COMS10014

Mathematics A

Attendance Hurdle

This unit has an attendance hurdle. You must pass this hurdle, as well as the final exam, to get credit for the unit. You need credit for all Year 1 units to progress into Year 2.

Your main learning on this unit will happen in twice-weekly workshops where you will solve problem sheets in groups with other students. There will be 20 workshops in total, two each in weeks 1-5 and two each in weeks 7-11. We will take attendance in the workshops.

To pass the hurdle, you must attend and be signed in to at least 15 out of these 20 workshops.

To sign in to a workshop, you must have your UCard (university ID card) with you. Under university rules, you must have this with you at all times on campus anyway, so bringing it to the workshops is no extra effort. Sign-ins will happen by university staff checking your ID cards and then marking you as present on paper sheets.

We expect all students to attend 19 out of 20 workshops. We do not mind if you miss one in total across the entire unit. You will note that the expectation (19 out of 20) is higher than the hurdle (15 out of 20). If you aim for 19 (or 20), then you really should not have to worry about the hurdle, and you will have also done the best you can to prepare yourself for the exam by coming to all classes. You will get no sympathy if you attend only 14 workshops and argue that you almost met the hurdle, as you did not come close to the expected 19.

It is your responsibility to make sure your attendance is recorded in every workshop, especially if you arrived late (which still counts, within reason). You should actively seek out a member of staff if you are not sure if your attendance has been recorded.

Some workshops are in-class tests. For these, you get attendance by both getting signed in as usual, and completing the test and handing in your answer sheet. It does not matter how well or badly you do on the test - you do not need to pass the test to get attendance.

Things that do not count for the hurdle

If things go wrong - authorised absences

If you need to miss a workshop for good reason (for example: illness, attending a funeral, or a job interview) there will be a way to self-certify your absence for the day. Self-certified absences count as +1 for attendance.

If anything goes wrong on the university side, for example a workshop is cancelled due to a fire alarm, then we will give attendance to all students.

If you have a registered disability, or are a parent or registered carer, then you should speak to the senior tutor for your year who can waive the hurdle requirement for you if necessary.

Consequences for hurdle fails

If you miss more than one workshop without self-certifying, your tutor may be informed, and repeated unexcused absences without good reason may be noted on your student record and lead to further consequences. In extreme cases, a student who is not engaging with their course may be required to withdraw from the university.

In past years, there have been cases where missing attendance hurdles was one of several factors that led to students being required to withdraw from the university without a degree. These were extreme cases (and the students involved also failed other units), but they do show that we take the hurdle seriously.

If you are struggling with the unit or the course for any reason, you must inform your personal tutor as soon as possible. On no account should you think “I’ve fallen behind - so I’ll stop going to the workshops”; that leads to falling further behind and usually to failing the year.