SAM SYSTEMS OVERVIEW October 2012

STUDENT ATTENDANCE MONITORING (SAM) SYSTEMS OVERVIEW

The University has a comprehensive Student Attendance Monitoring policy (the policy and guidance document is available as a download at www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/sam). Alongside this a central Student Attendance Monitoring (SAM) system has been designed to assist departments in the collection, storage and analysis of attendance monitoring data relating to students. The SAM system can be accessed in three ways: 1) Go direct via the web page www.shef.ac.uk/attendance 2) Log into MUSE and go to the Staff Applications tab. In the CIES Student, CIES Staff and Student Attendance Monitoring channel, select Student Attendance Monitoring. 3) Alternatively, if you are logged into CIES already, at the Main Menu, select Option 13 Attendance Monitoring.

ACCESS

TO SYSTEMS

All staff who have access to the Corporate Information Enquiry System (CIES) will automatically have access to the 1 to 1 Meeting Facility and the Reporting Facility. If you do not have access to CIES you will need to be set up as an authorised user via a Registration process. http://www.shef.ac.uk/cics/cis/registration

ATTENDANCE

MONITORING DATA TYPES

There are two main types of attendance monitoring data: 1) Attendance Data Departments are required to monitor the attendance of all students (both Home/EU and Overseas). Departments must maintain their own records of student attendance monitoring activities they undertake, and are strongly encouraged to use the central SAM system for this purpose. 2) Checkpoint Data Departments are required to regularly review attendance data and other evidence of participation/progress for all students (both home and overseas) to judge whether they are fully engaged with their programme of study or not. Using the central SAM system, departments must confirm at two or three official check points during the year following initial registration, whether or not students are engaging with their programme of studies.

DATA RECORDING METHODS

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SAM SYSTEMS OVERVIEW October 2012 There are a number of methods for recording attendance monitoring data on central systems in order for departments to monitor student attendance and inform and manage their Check Point data returns. 1) CMIS Registers this is part of the CMIS Timetabling software which is used by all departments, and enables class registers to be printed and/or updated online. Attendance data loaded via CMIS Registers is automatically incorporated into the central SAM system. 2) 1 to 1 Meetings Facility a web-based facility within the central SAM system for staff to record 1 to 1 meetings/interactions with individual students. This facility is also accessible via individual CIES Student Profiles. 3) Departmental Data Uploads enables departments to upload student attendance data via excel or .CSV file format onto the central SAM system. 4) Check Points Facility - a web-based facility within the central SAM system for staff to record checkpoint data for cohorts of students. More information about required checkpoints, including the dates of checkpoint windows is available in the SAM policy document (available as a download at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/sam). Further information and User Guides relevant to each of these centrally provided systems is available from the download box on the right. All the User Guides can be downloaded from this webpage, but are also available as links on the relevant screens of the central SAM system.
ATTENDANCE REPORTS

Once student attendance data and checkpoint data has been added/uploaded onto the central SAM system, departments can use the Attendance Reports facility in the central SAM system (accessed via the link on the home screen) to view and analyse the data for cohorts/groups of students and for individual students. A User Guide is available from the download box on the right. Following the closure of a checkpoint window, TPO and RIS will review the checkpoint data for each department to identify students who may be a cause for concern, and will take follow up action where required (and where a department has not already contacted TPO/RIS). Follow up actions may differ dependent upon whether the student is a CAS student or non-CAS student. Further information is available in the SAM Policy and Guidance document (available as a download at www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/sam).

DEPARTMENTAL STUDENT ATTENDANCE MONITORING CONTACTS

As part of the process of setting up the central SAM system, each department has been asked to provide details of one Primary and one Deputy SAM contact (different staff contacts for different cohort responsibilities are acceptable, eg: UG, PGT). These contact details have been loaded onto the central student records system, along with details of all those staff who have applied for security access to upload files of SAM data onto CIS (see Data Recording Method 3 above).

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SAM SYSTEMS OVERVIEW October 2012 This information will be used to contact appropriate staff via email with student attendance monitoring information, including the sending of automatic system-generated email reminders of when check point window start and end dates are approaching (all primary contacts and uploaders). Contact details also appear on the student listings produced when running Attendance Reports within the central SAM system, and will be used by TPO/RIS to contact the relevant departments following the review of checkpoint data if it is felt that follow up action for specific students is required. Whilst only the Primary contact is displayed in these student listings, both the Primary and Deputy contact will be emailed. A web page listing staff who act as either a Departmental SAM contact or uploader can be viewed at www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/sam/deptcontacts. If you would like to amend any contact/uploader details, please contact Cheryl Hewitt, Taught Programmes Office (c.hewitt@sheffield.ac.uk, Ext. 21277).

The various SAM system components have been designed to be user friendly and easy to use. However, if you have any queries please consider the following: In the first instance, consult the relevant User Guide If you still require assistance, contact your relevant departmental SAM contact (see www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/sam)

If your query is still unanswered, then contact: For queries on the use of CMIS Registers, contact Cliff Alcock, Teaching Space Manager CICS (c.alcock@sheffield.ac.uk, Ext. 23194) For queries on the user of the 1-1 Meetings Facility, Departmental Upload System, Reporting Facility or Checkpoint Recording, contact Andrew Stainforth CICS (a.stainforth@sheffield.ac.uk, Ext 21115) OR CICS Helpdesk (helpdesk@sheffield.ac.uk, Ext 21111)

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