There is a clear link between attending class, being really involved and successful academic outcomes. Attending lectures, seminars and workshops not only gives students the required knowledge and skills of their subject, it also builds personal bonds of friendship and familiarity with staff and fellow students. Being prepared for class by reading the notes and materials sent prior to each lesson also lays a good foundation for learning. Students owe it to themselves to get involved and stay involved because all the evidence shows this is how people succeed in higher education.
Students also owe it to other students to show up and take part in classes. All of our courses are designed to take advantage of the learning which comes about through interactions between students and between students and staff. In order to maintain standards and to make sure students are getting the most out of their course, we monitor attendance each week and if engagement falls below an acceptable standard, we will contact relevant students to find out what is going on and work with them to make things right.
At the start of a student’s first year we will give them a Student ID card which doubles as a swipe card for registering their attendance at each class. When a student enters the lecture, seminar or workshop room, they place their swipe card on the reader and wait for the light to go green. Engagement with a course is also monitored on CANVAS, the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It gives us a means of checking whether students are engaging with their course materials or falling behind. If the latter, we are here to help students get back on the road to success.
Bloomsbury Institute prioritises the safety and well-being of our community, and we’ve taken significant steps to decrease the danger of COVID-19 exposure and viral transmission across the pandemic. If a student tests positive or is advised to self-isolate, our SEWS Team has put in place a number of resources to assist students in catching up on their studies and ensuring their academic success.
Punctuality is a core ingredient of successful behaviour and we mark as absent those students who show up late for class. We expect high standards because we have high expectations of students and we want them to achieve all they can in their time here. Students are adults and they are responsible for their own behaviour. If that behaviour falls short of the standards we set, there should be no surprise if we challenge them to do better.
Advice on student engagement can be given by emailing sews@bil.ac.uk.