Senior Tutor’s Guide: Academic Support & Resources at Imperial College

1. Senior Tutor’s Introduction2010

2. English Language Support Programme (ELSP) For information about English language teaching, see the ELSP website at: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/humanities/englishlanguagesupport/classesduringtermtime/generalenglishclasses Advice there for new students is: “Please email elspadministrator@imperial.ac.uk for details on how to take the brief registration test online and for information on what English support is available to you at this late stage in the academic year.” • SENIOR TUTOR - concerned with students' progress and welfare • Margaret Cunningham mrc@doc.ic.ac.uk • Room 373 Huxley Building Tel. 48277 (int.) 020 7594 8277 (ext) • Sickness: • - telephone or email if sick more than 2 days • - bring medical note if absent over 1 week • Other absence - you MUST see the Senior Tutor. • Difficulties affecting your studies: • eg. health, financial, personal, accommodation • tell your personal tutor or the Senior Tutor • they will know where to get help. • Course transfers - need to see the Senior Tutor to leave or transfer. • Professional Issues • - behaviour towards each other • - use of Computing facilities. • - coursework integrity • We have high standards and take action if they are not met. • MEng Computing (International Programme) • Requirement: at least GCSE Grade B in French, German, • Spanish or Italian. • Programme: take language option in years 1, 2, 3. • (Levels 3, 4, 5 if starting with GCSE; • Levels 4, 5, 6 from A level) • MEng3 Industrial Placement, April to September..usually in • the country of 4th year studies • MEng4 spent taking final year in Europe. • Current partner Universities in France, Germany: • Cost: NO tuition fee for year in Europe; + Erasmus grant + student benefits (eg. in France) • Admissions – find out what you missed • Try the test to see how you would have scored… • The College is asking all first year students to take a sample test to help decide whether to introduce it for admissions. • the test is: • - online • - anonymous (the Dept will not know your score – but you can find out) • - on Tuesday 14 October in the Lab session 09.00-11.00 • ..more details from Lab organizers later this week • REGISTRATION • 1. with the College - online • 2. with the Department - room 370 Huxley Building • 3. with the Health Centre – ground floor, southside of Princes Gardens: • you can register if you are living in • N 1, 5, 6, 7, NW 1, 3, 5, 8, WC 1, 2, • SW 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10 W 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14. • ..in other areas you should register with a GP nearby but may attend the Health Centre during working hours. • 4. Get a National Insurance number (ask at any Job Centre) • How to Fail the year: 1 • Socialise late.. get up late.. miss the first lecture. • Oversleep and miss the next lecture • Decide having missed the lectures to miss the tutorial. • Miss the maths or programming tutorial as you don't understand the work & won't be able to answer questions/contribute. • How to Fail the Year: 2 • Believe earlier advice that 'the hardest thing you will ever do is 3 A-levels' • and so.. • go out every night and/or • get a part-time job which fills every night • Assume any assignment can be done in the last evening before the submission date.....and when you find it can't….. submit work which is not your own - this can have catastrophic consequences • Assume that having the lecture notes in your bag is as good as having read and understood them - or will be when you get round to it. • Rely on last minute revision before the exams. • How to Fail the Year 3 • Ignore all offers of available help from tutors and lab staff. • Ignore emails from tutors or the Senior Tutor when they want to see you. • Fail to report absence of over 2-3 days, or to provide a medical certificate after a week. • Miss examinations without immediate medical certificate. • How to Fail the Year 4 • Believe what other students tell you about what you need to pass the year. • Sign up for so many societies that your feet never touch the ground. • Sign up for none, and spend all the time thinking about doing some work. • Assume that as you are doing more work than X, that must be enough. • .........alternatively, much simpler... • How to Pass the Year • Attend lectures and tutorials • Read lecture notes. • Submit coursework and labs. • Notify absence + medical cert. if ill • Revise for Exams…and • ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT

3. REGISTRATION 1. with the College - online 2. with the Department - room 370 Huxley Building 3. with the Health Centre – ground floor, south side of Princes Gardens: you can register if you are living in N 1, 5, 6, 7, NW 1, 3, 5, 8, WC 1, 2, SW 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10 W 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14. ..in other areas you should register with a GP nearby but may attend the Health Centre during working hours. www.imperialcollegehealthcentre.co.uk 4. Get a National Insurance number (ask at any Job Centre)

4. SENIOR TUTOR - concerned with students' progress and welfare • Margaret Cunningham mrc@doc.ic.ac.uk • Room 373 Huxley Building Tel. 48277 (int.) 020 7594 8277 (ext) Sickness: • - telephone or email if sick more than 2 days • - bring medical note if absent more than 1 week • Other absence - you MUST see the Senior Tutor.

5. Difficulties affecting your Studies • eg. health, financial, personal, accommodation tell your personal tutor or the Senior Tutor they will know where to get help. • Course transfers - need to see the Senior Tutor to leave or transfer. • Professional Issues • - behaviour towards each other • - use of Computing facilities.  - coursework integrity: Read the Plagiarism advice on the First Year Noticeboard • We have high standards and take action if they are not met.

6. MEng Computing (International Programme) • Requirement: at least GCSE Grade B in French, German, • Spanish or Italian. Programme: take language courses in years 1, 2, 3. • (Levels 3, 4, 5 if starting with GCSE; Levels 4, 5, 6 from A level)  MEng3 Industrial Placement, April to September..usually in the country of 4th year studies • MEng4 spent taking final year in Europe. • Current partner Universities in • Paris, Grenoble (France), Karlesruhe, Aachen (Germany) • Zurich (Switzerland) University of California (San Diego)- 3rd year place • Cost: NO tuition fee for year in Europe; + Erasmus grant + student benefits (eg. in France)

7. How to Fail the Year 1 • Socialise late.. get up late.. miss the first lecture. • Oversleep and miss the next lecture • Decide having missed the lectures to miss the tutorial. • Miss the maths or programming tutorial as you don't understand the work & won't be able to answer questions/contribute.

8. How to Fail the Year 2 • Believe earlier advice that 'the hardest thing you will ever do is 3 A-levels' and so.. go out every night and/or get a part-time job which fills every night • Assume any assignment can be done in the last evening before the submission date.....and when you find it can't….. submit work which is not your own - this can have catastrophic consequences • Assume that having the lecture notes in your bag is as good as having read and understood them - or will be when you get round to it. • Rely on last minute revision before the exams.

9. How to Fail the Year 3 • Ignore all offers of available help from tutors and lab staff. • Ignore emails from tutors or the Senior Tutor when they want to see you. • Fail to report absence of over 2-3 days, or to provide a medical certificate after a week. • Miss examinations without immediate medical certificate.

10. How to Fail the Year 4 • Believe what other students tell you about what you need to pass the year. • Sign up for so many societies that your feet never touch the ground. • Sign up for none, and spend all the time thinking about doing some work. • Assume that as you are doing more work than X, that must be enough.

11. How to Pass the Year • .........alternatively, much simpler… • Attend lectures and tutorials • Read lecture notes during lecture courses - “continuous revision” • Submit coursework and labs. on time • Notify absence + medical cert. if ill • Revise for Exams…and ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT