SU & DMU Joint Engagement Monitoring Policy

It is expected that all students will travel to, or reside on, the DMU campus (or SU campus for those students who elect to study at SU for their final year) to engage with face-to-face learning sessions from the start of the academic year.

Engagement monitoring is supportive and seeks to ensure that student welfare is our priority. This means that the School may contact students about their levels of engagement, or if students show concerning patterns of engagement to establish the reasons for lack of face-to-face engagement and offer to help and/or encourage them to engage, even if they have met general requirements.

Both DMU and SU will use a range of data sources to monitor student engagement with their studies, which includes but is not limited to, attendance at scheduled face-to-face and virtual learning sessions and study groups, activity in teaching and learning platforms to determine resources viewed, submission of assessments and coursework, library data and engagement with personal tutor meetings.  

Engagement will only be considered when it is capable of being monitored. If, for example, a scheduled learning session is cancelled by removal from the timetable, then this engagement data will not count against a student’s engagement record. 

All notifications required by these regulations shall be sent in the first instance to the student's official University e-mail addresses (students will have an e-mail account for each institution).

The university where the student is based (SU or DMU) will contact students who have significant periods of non-engagement with their studies on a 7-day rolling basis to ensure their welfare and offer support. Where the level of engagement does not subsequently improve without explanation over a 21-day rolling period, both parties may, in exceptional circumstances, consider the withdrawal of the student from the programme. Such decisions will be referred by the Joint Academic Board to the to the Joint Management Board for final approval.  Normally, a candidate with a decision of ‘Required to Withdraw’ shall not be readmitted to the same programme of study, but may, in exceptional circumstances, and at the discretion of the JMB, be offered an alternate academic programme at DMU only.

Students are responsible for:

Ensuring they understand and adhere to the Engagement Monitoring Policy associated with the programme.

Engaging with all scheduled learning sessions associated with this programme of study, including watching recordings where differences in time zones make it challenging to attend live learning sessions or where learning sessions have been pre-recorded, and accessing the online learning materials made available to them by the School; 

Informing the School when technical difficulties prevent them from engaging with their studies online so that support can be provided;

Maintaining contact with their personal tutor and attending any scheduled face-to-face or  virtual meetings; 

Notifying the School of any planned temporary absence which exceeds five working days and which will be considered as a “temporary request for leave from study”. A “temporary request for leave from study” is a temporary absence which has been accepted by the School. We understand on occasion that students may have to miss learning sessions for good reason, but if this happens, students will need to make sure they keep up with their work. The Programme Director and Deputy Programme Director will consider the grounds on which the request is made, the length of time requested and the impact of the absence on the student’s academic studies. The following is a non-exhaustive list of circumstances that may be accepted: 

• Reasonable circumstances that may arise as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. 
• Death or serious illness of a close relative or friend.   
• Significant adverse personal/family circumstances – such as divorce, burglary, fire, major court proceedings, financial difficulties beyond the control of the student, which require the student to leave the University at short notice.   
• Sporting and/or arts commitments, normally where a student is a participant.   

Corroborating evidence must normally be provided (with English translation). If a student is experiencing personal, financial or medical difficulties that significantly affect their ability to engage with their studies, it is expected that they will normally be advised to suspend their studies instead. 

Accessing their university e-mail account regularly to monitor and read all e-mails sent by both Institutions. Students will have an e-mail account, username and password for each institution.   

Responding to any communications regarding their engagement from the School, Programme Director, Student Affairs Office. 

Attending any face-to-face or virtual meetings that are arranged as a consequence of non-engagement with studies. 

Under the direction of the Joint Management Board, SU and DMU academic and professional service staff associated with the programme are responsible for: 

• Reminding students of the importance of engaging with all scheduled learning sessions and online learning materials;
• Ensuring the information, guidance and procedures relating to the Student Engagement Monitoring Policies are accessible to students within the Programme Handbook;
• Providing students with any specific information relating to the Student Engagement Monitoring Policy and periods of study away from SU or DMU;
• Ensuring that the timetable information is as accurate as possible;
• Ensuring that any ad hoc/late changes to the expected timetable are logged and communicated to students by e-mail and the DLP- for example a last-minute change of room, or re-scheduling of a learning session;
• Reviewing student engagement using the data provided by the different engagement modes which includes but is not limited to attendance at scheduled face-to-face and virtual learning sessions and study groups, activity on virtual learning platforms to determine resources viewed, submission of assessments and coursework, library data and engagement with personal tutor meetings to ensure student welfare and offer support as appropriate. 
• Providing students with information, guidance and procedures on informing the School of any planned temporary absence which exceeds five working days and which will be considered as a “temporary request for leave from study”. A “temporary request for leave from study” is a temporary absence which has been accepted by the School.  We understand on occasion that students may have to miss learning sessions for good reason but if this happens, students will need to make sure they keep up with their work. The Programme Director/Deputy Programme Director should consider the grounds on which the request is made, the length of time requested and the impact of the absence on the student’s academic studies. The following is a non-exhaustive list of circumstances that may be accepted: 
  • Reasonable circumstances that may arise as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic 
  • Death or serious illness of a close relative or friend.   
  • Significant adverse personal/family circumstances – such as divorce, burglary, fire, major court proceedings, financial difficulties beyond the control of the student, which require the student to leave the University at short notice.      
  • Sporting and/or arts commitments normally where a student is a participant.   

Corroborating evidence must normally be provided with translation to English. If a student is experiencing personal, financial or medical difficulties that significantly affect their ability to engage with their studies, it is expected that they will normally be advised to suspend their studies instead (see Suspension of Studies - Taught Programmes - Swansea University). Full details will be included in the Programme Handbook.

Maintaining contact with academic tutees and scheduling and recording students’ engagement with mentee sessions in line with the Joint Personal Tutor  System policy; 

Managing the process for continued non-engagement with studies to ensure student welfare and offer support and which may exceptionally lead to a student being withdrawn from both institutions; 

Ensuring all student engagement is monitored and recorded fairly, accurately and in an auditable form to ensure equality of treatment and compliance with the legal and statutory reporting requirements of both institutions (e.g GDPR and freedom of information access requirements in the UK), as well as scrutiny by the students and Academic Records across both institutions;

Signposting any students identified as requiring additional support to the appropriate Student Support Service. 

The Joint Management Board for the programme is responsible for: 

• Ensuring that School staff at both institutions are aware of their responsibilities and obligations with regards to engagement monitoring;
• Establishing and publishing named contacts with responsibility for these duties within the School at each institution;
• Ensuring that all students are assigned a Personal Tutor at each institution (DMU primary tutor and SU secondary).
• Ensuring all students’ engagement is monitored and recorded fairly, accurately and in an auditable form to ensure equality of treatment and compliance with the legal and statutory reporting requirements of both institutions (e.g. GDPR and freedom of information access requirements in the UK), as well as scrutiny by the students and students and Academic Records across both institutions;
• Ensuring that an appropriate level of monitoring and recording occurs for this programme in accordance with the joint policy.