Feedback and role or lecturers/ tutors at uni
This may be a really silly question, but how much do uni staff actually help in terms of individual academic progress?
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Reply 1
Hi,
Absolutely, it never hurts to ask! It most definitely is not too much to ask for. I've been a UG teaching assistant for about a year now, and I can reassure you that most teaching staff probably have the opposite problem, where they wished students would ask more questions. It makes us feel like we're actually making a difference.
I would say a handful of lecturers are quite busy and don't like to be so involved in UG teaching, so your best bet would be asking your most approachable/talkative course convenors, tutors, and PhD students. Pop into their office hours, I'm sure they wouldn't mind spending a couple minutes reading over what you've done. Even if they say no, that's okay. It's not rude or out of the ordinary to have asked.
Crystal (Lancaster Student Ambassador)
Absolutely, it never hurts to ask! It most definitely is not too much to ask for. I've been a UG teaching assistant for about a year now, and I can reassure you that most teaching staff probably have the opposite problem, where they wished students would ask more questions. It makes us feel like we're actually making a difference.
I would say a handful of lecturers are quite busy and don't like to be so involved in UG teaching, so your best bet would be asking your most approachable/talkative course convenors, tutors, and PhD students. Pop into their office hours, I'm sure they wouldn't mind spending a couple minutes reading over what you've done. Even if they say no, that's okay. It's not rude or out of the ordinary to have asked.
Crystal (Lancaster Student Ambassador)
Reply 2
Original post
by AnonymousThis may be a really silly question, but how much do uni staff actually help in terms of individual academic progress?
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Hi there!
It depends on your tutors and the module, but I agree that it doesn't hurt to ask! I know it might feel a bit awkward but if you are struggling with something and you want them to read over it, you are within your rights to ask and if they don't have time they will tell you that they can't do it. Usually they will be happy to read a little bit of work - they might not read all of an assignment but they may read bits here and there to ensure you are on the right track or just to check how you are getting on if you are stuck.
I would make the most of any formative feedback opportunities too. Sometimes in a module there will be set days where you get feedback and you can present a draft or bit of work so if you do get these make sure you make the most of them so you can get feedback on your work!
If you ever have any questions in general, make sure you do ask your tutors as this is what they are there to help you with so they will be happy to answer! If you ever feel too uncomfortable to ask in a lecture you can ask in your seminars and they will be happy to help.
If you have an academic advisor or personal tutor they are also there to help you so if you don't feel like you are able to ask your tutor, you could ask one of these! I am sure they would be more than happy to help you out.
I hope some of this helps!
Lucy -SHU student ambassador.
Original post
by AnonymousThis may be a really silly question, but how much do uni staff actually help in terms of individual academic progress?
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Something to bear in mind as alluded to above - lecturers are normally very busy. Not only do they teach (usually multiple modules) they also usually have to undertake a lot of admin related work within the department, and on top of that do their research and publishing. Lecturers generally are already doing a lot more work than what they are being paid for.
I think most lecturers would be reluctant to look at a new submission, even purely for formative purposes, on this basis. As while in this case its just you as an individual asking, imagine if then the whole module cohort does the same? I think it would probably not be something you should ask for in that case. Equally I'm not sure rewriting the assignment is a valuable use of your time either.
Personally I think the best option here for all involved would be to look at the feedback provided, think about how you could have integrated that into the work, and then go to an office hour and just have a conversation about what the implication of those changes would be and how you understand the feedback so you can bring it into the next piece of work. That is essentially what office hours are for, and lecturers normally have set office hours they are expected to be available for (so going to them is not asking something extra from them). Also in general the impression I've gotten from about every lecturer is that their office hours are significantly underutilised (I went to two office hours for a module once and the lecturer commented I was the only student to go at all that term).
So it's really a case of utilising the support already available, rather than for asking for the lecturers to do something "extra" for you specifically. Office hours are a very good opportunity to make the most of with this
Also in terms of writing support, often unis will have a writing lab/similar which can help provide some less subject specific support around academic writing. So you can also check with your personal tutor what offerings are available in that sense. Often the library will run study skills type events which you can sign up to as well!Reply 4
Hi there,
You’ve already had some good advice, but just to reassure you further, many lecturers do genuinely expect students to ask for help. A lot of them offer dedicated office hours or bookable one-to-one slots specifically for this purpose, so it’s always worth checking their email signature or module page to see if this is available.
In terms of rewriting work and asking for feedback, it’s usually acceptable to ask for guidance or formative feedback, as long as it’s clear you’re not asking for a re-mark or guaranteed approval. A quick, polite email explaining that you’ve acted on previous feedback and would appreciate any general comments on your progress is reasonable.
You might also want to check whether your university has an academic success/achievement team or similar. This support often sits within library services, and they can look over things like structure, clarity, and referencing before submission — even if they can’t comment on subject content.
Hope this helps, and good luck with the rest of your first year 🙂
Megan (LJMU Rep)
You’ve already had some good advice, but just to reassure you further, many lecturers do genuinely expect students to ask for help. A lot of them offer dedicated office hours or bookable one-to-one slots specifically for this purpose, so it’s always worth checking their email signature or module page to see if this is available.
In terms of rewriting work and asking for feedback, it’s usually acceptable to ask for guidance or formative feedback, as long as it’s clear you’re not asking for a re-mark or guaranteed approval. A quick, polite email explaining that you’ve acted on previous feedback and would appreciate any general comments on your progress is reasonable.
You might also want to check whether your university has an academic success/achievement team or similar. This support often sits within library services, and they can look over things like structure, clarity, and referencing before submission — even if they can’t comment on subject content.
Hope this helps, and good luck with the rest of your first year 🙂
Megan (LJMU Rep)
Reply 5
Original post
by AnonymousThis may be a really silly question, but how much do uni staff actually help in terms of individual academic progress?
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Hi @Anonymous👋
Hope you are well. This is a good question don't worry 😊 Now you are correct in knowing that it is much more independent in university and you rely less on the teachers compared to college and secondary school but it is still ok to ask for help!
Many lecturers are busy but it is still ok for you to ask for help, they may actually appreciate you coming in and asking and help you or they may direct you to someone else.
At Essex, we have a student forum on our moodle page where we can ask questions and it is a lifesaver because it is not always easy to ask questions in a class packed of students and sometimes a lecture is just content learning and there is no time to ask questions so we ask on the forum instead and they get back to us.
We also have a scheduled slot every week for that module that is optional and it is a voluntary academic support hour where you can drop in and ask for help for anything. You can ask some questions about the lecture or about assignments and in your case it is the perfect time to ask about feedback on assignments.
We actually also have lab assistants in our lab classes who are PhD students and they are good people to ask for help too about this as they may find it useful as well. So to answer your question, it is perfectly ok to ask because there are different options to get help. University is different because you have to get used to reaching out for support without them checking in so do check if you have academic support hour sessions at all or anything. If not then just go and talk to your lecturer or even personal tutor as they can get you in touch with your lecturer 🙂
Essex Student Rep- Lavanya💜
Reply 6
20
Staff 100% shouldn't fully 'mark' a rewrite, it's excessive and replicating it for an entire cohort would usually be impossible. This would amount to some students getting an unfair advantage.
Giving general feedback is usually ok.
Giving general feedback is usually ok.
Reply 7
Original post
by AnonymousThis may be a really silly question, but how much do uni staff actually help in terms of individual academic progress?
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Hi there,
I am a final year Cyber Security student, and I am regularly asking my lecturers for additional support. I have found out that academics tend to actually be willing to support and go an extra mile with you if you show that you are passionate and genuinely interested in the subject. This is basically the main reason I am now considering going into research after graduation. My advice - definitely go for it, it never hurts to show that you genuinely care and want to excel in your field.
Take care,
Ilya,
Final Year Cyber Security student at De Montfort University
Reply 8
Original post
by AnonymousThis may be a really silly question, but how much do uni staff actually help in terms of individual academic progress?
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Hey,
It is totally normal to feel a bit unsure about how much you can ask of your lecturers, and it’s a very common question for students in their first year. Transitioning from the structure of secondary school/college to the independent environment of university is a big shift, but asking for help is definitely socially acceptable and encouraged.
Whenever I feel stuck on something, I always ask my lecturers for advice or feedback. I've found that they are usually very happy to help when you reach out with specific questions.
Here is some clear and reassuring advice on how to handle support at uni:
•
Asking for Help: It is absolutely okay to ask for extra feedback, as lecturers are there to support your academic progress.
•
Socially Acceptable: Most staff actually appreciate students who take an active interest in their own development and aren't just looking for a grade.
•
Using Office Hours: Every lecturer has dedicated "office hours" specifically for students to drop in and discuss their work or ask for extra support.
•
Being Specific: If you want to show them a rewritten section, it helps to be specific about which part you’ve changed so they can give you the most useful advice.
Hope this helps!😊
Rachel
(Third Year)
Undergraduate Multimedia Journalism
Original post
by AnonymousThis may be a really silly question, but how much do uni staff actually help in terms of individual academic progress?
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Sometimes I want to ask for help but don’t know if it’s socially acceptable. For example, I wanted to rewrite an assignment with the suggested changes and ask for it to be marked (not for an official grade, just for my own development) but I’m unsure if this is an okay thing to do? I don’t want to be cheeky or ask more of them than what I should.
At secondary, I was lucky to have amazing teachers and I often asked for extra help with academics. I was very grateful that they were willing to do that. University so far is a very independent environment in comparison, so I don’t really know whether it’s typical to ask for extra feedback or support.
Just don’t really know anyone else that’s been to uni and I am in first year too, so any advice is appreciated.
Hey!
Not a silly question at all, this was something I looked out for the most when choosing a university as I knew this support was so important to me.
I can only speak for my own university experience but I've found that staff are always keen to help when they can! In terms of the process, for my course we are usually not allowed to show staff a full draft of an assignment to get feedback on but we are allowed to show them very detailed plans. We usually have an academic support session halfway through the module to discuss assignment support, ask questions and get help on what we need. There is often a second assignment support session at the end of the module too, depending on when deadline dates are.
I've also had the option in nearly all of my modules to book 1:1 meetings with the lecturer, either in person or online. These are a half hour meeting where I can ask whatever questions I have (I usually come prepared with a full page of them!) and you can get really specific here. It's not quite sending in a draft and getting a hypothetical mark back, but it is as close as we can really get and you could always ask lots of really specific small questions. I've also had the option to email my lecturers as and when I need and we have a policy to expect a reply within 3 working days, I quite often send some really detailed questions and most give me detailed responses. It does depend on the lecturer and their style but I have had a really positive experience with this personally. I think it does help that I speak up in class a lot too and try get to know my lecturers so I build up a good rapport.
You do usually also get detailed feedback on assignments when you get your marks back which is very helpful, aiming to tell you where you can improve so you can make changes next time. We also get the name of the person who has marked our work and we can usually arrange a meeting to discuss the marking further if we want to - I usually try to do this every time as I find it so helpful and things are often explained so much better in person.
There is often lots of academic support through other routes so your programme leader or a personal tutor can often give you support if you have any queries or confusion. Additionally, library services usually have some academic support available such as short courses or various resources to help with what you need 😊
If you're not sure where to look, reach out to your programme leader to ask where you can get support and they should be able to advise you.
Becky
University of Salford Student Rep
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- How do i find my first job
- First drafts
- What you should be aware of during your degree if you might want to do a Master's
- Practice Questions in University
- First year law results
- How to find a job in uni?
- MSC psychology and mental health online course @ Sheffield Hallam
- Worried about second year of uni
- URGENT: Advice Regarding Final Year Project and Supervisor Communication
- How do I know what University to choose?
- Flagged
- what are these uni’s like?
- How To Cope With A Disappointing Exam Result
- No matter what I do, I can't get a first
- So much rampant cheating/dishonest behavior unpunished in UK unis
- Can I still get a 2:1 after getting 50% in second year?
- First lab report
- Dissertation Mark - Architecture
- Mature Student (38) needing a great tutor for maths and physics
- Can someone offer advice 🙏.
Latest
Trending
Last reply 3 months ago
Laptop vs iPad for universityLast reply 8 months ago
living away from home for university- pros / cons, advice ?University life
15
15
Last reply 9 months ago
Should I Appeal an Academic Misconduct Finding at a UK University?Last reply 9 months ago
Will I be an outcast in uni if I don’t use social media?University life
14
13
Articles for you
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
