DEPARTMENT OF

CRIMINOLOGY

CRIM 1624

FIRST YEAR SUCCESS

PROGRAMME

TUTORIAL GUIDE

Compiled by

MR Z. D. Mintoor

2022

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Letter to students

Welcome first year students,

On behalf of the CRIM Tutorial team, we would like to welcome you and we are so excited
to be your Teaching assistants (TA’s) and Academic Facilitators (AF’s) this year! We will be
responsible for your tutorials for CRIM 1514 / CRIM 1624. This academic year is going to be
very exciting and busy as we learn and grow together. Also, we can’t wait to get to know
you.

Together, we have been facilitating at the university for 13 years now and we love being the
tutorial team and working with you all. When we were first year students, we couldn’t wait
to learn, and we hope you share in the excitement. We are going to spend a lot of time
strengthening your academic skills so that you become the best student you can be.

This year is going to be an adventure. We hope you are just as excited as we are to begin!

Yours,

Leanné Maritz, Elisabeth Ramatsebe & Mpho Ntseki

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Contact information

Please see the table below for the contact information on your TA’s:

SUPPORT STAFF (TEACHING ASSISTANCE)

Teaching Assistant: Miss Leanne Maritz
Office Number: South Block 8B
Email Address: [email protected]
Consultation Hours: Online(hours will be made available on BB)
Academic Facilitators:
Miss Elisabeth Ramatsebe [email protected]
Miss Mpho Ntseki [email protected]

TUTORIAL OBJECTIVES

The First Year Success Programme for undergraduate tutoring is intended to supplement lectures
and office hours and not replicate or replace them. Our emphasis on mastering the processes of
learning and problem-solving, especially creative application of knowledge to unfamiliar problems
presupposes that students are actively engaged in the course and come to tutoring prepared to
make the most of it . This requires, typically, that students actively synthesize and integrate for
themselves information presented in lectures and texts so that they possess the conceptual
knowledge necessary to effectively engage the problem sets and related problems, and/or have
done sufficient work to identify the conceptual questions they may have.

TUTORIAL OUTCOMES

Our primary tutoring objective is for our students to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Enhance their approaches to learning from instruction in the module particularly for
solving novel problems by becoming more skilled readers, note-takers, and strategic
learners.

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 2. Expand their toolbox of methods to solve problems by becoming more skilled at
explicitly thinking about their reasoning processes, and developing strategies that
work for them.
3. Our ultimate goal is that students generalize these methods and processes to other
disciplines and transfer them to other problem-solving courses and independent
work.
4. Develop systematic methods for learning from problem sets, including: how to apply
and transfer conceptual knowledge; identify common obstacles and errors; and
contextualize individual problems within the themes and concepts of the module.

To facilitate achievement of these outcomes, our learning facilitators support students’

active grappling with content and problems, and facilitate reflection upon their approaches
to learning. Students are prompted to explain their understandings, explicate their
reasoning processes and procedures, assess their competency, identify gaps in their
knowledge, and practice transferring their knowledge and skills to complex, multi-faceted
problems like those found in exams.

a. We want students to learn how to effectively run their own studies.

b. We want students to develop their use of resources, including fellow classmates, to
the point where the learning facilitator is rarely, if ever, needed for their success in
the course.
c. We want students to solidify their foundational knowledge of the module
material/module concepts so that they can overcome obstacles to continued success
in the module.
d. We want to prepare students to work effectively independently and in group
learning environments.

TUTORIAL CALENDER

The tutorial schedule and syllabus (study material), either orally or in writing, can be
updated or modified at any time by the TA’s or the department. The framework for the
semester will be posted on the tutorials page on Blackboard. Please note: the tutorial

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program is a framework that can be adjusted to fit in with the semester. It is the
responsibility of students enrolled in this module to stay up to date with the schedule and
syllabus. An announcement of this type will primarily be communicated via Blackboard (BB).
It is therefore recommended that students check Blackboard frequently to stay up to date.
It is important for you to note that any work discussed in the themes listed below can be
used for assessment purposes. Tutorial content will be uploaded weekly.

ASSESSMENT BREAKDOWN

This tutorial program will follow a continuous assessment model. During the course of the
semester you will be required to write three formal assessments, each assessment will
contribute towards your final tutorial mark, which a total of 20% is allocated together with
the scheduled module assessments. Please note that you will be required to participate in
all scheduled assessments.

Your tutorial mark (final mark) will be calculated as follows:

ASSESSMENT TYPE (E.G.

WRITTEN/ORAL/PRACTICAL)
Library Research Skills Test Online
1
Library Research Skills Test Online
2
Tutorial Activity 1 Online
Tutorial Activity 2 Online
Final Total 25% of semester mark

NB: Students will receive all the relevant information about assignment in advance. All
assessments will be made available for seven days in order for students to complete.
Students who are unable to participate in the above assessments must provide valid
reasons/documentation e.g. doctor’s letter. Once the assessment marks have been made
available to students, they will have five days to query their results and arrange for

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alternative assessment opportunities should they not have been able to participate in any
one/all of the assessments.

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that he/she receives all the information in
connection with the tutorial program this information will primarily be made available on
Blackboard and via email. You are therefore advised remain engaged with all the
proceedings of the tutorial program in order to stay up to date and not fall behind. The TA’s
and learning facilitators will not be held responsible if you do not receive information or
notices posted on Blackboard or sent out via email regarding the work, test dates or any
other relevant information, due to your lack of engagement. No additional opportunities
will be made available for students who do not follow assessment instructions/guidelines
and rules of conduct.

TUTORIAL CLASSES

Tutorial sessions will also be facilitated on the online platform. Each student will be required
to enroll for a group on Blackboard. All information about sign-ups will be communicated
during the first week of formal lectures. These tutorial groups will offer additional support
and facilitate student engagement. You will have the opportunity to engage with your fellow
students as well as your facilitator on challenging sections of the work. It remains the
students‟ responsibility to check these groups for any updates (particularly, information
regarding tutorial assessments).

ATTENDANCE

You are advised to attend all classes as any uncertainties will be attended to during classes.

The TA’s and/or learning facilitators will not be held responsible if you do not receive
information or notices given in class on the work, test dates or any other relevant
information, due to your absence from classes!

The UFS has NO regulation according to which students need NOT attend classes –
therefore, 100% class attendance is expected, and allowances are made for up to 80%
attendance for illness and other circumstances over which the student has no control.

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Compulsory attendance also applies to other contact sessions such as tutorials, practical
sessions, academic facilitation sessions, group work, etc.

Students must comply with all the requirements for a particular module (as provided in the
study guide). If a student, therefore, misses an assessment opportunity (e.g. a class test)
because he/she has been absent, the TA’s and/or learning facilitator are under no obligation
to repeat the assessment opportunity, and the student will merely forfeit those marks.

It is expected of students to attend ALL scheduled contact sessions. Absence due to illness,
approved university activities and family or other emergencies, constitutes excused
absenteeism, if the reason for absence is supported by documentation presented to the
TA’s and/or learning facilitators prior to or immediately upon the student’s return to class.
Oral or written assessments, assignments, etc. that have been completed during the
absence still is the student’s responsibility.

Time table clashes and other module assessments will not be accepted as a valid reason for
absence. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure at registration that no time table clashes
will occur.

Class tests, oral assessments, writing short reports, etc. may take place without prior
warning during class times, and students who are absent without excuse will forfeit the
marks thus earned.

BLACKBOARD SELF HELP GUIDE

Where do I find the tutorial program on BB?

(Logon to the CRIM 1514 / 1624 BB page, on the left hand side of your screen click on the tab “Tutorials”)

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Where are all the announcements for tutorials?

(Logging onto the CRIM 1514 / 1624 BB page simply click on the “more announcements” link in the window
under announcements.

How do I sign up for a tutorial group?

(On the left hand side of your screen click on “Tutorials”, next click on “CRIM 1624 Tutorial Groups” in the new
window. From here you can choose your preferred group.)

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Where do I find my tutorial notes?

(On the left hand side of your screen click on the tab “Tutorials”, followed by “CRIM 1624 Tutorial Class Slides”
in the new window.)

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How do I join an online tutorial session?

(Students can access the tutorial session for which they have signed up in two ways: My Groups – appears
following the Course Menu. If a student is enrolled in a group, the area appears automatically. Group link – a
link to a single group, which your facilitator communicated with you via email.)

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ADDITIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES
Students are encouraged to make use of the following additional support services offered in the
faculty for all students aimed at assisting students within the program, in achieving their educational
goals and enhance their university experience.

Academic Advising:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +27 51 401 7421

Write Site Service:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +27 51 401 7234

Student Counselling/ Development:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +27 51 401 2853

Library and Information Services:

Telephone: +27 51 401 2745/2737

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Please feel free to contact us at any time should you have any questions or uncertainty.

“Every student can learn, just not on the same day or in the same way.”

– George Evans

We hope that this program will add value to your studies and hope that you enjoy the
content presented. Best of luck for the semester ahead!

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