Supporting your learning

When you start, you'll be assigned a personal academic adviser who is a member of the teaching staff. They are a general source of academic advice throughout your time at Brookes. For instance, they give you guidance on your choice of degree modules and help you monitor your academic progress.

Each broad subject area has a student support coordinator who can help you with any concerns about student life, from personal to general study issues. They also help induct new students.

The university has student or course representatives who can take forward your views and concerns to teaching staff, and the wider university via the Students’ Union. The university has around 600 student reps in all, who together ensure that their department takes into account the needs and views of its students. Student reps are offered training, support and information by the Students’ Union.

Our feedback was taken on board and the new module plan changed directly in response. Meera Shah, course representative, Business School

Our confidential study advice service is for anyone who wants advice on study skills – such as planning and writing essays, assignments and dissertations – or advice on maths or statistics. We can highlight areas for improvement and help you understand what your subject tutors are looking for. Students can book a tutorial or drop in at the times advertised. We also run cafe sessions on Headington Campus. The Upgrade website includes A–Z guidance on study skills, maths and statistics.

Every year, advisers at Upgrade see over 1000 students and deliver about 2000 tutorials. For furher information about study advice, please visit the Upgrade pages.

Please note: The Upgrade service is only available to students studying at our Headington, Harcourt Hill and Wheatley Campuses.

My last essay went up two grades!

...I really know how to answer the question now.

 At each of our three main campuses you'll find a welcoming library offering an excellent range of resources

• half a million books, DVDs and CDs available to borrow
• online databases, thousands of electronic journals and e-books accessible from the library and halls of residence, or off-campus via the Library web pages
• paper-based resources such as journals, reference books, statistics, maps, past exam papers and music scores
•  Factiva database containing over 10,000 news sources in 22 languages including newspapers, web news sources and journals
• special collections (including the National Brewing Library and the Booker Prize Archive) offering primary sources for research.

 Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will help you track down resources, and our subject librarians will provide specialist training and support in your specific subject area.

Libraries are open long hours and we provide self-service facilities into the night. All libraries offer a wide choice of study space - from quiet study areas to group facilities.  

The Student Disability and Dyslexia Service offers advice and support on a range of issues, including physical access, funding, alternative assessment arrangements and liaison with teaching staff to ensure that they are aware of your requirements.

To find out more, visit the Student Disability and Dyslexia Service pages.

RADAR (Research Archive and Digital Asset Repository) is a one-stop access point for the University's research and teaching materials. It gives you better access to high quality resources such as video, images, sound clips and the University's published research.

For further information see RADAR pages .

Our online personal learning environment, Brookes Virtual, is a feature of almost all our courses. It’s designed to give you more control over how and when you learn.

Embracing Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, blogs and digital video, we try to ensure that as a Brookes graduate you are a confident, digitally literate learner and communicator.

We also provide essential learning technologies such as online learning spaces for all your course information, and resources, assessments and discussion boards which complement your seminars and let you review your progress as you study. 

At each campus you'll find:

• a huge range of networked software available from pooled computers
• computer rooms open 24 hours a day on most days of the year
• an IT helpdesk open daily on each campus, and in the evenings on Headington Campus (semester only)
• essential learning technologies for all your course information and resources, online assessments and discussion boards - complementing your seminars and letting you review your progress as you study.

See IT services pages for further details.