Engaging with your classes
As a student you should engage with all of your learning, by attending all of your timetabled teaching sessions both in the classroom and online. You'll not only feel like you belong more at university, you're far more likely to get better results, graduate with a top degree classification, and get a better job.
Your attendance in the classroom is recorded through swipe data from your student card. It's your responsibility to ensure that this data is accurate through swiping in when you attend classes. You can see an overview of your attendance record in the Attendance App.
We collect this data to help us support you - both with your studies and your wellbeing. It's very important that you take responsibility for ensuring its accuracy by swiping yourself into your classes.
Your Personal Tutor will meet with you regularly to discuss this data to support your engagement, refer you to any student support service as appropriate, and give you the opportunity to discuss your progress on your course.
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How to let us know that you are engaging and keeping your data accurate
Face to face teaching sessions
Swipe your Student Card at card readers placed outside, or in, teaching rooms (more information below in the FAQs).
Online teaching sessions
Log in and access modules and learning materials on Moodle for virtual learning for online elements of your course.
How to view your attendance data
View your own attendance and absence across all of your modules in this academic year via the University's engagement app. This is available on web browser or phone app and you log in using your student account details:
Watch this video guide to help you understand what the data means.
Attendance or absences missing
The data in the app is refreshed nightly so anything you attend or miss today will be reflected on the app tomorrow.
If you didn't swipe your card to your timetabled class, then there won't be any record of it in the system. Please remember to swipe at all future classes to ensure your attendance is logged.
Course and module information
If the tutor or course leader information isn't right, or your modules don't look right, contact the MyPort Hub for support.
Technical or accessibility issues, and feedback
If you're having issues with signing in, the app loading, access or more, contact the IT Service Desk.
What to do if you have to miss a teaching session
If you're absent from a teaching session for any reason, please check Moodle for missed content and speak to your module or course leader to request any materials that can help you catch up.
The University’s has a Content Capture Policy, meaning staff should capture core content of all formal teaching sessions and make them available on Moodle. Students are still expected to attend at lectures, seminars and other events as outlined in the Student Charter.
Students with long term absence of more than 10 days should speak with their personal tutor for advice on how best to remain on track. Depending on the absence you may be advised to take a break from your studies. If a student on a Student Route visa is considering a study break, you should also discuss this with the International Students Adviser team.
Please get in touch with your Personal Tutor if you need further guidance and support for any absence.
Falsification of attendance
It is important you do not have your card swiped by others, or swipe others' cards for them. Misuse of ID cards for recording attendance is a sanctionable offence under the student conduct policy and could lead to further disciplinary action.
You create a health and safety issue by falsifying attendance through proxy swipe cards. If there is a fire, emergency services would be obliged to search for all students on the roll or register, which could endanger them or staff and other students.
We carry out regular checks to ensure that everyone swiped into a class is present.
More reasons we collect engagement data
The data we collect helps us improve teaching and timetables, and identify students who may need extra academic, pastoral or wellbeing support. It also enables us to show that engagement results in higher outcomes.
We're also required by statutory bodies - such as UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and Student Finance England - to confirm students are registered, engaged in, and attending their courses.
You can read more in the University's policy on engagement and attendance monitoring:
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ll be using lots of data to measure how students are engaging with their learning online, including logging in and accessing modules and learning materials on Moodle.
If you attend a session different to that shown on your timetable, the data will not be collected and your data will be inaccurate.
Permanent timetable changes can be requested, however can only be changed where an alternative session is available, you can demonstrate exceptional reasons for requesting the change, where the change does not result in a timetable clash with any of your other classes, where the change does not result in a detrimental teaching experience for any other students and where space in the alternative group is available.
If you need guidance please contact your MyPort Hub.
You will find card readers outside each classroom on campus. Swipe your Student Card against the card reader when the blue light is showing 30 minutes before the timetabled session begins until the end of the session. So if your lecture is timetabled from 9.00am - 10.00am you will be able to scan your card between 8.30am and 10.00am.
If the green light flashes, then your attendance has been recorded.
If the red light flashes, then your attendance has not been recorded which means you are not on the class list. (you should check that you are in the right place for your lecture!)
Your attendance won’t be registered and you will be recorded as absent.
You will be marked absent for the session and you must remember to bring your card with you for the next session so that you are not recorded as absent again. If you’ve lost your Student Card, you will need to order a replacement as soon as possible from myport.port.ac.uk/my-course/university-student-cards.
No. Please don’t ask your friends or anyone else to scan your card and register you for your teaching sessions as this is a disciplinary offence. If you’re going to be late, you can still scan your card when you arrive at the session. Any falsification of attendance is a disciplinary offence.
No, Distance Learning Students will be monitored by Moodle engagement and coursework submissions only. Placement students are required to keep in touch through personal or placement tutors.
Supervisors will monitor your engagement through academic interaction during your dissertation, and will raise any concerns with you.
Engagement monitoring through Moodle applies to all students on taught courses and distance learning leading to a University award, full time/part time from level 4-7 of the UK Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ).
The information collected will be stored in the data warehouse. It will be used to monitor engagement and attendance through an engagement dashboard, and also provide us with analytics that may be used to enhance teaching and timetables in the future.
Yes, all timetabled teaching events will be monitored including online and on campus events - unless they are drop-in sessions or for interest only.