carriedswipeselection

LearningandTeachingCommitteeSubject:AutomatedmonitoringofstudentengagementOrigin:StudentInformationSteeringGroup(CGarrod,MKing,JNutkins,MBell)ExecutiveSummary:Withinthecontextofstudentengagementwiththeirprogramme,colleaguesfromSchoolsacrosstheUniversityhaveexpressedtheneedforanautomatedsystemtomonitorstudentpresencein/absencefromclasses.
ThisneedhasbeenbroughttotheattentionoftheStudentInformationSteeringGroup(SISG)witharequestthatpossibilitiesbeinvestigated.
Thepaperprovidessomebackgroundandproposesthat,inorderforaninstitutionaldecisiontobemade,apilotprojectwouldbeneeded.
ActionsRequired:LTCisaskedtocommentonthepaperandtheproposal.
Background:IntherecentpastawiderangeofinitiativeshavebeentakenbySchoolsandSupportServicestoenhancetheengagementofundergraduatestudentswiththeiracademicprogramme.
Withinthiscontext,colleagueshaveexpressedtheneedforanautomatedsystemtomonitorstudentpresencein/absencefromclasses.
ThisneedhasbeenbroughttotheattentionoftheStudentInformationSteeringGroup(SISG)witharequestthatpossibilitiesbeinvestigated.
Justificationforasystematicapproachtomonitoringattendance:Monitoring(non-)attendanceisonlyoneofmanywaysinwhichstudents'engagementwiththeirprogrammecanbeassessedandsupported.
NeverthelessSchoolsareoftheviewthatitbringsparticularacademicandpastoralbenefitsanditalsoalignswithvariousstrandsofUniversitystrategy.
Theperceivedbenefitsinclude:ImprovedstudentprogressionandretentionImprovedstudentperformanceandattainmentImprovedstudentexperienceEnhancedstudentwelfareAnticipatedstafftimesavingsovercurrentmanualsystemsBetterqualitymanagementinformationPotentialtouseattendancedatatoprovidehighqualityreferencestoprospectiveemployers/providestudentswithanoversightoftheirattendanceandprogress.
ThisinformationisbeingrequestedbyanincreasingnumberofemployersPotentialforimprovedimmigrationcompliancePotentialforimprovedtimetabling/estateutilisationCurrentpractices:TheSISGhasconductedinitialinvestigationsintopracticesacrosstheUniversity.
EvidencesuggeststhatrecordingiswidespreadinSchoolsandthatpracticesvary.
Typicallytheyarepaperbased.
Hardcopyattendanceregistersarenormallyproducedbyadministrativestaffandpassedaroundtherelevantsession.
TheattendanceinformationisthenusuallyinputtedtoCo-Tutor.
Thisdatacontributestoanoverallassessmentofastudent'sengagementwiththeirprogrammeandspecificconcernsarefollowedupthroughaninstitutionallyagreedprocedure.
Whilstthereisevidencethatthismonitoringmakesanimportantcontributiontorealisingthebenefitsmentionedabove,thereisasignificantdataentryoverheadandtheprocessisconsideredtobelaborious.
SeveralSchoolshavetakenanumberofinitiativestoautomatetheprocessofcollatingstudentattendancedata.
Thetablebelowsummarisesaverysmallselectionoftheseinitiatives:SchoolEngagementinitiativePolitics,HistoryandInternationalRelationsHavetrialledattendancemonitoringsystemsusingbothswipecardandproximitycarddevices.
BusinessSchoolTrialledanattendancemonitoringsystemusingswipecardtechnology.
DesignSchoolHasexpressedastronginterestinmoreautomatedengagementmonitoring.
MathematicsEducationCentreHavebeenmonitoringuseoffacilitiesviaswipecardtechnologyforanumberofyears.
Possiblenextsteps:Inthelightoftheevidence,SISGisoftheviewthatanydevelopmentofanautomatedsystemintheUniversityshouldbecoordinatedinordertorealisethebenefitstotheSchools,includingstaffandstudents,andtominimisetheinstitutionalcosts.
MembersofSISGhavecarriedoutaninitialinvestigationintoavailableattendancemonitoringtechnology.
Thereport,whichincludesindicativehardwarecosts,isattachedasAppendixI.
Inordertoinvestigatefurtherthepossibledevelopmentofarobust,university-wideengagementmonitoringsystem,SISGconsidersthatapilotprojectwouldbeneeded,whichbuildsonexperienceinSchools.
WorkinvolvedinthepilotwouldincludeInvestigationandtestingofthesuitabilityofalternativetechnologiesfordifferenttypesofteachingactivityExaminationofhowdatacapturedfromthemonitoringdevicescouldbetransmittedtoandintegratedwithinformationalreadyavailableonUniversitysystemsAssessmentofwhetherthereareattendance'touchpoints'throughaprogrammethatarecriticallylinkedtooverallattainmentandifso,howasystemcouldbeusedoptimallybystaffandstudentstosupportteachingandlearningprioritiesRecommendationonthemethod(s)ofdatacaptureandITdevelopmentresourcerequiredtorolloutthechosentechnology(ies)acrosstheUniversityNatureofanyon-goingmaintenanceandsupportAssessmentofpracticeselsewhereTheoutcomeofthepilotwouldinformourdecisionsonwhetherandhowtoproceed.
ItislikelythatinputtothepilotwouldbeneededfromstaffinFacilitiesManagement,theCentreforEngineeringandDesignEducation(CEDE),theE-LearningSystemsTeam,membersoftheStudentInformationSystemsteam,theAcademicRegistryandAcademicSchools.
LTCisaskedtocommentonthecontentofthispaperandtooffertheirviewsonwhether,inprinciple,apilotprojectshouldbeconsidered.
Date–January2012Copyright(c)LoughboroughUniversity.
Allrightsreserved.
AppendixI:AutomatedattendancemonitoringtechnicaloptionsappraisalBackgroundFollowingcirculationofapapertoSISGinJuly2011regardingautomatedattendancemonitoringitwasagreedthatacentraliseduniversitysystemcouldbeconsidered.
ItwasproposedthatcolleaguesfromSISGwouldundertakeanevaluationofthehardwarecurrentlyavailabletofacilitatetheautomatedmonitoringofstudentattendanceatlecturesandtutorials.
Thispaperoutlinesthepotentialhardwaresolutions,and,asfaraspossible,estimatesthecostofimplementationforeachsolutionandthelikelyon-goingmanagement/supportoverhead.
Thebenefitsanddrawbacksofeachtechnologyhavealsobeenconsidered.
StructureofreportThereportisstructuredasfollows:Hardwareoptions–theavailablehardwaresolutionsavailabletoreadIDcarddatawereresearchedandanyadvantagesanddisadvantageswererecorded.
Onwardprocessingofdata–oncethedatahasbeencapturedfromtheIDcarditneedstobeprocessed.
Thisphaseofthereviewbrieflyoutlinesthepossiblemethodsforprocessingofdatafromtheoutputofeachreaderintotheco-tutorsystem.
Estimatedimplementationcost–anillustrativeoutlineofpotentialcoststoimplementeachoption.
Recommendation–therecommendedapproach.
HardwareoptionsThehardwaredeviceslistedbelowreadthestudentIDnumberdirectlyfromthestudentIDcardandeitherpassesthistoanapplicationorstorestheinformationonthedevice.
Inthefirstthreecasesthecaptureddatawouldthenneedtobecombinedwithteachingactivitydata,possiblyfromCMIS,andimportedintotheco-tutorattendancerecord.
ThesmartphonedevicecouldpotentiallyfacilitatesmartertransferofdataovertheUniversity'swirelessnetwork.
HardwareserialreadersHardwareserialreadersaresmallcardreadingdeviceswhichareattachedtoafixedcomputeroraportablelaptopviaUSB.
ThehardwarereadstheserialnumberfromtheIDcardandoutputsatextstringforuseinanapplicationonthehostPC/transfertotheattendancerecord.
ItwouldbepossibletoutiliseexistingITequipmentavailableinsomelecturetheatres,butthiswouldrelyonlecturersarrivingtoturntheequipmentoningoodtimepriortothelecture.
Costperunit:60perunit.
AdvantagesDisadvantagesLowesthardwarecostperunit.
RequiresafixedPCintheteachingarea,oralaptopPCwhichwouldneedtobesetupbythelecturer.
NotallteachingareashavePC'sandnotalllecturershaveaccesstolaptops.
Utilisesexistinghardwarewhereavailable.
Singleswipepoint.
Thiscanleadtoundesirablequeuesforlargeteachinggroupswhichreducesteachingtime.
Portablewhencombinedwithlaptop.
Requiresmanualbulkuploadofdataintotheattendancerecord.
StudentscouldpotentiallyswipeIDcardsloanedtothembyfriends.
Nofacilitytoautomaticallyaddadateandtimestamptotheoutput.
Placestheadministrativeburdenonacademicmembersofstaff.
Batterypoweredhand-helddevicesBatterypoweredhand-helddevicesareportableunitswithbuiltinmemorywhichrecordstheIDcardserialnumber,andadate/timestamp.
ThedatawouldthenneedtobedownloadedtoaPCandamechanismwouldberequiredforthetransferofthedatatoco-tutor–thispartoftheprocesscouldpotentiallybemanagedbyadministrativestaffwithinaSchool.
ThetimestampinformationcouldbecorrelatedwiththeCMIStimetablingdatatoidentifythemodulethestudentwasattendingwhentheyswipedtheircard.
Alternatively,thelecturercouldswipetheircardfirstandtheirstaffIDcouldbeusedtoidentifythesession.
Anotheralternativewouldbeforthesession/moduletobeenteredaspartofthetransferprocesstoco-tutor–thiscouldpotentiallybefacilitatedviaawebpage.
Costperunit:220perunitAdvantagesDisadvantagesMultipledevicescouldbecirculatedinlargerrooms.
Lecturershavereportedthatunitsaresometimesnotpassedonbystudentsintheteachingarea.
Veryportabledevice.
Unitsrequiremanagement(e.
g.
re-charging/batteryreplacement,distributionetc.
)Automaticdateandtimestampuponcardswipe.
Unitscouldbelostordamagedandmayneedtobereplaced.
Easytouseandsetup.
Requiresmanualbulkuploadofdataintotheattendancerecord.
UploadingtaskcouldbeassignedtoadministrativestaffwithinSchoolStudentscouldpotentiallyswipeIDcardsloanedtothembyfriends.
HardwireddoorcontrollersHardwireddoorcontrollerswouldneedtobeinstalledontheentrancestoeachteachingspace.
Studentswouldthenbeaskedtoswipetheircarduponentrytothearea.
Theswipeswouldthenbeloggedoncentralaccesssystemandcouldbeexportedforentryintoothersystems(e.
g.
co-tutor).
Itwouldbenecessarytomatchthecollecteddatafromthecentralaccesssystemtoteachingevents.
Costperunit:1000perdoor(variesdependentonnumberofdoors).
Thecostperdoorfor16doorcontrollerwouldbesignificantlylowerat350perdoor.
Furtheranalysiswouldberequiredforatrueillustrativecost.
AdvantagesDisadvantagesPossibilityofstandardisedfixedhardwareacrosscampus–confirmsthatlocationoftheIDcard.
Requirestransferofdatafromaccesscontrolsystemtostudentattendancerecords.
PossiblyrequiringgreaterinputfromITServicesduetoDateandtimeofswipesloggedautomaticallyoncentralsystemStudentscouldpotentiallyswipeIDcardsloanedtothembyfriends.
Potentialfornomanualdataprocessing(e.
g.
datadoesnotnecessarilyneedtobedownloadedfromadevice).
Althoughitcouldstillbenecessarytodownloadreportsbutthiswoulddependonthesophisticationofand/ortechnicalfeasibilityofanintelligentinterfacewithco-tutor/CMIS.
Veryhighhardware/installationcost.
Wouldpotentiallyneedmultiplereadersinlargerlecturetheatrestoavoidqueuesanddelays.
SmartphonesSmartphonedevicesthatcanreaddatastoredontheUniversityIDcardareavailable.
Thesedevicesaresimilartothebatterypoweredhand-helddeviceslistedabove,butcruciallyalsoincludewirelesstechnology.
Theoretically,thecaptureddatacouldbedirectlyuploadedtotheattendanceregisterwithouttheneedformanualintervention.
Costperunit:TheSamsungNexusScurrentlyretailsataround250(off-contract).
Itisnotclearwhetherthephoneswouldneedtohaveanactivesimcard(i.
e.
beonamonthlymobilephonecontract)inordertowork.
Othersimilar'Android'smartphonesmaybeavailable.
AdvantagesDisadvantagesPotentialtoautomaticallyuploadattendancedatatoCo-tutordirectlyfromthedeviceviawireless(savingstafftime).
Softwaredevelopmentoverheadmaybegreater(e.
g.
mobileappsandinterfacetoCo-Tutor).
Costperunitislikelytodecreasewhentechnologybecomesmorecommonplace.
Shortbattery-life,significantrechargingoverhead(every24hours).
Veryportabledevices.
Potentiallyrequireacostlymobilecontract(circa15-35permonth)Duetothehigh-desirabilityofthedeviceitisunlikelythatitcouldbepassedaroundinthesamewayasbatterypoweredhand-helddevices.
OnwardprocessingofdataTherearethreeseparateprocessesrequiredtoautomaticallyrecordattendancedataontheco-tutorsystem.
Thestepsbelowarerequiredforallhardwaresolutions,butsomehardwaresolutionswillmakeiteasierthanothers:CapturedatafromstudentcardsMatchstudentswipedatawithteachingevents(possiblyfromCMISormanuallyinputattimeofbulkimport)Bulkimportstudent/eventdataintotheco-tutorsystemThereareanumberofpotentialoptionsfortheonwardprocessingofcaptureddataandeachwillrequiredifferentlevelsofhumanintervention-thesearedetailedbelow.
Atthisstagenoneoftheoptionshavebeenassessedfortechnicalfeasibility.
Forallfourhardwareoptions:Lectureroradministrativestaffdownloadsinformationfromdeviceorexportsasystemreportandcopy/pastestheregistrationnumbers,inbulk,intoaspeciallydesignedweb-page.
Thememberofstaffwouldalsoinputthedateandtimeofthelectureintothepage,thuslinkingthecaptureddatatotheteachingevents.
Forbatterypoweredhand-helddevicesandhardwireddoorcontrollers:Lectureroradministrativestaffdownloadsinformationfromthedeviceorexportsasystemreportandcopy/pastestheregistrationnumbers,inbulk,intoaspeciallydesignedweb-page.
TheinterfacewouldlinktoCMIStomatchthestudentswiththeappropriateteachingeventautomaticallyandimporttheattendancedatadirectlyintoco-tutor.
Thisoptionwouldonlyworkforbatterypoweredhand-helddevicesandhardwireddoorcontrollerswhichcanpotentiallylogthedateandtimeofthe'swipe'.
Forhardwireddoorcontrollersonly:CapturedaccesscontrolsystemdataismatchedwithCMISteachingeventsautomaticallyandenteredintoco-tutor.
Potentially,wouldnotberequireanymanualintervention,butsomequalitycontrolmaystillbeadvisable.
Forsmartphonedevices:Capturedaccesscontrolsystemdatacouldpotentiallybetransmitteddirectlytoco-tutorfromthemobiledeviceusingtheUniversitywirelessnetwork.
TheteachingeventcouldbeenteredonthephoneormatchedwithteachingeventdatafromCMIS.
EstimatedimplementationcostTheillustrativecostsinthissectionareprovidedforthepurposeofcomparison.
Anassumptionhasbeenmadethatthemonitoringfacilitywouldbeavailableinallpoollectureroomsanddepartmentalteachingspacesacrosscampus.
OptionQuantityrequiredPriceperunitTotalHardwareserialreaders300(oneperlecturetheatre)6018,000Note–notallteachingspacescurrentlyhaveaPCavailable.
Batterypoweredhand-helddevicesDependentonnumberofconcurrentteachingsessionsacrosstheinstitution+spares(requiresfurtherinvestigation)22066,000(assumes300devices,oneperroom)176,000(assumes800devices,oneperlecturer)BothfiguresarebasedonCMISdata.
Hardwireddoorcontrollers1perroom51but101Upto1000perdoor(averageof750usedforcalculation)Circa300,000SmartphonesDependentonnumberofconcurrentteachingsessionsacrosstheinstitution+spares(variousroll-outoptionsareavailableandcouldbeconsideredaspartofapilot)250Circa200,000(assumes800devices,oneperlecturer)Possiblerecurrentcostsifdevicesrequiremonthlycontracts.
(e.
g.
15x12monthsx800devices=144,000perannum).
OtherrelatedcostsincludethecostofdevelopingtheexistingITsystemstosupportthebulkimportofcaptureddata.
Inorderfortheprojecttobesuccessfulthiswouldneedtobeprioritisedbytherelevantdevelopmentsection.
Therewouldalsobecostsincurredrelatingtothetrainingandcommunicationofthenewsystemtobothstudentsandstudentsbutitisanticipatedthatthesecostswouldnotbehugelysignificant.
Eachhardwaresolutionwouldrequiredifferinglevelsofon-goingmaintenanceandsupportandthiswouldrequirefurtherinvestigation.