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Teaching and Learning Delivery

B. Monitoring students’ engagement with their programme

1. All Schools should determine points of contact within a programme of study together with other indicators that will enable them to monitor a student’s engagement with their programme.  These may include:

Note: “Contact” implies contact between the student and their programme of study where there is a record of that activity having taken place.

  • Registration
  • Submission of coursework/assessment
  • Examinations
  • Selection of course units via Campus Solutions
  • Dissertation supervision meetings (for PGT and some UG)
  • Meetings with Academic Advisors (UG) or Academic Advisors/personal tutors/programme directors and dissertation supervisors (PGT)
  • Core elements of a programme at which attendance is monitored and recorded.
  • Completion of compulsory tasks or tests, either in-class or online.
  • Activity within the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment or any other approved online systems (including logging on and participation on discussion boards).

Example timelines of core contact points for an undergraduate programme and a postgraduate taught programme are available.

These points of contact will not only facilitate the monitoring of student engagement with the programme but will enable the University to meet its reporting responsibilities to the UKVI.  Further information about recording keeping and reporting in relation to the Points Based Immigration System (PBS) is available.

2. The University has introduced a Student Attendance system (piloted in 2021 and rolled out in the 2021/22 academic year) as part of the engagement monitoring project. The online Student Attendance system (accessed through My Manchester) allows students to record and view their own attendance at timetabled activities. Relevant staff can see and edit student check-ins in real time, and access attendance reports. Information for staff about the system can be found on the engagement monitoring webpages and information for students is available at: https://www.welcome.manchester.ac.uk/get-ready/become-a-student/guide-to-my-manchester/my-attendance/.

3. Monitoring attendance at scheduled classes is not always appropriate or possible.  However, it is important that Schools are able to identify where a student is not engaging with their programme of study.  This will help to identify when a student may be struggling or may have circumstances that are preventing them from fully engaging with their studies.

4. Schools should give consideration to monitoring student engagement with the programme where attendance is not possible or appropriate, through the design of the unit curriculum and assessment methods. For example, setting Blackboard quizzes based on course unit materials or creating online sessions which students must participate in as a requirement of their course.

5. Engagement with course materials on Blackboard can be monitored by the unit leader.  This is a useful mechanism by which a School can cross-check absence from taught classes against engagement with the programme online, where concern over an individual student is highlighted.