Empowering reflection: possible leveraging of generative Ai to enhance personal tutoring and student support in higher education

Higher education in the United Kingdom faces significant challenges due to an
increasingly diverse student population with varying academic, emotional, and social needs. Traditional support systems, such as personal tutoring, often struggle to address these needs comprehensively. This paper explores how Generative AI (GAI) can be harnessed to enhance personal tutoring, enabling students to engage in reflective practices that better prepare them for tutoring sessions. GAI tools offer structured prompts that encourage self-reflection, helping students articulate their academic challenges and emotional experiences. For instance, students struggling with interdisciplinary programs can benefit from AI-driven prompts that address specific academic skills in each subject, promoting focused discussion in subsequent tutorials. Additionally, GAI can track students' progress and flag potential issues, enabling timely interventions. This study demonstrates practical examples where GAI could support international and multidisciplinary students, highlighting benefits
such as fostering independence and engagement with feedback. By integrating GAI in personal tutoring, institutions can adapt to changing student needs while
preserving the human-centred approach essential to educational support. Our
findings indicate that GAI has the potential to complement, not replace, personal tutors, optimising tutorial efficacy in the context of modern higher education