Student Attendance Monitoring
It is most important that all students regularly attend all the scheduled sessions (e.g. supervisory meetings, departmental research presentations, DDP modules, laboratory sessions, etc) that are listed in their timetable or that are communicated to them as the year proceeds. It is only by attending all of the scheduled sessions that students will be able to engage with their research and progress effectively, and it is for this reason that the University Regulations require students to attend throughout each semester, including the full examination period. This means turning up on time to all designated teaching sessions, tutorials, laboratory sessions and all assessment.
To help ensure that students make full use of the learning and research opportunities that are available to them, academic departments will monitor the attendance of students studying on research degree programmes offered by the department. Departments will monitor attendance for a range of different contact points or interactions for students who are studying on campus and for students who are studying or working away from Sheffield as part of their degree.
In addition to attendance monitoring, the University requires departments to confirm at three checkpoints during the year that all students are fully "engaged" with their degree programme. Departments will review the attendance data they have collected, as well as using other indicators, such as engagement with the DDP for example, in order to take a view on students' engagement with their studies. The attendance monitoring and checkpoint recording will be carried out using systems that have been developed by the University specifically to help departments identify and support students who are having difficulty with their programme of study. Information about how individual departments will carry out attendance monitoring and how they will use this information, will normally be included in Student Handbooks.
For further information and departmental guidance on Student Attendance Monitoring systems, please refer to the right hand link to the Student Services Department's Student Attendance Monitoring web pages.