Mediterranean College has developed an integrated support system, aiming to increase student achievement and performance within the UK higher education context. This system is based on two pillars: student support services and monitoring academic progress & feedback.
There are multiple ways for monitoring academic progress and providing constructive feedback to students:
- Meetings with academic staff
All academic staff have announced office hours to meet with students. In those meetings students receive useful guidance for their module assessments, detailed feedback on their progress and counselling for their future academic and professional choices.
- Personal Tutoring
All undergraduate students are allocated with a personal tutor. Each tutor is responsible for a small number of students and hence monitor closely the progress of his/ her tutees and offer guidance and support for any academic, professional or personal matter. Tutees meet their tutors at scheduled bi-monthly meetings, but they could meet them more frequently if they wish so.
- Formative Assessment: drafts & mock tests
Students have the opportunity to participate in formative assessment in their modules and receive directions and feedback, before they engage with their summative, final assessments. This is possible through the submission of a draft paper before the definitive deadline of a coursework submission. In modules that are assessed through exams, the equivalent outcome is achieved with mock tests, where students simulate the final exam and actually receive a mark and feedback.
- Feedback-back & Feed-forward
Feedback is an integral part of teaching and learning in the UK higher education system. Written or oral, it is provided in any form of assessment a student undertakes, either formative or summative. In written assignments, staff complete a feedback form for every single student, which justifies the awarded mark, highlights areas of good practice and pinpoints elements for improvement. Beyond feedback, staff also use the feed-forward technique to offer students future-oriented options and suggestions for further development, rather than emphasise on past results.
- Parent meetings
Parents and guardians belong to the wider College community and implicitly participate in the student’s academic journey. Hence, they are invited to participate in two planned, parent meetings per year, where they have the opportunity to discuss with our staff the challenges and accomplishments of their children.
