The High Impact Leader: Moments Matter in Accelerating Authentic Leadership Development (review)
Year: 2008

In Part 2, "Institutional Models and Approaches," Heather Hartwell and Crispin Farbrother, in Chapter 6, "Enhancing the First Year Experience through Personal Tutoring," introduce the research findings of a pilot program at the School of Services Management, Bournemouth University, as part of the first year experience. The program reviews Stepping Stones, a website created to help encourage a culture of learning and a sense of community for incoming students. They report that students who use it are more likely to succeed in subsequent years. Chapter 7, "Putting Students First: Developing Accessible and Integrated Support" by Liz Marr and Sheila Aynsley Smith, describes the model used at Manchester Metropolitan University and introduces the Student Support Officers (SSO) pilot program. They describe its implementation and successful integration on campus. Similarly, Chapter 8, "Creating a Network of Student Support" by Barbara Lee and Alan Robinson, describes the Students 1st program, created to fill the need for a holistic and integrated system of student support at Southampton Solent University. The authors describe the process of uniting key university offices to provide accurate information and increase communication among the offices involved. In Chapter 9, "Platoons to Encourage Social Cohesion Amongst a Large and Diverse Undergraduate Population," Peter Hill describes the creation of student peer groups "platoons" in the University of Westminster's Business School. They were designed to provide student support during a 2003 2006 enrollment increase. The students involved relied on each other more for help in courses and showed an increase in grades and connection to the university than students in earlier years before the program's implementation. "Strategic Approaches to the Development and Management of Personal Tutorial Systems in UK Higher Education" by Margo Blythman, Susan Orr, Daphne Hampton, Martina McLaughlin, and Harry Waterworth concludes Part 2. It describes the authors' nine years of experience in developing a culture and structure for advising by combining theoretical constructs with the development of advising strategies. They focus on four key areas: (a) developing structures and cultures to create the position of the tutor coordinator, (b) relating the strategies of this work to the structure of the university/college, (c) harnessing resources, and (d) dealing with the difficulties encountered during this process. They include recommendations for developing an advising system. Part 3, "Issues and Implication for Staff," contains four chapters describing various programs to support the development of advisors in professional and personal ways. Chapter 11, "Changing Practice in Tutorial Provision within Post Compulsory Education" by Sally Wootton, highlights the need for the institution's mission to incorporate the tutoring philosophy. In addition, as students' needs change, Wootton suggests implementing new methods, such as mentoring, to ensure student success. Chapter 12, "'Who's Looking After Me? Supporting New Personal Tutors," by Pauline Ridley, and Chapter 13, "Issues for Online Personal Tutoring: Staff Perceptions from an Online Distance Learning Programme" by Rosalind Crouch and Ruth Barrett, review various support structures in place for advisors. Ridley's institution encourages new lecturers to complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. The program provides a safe place for lecturers to be supported in their struggles in working with students and helps them maintain the balance between teaching and advising. In support of 21st century teaching styles and student needs, Crouch and Barrett provide verbal and nonverbal strategies for online advisors. The information is also useful for advisors who meet with students face to face and can be implemented easily in daily work routines. The final chapter, "Working with a Lack of Structure: The Experience of Supporting WorkBased Learning" by Charlotte Ramage, reports the findings of the research conducted on students, mentors, and teachers who are involved in workbased learning, a new educational method for health care professionals. This chapter will also be helpful to professionals working with learning communities and other similar programs. As a U.S. citizen not familiar with the U.K. education system, I first found it difficult to understand the terminology used in the book. However, after I figured it out, the information allowed me to view advising in a more global way. Personal Tutoring in Higher Education is a resource that student personnel administrators can use to create new programs, help justify the work being done, and show the impact of our work in student success and retention.