Selma Is Confused and Anxious

New Academic Induction Programme (NAIP) Being an Academic Adviser at the LSE Thursday 10th September 2009

Student scenarios and suggested answers …

1. Referral to Counselling Service Selma is confused and anxious. She’s the first person in her family to attend University, and her parents are very proud of her. She thinks she is struggling but can’t bring herself to tell them. Some days she has no energy or motivation, and her concentration is poor. She had similar feelings whilst doing her ‘A’ Levels, and as she talks she begins to cry. She says she is not eating properly and doesn’t know what to do to sort this all out. It all feels too much for her.

What kind of issue is this? This student has signs of depression – low mood, tearfulness, lack of energy and poor concentration are common symptoms. The loss of appetite and feelings of helplessness are a concern with depression, as would be other issues such as poor sleep, anxiety or panic attacks. It seems like more than a settling-in issue, because she’s had these problems in the past.

Who is the best person to deal with this? A counsellor from the LSE Student Counselling Service, as they have specialist experience in working with students with these types of difficulties.

What should I do now? Suggest she consider seeing one of the counsellors to help her deal with these difficulties. She’ll need to contact the service herself; there’s plenty of information on their website, including advice and useful self-help materials. Arrange to see her yourself again in a week or two, and ask her to keep in touch. If she gets worse, suggest she speaks to her GP, and consider getting advice from the counselling service or Mental Health and Wellbeing Adviser.

------

2. Different Education Systems Jeong Hee comes to you in your office hour and complains about the lecturer. He says he can’t understand a thing as the lecturer has a strong language accent. Jeong Hee also asks about the up coming literature review course work assignment. He doesn’t understand what it’s for and he doesn’t know how to go about starting it. He has read the lecturer’s instructions on taking a ‘critical position in terms of a work in the literature’, but he doesn’t know what one of those looks like. He speaks hesitantly and, as well as struggling with his English, it’s clear it took some courage to come and raise this with you.

What kind of issue is this? Adapting to the UK academic system is one of the harder tasks students face coming here, particularly on Masters courses where their first degree was in a very different educational culture and often a different discipline.

Who is the best person to deal with this? Certain departments are more affected by this than others and it’s good to know how the background of your students tends to affect the way they approach their studies here and the issues they face. These issues can be tangible, such as many students have never been given a reading list before, but have followed textbooks. These issues can also be more fundamental and intangible, such as whether there is/should be a correct answer and why the tutor won’t tell this to the students.

1 What should I do now? It might also be useful to bring to Jeong Hee’s attention the central study-skills events run by the TLC (http://training.lse.ac.uk/), as many of these issues are covered here. There are also a range of classes and workshops run by the Language Centre throughout the academic year that Jeong Hee can attend that cover everything from pronunciation to critical-thinking skills. As he may be shy to speak to people in the department or in a class environment about his difficulties, Jeong Hee can also book a one- to-one appointment with the TLC study adviser Lynne Roberts ([email protected]), with whom he can discuss in more detail issues about studying in the UK and the support services available to him.

------

3. Student Confidentiality Michael comes to ask you for a two-week extension for an assessed essay worth 20% of the full course mark. He has “medical reasons” why he has been unable to study but is reluctant to explain exactly what they are. You then explain to Michael that it would be difficult to grant the extension without knowing these details. He looks worried and confused. After a moment of silence he tells you in “very strict confidence” that he has a diagnosis of HIV and has been experiencing such bad side-effects to his medication that he has been unable to study. Michael asks you not to tell anyone else because he fears that the School will react negatively to his diagnosis and he will not be allowed to continue studying.

What kind of issue is this? This issue is to do with handling disclosure of a disability by a student and knowing the limits of maintaining student confidentiality. A disability is defined as “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.” This includes, but is not limited to: sensory impairments, learning disabilities, mental illness, clinically recognised severe disfigurements, cancer, HIV/Aids, progressive conditions even at an early stage, conditions which are characterised by a number of cumulative effects such as pain, fatigue and a past history of disability. When a student discloses a disability to any LSE staff member, the institution as a whole is deemed to know. It is illegal to discriminate against a disabled person and the LSE has a statutory duty to put in place reasonable adjustments to allow disabled students to access and successfully complete their studies. This should be made clear to any student who discloses a disability.

All students have a right to confidentiality. There are times when it is unsafe to maintain student confidentiality and these are outlined in the brochure Working with students who give cause for concern (available on line). If it is safe to maintain confidentiality, and the student also insists that they do not want anyone else in the LSE to know about their disability, the student should be asked to put this in writing to you.

Who is the best person to deal with this? You can deal with this issue by providing the student with information about the support services available in the School, including the reasonable adjustments that can be put in place for them. You can reassure the student that the LSE has a strict policy to counter disability discrimination and that their issue will be managed sensitively, confidentially and with the aim of providing them with the best support possible.

What should I do now? You can either encourage the student to visit the Disability and Wellbeing Office and make an appointment with the advisor to students with disabilities, or facilitate the making of this appointment by contacting Sue Haines at: [email protected] or telephone: 0207 955 7767. If this is not something the student wants to do you should ask them to put this in writing.

------

4. Mental Health and Well-being

2 Kenneth comes to see you. He is clearly distressed and crying profusely for having got a very low grade for a formative essay, despite having worked so hard for it. Kenneth reiterates that he has never got such a low grade in all his time at school and was totally shocked when he saw the grade awarded. Kenneth believes that this is a blemish mark in his LSE record, and as a result he will fail all his examinations. Kenneth also says that his parents will be totally ashamed about his performance. Given that they are paying so money for him to be at the LSE his parents are going to shout at him and disown him for doing so badly. Kenneth feels it is so bad that the best option is to take his own life now in order to save face, rather than to go on living with this shame of failure.

What kind of issue is this? This could be an issue to do with catastrophizing failure (i.e. expecting the worst to happen) just because he got a relatively low mark. It can be common with students who struggle with perfectionism, have always been very high achievers or have unusually high expectations of themselves. In some cultures failure could be seen as bringing shame to the family, with taking one’s life being one way to avoid bringing upon shame. This also could be an issue to do with a severe clinical depression, and the student appears to be thinking seriously of suicide; the low essay mark could be used as the final reason to end his life.

Who is the best person to deal with this? The best person to deal with this issue is one of the Mental Health and Well-being Advisers, because of the student’s high level of distress and threat of suicide. This kind of issue is dealt with as a response Level 3: handling an emergency situation where external referral is necessary, in the brochure Responding to Students who are a Cause for Concern (available online; contact [email protected] if you or your department does not have a copy).

What should I do now? Do not leave the student alone, and stay with them. Acknowledge the student’s distress and say you wish to get help for them immediately. Contact the Disability & Wellbeing Office (DWO) (020 7955 7767) for a Mental Health and Well-being Adviser to come to your office. If you cannot get a response from the DWO, as an alternative contact the Student Counselling Service (020 7852 3627), the Medical Centre (020 7955 7016) or Student Services Centre (SSC). ------

5. Procrastination and Perfectionism Alan is really anxious about his second MSc assignment. He keeps reading more and more papers, but can’t write anything, and the deadline is looming. He feels anxious all the time, and is having occasional panic attacks. He wants to get a good mark, but keeps on starting and stopping every time he makes a plan, and isn’t getting anywhere. He’s never had problems like this before; work was much easier when he took his UG degree.

What kind of issue is this? Anxiety. There are clear links with procrastination (putting things off) and perfectionism, and it is not unusual for students to encounter these types of difficulties when moving up to MSc level. Some guidance about choosing an essay plan may help, but if he doesn’t make progress with his academic work relatively easily, he may need some help to learn to manage these difficulties behaviourally.

Who is the best person to deal with this? As well as your own direct academic advice, he can get general help with planning essays and choosing a structure from Lynne Roberts (TLC Study Adviser). There are also self-help materials dealing with anxiety, procrastination and perfectionism on the Counselling Service website. If the anxiety is incapacitating, or the panic attacks get worse, he could be encouraged to ask for help through the Counselling Service.

What should I do now? Discuss the range of options, and decide with the student which is best for him. Encouraging him to speak with other students may also help him deal with these difficulties.

3 ------

6. Expectations Marsha is on the General Course and angrily tells you she is studying at an Ivy League institution and has never got a grade lower than 90%. At college, she’s a straight 4.0 student. In her first essay, however, you have given her 49% for a descriptive piece of writing that fails to answer the question, but rather acts as a general introduction to the topic. She is adamant this piece of work would have scored highly in the US and is upset that you have wrecked her grade-point average.

What kind of issue is this? There seems to be a difference between the requirements of a paper at some North American universities and a UK essay. Each year many General Course students find the transition to the LSE difficult as what they have done successfully before simply doesn’t work. In this instance, it’s sensible firstly to acknowledge this fact. She will have been told this during the General Course induction, but it’s often the first piece of coursework where this reality hits home.

Who is the best person to deal with this? Probably you! In addition, it might be useful to bring to Marsha’s attention the central study-skills events run by the TLC, particularly the Essay Writing sessions (http://training.lse.ac.uk/ . Marsha can also book a one-to-one appointment with the TLC study adviser Lynne Roberts ([email protected]) with whom she can discuss in more detail any issues about the expectations at LSE, how to structure essays, etc. Marsha (as well any of your students who would like to improve their writing style in general) can also have a draft read by the Royal Literary Fund Fellow, Sarah Salway, in TLC ([email protected]).

What should I do now? What tends to work well (and can diffuse some of the anger caused by disappointment) is to focus on unpacking a question. These student difficulties generally arise from misunderstanding the task and knowing what the question is asking, and structuring a good answer is often helpful. If you take the example of the coursework assignment question and work it through together (quickly), you should leave Marsha in a better position to approach the next essay more appropriately. Otherwise refer her to TLC.

------

7. Specific Learning Difficulties/ Neurodiversity Carla is finding it difficult to write an essay for your course. She appears stressed and anxious, talks loudly and fast, and reports feeling “all over the place. ”Despite reading many articles and chapters in books, she is frustrated at her inability to recall from memory what she has read. She experiences difficulties with planning the essay, blocked thought, poor concentration and is easily distracted. Carla doubts she is able to write a well organised essay. After discussing the topic, it is clear to you that Carla is knowledgeable about the subject. She still says that each time she sits down to start writing nothing comes out. She is procrastinating yet the deadline is close.

What kind of issue is this? At face value this could be a study-skills issue, but is probably a more complex difficulty. The problems are not to do with “how best to study”, but are more about a combination of difficulties related to speech, affect (mood/disposition), learning, thought and memory. Such difficulties could be classical symptoms of a SpLD (specific learning difficulty) called dyspraxia. People with dyspraxia usually present with a combination of difficulties including those related to speech/language, learning, thought/memory, emotion/behaviour, co-ordination. A person can have any one of these conditions as their primary diagnosis, while other conditions can go unnoticed for many years.

Who is the best person to deal with this?

4 The adviser to students with dyslexia and dyspraxia is the best person to deal with this, as they can formally screen the student for SpLD. If this screening is positive then an referral to an educational psychologist (EdPsyc) is arranged. The EdPsyc conducts several tests to formally diagnose SpLDs and list recommendations for “reasonable adjustments” to be put in place by the School, which include things like extra writing time in exams or one-to-one tutorials for specific study skills.

What should I do now? Listen to the student, discuss the topic area and offer to arrange additional and/or more appropriate support for the student. Also encourage the student to contact the Disability and Well-being Office (DWO) to arrange for an appointment to discuss whether or not they have a specific learning difficulty - contact Sue Haines at: [email protected] or telephone: 0207 955 7767. If it turns out after assessment not to be a specific learning difficulty, the student can be referred to one of the TLC general study advisers ([email protected]).

5 8. Getting a “First” Michael comes to your office hour each week and each week he asks versions of the same question, which is ‘how do I get a first?’ After classes, he asks ‘Will this be on the exam paper?’ and ‘What would a first answer include?. After coursework assignments (for which he doesn’t get more than 70%) he asks how he can make this into a first. Currently, his work is solid and he obviously puts a lot into it; however, he is worried that if he doesn’t get a first, he won’t get onto the career path he wants. He sends emails with substantive queries, always within the context of getting a first.

What kind of issue is this? This happens quite a lot. UK secondary school has become very results-focussed and successful students are used to looking at assessment strategically. It’s also the case that LSE students as a cohort tend to be ambitious and expect to continue the academic success that got them here. Furthermore, many students come to the LSE with the support of scholarships from their home countries and there is enormous pressure for them to get high grades in order to maintain this support throughout their time in the UK.

What should I do now? The difficulty with the situation is that the modular, outcomes-based and transparent structures in A level assessment are not in place at the LSE. This is the thing to say first. It’s important that students who are pre-occupied with this realise that a narrow performance focus makes getting an outstanding mark less, rather than more likely. This may take some time to sink in, but you’ll get nowhere without making this point.

Secondly, you need to try to answer the basic question. This can be easier in quantitative disciplines, but even in qualitative disciplines there must be a way of explaining what is required to do really well. You can’t be absolute, but before you start teaching it’s worth preparing this approach and then mark coursework with this in mind. It tends to become easier once you’ve marked your first batch of exams.

A useful rule of thumb in answering emails is to stick to logistics. Substantive questions take a long time to answer and email is often not the best way to do so. If your students get into the habit of emailing you for clarification on their reading /problem sets, you may also end up writing a textbook length effort by the end of the year.

Who is the best person to deal with this? As the academic adviser, you are. However, if you think that the student might benefit from further help, then point them towards the TLC central study-skills events or suggest that they might like to talk to one of the advisers or the RLF writing tutor.

------

9. Quantitative Gaps In class, you are discussing the convexity of indifference curves when Daniel raises his hand and asks a mathematical question that surprises you as it’s about a very basic concept he should really know about. You are pretty sure this concept is covered in a pre-requisite course Daniel should have taken.

What kind of issue is this? Class time is the wrong time to deal with gaps in students’ knowledge, unless they are common to most students. Remedial maths tutoring is not in your remit and you don’t want to hold a class up by teaching something the other students know.

Who is the best person to deal with this? If it’s a simple point and you can deal with it quickly, then do so. If the lack of knowledge is more wide-ranging, refer them to the TLC’s quantitative study-skills adviser, Dr Tony Whelan. The student can email [email protected] or call TLC (Ext 3627) to book an appointment.

6 What should I do now? One way to deal with this would be to throw out the question to the rest of the class and see if anyone offers an answer. If it is clear that Daniel and maybe a few other students have difficulties with the issues, then it’s probably best here to ask the student(s) to come to your office hour.