How can we expect our students to succeed if they aren’t coming to class? We can’t. Especially at a career college, where programs have strict hours requirements students need to meet in order to graduate. Having an accurate, reliable attendance tracking process is vital to the success of any academic organization, and for career colleges, it can be make or break. With an influx of new technology, many institutions are considering revamping their attendance taking process. Here are 7 things to look for when considering a new attendance solution.
1. Ease of Use/Training
The traditional pen and paper sign-in sheet that many institutions currently use is very simple and requires no training. If you’re going to replace that process, you want to find something that is just as simple, if not more so, so that students and instructors can have a seamless transition from one method to another. Look for an intuitive, user friendly solution that you can reap the benefits of right away.
2. Ease of Integration
It’s crucial that the solution you choose is compatible with your SIS. You don’t want to have to overhaul your institution’s entire operations just to implement a new attendance solution. Additionally, the solution should be able to physically integrate into your institution’s classrooms, labs, and externships. Would you have to install new pieces of hardware into those locations? Or can you take advantage of the technology that is already present?
3. Accuracy of Data
When implementing a new solution, you want to be sure that the records being tracked are just as accurate, if not more accurate, than your existing processes. How much human error could be involved?
4. Flexibility
Every school has countless different situations that call for attendance tracking. Can the new solution you’re considering accommodate things such as lunch breaks, off-site locations, and different school policies? How about handling late or absent students? Can you make adjustments to the data if necessary?
5. Multi-Platform Capabilities
When considering an attendance solution, especially one using technology, keep in mind that not every student has access to the same technology, or that they prefer to use one over the other (for example: laptop vs. tablet, Android vs. iOS, etc.). Make sure that the solution you choose can be accessed by everyone that will be using it.
6. Clear Data Reporting
Is the data collected and accessible by internal stakeholders? Is it presented in a way that is easy to analyze? Make sure that the time saved through more efficient data collection isn’t instead spent on churning through the data to draw relevant conclusions. Better yet, find a solution that gives you the attendance insight you need right away, such as students that are currently absent or students approaching “at-risk” status.
7. Accessibility of Past Records
For compliance purposes, look for a solution that keeps records organized. Instead of searching through storage rooms of old documents, find a solution that stores the data electronically to quickly and easily look up past records.
When looking for a new attendance solution, keep the above points in mind to find a solution that will most effectively boost your institution’s operational efficiency.
CourseKey has been a leader in accurate, location-based attendance tracking since 2015. With over two million check-ins already, CourseKey’s technology leverages the ubiquity of mobile devices that students bring to class, connects to many SIS platforms, uploads data in real-time, and presents relevant results in user-friendly dashboards. For a more detailed look into the CourseKey attendance solution and to discover other benefits CourseKey can bring to your school, schedule a free demo with a team member below.
