York Online student support
If you're studying 100% online on a York Online programme, we provide a range of support services to help you through your studies.
Support and advice
Your Student Success Coordinator should be your first point of contact for all queries. They can advise you on a wide range of challenges, such as balancing workload, and getting support for issues outside of your studies that impact on your progress. They will be able to help you or direct you to further support if you need it.
The Student Hub provides a wide range of student support and advice, such as producing official letters and providing advice on financial support.
The York Online Support Team provides administrative support for the programmes and responds to more complex student support queries.
If you are not studying on a York Online programme, please go to Student support and advice for information.
Supervisors
At the start of your programme you will be allocated an Academic Supervisor who will be available to discuss your overall academic progress and specific issues relating to your programme. The name for your academic supervisor will be available in e:vision and you can find contact details on the University directory.
Your Academic Supervisor does not provide the same role (and is usually not the same person) as your Project Supervisor, who will work with you during the Capstone Project Module (CPM). You should meet with your project supervisor on a regular basis and provide them with updates on your progress.
Module leads/coordinators and tutors
Each module is delivered by at least one academic member of your department, and large modules may be supported by a small team of tutors, led by a module lead or coordinator. Your tutor(s) can answer your questions about a particular module's content, concepts you want to discuss or provide guidance if you’re not sure how to complete your assessment.
The name and contact details of the module tutor(s) will be provided in the ‘Getting Started’ section of each of your academic modules. The precise roles and responsibilities of module tutors may vary, so always check the introductory material in your modules for information regarding tutor details and module support.
Disability services
If you have a diagnosed disability or long-term health condition that has a negative impact on your ability to study, Disability Services can provide support, advice and guidance. They can:
- provide you with a Student Support Plan that can be shared with your department so that the necessary adjustments can be put in place to support you.
- support you with applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) which can contribute towards some of the additional costs of studying at university.
Support is flexible and based on needs. To find out whether you’re eligible for support and how to access it, please refer to the Accessing Support webpage. If you have declared a disability at the application stage, you will still need to contact Disability Services in order to access tailored support for your studies.
There are Disability Representatives who work alongside the Disability Services team and are a contact point in the department for students. Your Disability Practitioner will be able to share your representative's contact details.
Disability Services also have a list of resources that may be useful for students with disabilities and long-term health conditions to support them with their studies.
Returning to study
If you have been away from study for a long time, you may wish to familiarise yourself with the rules and regulations governing your academic work and conduct. Your Orientation Module and Programme Handbook on Canvas contain important information about the University and your programme of study.
The Academic Skills Community helps students develop their academic and communication skills to a high standard. This includes:
- the Maths Skills Centre
- the Writing Centre
- Skills Guides
- Skills workshops
- One-to-one appointments
- Library Subject Guides
If you are struggling with the demands of returning to study, you should reach out to your Student Success Coordinator for advice and support.
For information on returning from a Leave of Absence, please refer to the Take a break webpage.
Support to study
Support to Study is a process wherein students who face significant barriers to engaging with their studies or who are at risk of harm (to themselves or others) are supported to either engage with their studies or take a break until they are able to progress through their programme. Students may be referred to the Support to Study process where there are concerns about the student’s progress and engagement and/or their mental health and wellbeing. Students may instigate the procedure for themselves.
Before a Support to Study referral is made, a student may be invited to an informal meeting to discuss any concerns and to develop an action plan to monitor the student’s engagement and progress. Students will also likely be referred to other support services at the University. If there is no significant improvement in the student’s progress or engagement following being referred to these services, then the student may be referred to Support to Study and invited to an Access Meeting.
Support to Study is not a punitive measure and students will be informed and involved throughout the process.
Accessibility and inclusion
At York, we are committed to making our learning materials accessible and usable for learners. This means that we adhere to overarching accessibility guidelines, and are always seeking to improve in this area. If you have accessibility concerns about any of these, please feel free to make contact so that we can address your concerns.
Please see our Accessibility Statement for Canvas for more information on accessibility features of Canvas itself and how we design materials within Canvas to be accessible.
The University of York values the diversity of our students and staff and is committed to the creation of a positive environment which is fair, welcoming and inclusive, and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. You can find out more by visiting the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpage.
There is support available for anyone who feels they have been treated unfairly or have experienced bullying or harassment.
Your health and wellbeing
Our health and wellbeing information includes an Advice A-Z on issues many students experience.
There are various ways we can help and support you:
- Open Door is a team of Mental Health Practitioners and Student Wellbeing Officers at the University providing support to registered students experiencing psychological or mental health difficulties.
- The TalkCampus app provides free, instant, 24/7 support from other students for students who are struggling with their mental health.
- Student Wellbeing Officers are based in academic departments and offer advice, guidance and support if you're experiencing personal or academic issues that are affecting your ability to engage with student life.
If you are in crisis now you should contact your local emergency services or your health practitioner/doctor.
Your Students' Union
The University of York Students' Union provides independent and confidential advice and guidance to students on academic issues, University policies and procedures, and personal and wellbeing issues.
