Student Attendance and Engagement Policy

There is clear evidence that there is a link between high levels of engagement and academic performance. Students with high levels of engagement are more likely to achieve better degree outcomes and successfully complete their course. 

We are here to support you to do your very best and signpost you to the relevant support services and academics that can assist you.

Whilst we expect all our students to take responsibility for their learning; we will undertake steps to monitor and support your attendance and engagement, by ensuring that you are aware of the support available to help you to succeed in your studies.   

For student visa holders, please see the Tier 4 and student visa holders section. 

The purpose of the policy is to:

• Clarify our attendance and engagement requirements.
• Outline how we will monitor and support your attendance and engagement with your studies.
• Outline the steps we will take if your engagement becomes a concern.

This policy applies to all students who are enrolled on an award at Manchester Metropolitan University. This policy does not apply to apprentices or students studying online only Masters programmes and Postgraduate Research students. Guidance on attendance for Postgraduate Research students is provided at: Doctoral Services. Apprentices should see the apprenticeships section.

We will comply with all UKVI regulations relating to the monitoring of student attendance and engagement for Tier 4 and Student Visa holders.

This policy is aligned to the University’s Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Policy, which states that any student failing to engage appropriately with their studies may have their studies terminated by the University at any stage in their programme of study.

Attendance

We define attendance as being present at scheduled learning, teaching and other activities required by a module and/or programme. 

This includes:

• Physical attendance at face-to-face scheduled teaching which includes lectures, seminars, and academic tutorials.
• Virtual attendance at scheduled synchronous online teaching and/or other learning events as required by the module and/or programme (e.g., synchronous participation in an online seminar or tutorial). 
• Participation in other scheduled learning events that are a compulsory part of a programme (e.g., field trips, laboratory sessions, fieldwork, placements, examinations). 
• Attendance at scheduled examinations, tests, and assessment activities.
• Attendance at scheduled face-to-face or virtual meetings with a Personal Tutor.

Engagement

We define engagement as participating in non-scheduled guided independent or group study activities, credit and non-credit bearing assessment activity and feedback, and any other activity which supports learning and personal development, independently or in collaboration with peers. 

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Submission of assessments within defined deadlines. 
• Accessing and/or interacting with the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle) to access learning resources, such as, lecture recordings and support materials.
• Utilising student facing services to support student learning and wellbeing (incl; the Library, Academic Study Skills, Counselling, Mental Health, and Wellbeing services, Inclusion and Disability services, Pastoral and Welfare support services, Student Financial Support Services).

We expect you to attend and engage with all elements of your programme as detailed in the definitions section above.

You are responsible for registering your attendance at taught sessions via the card readers in lecture theatres and seminar rooms and other teaching spaces such as labs or sports halls. You can use the MyMMU app (Attendance tile) to submit an absence online (if you are unable to attend a session), or to check your overall attendance throughout the year. If a session is conducted online, it is important that you log onto MS Teams with your own University credentials to be automatically registered for the session.

We recognise that from time to time you may be absent from your studies due to illness or personal reasons.  Please ensure that you report your absence from any scheduled and non-scheduled activity, as soon as possible and no later than on the same day of absence via the absence portal.  Professional Placement students should follow the absence reporting process detailed in their Handbook/Moodle page, to ensure the placement provider, university and Personal Tutor are informed of the absence in a timely manner.

If you are absent from any teaching and learning activity, you must take full responsibility for completing any outstanding academic work arising from your absence. This includes engaging with academics, your Personal Tutor, and Student Services  to access additional support as required.

If you are unable to engage fully with your studies and expect to be absent from the University for a lengthy period of time (more than 10 working days), please contact the Student Engagement Team [email protected] who will be able to support and advise you regarding next steps.

We expect you to act honestly in relation to your record of attendance. Any attempt by a student to falsify your attendance records will be addressed in line with our student code of conduct.

We expect you to submit all required assessments by the stated deadlines, or you may incur a penalty for late or non-submission of work; further details can be found on our assessments page.  If you think you might not be able to meet submission deadlines or have missed specified deadlines, you should make your Personal Tutor and / or the Student Engagement Team aware as soon as possible, where we will discuss your circumstances and signpost you to the support that is available and advise you on any academic implications. Your Student Engagement Team can be contacted at [email protected].  See our Assessment Mitigation Procedure for further information.

We are committed to helping and supporting you to attend and engage with your studies.  We understand that a lack of attendance and engagement can indicate that you may be experiencing difficulties and might need support.  

The Student Engagement Team is responsible for monitoring student attendance and engagement and will use a range of information to assess whether we may need to contact you to offer support.  This information includes. 

• Student attendance data for scheduled teaching and learning sessions which is automatically uploaded to the attendance and registration system called Presto.
• The monitoring of student submission of coursework and online assessments through the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle). 
• Engagement with, and use of the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle). 
• Engagement with, and use of the University’s support services.
• Engagement with, and use of the University’s library resources and services.
• Information from Academic or Professional Services staff.

We will monitor your attendance and engagement and contact you when these fall below the accepted thresholds. We will ensure that we will listen to your attendance and engagement concerns and signpost you to the most appropriate support.  You can get an overview of your attendance via the attendance portal.

If engagement concerns are not satisfactorily addressed, or you have failed to respond to inform us of your reason for non-engagement, or you fail to engage in the support offered by the University to help you to engage with your studies, we reserve the right to cancel your enrolment and withdraw you from the University. 

If you are registered on a programme accredited by a professional or statutory regulatory body (PSRB) that have specific requirements regarding attendance, the University will contact you, where the specific PSRB (Professional or Statutory Regulatory Body) threshold regarding attendance has not been met.

If you do not submit your assessments by the required deadline, or your work receives a mark of less than 40%, the University will contact you to offer support, and discuss the options available to you. The penalties for late and non-submission of work are contained within the Assessment Regulations for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes of Study.

If, after supportive and appropriate intervention, your attendance and engagement levels have not improved, and you are at risk of academic failure, the University may reluctantly take the decision to terminate your studies.  Full information on how this policy is applied, including signposting to support and escalation processes, is detailed in the University’s Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Policy.

In the case of Tier 4 and student visa holders, this will also result in the withdrawal of your sponsorship.

For students registered on programmes accredited by professional or statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs) that have specific requirements regarding attendance, this decision may be taken at an earlier point aligned to those requirements.

Some students are expected to complete mandatory placements as part of your course. During this time, all your learning takes place in a placement setting off campus. You will be assessed during the placement and retain access to university support. 

Alongside the standard university attendance monitoring requirements, we will monitor your attendance to ensure that you are meeting the attendance requirements of the course and where relevant, UKVI visa requirements. 

The Professional Placement Team have clear mechanisms in place to enable the placement provider to report student attendance concerns to the University in a timely manner. These concerns are shared with the Personal Tutor/Programme Lead who will support and advise you. 

You are responsible for following the guidance in your placement handbook/Moodle page and for fully engaging with all aspects of learning and assessment to ensure university, placement provider and professional requirements are met. This will include:

• Meeting the minimum attendance requirements through completing the hours required and logging attendance on timesheets/systems, if applicable.
• Strictly following processes before, during and after any absence period, e.g. submitting a fit note after 5 days absence. 
• Fully engaging with your learning and attending meetings with your Personal Tutor. 
• Understanding that course/professional body requirements must be met, and absences can lead to spending extra time on placement, delays to your overall completion or unsuccessful completion.

For further details, please consult with your Personal Tutor.

We will record information about your attendance, absences and about your learning and progress in accordance with our Privacy Notice for Students.

This notice explains who we are, how and why we collect and use personal information about you as a student, what personal information is held, our lawful bases for processing, who we share your information with, relevant retention periods, and how you can exercise your data subject rights.

Tier 4 and student visa holders need to be aware that they have additional obligations related to attendance and engagement. For further details please consult the Your Visa, Your Responsibility document or contact the visa compliance office at [email protected].

RQF 6 qualification or higher

If you are enrolled on a degree level programme (RQF 6) or higher; excluding online Masters and Postgraduate Research programmes this policy and associated procedures will apply to you.

The Student Engagement Team is responsible for monitoring your on-campus attendance and engagement and we will use a range of information to assess whether we may need to contact you to offer support.  Where attendance and / or engagement falls below expectations, you will be contacted by a Senior Student Engagement Adviser who will discuss our concerns and, where required, arrange for you to access the relevant support services.  Failure to improve your attendance and engagement levels within a 10-working day period will result in your case being referred to the Student at Risk (Progression) multidisciplinary panel, where a range of actions will be agreed to support improvements in your engagement levels.  This will include liaison with the Visa Compliance team, who will meet with you as part of this process.  Where a withdrawal under the Student at Risk policy is recommended, we will be required to withdraw the sponsorship of your Tier 4 or Student visa.

In addition to the above, if you are unable to evidence your attendance and engagement with the University for a period of 60 days, the International Compliance Team will withdraw sponsorship of your student visa.  If you are absent for a period of 60 days due to circumstances beyond your control, we may continue to sponsor you, but will not issue a further CAS. 

Winter and Spring breaks and the summer period between semester 2 of an academic year and semester 1 are discounted from the 60-day calculation. 

Where sponsorship of a student visa has been withdrawn, the University will withdraw you from your course under the Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Procedure.

RQF 5 qualification or lower

If you are enrolled on a programme of study below degree level (RGF level 5 or below), UKVI expect you to attend 15 hrs of classroom-based activity per week.  The minimum attendance requirement is 85% each week.  Failure to attend 85% of weekly classroom-based activity will result in a meeting with the University’s International Compliance Team and a record of explanation entered onto your student record. 

Following the meeting if your attendance drops to 70% and below for three consecutive months; UKVI will expect the University to withdraw your sponsorship, unless there are exceptional reasons that can be explained and recorded on your student record.

Where engagement meets the minimum requirements but is still of concern to the University (e.g. several short absences, small number of engagement points) a decision may be made to initiate the formal withdrawal process.

Postgraduate research students

Although not part of the scope of the main engagement policy, UKVI have minimum engagement expectations for postgraduate research students.

Engagement is managed via regular meetings with your research supervisor. The meeting is recorded on form RD9 and must be submitted by SkillsForge. From an immigration compliance perspective, you are expected to submit a RD9 monthly until the date of your thesis submission or the end date of your CAS, whichever is the later of the two.

The University will check each month whether you have had more than 60 days non-engagement on your course.  Failure to evidence your attendance and engagement with the University for a period of 60 days, will result in the withdrawal of your sponsorship and visa by the University.  If you are absent for a period of 60 days due to circumstances beyond your control, the University may continue to sponsor you, but will not issue a further CAS. 

Where sponsorship of a student visa has been withdrawn, the University will withdraw you from your course under the Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Procedure.

Tier 4 and student visa holders completing a dissertation during the summer months

Although not part of the scope of the main engagement policy, UKVI have minimum engagement expectations for research students.

Engagement should be managed via regular meetings with your supervisor. A record of this meeting must be submitted to your supervisor on a monthly basis.

From an immigration compliance perspective, you are expected to submit a record of your meeting with your supervisor every month until the date of your submission or the end date of your CAS, whichever is the later of the two.

The University will check each month whether you have had more than 60 days non-engagement on your course.  Failure to evidence your attendance and engagement with the University for a period of 60 days, will result in the withdrawal of your sponsorship and visa.  If you are absent for a period of 60 days due to circumstances beyond your control, the University may continue to sponsor you, but will not issue a further CAS. 

Where sponsorship of a Student Visa has been withdrawn the University will withdraw you from your course under the Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Procedure.

Tier 4 and student visa holders completing a placement or internship

You may be able to undertake a placement or internship within the terms and conditions of your visa.  However, if you are sponsored to study with us, you should always check with your sponsor whether this is permissible under the terms and conditions of your sponsorship.

If you are granted permission to undertake a placement or internship you are still required to engage with us during your placement or internship, for visa or financial sponsorship purposes.  The regularity and terms of engagement will be detailed by the placement team prior to your placement commencing.

Failure to adhere to the terms of engagement will result in a meeting with the International Compliance Team and could lead to the withdrawal of our sponsorship of any Tier 4 or student visa.

Tier 4 and student visa holders undertaking study overseas

We are required to maintain attendance and engagement records and contact for Tier 4 and student visa holders and financially sponsored students under the following schemes:

• Worldwide exchanges
• Turing
• Supporting Tier 4 students

You should be aware there is a five-year limit to studying under Tier 4 or student visas at undergraduate level. If you are in breach of this time limit, you may not be permitted to go onto the study abroad scheme.

Prior to commencement on the scheme, a meeting will take place between yourself, the Study Abroad and Exchanges Manager and International Compliance Manager to review what is expected from you during the scheme.

After the meeting, you will be sent an email to your student e mail address (by the International Compliance Team) to explain what was discussed at the meeting and to confirm any actions that you need to take.

If, following the meeting, you decide to continue with the exchange, you will be required to submit a monthly report to [email protected].

If you miss two consecutive monthly reports, the International Compliance Team will arrange to meet with you.

If there are no valid reasons for your non-submission of the requisite progress reports, the University will be required to withdraw sponsorship of your Tier 4 or student visa.

Should your Tier 4 or student visa be withdrawn or suspended during your exchange, the partner institution must notify the University and we in turn must inform the Home Office.

Students who wish to return to the UK and resume their studies at Manchester Met

Immigration sponsorship will not be withdrawn if you resume your course at Manchester Metropolitan University very early on into the exchange. The Study Abroad and Exchanges Manager and Departmental Co-ordinator will determine whether this is possible and inform the International Compliance Team of the date you are expected to return to the UK. The International Compliance team will report the transfer and change of address to UKVI. 

When you recommence your studies at the University, you will be subject to the attendance and engagement monitoring, relevant to your programme of study.

Apprentices are required to attend face-to-face and online teaching as set out in their commitment statement or training plan. Specific details of when and where teaching sessions will take place are provided to the apprentice through their timetable, which can be accessed through the MyMMU app.

Apprentices are required to register their attendance at face-to-face sessions using their student ID cards. Where apprentices join online sessions hosted in Teams, using their student login credentials, their attendance will automatically be recorded.

Teaching staff are responsible for ensuring attendance is correctly recorded for all timetabled sessions, including where apprentices have been unable to self-register for a session (for example where the card reader is not working).

Apprentices are asked to self-report absence using the MyMMU app. Apprentices and staff can access support to resolve attendance registration and absence reporting issues by contacting [email protected].

Where apprentices fail to attend on a timetabled teaching day, the University will contact the apprentice and the employer to ascertain the reason for absence and to ensure the employer is aware that the apprentice has been absent.

This Policy forms part of the University’s regulatory framework. Other institutional Policies and Procedures that relate to Assessment include:

Assessments and Results

Procedure for Handling Academic Misconduct

Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Policy

Procedure for Academic Appeals and Review of Assessment-Related Matters

Student Complaints Procedure

Procedure for Consideration of Exceptional Factors

Your Visa, Your Responsibility