Bachelor's degree in Mathematics - Welcome and tutoring

Being the Bachelor's degree in Mathematics a degree with a low number of students, welcoming, academic orientation and tutoring tasks are responsibility of the Head of Studies.

The actions that are carried out are the following:

• Open house: One joint session for the whole UPC and two organized by the own faculty, they take place the first semester of each year and are addressed to secondary school students and their relatives. Their objective is to inform and orientate future students, that's why, some of the most relevant aspects of the degree, its rigorousness and academic life in general are briefly explained. In addition, a short visit to the facilities of the faculty is undergone, which includes a presentation of the FME library carried out by the library staff.

• Presentation for new students: The week before the beginning of the classes, the Dean and the Head of Studies give a presentation for the new Bachelor students in which they inform about various topics related to university life in FME. Among these topics, the necessity of studying every day from the first day stands out. In addition, they are informed about the study program, usual results in the exams, working of the evaluation commissions, regulations to remain in the studies, cultural activities, students delegation, FME library, among other information.

• Diagnostic test: It is performed in order to evaluate the level of the new students and be able to closely follow their progress from the beginning.
  

• Introductory sessions for new students: At the beginning of each academic year the library organizes these sessions with the basic objective of offering the new first year students a general vision about the library and explaining which is its mission within their studies. They are informed about the existence of the library and about the services and resources offered to help them in their learning process throughout their studies, specially stressing in the loaning service. The aim is that the students become the most self-sufficient regarding knowledge of the spaces in the library, search and localization of documents in the catalog and location of books in the shelves, as well as being aware of the library rules.

• Round of interviews: After the first mid-terms, the Head of Studies performs a round of interviews with the new students that have had an irregular performance (the ones that have failed more than two courses). In these interviews the Head of Studies inquires into the study habits of the students, encourages them to persist and gives advice about particular aspects of the courses they are having trouble with.

• Meeting with the students: At the end of each semester, there is another meeting wit the students that need it in order to give them advice about the next academic year's enrolment.

• Problem workshop: Parallel to the ordinary lectures, in the first semester of the Bachelor's degree a Problem Workshop is implemented which consists in two hour weekly sessions in which Master or Doctorate interns solve doubts and problems about the content of the courses.

• Support lessons: Depending on the number of students that need it, each semester support lessons for the courses of the first two semesters of the Bachelor's degree are organized. These lessons (two weekly hours per course) are imparted by teachers, and their aim is to help students to successfully go through the initial phase.

• Counseling of the Head of Studies: The Head of Studies, in general, recieves, counsels and gives advice all the students about academic matters (following of the courses, performance, convalidations, grants, Erasmus, agreements ...) and also about all the needed academic matters, by demand of the students themselves.

• Counseling by the teachers: The teachers and the responsibles for the courses carry out counseling tasks with their students.

• Tutoring between equals program: Each final year student is assigned two or three new students so to help them and guide them in their first year of higher education

To do these tasks, the Head of Studies counts on the counseling of the evaluation comissions that meet at the end of each semester.