Engagement Monitoring

The School of Health in Social Science and the University will monitor your engagement with your studies

The School of Health in Social Science, and the University understands the investment that you make, both in time and money, in choosing to take a programme of study here.

You are an autonomous learner and we want you to take ownership of your learning and development and actively participate in your studies. We as a School have a responsibility to ensure that you receive appropriate support and enable you to succeed.

Engagement monitoring is undertaken by Schools and includes the monitoring of small group teaching events, submission of summative assessment, and engagement with formal scheduled meetings with key members of staff (e.g. Supervisors, Programme Directors and Student Advisers).

How will the School of Health in Social Science monitor engagement?

Students are expected to:

Attend and engage with all scheduled teaching sessions.
Prepare for and participate in classes or carrying out your own research.
Use the School’s Virtual Learning Environment (Learn) and wider resources within and outside of the University to support your studies.
Complete the required assessment and examinations within your programme of study.
Participate in meetings with your Student Adviser, Supervisors, Course Organisers, and Tutors as applicable.
Take the initiative in seeking timely support when necessary from the School, or from the wider University.
Keep in touch with the School and respond to formal communications if you are studying away (e.g. if you are abroad or on a placement).

We will monitor the engagement of students at certain small group teaching events (e.g. tutorials and small group lectures) and at scheduled meetings with key members of staff, including research supervision. We will also monitor engagement with summative assessment, including submission of coursework.

The University expects all students to attend all their University classes, lectures and tutorials etc., whether or not these are described as “compulsory” by the School.

All data is gathered and stored in line with the University policies and guidance on data handling.

University privacy statement

Although we monitor all engagement throughout the year, we have identified a number of specific contact points that we will particularly monitor to ensure that we meet our compliance duties.

Undergraduate Students

School contact points and engagement events for recording will include the following:

Meetings with Student Adviser (noted on EUCLID by Student Adviser)
Attendance at tutorials, seminars and some small lectures for courses in each semester
Submission of compulsory coursework in semester 1 and 2
For Bachelor of Nursing students attendance at Statutory Skills sessions and Study Days
Dissertation submission (year four only)

The Teaching and Student Support Office will coordinate collation and storage of engagement information for School events. Academic staff will take registers at teaching to record attendance. Contact Point Schedules are available on programme Learn spaces.

Postgraduate Taught Students

School contact points and engagement events for recording will include the following:

Meetings with Student Adviser (noted on EUCLID by Student Adviser)
Attendance at tutorials, seminars and some small lectures for courses in each semester
Submission of compulsory coursework in semester 1 and 2
Dissertation submission
Supervision meetings for students in the final year of the Master of Counselling and the Professional Doctorate in Psychotherapy and Counselling

Postgraduate Research Students

Many Postgraduate Research Students will spend substantive periods away from the School, therefore, it is recognised that supervision meetings may take place by Skype or some other form of electronic communication.

Postgraduate Research Students and their supervisors must ensure that an Authorised Leave of Absence has been requested if they are to be away from the campus for more than two weeks.

The main contact points for the purposes of engagement are meetings between research students and supervisors. Each of these meetings will count as a contact point. Supervisors are responsible for recording the date of supervision meetings on EUCLID using the Engagement tab.

Other points of engagement will include:

Submission of written report for First Year Review
Attendance at First Year Review
Submission of Student Annual Review Form
Submission of Notice of Intention to Submit form.

If you are studying in the UK with a student visa

You will be aware that the University has an additional legal duty to monitor your engagement under the UK Visa and Immigration Office’s (UKVI) points-based system. See below for more information regarding this:

Student (previously Tier 4) visa responsibilities / University's responsibiliti…

University International Student Attendance and Engagement Policy

What happens if there are concerns about attendance and engagement?

If we have concerns about your engagement, we will address this with you. The School will contact you via your University email account, in line with the University’s Policy on use of email as a method of contacting students. You must access and manage your University email account regularly, as it will be assumed that you have opened and acted on communications. Failure to do so will not be considered an acceptable excuse for actions or inaction, or as a ground for appeal.

The School of Health in Social Science will follow these escalation stages if a student’s attendance is deemed to be unsatisfactory.

Pre-Escalation	The Student Support Team will conduct monthly engagement checks. The following will be reviewed: recorded engagement level that falls below 75%, AND students whose last recorded active engagement was more than 30 days ago. The Student Support Team will email students where there are concerns to offer support and to encourage engagement. Information will be shared on the support available at the University.
Stage One	A student will move to a stage one escalation if their recorded engagement level falls below 50% OR the last recorded active engagement was more than 30 days ago. The School will make the student aware of the concerns via email and ask them to meet their Student Adviser, or supervisor if PGR. If the student does not reply within ten working days AND/OR there is no significant improvement in their recorded engagement, the School will move to the second stage of escalation.
Stage Two	The School will ask the student to meet their Student Adviser and their Programme Director / Academic Cohort Lead, or supervisor and PGR Director if PGR. If the student does not reply within ten working days AND / OR there is no significant improvement in their recorded engagement, the School will move to the third stage of escalation.
Stage Three	The School will ask the student to meet with a senior member of academic staff: For taught students: the Director of Students, or Director of Learning and Teaching or deputy. For research students: the Postgraduate Research Director or deputy. The student will be made aware that if they do not respond within a further 10 working days then this continued non-engagement will result in referral to the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science. One possible outcome is exclusion from study for non-engagement.
Stage Four	The student will be referred to the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and will be invited to a meeting at the College. One possible outcome is exclusion from study for non-engagement.

Timelines may be reduced for PGR students.

A note will be added to the student’s record at each stage.

A student who is escalated again within 2 months of a previous investigation is considered again at the same stage of escalation. If there are continued concerns about a student’s engagement, the School may lengthen the 2-month rollover period, including into the new academic year.

Where a sponsored student fails to re-engage with their studies within 60 days of a Stage 1 escalation, the University is required to withdraw sponsorship of the student visa.

Where a student has been escalated to stage one on three occasions, or stage two on two occasions, even where they are able to explain their lack of engagement, they may be required to meet with a senior member of academic staff.

Engagement Monitoring

How will the School of Health in Social Science monitor engagement?