Overview

Overview

It is important to understand how your tutoring will fit into a bigger picture, so this section gives an overview of the kind of teaching done in the School and what your role is likely to be within it. It also provides information about the key contacts for tutors in the School.

Teaching in the School

Teaching is hugely important to the School, and we are committed to providing an excellent experience for our students. As a tutor, you will have an important part to play since you are likely to be the member of staff who your students interact with most frequently.

Programmes

We offer a number of degrees which have mathematics in their title, including combined Honours options. Our BSc degrees typically take 4 years (although well-qualified students can choose to enter directly into year 2) and we also offer a 5 year MMath.

Year 1 teaching

Mathematics students will take our ‘specialist’ maths courses in Year 1:

• Introduction to Linear Algebra (“ILA”, Semester 1)
• Calculus and its Applications (“CAP”, Semester 2)
• Proofs and Problem Solving (“PPS”, Semester 2)

Note that all students on Informatics (Computer Science / Artificial Intelligence) degrees take ILA and CAP so Mathematics students only make up about 40% of the class, while for PPS the class is mostly made up of Mathematics students.

Many of our Mathematics students also take our Year 1 optional courses:

• Fundamentals of Algebra and Calculus (“FAC”, Semester 1)

• Introduction to Data Science (“IDS”, Semester 1)

Students taking Chemistry or Engineering degrees take the ‘non-specialist’ courses:

• Engineering Mathematics 1a (“EM1a”, Semester 1)

• Mathematics for the Natural Sciences 1a (“MNS1a”, Semester 1)

• Engineering Mathematics 1b (“EM1b”, Semester 2)

• Mathematics for the Natural Sciences 1b (“MNS1a”, Semester 1)

Physics students have separate arrangements (although some will take our courses as well or instead of those taught by the School of Physics). Some Engineering/Chemistry students may opt to take the specialist maths courses as might some students taking a completely unrelated degree course.

All students are required to take (and pass) courses worth 120 credit points each year – note that in particular this means mathematics students in year 1 will only need to spend half their time on mathematics, with the other half spent on our optional courses, or courses from across the University.

You can find information about all the courses we teach via Path, which is the tool students use to help them choose courses.

Cohort

Our students come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Very roughly, about a third are from Scotland, a third are from the rest of the UK and a third are from overseas. Each group will have studied different maths curricula at school and will not all have the same knowledge and skills as each other; this has to be kept in mind when tutoring. They are also mostly not used to learning new material at the pace required at university, so this is something our courses try to develop

Scottish students will have taken Higher Mathematics (and most will also have taken Advanced Higher). Elsewhere in the UK they will have taken A-Levels and some of those will also have taken Further Maths at AS or A level.

Workshops

As a tutor, you will most likely be assigned to workshops. These were previously known as “tutorials” but we prefer “workshops” as it more accurately describes the ethos – emphasising that the students should be active rather than passive.

Workshops are typically held in larger rooms called “teaching studios” where students work together in groups. These studios have space for 50-100 students at a time, seated in groups of up to 6.

As well as several tutors, there will usually also be a "session leader" or "supertutor" (often the course lecturer), who will run the session.

• The most common arrangement for year 1 and year 2 classes is that each pair of tables (10-12 students in total) constitutes a fixed group and they have an assigned tutor who teaches them and marks hand-in work.
• In later years, tutors are not normally tied to particular tables and will cover the whole room between them.

Sometimes because of small numbers or a shortage of suitable space, each group may be in a separate room with just their tutor.

More detailed advice on what is expected of tutors in workshops can be found via this link.

Locations and Times

Teaching takes place either in:

• The Central Area – also referred to as "in town" or "George Square". This is where most first year workshops are held.  The teaching studios are in Appleton Tower and the basement of David Hume Tower.
• King’s Buildings, mainly in the James Clerk Maxwell Building (JCMB) and Merchison House (MH). The teaching studios in JCMB are rooms 3217, 4325C, 1206c and 6301.

Make sure you know where your tutorials are and how you are going to get there. Arrive in good time and take with you anything you might need.

Most teaching sessions last for 50 minutes and they begin at one of the following times: 0900, 1000, 1110, 1210, 1310, 1410, 1510, 1610, 1710. (You may hear people refer to a workshop at 1110 as an "11 o’clock tutorial".) It is important that tutors keep to these times as students need to get to and from other classes.

Note that the specialist Year 1 courses have different arrangements, with longer workshops

Course administration

Each course has a Course Organiser (CO) who is responsible for managing the course, and who is ultimately responsible for assigning your duties on their course. The CO is assisted by a Course Secretary who will be the person who will deal directly for administrative matters.

Each course has a Learn page (via learn.ed.ac.uk) to which you should be given access. It will contain material for the students that you should also be familiar with. Large course may maintain a “Tutor Information” folder on their Learn page, this will contain material for tutors which is not available to students.

Pastoral issues

As a tutor you do not have direct pastoral responsibility for your students, but students may approach you with questions or problems. In most cases the correct response is to pass on the matter to the lecturer or the Course Organiser (CO). 

In 2022-23 the university had started to roll out a new model for student support on a phased basis. As a result there will be some variation in how different students are supported but it will be broadly consistent across year groups.

For pastoral issues affecting the student's studies they should be advised to contact the Student Support team, which for students in the School of Maths, can be contacted using the address studentsupport@maths.ed.ac.uk. For more serious welfare issues, students can also contact their School’s Wellbeing Adviser directly.

If you have serious concerns about a student’s wellbeing then you are welcome to share your concerns with student support or their Student Advisor as appropriate. The course administrator can help you identify the Student Advisor in any particular case.