To embed or not to embed – that is the question

Hill & Mullen discussed a ‘distributed’ Learning Development model that operates within Huddersfield. Here the Academic Skills tutors (AST) are not centrally funded & provided but are attached to and funded by specific Departments.
The proposition is that when an AST ‘belongs’ to a Department not only is there a more intimate awareness of the forms & practices of that discipline and the preferred modes of accessing Learning Development (LD) by those students, but also LD itself is ‘owned’ more positively by the whole Dept. Synergy in Learning Development across the university is provided amongst ASTs in their Support Group.
The AST aim is engagement, motivation and to raise a perception of value in staff and students alike and to create
‘ a whole institution approach to student writing’ [to] result in ‘an open, informed and vibrant culture of writing across the university’
Lisa Ganobcsik Williams
via one-to-one tutorials; one off workshops; team teaching; peer tutoring; writing programmes and computerised support.