Engagement Monitoring for Academic Staff Members
Student Route Engagement Monitoring
For Academic Staff Members
Queen’s University Belfast holds a licence to sponsor international students to come to the University to study. With this licence come responsibilities and obligations and a range of specific duties which we must adhere to as an institution. These sponsorship duties are closely monitored by UKVI and are subject to audit.
The Immigration Support Service (ISS) has central oversight of the University’s compliance and its obligations under the Student Route (formally Tier 4). There are some matters that are devolved locally to Schools, such as monitoring the engagement of sponsored students.
Under Home Office regulations, a sponsor is responsible for students, from the point of CAS issuance, until:
- Sponsorship is withdrawn
- The student departs the UK
- Changes sponsor
- Switches immigration category
This comprises maintaining accurate records, and ensuring that up-to-date contact details, passports, visa copies, and engagement records are held, for all sponsored students. These records must be available for inspection, at any time.
Setting Contact Points
Engagement monitoring of students, holding a visa, is achieved, through setting a series of specific contact points, throughout the academic year.
These are as follows:
| UG students: | 2 contact points in a rolling 4-week period |
| PGT students: | During taught modules: 2 contact points in a rolling 4-week period During research modules: 1 contact point per month Whilst undertaking your dissertation: 1 contact point per month |
| PGR students: | 1 contact point per month (all year round) |
Students will not be made aware which sessions have been set by their School as designated contact points. The principle behind the student visa, is that students are physically present, in the UK, and actively following their course of study.
QR Codes for the Purposes of Engagement Monitoring
The Digital Transformation Team, has developed QR codes, as a key method for capturing student engagement data.
QR Code System:
1. School identifies an engagement point
2. Unique QR code generated for each engagement point
3. QR code emailed to the staff member delivering the session
4. QR code displayed at the start or during the class
5. Student scans the QR code with their smartphone camera to register attendance
If a student visa holder, fails to scan the QR code, or if they breach a threshold of non-engagement, an alert is generated.
The system will send an automated email to the student monthly, notifying them of any non-engagement, across the previous month.
A Guide for Academic Members of Staff
If your module, has been selected by your school as a contact point, you will receive an email, prior to your session.
This email will contain the following information:
- The Event Name
- The Event ID
- The date or date range that the QR code is valid for
- The QR code that you need to display in your lecture
- A link to the app to allow you to register attendance on behalf of students if they are unable to do so themselves
- A link to instructions on how to use the app
Displaying the QR Code
Displaying the QR Code
Instructions for displaying the QR Code
- The preferred method for displaying the QR Code is to include this in a slide at the start of your presentation
- The QR code should be as large as possible to aid scanning from a distance
- Alternatively, you can print out copies of the QR code or display these on a laptop and invite sponsored students to come forward to scan
Important Information
Please note the following important information:
- A new QR code is required for each session
- The QR code will expire at 9pm on the day of the session that it is valid for
- If a Dissertation QR Code is requested by your School:
- Valid for up to one month
- Usable by supervisors for all of the PGT students that they oversee - You will receive the relevant QR Code for your session via email the working day before the session is due to take place
- The email will denote the 'Valid From' date
Registering Attendance on Behalf of a Student
Registering Attendance
A QR code, only expires for student scans specifically. Academics and administrators, can register student attendance, after the expiry date, and time
Registering Attendance on behalf of a Student
1. Scan the QR Code or click the link in the email you received
2. Enter the student's name or student number
3. Select the correct student from the list
4. Click Submit to record attendance
Please note that the ‘Submit’ button will not become active until you have selected a student. If you are copying and pasting the student number, please ensure that there are no spaces as this will prevent a match.
Student Route Engagement Monitoring Presentation
Student Route Engagement Monitoring Guide for Academics
View the Student Route Engagement Monitoring Guide for Academic Staff Members:
click here to view on SharePoint
Download the Student Route Engagement Monitoring Guide for Academic Staff Members:
click here to download
Key Contacts
| Technical Support: | engagement-monitoring@qub.ac.uk |
| International Student Compliance: | isscompliance@qub.ac.uk |
| Immigration Advice: | immigration@qub.ac.uk |
| Engagement Monitoring Webpage for Students: | Student Route Engagement Monitoring Webpage |
| Student Route Engagement Monitoring Handbook | Student Route Engagement Monitoring Handbook |