Procedure: Attendance monitoring

Attendance Monitoring Procedure

4.7 Procedural introduction

4.7.1 You are required to attend all of your timetabled sessions. This includes all your timetabled sessions online. Your attendance is monitored throughout your studies and records are kept relating to the level of attendance you have. You are also required to engage with course materials on Brightspace. For distance learning students, if your course includes synchronous timetabled sessions, these will be delivered online and your attendance will be monitored.

4.7.2 If you are going to miss a timetabled session or where you believe that your circumstances may affect your ability to attend sessions or continue with your course there are mechanisms in place to handle this. If you are a home student or an overseas student without visa requirements, you may use the self-certification system to register your absence. If you are an overseas student on a visa, you need to contact your school about the Authorised Absence procedure.

4.7.3 If you do not attend your sessions, we will contact you to let you know that your attendance record is a concern to us. We will also inform you of the support available to help you improve.

4.7.4  You are required to attend all elements of your course. If you are undertaking a placement or a period of study away from the campus, the same attendance monitoring regulations apply, and we will also monitor your engagement in these settings. If you are absent for any reason, you need to inform your placement/study provider, as well as the SEAM team.

4.7.5 Where there are deadlines within our procedures, we expect you to keep to these, unless you have compelling independent evidence to show why you could not do this. We are also expected to meet our deadlines but there will occasionally be times when we are unable to do this for good reason. If so, we will let you know why and keep you informed of progress.

4.8 ATTENDANCE AND ENGAGEMENT PROCEDURE

4.8.1 We want to support you to reach your potential and data shows that students who attend and engage do better in their studies. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to respond to our messages as this will enable us to help you as quickly and effectively as possible. We want to help you get back on track wherever possible. Whilst we would normally follow each stage detailed below we may decide to start the procedure at a higher stage if your attendance is very low and you have not engaged with us. If you do not engage with us at all, we may interrupt your studies for the year or withdraw you completely from the course. If you have had a previous period of interruption, interrupting your studies again may not be possible. 

4.8.2 We also advise you to arrange to meet with us either online or in person to talk through any issues you may be having which affect your ability to attend and engage. These conversations may be by telephone or video conference.

4.8.3 Stage 1
If your attendance deteriorates, you will be notified and signposted to the help and support which is available. We will also invite you to talk to someone in the SEAM team if you would like any advice or assistance.

4.8.4 Stage 2
If we do not see an improvement, we will contact you again to remind you of the support available and the importance of attending in person and engaging online.

4.8.5 Stage 3
If we still do not see an improvement, we will contact you again to offer you the opportunity to arrange a meeting to discuss the reasons for your poor attendance. During the meeting we may recommend that you consider a voluntary interruption to your studies. If this is the case, we will give you further information and support you in making the request. An interruption of studies means that you will be required to stop your studies temporarily to allow your circumstances to improve, so that you can engage fully with your studies upon your return. This may not be an option if you have had a previous period of interruption.

4.8.6 Stage 4
If you fail to engage with us and your attendance is extremely low, we may interrupt your studies on your behalf or withdraw you completely from your course. If we decide that you cannot reasonably continue with your studies at this time, we will explain our decision and how it was reached. The date of your withdrawal will be based on the last point of engagement/attendance with your course. At this stage we will review your engagement with your course and make a decision either:

  • That you are required to interrupt your studies and return in the following academic year (home students/distance learning/non visa overseas students only); or
  • That you may be redirected to section 6 of the regulations and guided through the Support to Study procedure where you may be required to interrupt your studies and return in the following academic year, when you are fit to do so (overseas students on visas); or
  • That you are withdrawn from your course and the University.
  • This may not be an option if you have had a previous period of interruption.

4.8.7 Attendance monitoring appeal procedure: The decision made to interrupt or withdraw you

4.8.7.1 You can appeal the decision made at Stage 4 if you meet one or both of the following grounds:

  • You can demonstrate that a procedural irregularity has occurred during the process that lead to your withdrawal/interruption; and/or
  • You have extenuating circumstances, which can be independently evidenced, which for good reason you could not tell us about before the decision was made.

4.8.7.2 To appeal you should complete the Attendance Monitoring Appeal Form.doc in full and email it, with your evidence, to RegistryattendanceMonitoring@hud.ac.uk.

4.8.7.3 Your appeal must be submitted no later than 10 working days after the date of the email confirming that you have been asked to interrupt your studies or have been withdrawn from the course. If your appeal is submitted late and without a good reason, that can be independently evidenced, we will not uphold your appeal on the basis that it has been submitted late.

4.8.7.4 We will consider your appeal and will normally respond no later than 20 working days from the date of receiving your completed appeal form and associated evidence. We will send you the outcome by email and we will explain the reasons for our decision. This decision will be final and will bring to an end the University’s internal procedure. There are no further stages of appeal and we will issue you with a completion of procedures letter at this stage.

4.8.7.5 If your appeal is successful we will notify you and the SEAM team of the outcome. This does not mean that you will be reinstated immediately. You will be invited to a further meeting with the SEAM team for them to reconsider the decision. After this, they will decide whether or not you can resume your studies. If the SEAM team decide that you cannot be re-instated on your course you will be issued with a Completion of Procedures (CoP) letter.

4.8.7.6 If your appeal is unsuccessful then the original decision made by SEAM will remain. You will then be issued with a Completion of Procedures (CoP) letter 

4.8.8 OIA: Independent review of our final decision

4.8.8.1 You can request an independent review of our final decision. You will need to send your completion of procedures letter to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) within 12 months of the date of the completion of procedures letter.

 

4.9 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISA COMPLIANCE PROCEDURE

4.9.1 If you are studying on a student visa then you are required, by the Home Office and the University, to attend all of your timetabled sessions. If you do not attend as expected, then this may impact on your visa and your permission to remain in the UK. If you are withdrawn through this procedure, your visa will be curtailed and you will be required to leave the UK.

4.9.2 If you are sponsored by a government or corporate organisation the University reserves the right to inform your sponsor of any concerns regarding your attendance.

4.9.3 In addition to the attendance and engagement monitoring procedure in section 4.8, we will undertake other checks on your attendance. You should be aware that attendance in person is a condition of your visa and therefore the Visa Compliance Procedure takes precedence over the Attendance and Engagement Procedure.

 

4.9.4 Visa compliance attendance concern notification

4.9.4.1 If you fail to attend timetabled sessions you will be sent an email expressing the Universities concerns, offering support and warning you of the consequences of failure to comply with the Visa Compliance Regulations. 

4.9.4.1 If you miss further timetabled sessions, you will be sent an email expressing the Universities concerns and advising that you are required to attend a Visa Compliance Meeting.

 

4.9.5 Visa compliance meeting

4.9.5.1 If your attendance causes a serious concern, you will be asked to book a Visa Compliance meeting with the Student Engagement and Attendance Monitoring (SEAM) team. The purpose of this meeting is to consider whether you are able to continue with your studies at this time. This meeting will be held in person, on campus and you will be required to attend in person.

4.9.5.2 If you are a sponsored student, we may notify your sponsor about this meeting.

4.9.5.3 You will be provided with the details to book the Visa Compliance meeting. You will be required to book and attend a meeting. If you do not book yourself on to one of these meeting sessions or do not attend this formal visa compliance meeting, it is extremely likely that you will be withdrawn from your course.

4.9.5.4 When you meet with us we expect you to be honest and openly discuss the reasons for your non-attendance.

4.9.5.5 If you are unable to attend for a good reason that can be independently evidenced, and you tell us in advance of the meeting, we can hold the meeting at a later date. Please be aware that we are unable to indefinitely postpone the meeting and we will not usually postpone the meeting more than once. 

4.9.5.6 If you do not attend the meeting and we have not approved a re-scheduled meeting, we will withdraw you from the course. 

4.9.5.7 If you attend the meeting and we decide that you cannot reasonably continue with your studies at this time, we will explain our withdrawal decision and how it was reached. We will send you an email no later than 5 working days after the date of your meeting to confirm the outcome. 

4.9.5.8 In exceptional cases, you may be redirected to section 6 of the regulations and guided through the Support to Study procedure where you may be required to interrupt your studies and return in the following academic year, when you are fit to do so.

4.9.5.9 If you attend the meeting, and we decide that you can continue on the course you must attend all your timetabled sessions moving forward.  

4.9.5.10 If you fail to attend any further timetabled sessions after attending a Visa Compliance meeting, without an approved authorised absence, you will be withdrawn from your course. 

4.9.5.11 If you are interrupted through the Support to Study procedure, this means that you will be required to stop your studies temporarily to allow your circumstances to improve, so that you can engage fully with your studies upon your return.

4.9.5.12 If you are a student on a visa then an interruption of your studies has serious implications for your immigration status.  You are not permitted to remain in the UK if you are no longer studying. This is the same where you have been withdrawn from your course as your visa will also be cancelled.

4.9.5.13 If your studies are interrupted, the University is required to inform the Home Office and your visa to study in the UK will be cancelled. This also applies if we withdraw you from your course.

 

4.9.6 Attendance monitoring compliance appeal procedure: Appealing against a withdrawal decision 

4.9.6.1 You can appeal the decision made to withdraw you from your course if you meet one or both of the following grounds:

  • You can demonstrate that a procedural irregularity has occurred; and/or
  • You have extenuating circumstances, which can be independently evidenced, which for good reason you could not tell us about before the decision was made.

4.9.6.2 To appeal you should complete the  in full and email it, with your evidence, to Registryattendancemonitoring@hud.ac.uk.

4.9.6.3 Your appeal must be submitted no later than 10 working days after the date of the email confirming that you have been asked to interrupt your studies or have been withdrawn from the course. If your appeal is submitted late and without a good reason, that can be independently evidenced, we will not uphold your appeal on the basis that it has been submitted late.

4.9.6.4 We will consider your appeal and will normally respond no later than 10 working days from the date of receiving your completed appeal form and associated evidence. We will send you the outcome by email and we will explain the reasons for our decision. This decision will be final and will bring to an end the University’s internal procedure. 

4.9.6.5 If your appeal is successful we will notify you and the SEAM team of the outcome. This does not mean that you will be reinstated immediately. You will be invited to a further meeting with the SEAM team for them to reconsider the withdrawal decision. After this, they will decide whether or not you can resume your studies. If the SEAM team decide that you cannot be re-instated on your course you will be issued with a Completion of Procedures (CoP) letter.

4.9.6.6 If your appeal is unsuccessful then the original decision made by the SEAM team will remain. You will then be issued with a Completion of Procedures (CoP) letter 

4.10. OIA: Independent review of our final decision

4.10.1 You can request an independent review of our final decision. You will need to send your completion of procedures letter to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) within 12 months of the date of the completion of procedures letter.