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Training and Development

Academic Advising bannerHere we present a range of training and development opportunities for staff undertaking the role of Academic Adviser including guidance on supporting students with mental health issues. 

If you require any bespoke training or wish to have a conversation about your professional academic development needs, please take a look at the Academic Development Events website.

 

Being an Academic Adviser

  • Being an Academic Adviser is a mandatory online course which includes three video scenarios describing typical dilemmas encountered by Academic Advisers as they support students at different levels. Its a short course which takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and is available for all academic staff in Blackboard under organisation sites.
  • Take a look at the Academic Induction, Careers and Work Planning overview for details on how we support our academic advising staff. 

Currently, we offer colleagues undertaking the role of Academic Adviser 2 courses, as below. In the new year, Melissa Jacobi will be refining these so that the Introduction to Academic Advising is a prerequisite for Fundamentals of Academic Advising.  If you have any queries regarding this please contact Melissa at ! Academic Advising.

Introduction to Academic Advising

This one hour Academic Advising workshop is aimed at staff new to Hallam, who are looking for a practical overview of the remit of the Academic Adviser role and an introduction to the tools used to support Academic Advisers.  Attendees should have already completed the Being an Academic Adviser mandatory Blackboard Training (above).  Upcoming workshops: 

NB: To access the Google form, please open the link in Google Chrome (and not Internet Explorer) and use your SHU Google Apps log-in (user name @my.shu.ac.uk). 

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Fundamentals of Academic Advising

This 2 ½ hour training session is scenario based and considers in detail the boundaries of the Academic Adviser role and how we support students to get the most out of their time at Hallam.  We will consider how we signpost students to a appropriate support and explore key tools and resources available to Academic Advisers.  Please take a look at our Infographic – stats and feedback from 2019/20. Upcoming workshops:

NB: To access the Google form, please open the link in Google Chrome (and not Internet Explorer) and use your SHU Google Apps log-in (user name @my.shu.ac.uk). 

International Students

Are you an Academic Adviser that has a cohort of International Students?  We can offer a session that includes an introduction to the theme, case study discussion and guidance about further support for international students.

Led by Krassimira Teneva, Head of International Experience, this session provides an introduction to some of the academic challenges experienced by international students and proposed approaches to academic advising to respond to these challenges. The session is aimed at academic advisers working with international students but is also suitable for advisers working with students from non-traditional backgrounds.  Upcoming workshops:

In the meantime, please take a look at Advising International Students guidance. For further information you can contact Krassie Teneva, Head of International Experience k.r.teneva@shu.ac.uk and Melissa Jacobi, Head of Academic Advising melissa.jacobi@shu.ac.uk

Supporting Distressed Students

Designed to help support you in developing and refreshing practical skills to respond to students in distress. The training will consist of two workshops and drop in support will be available during the training period.  If you would like a bespoke session for your team/department, please contact Melissa Jacobi, Head of Academic Advising melissa.jacobi@shu.ac.uk.

Supporting our Students

Mental Health Awareness

  • Developed by the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, this Mental Health Awareness online package is designed to give non-specialist staff the skills, knowledge and confidence to offer a first line of support to students who may have mental health issues and is on Blackboard under organisation sites.
  • You can also access the “Mental Health Aware” workshop. A 3 hour group workshop run by HROD running on a monthly basis. For details and booking please log on to The Core Portal and search Mental Health Aware Workshop.

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Emergency Protocol Guidance

For advice on a specific situation.

  • The Student Wellbeing Team are able to provide guidance and you can email the team direct using the email title as “Advice Required”. A duty adviser will provide support when they are free.
  • For emergency situations please follow the Emergency Protocol guidance.
  • You can also obtain guidance on our supporting our students overview for students in distress and missing students.   

Support for Academic Advisers

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Staff Groups

You can join this supportive Sheffield Hallam University staff online group where colleagues discuss Academic Advising using the private Yammer social networking tool. If you don’t already have a Yammer account, you can create one quickly and easily here. 

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This page is maintained on behalf of Melissa Jacobi by the Academic Development & Diversity Team and if you’d like to contribute to this resource please contact the team.

Last updated: 23rd November 2021 NB