Student attendance statement

Solent University is committed to supporting student achievement and wishes to ensure effective and timely support mechanisms are put in place for any student who needs additional help and guidance. Part of the University’s overarching approach to supporting students is to monitor student attendance at scheduled teaching events.

The University expects students on all taught courses and on courses that include taught elements to attend all timetabled sessions; full attendance is key to academic success. To participate fully in learning students should as a minimum:

• Attend all timetabled teachings sessions.
• Submit all assessments by the scheduled hand in date.
• Attend all scheduled assessments (eg, in-class tests, presentations, or examinations).
• Undertake independent learning in support of classroom delivery or as directed by academic staff.

Students are also encouraged to participate in the wider life of the University and be involved with the extracurricular activities offered by the University and the Students’ Union.

Attendance monitoring

Poor attendance is an early indicator of non-participation in studies. The University, therefore, monitors all student attendance at teaching sessions using an electronic swipe card system which records each student’s presence in the classroom. Students are expected to confirm their attendance at all timetabled sessions by presenting their campus card to the card readers in all classrooms on the East Park Terrace and Warsash Maritime School campuses. Mobile readers may be used for other off-site teaching sessions.   

Students' ‘swipe’ data will be monitored against individual student timetables. Students who are identified as having a poor pattern of attendance will be contacted and encouraged to improve their attendance or advise staff of any problems that are impacting on their ability to study.

Academic tutors will also have access to student attendance data and will work with academic support teams in identifying and following up students whose attendance profile is a cause for concern.

Absence notification

Students should notify their known absence in advance via the online absence reporting facility on the Portal. 

Notified absence may reasonably include dental and medical related appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of teaching hours. Where notified absence is due to matters that the University considers as non-essential, this will form part of the information used to assess the student’s general attendance record.

Students should not take holidays during teaching periods and assessment periods.

Student support

The University is aware that during the course of their studies students may experience a number of personal challenges that impact on their ability to attend class or sit and submit assessments. 

There are a range of support services to help students during difficult times and measures can be put in place that will help students achieve their award in the longer term. These include financial support and guidance, a professional counselling service, diagnosis and assistance with disability matters, and additional academic support with key skills. 

In order to determine the best way to meet a student’s needs, University staff must be made aware of any specific problems that may be impacting on their attendance. Students with a poor attendance record will, therefore, be contacted and reminded of the need to attend all teaching sessions and to encourage them to seek help if necessary. Students can seek further information or support by visiting the Student Hub.  

Participation interviews

Students with continued unexplained absence from class will be required to attend a participation interview. The purpose of the meeting is to explore reasons for poor attendance, lack of assessment submission, where relevant, and how to achieve a commitment to full attendance and submission of work in the future. This may involve discussions regarding appropriate support measures for the student.

The University has a duty of care to all students to facilitate good learning. This not only includes the provision of appropriate facilities but also that classroom culture is conducive to learning effectively. Students who are poor attendees can be disruptive to the learning environment for other students and may, in particular, impact on the successful completion of student group work.

Where, following a participation interview, a student’s attendance does not improve, they will be considered for withdrawal from their course.  

Non-EEA students

Attendance monitoring for non-EEA students will be supplemented by interim audits of attendance and student records by staff in Academic Services.

These measures, outlined in the policy statement Policy on University alignment with the requirements of the UK Border Agency for the admittance of non-EEA students under Points Based Immigration - Tier 4 (General) Students are designed to help the University meet its commitments as a sponsor of overseas students under Tier 4 of the national immigration policy.

The University is required to withdraw non-EEA students who do not hold a current visa and are unable to evidence an application for a new visa, irrespective of a good attendance record.