Engagement

The University recognises that and engagement with teaching and learning is a key element in successful student retention, progression, achievement and employability. This approach serves to identify students who may be experiencing difficulties and might need particular support e.g. from Student Services.

You should also familiarise yourself with the Statement on Engagement and the Engagement Monitoring Policy for Taught Students as the University has a legal duty to monitor engagement and to act on non-engagement to meet its requirements in reporting engagement to external sponsors such as UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and the Student Loans Company.

Engagement Monitoring

Students Pursuing Taught Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes

The University has developed a Student Engagement Monitoring Policy, Guidelines and Systems as part of its commitment to providing a supportive learning environment and excellent student experience.

The University monitors your engagement and will take relevant action if your engagement is deemed to be unsatisfactory. The University expects you to engage with all the scheduled learning sessions, associated with each module or programme of research which you have elected to pursue, in accordance with the University Statement on Engagement. You must also adhere to the University’s Student Engagement Monitoring Policies and any specific additional requirements set by the Faculty/School Engagement Policy, relating to compulsory teaching sessions.

Centralised electronic systems have been developed for monitoring engagement and have been adapted according to the specific needs of Faculties/Schools.

Taught students who are not on a Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa, will be monitored on a 7-day rolling period by the Faculty/School. Students in the UK on a Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa will be monitored on a 7-day rolling period by Student Compliance Services. The list of engagement types may include face-to-face and virtual seminars/lectures/tutorials, laboratory/practical/training sessions, supervisory meetings, Viva voce examinations etc. A full list is available in the Student Engagement Monitoring Policy.

If you are absent for any period of time, your Faculty/School may ask you to submit a temporary leave from study request including an explanation for your absence. Please contact your Faculty/School for more information.

Students Pursuing a Postgraduate Taught Masters Programme Part Two or a Research Degree

If you are in Part Two of a Standard Taught Masters programme or you are pursuing a Research degree, you will be monitored on a monthly basis. Such interactions would normally include formal supervision sessions.

For any planned study or research conducted away from any Swansea University Campus, students must obtain permission to study remotely from the Faculty/School prior to leaving Swansea and will be required to adhere to the engagement monitoring policy during this period. Student Route (previously Tier 4) students will also require permission to study remotely from Student Compliance Services.

Postgraduate Research students are entitled to annual leave and holidays. For further advice please contact your Faculty/School.

Unsatisfactory Engagement

If you are absent from any specified engagement period you will enter an escalation process. This is designed to re-engage you with your studies, to identify reasons for your absence and to assist and support you with any difficulties. If you are absent for a significant amount of specified engagements and fail to explain the reasons for your absence to your Faculty/School, or you fail to receive authorisation for your absence from the Faculty/School you will be required to withdraw from the University. The Student Loans Company and/or any other relevant external body will be informed. In the case of Student Route (previously Tier 4) students, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will be informed that the University is no longer sponsoring the student. This will result in the curtailment of the Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa. If the student is in receipt of official financial sponsorship, the Sponsor will also be informed.

If you are required to withdraw for non-engagement you will be given 5 working days to request a review of this decision.

Engagement Monitoring - Student Route (previously Tier 4)

Faculty/School Engagement Monitoring

You are expected to attend all face-to-face and virtual lecture, seminar, tutorial and practical sessions or any other timetabled contact with your academic Faculty/School. Your Faculty/School will use these events to confirm your engagement at Faculty/School level. For more information about this, please contact your Faculty/School.

For more information relating to services and regulations maintained by Education Services including engagement monitoring at Swansea University please click here.

If you have any queries about engagement monitoring, please visit our Engagement Monitoring pages or contact your Faculty/School.

For detailed information and advice about the conditions attached to a specific visa including your eligibility to work during your studies, please contact International@CampusLife, located on the ground floor of the Keir Hardie Building or via email at international.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk.

Students should also view the University guidelines on students undertaking employment during term time at the following link:

Other University Regulations

Engagement During the Summer Term

The University may need to contact you during the summer term, including the period after the May/June examinations, and in some cases correspondence will only be sent to your term-time address and via e-mail. You are advised not to return home, book holidays or to make other commitments which will render yourself unavailable for University business before the end of term as circumstances may require you to attend the University in person. Such circumstances could include meeting external examiners, to sit re-scheduled examinations or being required to attend meetings or disciplinary hearings.

The University shall not be liable for the consequences of student unavailability during the summer term.

Authorised Absences

Undergraduate

Temporary Absence

It is not normally expected that students pursuing Undergraduate programmes will be granted an authorised absence during term-time. However, you may submit a request for a temporary leave of absence. Faculties/Schools should consider the grounds on which the request is made, the length of time requested and the impact of the absence on your academic studies. If you are experiencing personal, financial or medical difficulties it is expected that you will normally be advised to suspend your studies instead.

Repeat Failed Modules

UK Visas and Immigration regulations state that if a Student Route (previously Tier 4) student is not required to participate in their programme of study (either in scheduled learning sessions or by some other contact) for more than 60 days, the student must leave the UK. In such instances, the University will withdraw its Student Route (previously Tier 4) sponsorship of the student, their student record will be set to ‘suspended’ and UK Visas and Immigration will be informed of the circumstances.

The 60-day regulation applies to all Student Route (previously Tier 4) students who fail modules and have to undergo repeat of failed modules in one teaching block only (i.e. they do not undertake any study or attend any classes in the intervening period) as in the following, but not exhaustive, circumstances:

a) The student has a retake in Semester One and then no further contact is required in Semester Two: The student should complete Semester One as required and then return to their home country for Semester Two;

b) The student has a retake in Semester Two, but there is no contact required during Semester One: The student must return to their home country for Semester One and only return to the UK for Semester Two.

Where a student is not required to engage in study within a 60-day period, students will be asked to provide evidence that they have left the UK (such as a scanned exit stamp in their passport or a scanned air ticket). This will then exempt them from the Engagement Monitoring Policy for Student Route (previously Tier 4) Sponsored Students.

It is recommended that students submit a request for a CAS statement to Education Services approximately three months prior to their expected return to resume studies.

For detailed information and advice about renewing your Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa, please contact International@CampusLife, located on the ground floor of the Keir Hardie Building or email international.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk.

Postgraduate Taught Masters

Completion of programme

If you have submitted your directed independent learning and/or have come to the end of your studies, you will not remain active on the list of students to be monitored once your expected end date has passed.

Resubmission Students

Students permitted, by the Examination Board, to resubmit their directed independent learning will remain as internal students and will remain active on the list of students to be monitored. You will therefore still need to meet with your project supervisor once a month until you resubmit your directed independent learning.

Postgraduate Research

Temporary Absence

You may request a temporary leave of absence for personal, medical grounds and in the case of Research students, leave to conduct studies away from Swansea University. The leave of absence should not be so great that you would be required to suspend studies. The maximum period for which an authorised absence shall be granted shall be sixty days.

In cases such as these, please complete a temporary leave from studies form detailing the reasons for absence. The absences should be authorised and signed off by the Executive Dean or nominee.

The Faculty/School should enter authorised absences into the Research Management System (RMS).

Writing Up

If you remain in the UK during the writing up period you should remain engaged with the University and are therefore required to be monitored. Temporary leave can be granted under the scenarios mentioned above.

If you are in the UK on a Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa and confirm in writing that you have returned to your country of origin in order to write up your thesis and will remain there for the duration of this period your monitoring will pass from the Student Compliance Services to your Faculty/School. However, should you return to the University during this time, the Student Compliance Services will resume monitoring your monthly engagements with your supervisor.