Engaging with your classes
You are expected to attend all your teaching sessions
Jump to:
- How to record your attendance ― whether you're studying in person or online
- What to do if you can't attend a teaching session
- Why we record your engagement
Why it's important to engage with your studies
Research has shown students who engage with all of their learning and attend timetabled teaching sessions both in the classroom and online get better grades, feel like they ‘belong’ at university and ultimately achieve higher results strengthening career opportunities.
Your personal tutor will meet with you regularly to support your engagement and provides the opportunity for you to discuss any issues you might have.
How to record your attendance
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.
What to do if you can't attend 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. Please get in touch with your Personal Tutor if you feel that you may need further guidance and support in relation to absence.
Why we record your engagement
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.
You must only attend face to face sessions that are on your timetable. It is only through attending these that you will be able to record your attendance.
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. We’ll contact you and offer you extra academic, pastoral or wellbeing support if you do not attend or your overall engagement falls below a certain threshold.
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 port.ac.uk/studentcard.
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.