Student Academic Engagement Policy

Introduction

For the timely and effective administration of support, the School wishes to use the following markers of student engagement. This is to ensure that students are well supported and given every opportunity to progress with their studies and to achieve to their fullest potential whilst here.

Markers of Student Engagement

Attendance:

All undergraduate students are expected to attend all scheduled taught sessions including lectures, practical classes, group work, workshops, tutorials, seminars, field work, computer lab sessions, problem-solving classes, exercise classes, lab sessions, project meetings, and other events which are associated with the modules for which they are registered as part of their programme of study. Attendance at classes is recorded and kept by the class teacher. Missing more than 3 sessions, or 2 consecutive weeks, of a module will cause concern and trigger the actions as described below.

Coursework Submission:

All undergraduate students are expected to submit reports, exercises essays, and other pieces of coursework associated with each module for which they are registered as part of their programme of study, by the individually advertised deadlines and method of submission. All assessed coursework deadlines in SLLF are on Wednesday at 4pm and submission is via QM+. Late submission will incur penalties (40% pegged mark). Non-submission will trigger actions as described below. Records of submission are kept on QM+.

The School will capture data relating to student attendance and coursework submission on all modules for which the student is registered. This data will be used for the purpose of identifying students at risk of disengaging from their studies.

Action following identification of students who may require support

Actions by Schools are designed to support students to engage or re-engage with their study programme. The underpinning principles are that the School, once it has admitted a student to a programme of study, has a duty of care to that student, whilst in turn the student has a responsibility to engage with the available support. In such cases, support will be designed by the School around the needs of the individual student.

A student identified as approaching or falling below the minimum requirements of engagement set by their School will be contacted alerting them to this, outlining support mechanisms to deal with the issues that may be contributing to this.

Once a student is identified as in need of support in order to re-engage with their studies, they will be invited to a meeting with their Academic Adviser and/or the Student Experience Manager to discuss issues that might be affecting their studies, and for the provision of encouragement/advice (with possible referral to QM support services if necessary).

The School will always try to help students who are experiencing problems, but we cannot do so if we are not kept informed of them. If there are factors making a student’s engagement with their programme difficult, it is essential that the student discusses these with their Academic Adviser, the Student Experience Manager or another appropriate person in the University, at an early stage. This will give us the opportunity to intervene and provide the necessary support.