Student Attendance & Engagement

1. Introduction

1.1 This document sets out the policy and procedure employed by The Dogenius Institute to monitor student attendance and engagement in all The DoGenius Ofqual regulated courses. It also outlines the activities The Dogenius Institute undertakes to encourage students to attend scheduled classes and also engage with the full range of learning opportunities and, thereby, increase their success.

1.2 The Policy is set in the context of research which demonstrates that student attendance correlates strongly with student performance. While this is not the case for all students, The Dogenius Institute believes that monitoring and encouraging attendance and engagement is important to support students in their academic studies.

1.3 The Dogenius Institute aims to improve the attendance and engagement of all students. Attendance in online activities including seminars and meetings provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully complete the course. It is, therefore, in the interests of every student to attend their scheduled sessions. Engagement with other available learning resources and submission to assessment are also key.

1.4 Attendance and engagement monitoring is central to the work being undertaken in Learning Analytics which aims to support student success as attendance and engagement levels have the potential to indicate those students at risk of leaving their course early or of failure. 

2. Attendance and Engagement Requirements

2.1 Engagement is expected of all students in every element of their course. This includes attendance of online activities including lectures, seminars, workshops, practical sessions, and engagement with online learning resources and learning materials which form part of the course. It also includes all activities defined in the Course Induction as compulsory and submissions to summative or formative assessments.

2.2 For some courses, there are compulsory attendance requirements which, if a student does not meet them, they will not be able to pass the course. These requirements are clearly outlined in the course induction.

2.3  The DoGenius Institute following government guidance, is required where teaching online, to monitor students’ level of engagement both through attendance at online sessions and through their engagement with resources provided via the online platforms as appropriate.

3. Attendance and engagement monitoring

3.1 Attendance monitoring refers to all recording of student attainment.

3.2 Engagement is monitored through the students’ activity on the learning platform, their use of resources and their assessment activity.

3.3  The Dogenius Institute may also use log-in data which is recorded every time students use the learning platform, recording the time and date that this occurred.

4. Use of data for monitoring engagement

4.1 The data collected as outlined in section 3 above is used as part of The Dogenius Institute's drive to support student success. The data on a student’s general engagement with the The Dogenius Institute and the learning resources, combined with attendance data, is used to model the successful study behaviours which enable students to succeed. It is also used to predict which students might require further support.

4.2 Students who are not attending meetings or engaging with online learning resources will be contacted by Student Services to re-engage them with their course. A list is produced on a weekly basis and an institution-wide process is followed as set out in Appendix A.

5. Use of attendance and engagement data for reporting

5.1 Attendance and engagement data is used to assess whether students are meeting attendance requirements for the Student Loans Company (SLC).

5.2 Where a student is not attending or engaging at the point of a census, they may be withdrawn and this will be reported to the SLC who will end payments.

6. Authorised absence

6.1 Short-term absences due to illness do not need to be authorised, but it is advised that students contact a member of staff to inform them if they are not able to attend scheduled sessions, or individual meetings that have been prearranged.

6.3 Instances of illness or other extenuating circumstances that affect an assessment or examination should be reported to the The DoGenius Institute. Students who are undertaking assignments affected by illness or other factors may request extensions and mitigation in accordance with the Academic Regulations.

6.4 Students are permitted to apply for temporary leave, suspension of studies, or deferral of their course of study for personal or medical reasons. Guidance and advice on these processes can be found from personal tutors or Student Services.

7. Withdrawal for non-attendance and/or non-engagement

7.1 The DoGenius Institute may withdraw students from a taught course if they are not attending and/or submitting assessments.