Check-In
You may need to 'check-in' to your teaching sessions.
New for the 2023/24 academic year, Check-in is a digital support tool that helps us identify more quickly if it looks like you may be struggling or experiencing difficulties. If it looks like you're not engaging with your studies, we will reach out with guidance and support.
How does Check-In work?
At the start of on-campus timetabled sessions, you are given a code by teaching staff which you’ll need to enter into the Check-In system: checkin.york.ac.uk.
Related links
- On your computer or mobile device enter the URL: checkin.york.ac.uk
- Enter your University email address and password (and Duo authentication) if prompted.
- Once logged in, you will see a list of that day's sessions. To register your session engagement, click the green Present button attached to that individual session.
- Enter the code provided by teaching staff in that session into the box at the top of your screen.
- You will then see confirmation that you have successfully registered at the session (the green Present button will turn into a green tick).
Please do not share codes outside of the session. By giving out the code to others who have not attended a session, it may stop us from recognising where there is a genuine need to provide support and help.
What counts as a teaching session?
Check-in at on-campus timetabled sessions such as:
- lectures
- tutorials
- seminars
- lab sessions
- Independent Study Module project meetings
Some departments don't use Check-In - see below.
All departments are expected to use Check-In from September 2023 with the exception of the following where separate, agreed arrangements are in place:
- CPD students
- Postgraduate researchers (though 1st years will need to check-in to taught classes)
- PGCE students
- International Pathway College
- Hull York Medical School
- York Online
- Lifelong Learning
Certain programmes may require engagement above the baseline of two engagement points per week, particularly if they are subject to Professional Statutory and Regulatory Body requirements.
What if I can't attend a teaching session?
You should attend all timetabled sessions unless informed otherwise by your department. However, we understand that from time to time there are good reasons why you cannot attend a timetabled session. To report your absence, follow the existing processes in your department (see your departmental handbook) or use e:Vision for self-certification.
Will I be penalised for not attending sessions?
Make sure you know of any sessions that are compulsory to attend, especially if there are Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) requirements. You must attend those sessions.
However, we know students have different learning styles and requirements. Before any action is taken, engagement data will always be contextualised to take into account additional information such as Student Support Plans and exceptional circumstances.
Physical attendance at lectures is optional at present (as opposed to practical classes and seminars) but lectures are included in the list of engagement points in order to give students every opportunity to meet the baseline engagement expectations. We strongly encourage students to make every effort to attend all timetabled teaching sessions.
What happens if my attendance is below expectations?
Student engagement is monitored over a five-week period.
- If engagement is below the baseline expectation, you will receive a supportive email from your department encouraging you to increase your engagement and giving you details of all support available. You don't need to respond directly to the email.
- If your engagement does not improve over the next five weeks, or there is no exceptional reason for low engagement, your Department/School administration team will ask you to get in touch to discuss your continued absences. Student support services will also get in touch to offer support and advice.
Student visa holders have always been required to engage with their studies as a condition of their visa. Continued low engagement could result in your visa being withdrawn, as has always been the case. We will make every effort to make sure this does not happen. Very few students are withdrawn due to low engagement, particularly where there are mitigating circumstances.
Support and help
If you have any problems using Check-In, please contact your departmental admin team.
Technical support
You will need to have a device in order to access Check-In as it is a web-based tool. There are a number of options available for getting access to devices:
- The Library runs a Laptop Loan scheme with over 100 short-loan laptops to borrow for up to four hours (available from the University Library, King’s Manor Library and Library@Piazza) and also 20 long-loan laptops which you can borrow for up to seven days.
- You may also be eligible to apply for funding for equipment through the University’s assistance funding. Please contact staff in the Student Hub for more information about this.
- IT Services also provide information about discounts available to students buying laptops and PCs.
Teaching staff and departmental admin teams are able to check students into the Check-In system on behalf of students, where necessary, but this is something that you would need to discuss with the member of staff leading the session.
We always recommend that you use the latest version of your browser to access Check-In. For students who have University Google accounts, we would also suggest using Chrome to have the best experience as this will always be available and updated. If you have an older device or no device at all, you may wish to take advantage of the Library’s Laptop Loan scheme.
Teaching staff can add students into Check-In after the session has finished, so make sure you let them have your details before you leave.
No, you need use checkin.york.ac.uk to register your engagement. We’ll be looking at access via the MyUoY app in the next phase of the project.
Teaching sessions
The Check-In code will lapse at the end of the teaching session to enable students to record their attendance even if they are late. The code will usually be shared at the start and end of the teaching session. If you encounter any problems, please contact an administrator in your department.
No, it will not affect your record. If a member of staff has cancelled a session, it will be removed from your timetable and therefore will not show up in Check-In.
Sessions that don't take place due to industrial action will not affect your record.
Your data
Check-In is not designed to be a punitive system. The purpose of Check-In is to support student welfare and wellbeing by making the University aware at a much earlier stage where students may be experiencing difficulties and are not able to engage with their programmes.
Data access and collection is agreed through the Check-In Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) to meet our record retention schedule and will not be kept for longer than is necessary or viewed by those who do not need it as per GDPR regulations. Access to the central database will be locked down and managed by the operational owner. Reporting in Check-In is only available to all teaching staff and a small number of professional services staff who require it to provide welfare and wellbeing support.
The University is the only organisation that will be analysing and acting on the engagement data collected. The supplier of the system (and their data hosting partner) will also have access to the data in order to provide this service; however this data is secured and bound by the University’s procurement contract and Data Protection agreement. This means the data cannot be sold or transferred and will not be used by anyone other than the University.
Student FAQs
Please speak to your lecturer or a member of the departmental admin team in the first instance about what adjustments they can make. For example, staff are able to check-in students where students may be struggling to do so themselves.
Attendance at timetabled teaching sessions is an essential part of the student learning experience on all courses at the University. Much of the curriculum content of courses is conveyed through timetabled teaching sessions. Such sessions also give students opportunities to interact with academic staff and other students about course-related themes and issues. We therefore encourage students to make every effort to attend the majority of all in-person timetabled teaching sessions.
However, we do understand that students learn in different ways due to personal preferences or due to circumstances that need to be accounted for in Student Support Plans (SSP). Students with a SSP in place will have this taken into consideration before receiving an email from their department to check in about their welfare and wellbeing.
Phase 2 of the project will look to include digital engagement within Check-In but for now the focus is on physical engagement.
Student Visa holders will follow exactly the same process for registering their engagement at teaching sessions as all other students.
The procedures for Check-In are primarily focused on full-time taught students. Part-time learners are not required to meet the attendance requirements set out in the procedures; however it is still helpful for part-time students to use Check-In so that departments can keep an eye on engagement from a welfare and wellbeing perspective.
The threshold will be based on your scheduled events which will vary depending on your year of study and department.
Students will receive communications from their home department.
Whether it's a simple question or more in depth support, there's a variety of help on hand for you while studying at university. The Student Hub is a first point of contact for support and advice about a range of issues regarding finance and money, private sector accommodation, health concerns, immigration advice, academic progress issues and more.
Our health and wellbeing help and support page lists different support services, both within the University and beyond, who can help with personal matters.
Please also reach out to the departmental admin teams or your academic supervisor if you need help and support on academic issues.
Future developments
The 2023/24 academic year sees the initial phasing in of the Check-In system and it will be developed over time. For example, we are looking at adopting online study, including watching lecture recaptures, as an engagement point in the future.
Although Check-In has the functionality to report absences and for you to see your own engagement, we’re not using these features in the first year of roll-out until we can make sure that it works for all departments and users.