Undergraduate on-course guidance
Life at Oxford is a fascinating academic experience. Your college is your home for much of your time here, and is the central focus of your teaching. The collegiate nature of Oxford offers a distinctive experience for study: the tutorial – which will enable you to research, summarise, present and defend an argument with some of the best scholars in your subject.
Course guidance
The tutorial is central to undergraduate teaching at Oxford. You will meet your college tutor(s) in 0th week who may be either a college Fellow or college lecturer who has expertise in a specific area. The tutorial normally involves a tutor and two undergraduates (your tutorial partner/s), with at least one tutorial a week for the eight weeks of term, each lasting one hour. You will be required to prepare work either to submit in advance or to take to the tutorial, at which time you will either read your work out loud or the tutor may start a discussion of the work and its wider implications.
Lectures and seminars are organised by departments and faculties and are complementary to tutorials. The lecturer will be an expert in the subject, providing you with an analysis of the subject matter enabling you to understand the breadth of your subject, thus allowing more informed specialisation in later years. In 0th Week of each term your tutor will advise you about the lecture programme for that term. Many subjects use small group teaching where you get more individual attention from lecturers than in a formal lecture and benefit from the exchange of ideas with other students. In the sciences, you are likely to have practical classes each week. Some subjects also include field trips and excursions.
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Course Resources |
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| Course handbooks | A-Z list of courses outlining structure and content. |
| Lecture lists | A-Z of lecture lists on the web. |
| Weblearn | Virtual Learning Environment containing induction material, course material and tools for learning. |
| Student Self Service | View your student record, update details, notify changes in circumstances, access assessments and results. |
Feedback & progress
Feedback will be given verbally during tutorials and through marks on your submitted work. Each person who has taught you during term will write a report on your performance. Your college tutor will discuss this report at your end of term meeting and it may also be available to you online using OxCORT.
| OxCORT System |
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| OxCORT online reporting system for Tutors to write Tutorial and Revision Class reports for undergraduate (also M Jur and BCL) students. |
Your progress will also be monitored through
'Collections' (examinations that are set in 0th Week
designed to test work done in the previous term
and/or vacation work in preparation for the term
ahead). Your tutors will give you notice of what sort
of Collections you will be set, to be taken under
exam conditions, in college or as a vacation essay.
Collections are valuable for consolidating a topic
through revision, giving continuous exam practice
through your time at Oxford, and providing you with
an idea of the standard of your work. You will also
have an annual 'Provost's Collection' in 8th week of
one of the terms, where you will discuss your
academic and personal progress. Students also have
the opportunity to give feedback on the performance
of their lecturers and tutors.
