As our students focus on a fresh term and exchange long holiday afternoons for snowy study sessions, that doesn’t mean workdays need to be filled with the winter blues! While lockdowns and colder temperatures may be keeping us inside, you don’t have to go it alone. 

Here at the Learning Hub, we have a wide range of people to support our students as they progress in their degree. You may already be familiar with our team, but just as a reminder, it includes:

Student Achievement Advisers who are here to support you at any stage of academic work. Although we may appear scruffier than usual due to lockdown haircut restrictions, we are always friendly and happy to help! 

From coming up with an essay plan, to honing your note-taking techniques, all the way through to putting the final touches on your masterpiece of a dissertation, we are here to provide support, feedback, and resources through virtual and email tutorials. We can also help you work on your numeracy or English language skills. 

Whether you want to speak to someone live in a Microsoft Teams tutorial or would prefer to book in to receive feedback on a draft via email, we can tailor our approach to help you achieve your academic goals. 

To book a tutorial, drop us an email at: [email protected].

Student Liaison and Engagement Officers (SLEOs) are also on hand to help you with pastoral queries and queries relating to your specific course. Think of us as a bridge between you and your academic department. We can help with things like:

• Deferrals
• Extension requests
• Concerns about deadlines and mitigating circumstances
• How to contact academic members of staff
• Booking meetings
• General queries about academic life

To get in touch, email us at: [email protected].

Peer Learning Mentors (PLMs) are another great resource to help you stay motivated in your assignments. We are upper level undergraduate and post-graduate students who work for the Learning Hub during term-time. We can support you with academic skills, assessments, or any aspect of university life. Currently, we are each running an hour-long, weekly drop-in session via Microsoft Teams which you can join at any time for a chat. You can find the full PLM timetable on myLTU.

Now that we’ve all been reintroduced, why not get stuck in with our services by trying out one of the following Winter Ice-Breaker Challenges?

1. Pick out a resource on our Learning Hub Moodle or MyLTU pages, like this one on Critical Thinking, to help you get inspired in your academic skills
2. Email [email protected] to get a link to a PLM session and drop in for a quick chat (it’ll also give you a chance to try out a fun new Teams background!)
3. Schedule a tutorial with a Student Achievement Adviser to get some feedback on a draft of your work by emailing [email protected]
4. Visit our myLTU page to find out who the SLEO is for your course

Remember: just because we’re locked down, doesn’t mean you have to feel locked out. We’re always on hand to help!

Dr Sara Brio is a Student Achievement Advisor at Leeds Trinity University. Originally from California, her role at Leeds Trinity is to help students find their academic voice.