Pilot of new attendance system starts in April
From 12 April, we’re piloting a new student attendance system on a few programmes across the University. This new system will help us better support the engagement and wellbeing of our students.
Why do we need this attendance system?
We know that attendance can be a key indicator of your wellbeing – if a student isn’t attending learning activities, it might be a sign that they need help with an academic or personal issue.
‘My Attendance’ is a new online system that will help us easily track attendance and see those students who might be struggling, so we can offer support when you need it. You’ll also be able to track your progress, as every student can see their own attendance history in the system.
The new system is also more effective and efficient than older attendance systems (such as paper registers), which should save time for both our students and staff.
When do I have to use the system?
From 12 April, a small number of programmes across the University will run a pilot of My Attendance with their students and staff. This is an opportunity to test the system in real-world situations, identify issues, get feedback and make improvements as needed.
If your programme is part of this pilot, your local team will be in touch to provide further information and support. If you don’t hear anything, your programme is not part of the pilot – so you don’t have to do anything yet.
If the pilot goes well, we hope to introduce the attendance system on more programmes from September 2021.
How does the new attendance system work?
Students will use ‘My Attendance’ to check in at the start of timetabled activities. Your lecturer will be able to see a list of who has checked in, so they can confirm the check-ins are accurate.
You can see your own attendance history in a simple dashboard. Your lecturers and academic advisor can also see your record, so they can check how you’re doing and offer you support if needed.
My Attendance is simple to use – you can access it via My Manchester on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.
The new system will not change any attendance requirements or policies. It’s just a tool to more easily collect and view attendance information.
Find out more
You can find further information and a short video guide to the system on the My Attendance pages. We’ll keep you updated on how the pilot goes and when we plan to start using the system more widely.