Marie

e:  dannette.marie@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 273279

School of Social Sciences

Dr Lynne Bennie

e:  l.bennie@abdn.ac.uk
t:  +44 (0)1224 273312

Student Learning Service

In-course Workshops

We are pleased to collaborate with Academic Staff who wish to increase the learning strategies provision within their courses. In-course workshops can include but are not limited to critical thinking, academic writing and presentation skills. If you would like to discuss these and/or any other topics, please contact us at sls@abdn.ac.uk.

How we work with students in individual Study Advice Sessions

All Study Advice Sessions are confidential unless the student elects otherwise. When working on academic writing with undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, we only look at marked work. We go through feedback carefully with the student in order to devise strategies for future writing. In advance of submission of assignments we give general advice on research and structure but will not edit or proof-read text.

Recommending the Student Learning Service

We are happy for you to recommend our Academic Skills Workshops or individual Study Advice Sessions to students. Study Advice Sessions are available for all students and include academic development for academic writing, maths and for students with dyslexia and other specific learning differences.

Please note, however, that students cannot be compelled to access our service. Please refer students to this website; by clicking on the links to Workshops and Study Advice Sessions they will find details and booking forms

Student Support

Student Support consists of two areas specialising in non-academic support for students:

  • the Student Advice and Support Office
  • the University Counselling Service

The Student Advice and Support Office is located on the second floor of The Students' Union Building

Elphinstone Road
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX.
Tel: +44 (0)1224 273935
Email: student.support@abdn.ac.uk

The following services are based in the Student Advice and Support Office