It goes without saying that it’s incredibly difficult to succeed academically if you don’t go to class. Even now, in an age when some degrees can be earned almost entirely online, the classroom remains the primary hub of knowledge and learning.

And yet, students for one reason or another will miss or purposely skip class to the displeasure of universities and instructors alike. Poor attendance isn’t just a pet peeve, however, it’s a measurable habit that negatively impacts student performance.

At the institutional level, student attendance also has ramifications as retention rates and financial aid compliance are closely aligned to "presence."

On another level, the decision to implement an attendance policy – and accompany that policy with an automated attendance system – opens the possibility to improve academic performance and identify students in need of institutional support.

"There are many drivers behind attendance tracking on campus, including student retention, improved academic performance, class engagement, expanded student services including advisement options, and accurate reporting for financial aid and budgeting purposes," says Cheryl Boeckman, vice president of sales at Blackboard Transact. "Attendance as it relates to safety situations on campus is also vital, as knowing who is in a particular classroom at a specific time period can be critical."

Making the grade

More than four in 10 full-time college students fail to graduate in six years, according to a Wall Street Journal report. This is just one of a bevy of statistics that is forcing the hand of universities feeling increasing pressure from taxpayers and families concerned with graduation rates.

“It makes sense – and educators agree – that students who attend classes perform better than those that do not,” says Boeckman. “Many instructors recognize this and attach grade values to attendance by decreasing final scores based on absences or increasing scores based on attendance.”

The relationship between student academic performance and university funding is a major motivator encouraging institutions to consider monitoring attendance. The discussion around performance based budgeting is on the rise pushing incentives for retention and performance of students.

Any boost in academic performance is great news for students, but it also reflects positively on the institution as a whole, influencing enrollment and national rankings.

“For university executives, it is important to successfully retain students through graduation, placing them in the workforce as productive members of society and engaged alumni,” explains Boeckman. “Attendance at the freshman and sophomore levels increases the probability of persistence, and many institutions are in the process of instituting campus-wide attendance policies.”

[pullquote]Attendance at the freshman and sophomore levels increases the probability of persistence, and many institutions are implementing campus-wide attendance policies[/pullquote]

Roll call

There are a few ways in which campuses opt to track attendance, ranging from the medieval methods of pen and paper to modern, automated systems that leverage the cloud and mobile technologies.

At the moment there is no specific data that can say with certainty how most institutions handle attendance, but there are some common ties. “From observation, it appears that most institutions do not manage attendance capture in a centralized or consistent manner,” says Kent Pawlak, product strategy director at Blackboard. “Most rely on instructors to manually capture attendance,” he says. “Some use electronic capture from a variety of commercial offerings, while others have created custom solutions often using their card-based transaction system.”

Whether an institution opts to purchase a solution from a vendor or build its own solution in house, the technology underpinning attendance can be narrowed to some familiar form factors.

“It’s been all about the wired card reader, but we’re in the midst of a very strong migration to mobile technology,” says Susan Chaffee, director of product management at CBORD. “It’s more cost effective, it’s portable and it’s easy to expand.”

CBORD has mobile options for any iOS or Android phone, as well as for tablets and laptops and physically mounted Power over Ethernet readers, says Chaffee.

CBORD’s offering lets universities define specific events, classes and locations along with the associated business rules to confirm eligibility and track attendance. “Universities are able to run specific reports or extract attendance data to be consumed by another system for reporting,” adds Chaffee.

Vendors are reporting an increase in universities wanting solutions for attendance tracking. “The majority of our campuses are embracing attendance tracking in one way or another,” says Fred Emery, director of sales at Heartland OneCard. “It has become sought after function and we have seen significant growth over the past few years.”

Heartland offers a number of products that run on iOS or Android to assist in attendance, including mobile apps that can be used in an attended or unattended environment. Additionally, a PC-based application called Verify can be deployed on any administrative terminal, enabling existing computers in offices or classrooms to facilitate attendance tracking, explains Emery. “Standard access control terminals are also available, and we integrate with many third-party systems that can facilitate attendance tracking.”

Blackboard recently released a new attendance capture and reporting solution. “Our product is a cloud-based service that works with on-premise, mobile applications and the student’s campus ID credential,” says Boeckman.

The Blackboard attendance product is a standalone offering that can be used by any campus regardless of its campus card vendor. Using the company’s new MRD5 mobile reader and a mobile app for iOS or Android devices, Blackboard Attendance enables students to swipe in or, if available, tap a contactless card or mobile device to log attendance.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is opening a second campus location for students to receive special voter identification cards in advance of Wisconsin's presidential primary and spring election next week.

According to a report from the The Wisconsin State Journal, the university will open a second printing location for the voter IDs at the university's Gordon Dining and Events Center, a building close to a number of dorms and student neighborhoods. The university also plans to extend the hours that students can attain the IDs as part of a larger campus effort to accommodate and ensure Wisconsin students have what they need to vote.

The special voter identification cards are a standalone credential independent of the UW-Madison student ID, the Wiscard. The Wiscard is not compliant with Wisconsin state law that requires a photo ID to vote, so the university has distributed the free voter IDs since 2012. Students have previously been able to get the voter IDs directly from the university's Wiscard office located on campus.

Student groups and local officials have previously called on the university to make Wiscards voter ID compliant, but the university has stood firm on a separate credential. University officials stated previously that making the campus card voter ID compliant would cost the university hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, while specifics of Wisconsin’s voter ID law would mean that Wiscards would have to be replaced every two years to meet expiration dates.

The voter ID cards aren't a requirement, as any UW-Madison students carrying a Wisconsin driver’s license won't need the separate voter ID, and students who aren’t residents can still cast absentee votes in their home states. The university estimates some 6,400 students don’t have the necessary credentials needed to vote in Wisconsin and will need to get one of the special voter IDs. At the time of the report, UW had printed 1,240 voter IDs.

According to university officials, students need only present their Wiscards at either location to receive the voter ID, and printing the credential will take less than two minutes. University officials are also directing students to vote.wisc.edu for additional information on polling locations and other important voter requirements.

The National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) has announced that Dawn Thomas will be the association's next Executive Director effective July 1, 2016. Current Executive Director Lowell Adkins will continue in that role until then, with Thomas being officially introduced at the NACCU Annual Conference in San Francisco in April.

“I am pleased to announce Dawn as the new NACCU Executive Director,” says Brian Bollich, NACCU President. “Dawn brings 18 years of association management experience to NACCU.”

Most recently, Thomas served as leader of an association management firm. Prior to that, Thomas served 17 years at the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) in various positions, advancing to the position of Director of Membership, Marketing and Events.

In her role with NACA, Thomas led a group of teams that delivered a range of services from member recruitment and engagement, event management, facility sourcing, contract negotiations, and marketing and publications, all within a $4 million budget.

Prior to her service in the field of association management, Thomas worked eight years in various positions in student affairs at the University of South Carolina, Ball State University and Eastern Illinois University. Thomas received a bachelor’s degree in business administration (accounting) from Southeast Missouri State University before earning a master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Illinois University.

Thomas has also been involved in several professional organizations including the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), South Carolina Society of Association Executives (SCSAE) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

“Dawn is a dynamic leader with passion and broad experience in Association Management and Higher Education and her unique skill set will help position NACCU to thrive” says Ken Boyer, NACCU Search Committee Chair.

“It has been a great delight to follow the progress of the search committee and the NACCU leadership as they have thoughtfully and professionally moved through the Executive Director selection process," says Lowell Adkins, current NACCU Executive Director. "I am confident that they have chosen well and that Dawn will be a tremendous asset to NACCU as we head into a wonderful future.”

"I am honored and privileged to be appointed Executive Director of NACCU. I am excited to expand upon the impressive work accomplished by Lowell Adkins, the NACCU staff, the NACCU Board of Directors and all of the great volunteer leaders of this association to continue delivering value to both the school and corporate members," says Dawn Thomas about her new role as Executive Director of NACCU. "The continuous evolution of technology, coupled with the challenges facing institutions of higher education, makes NACCU a necessity for those looking for the best solutions. I look forward to meeting with members and business partners to discuss our association."

Campus cards at the University of Oregon will undergo a significant redesign after the university announced a new aesthetic for all new cards issued beginning this summer.

In an official statement from the university, the new card design will mark the first change to the Duck ID in some 10 years. The new card aesthetic was created through an undergraduate student competition, with the winner selected by a joint committee of professionals and students. The update was intended to bring introduce more creativity to the cards and update the generic look of the current IDs.

“The current design is pretty much just a bus pass,” says Tamarra White, guest services manager at the UO Card Office. “We wanted to bring the design into the present — the new design is a little more timeless than the current one.”

The previous Duck ID

The student who created the winning design worked as a student graphic designer for UO Housing and will graduate this spring with a bachelor of fine arts in digital arts. The design pays tribute to the Oregon campus, highlighting campus residence halls and iconic university architecture.

The transition is purely aesthetic, as no changes are being made to the technology of the Duck ID. Students and faculty will retain the same uses of campus cash, bus pass features and building access. The design change will, however, require all students using their cards for access to campus buildings to update their card information with the proper building in order to continue access.

The redesigned Duck ID will be issued to all new students starting with the coming summer term beginning June 20. Current students who  enroll in the summer or the fall terms will also need to receive the new ID. Students carrying the existing Duck ID card will receive the updated credential free of charge. If not in possession of the old ID, however, a $22 fee will be charged to replace it with the new one.

Current faculty, staff and students not graduating before fall 2016 wishing to update their ID photos along with the new cards can upload the new photos to the UO Card Office’s website until May 1. Oregon, like a growing number of institutions, offers online photo submission enabling students and faculty to submit a selfie or a regular photo online to be used on their ID.

ColorID has announced the addition of David Harris to the company's growing Product Management team.

Harris joins ColorID after having gained extensive experience over nearly 10 years at HID Global. During his time at HID, Harris held multiple roles including project manager, solutions manager in HID's Identity on Demand Group, and North American Sales and Application Engineer.

While at HID Harris also became a Technical Specialist on a wide range of software platforms and products, ranging from visitor management and ID software platforms to access control readers.

“David’s wealth of experience in mobile credentials -- iClass, SEOS, MIFARE, DESFire and software platforms -- will allow us to better assist our customers with their technology migration planning,” says Todd Brooks, director of product management at ColorID. “Our goal is to offer our customers access to the most knowledgeable products and technology experts in the identification industry, and the addition of David Harris enhances this aim."

ColorID is a solutions supplier for security, identification, access control, biometrics and transaction management. The company’s product management team -- along with an experienced sales staff -- help customers select the best products and services from well-known, reputable and innovative manufacturers.

A growing trend on college campuses has been the implementation of food pantries and other food resources designed to provide cash-strapped students with some cover when it comes time for a meal. With financial strain facing many students, these programs can provide a valuable service in a time of need.

According to a report from the New Haven Register, Southern Connecticut State University is the latest to join the trend after partnering with the neighboring Milford food pantry. The partnership is enabling students on SCSU's campus to twice a month receive up to 10 pounds of food per person in their household after filling out a pantry form, which is used for statistical purposes.

The idea to institute a student food pantry at SCSU was inspired by similar initiatives at other college campuses, but the campus lacked a permanent space to accommodate a brick-and-mortar pantry. To solve this, the university's alumni association made tickets available to students and faculty that could be redeemed for meals at the campus dining hall. It wasn't until later that the service was boosted by a partnership with the nearby Milford food pantry.

Two days each month — with plans for one Saturday each month as a third day — the pantry provides the SCSU community with food. It's a service that the Milford food pantry is looking to expand in the future.

From February 2015 to December 2015, the mobile pantry provided a reported 5,644 meals to 624 individuals at SCSU. At that time the total enrollment at SCSU was 10,473 students.

At SCSU, there are plans to expand and improve the pantry, as university administrators are considering implementing cold storage to preserve foods and other cold items for students to take home.

The Alumni Association still gives tickets to those who are hungry and cannot afford meals. Approximately $3,000 in Alumni Association dues goes to food tickets annually, with another $2,000 going toward funding the pantry.

The Milford food pantry is also in talks with nearby Gateway Community College in the hopes that a similar initiative may be started for their students.

In a free on-demand webinar, campus card vendor Blackboard Transact explores the move to student attendance tracking in higher ed and demos its new automated attendance application.

Automated, card-based solutions for attendance tracking are becoming more common in higher education. Financial aid and other reporting requirements are pushing campuses to track attendance and institutions are striving for ways to increase student success, retention and matriculation.

Blackboard Attendance uses your existing student ID card -- from any campus card vendor – as the tool to track attendance. A small mobile card reader syncs with iOS or Android handsets and tablets to make attendance data available in real time for instructor viewing and future reporting.

It’s cloud-based, SaaS architected and easy to setup and deploy. In this informative webinar, hear Blackboard representatives how institutions and students alike can benefit from automated attendance tracking.

Watch the free, on-demand webinar by clicking here.

The University of South Florida has chosen the Proctorio system for all proctored online exams this semester, after having trialed the solution for a year.

According to a report from The USF Oracle, Proctorio is not required to be used at this time, the research was in response to questions from employers concerning the validity of online degrees. The university researched and tested a number of solutions and ultimately decided that Proctorio was the best of the tested programs.

The program, which automatically links with South Florida's Canvas system, doesn’t require an actual person to watch the student during the exam, so the student doesn’t have to schedule the time they will be taking the exam. However, it does require both the student and the professor to be using Google Chrome as Proctorio is a browser extension.

The use of Proctorio is funded on campus for the first two years, and will be built into the technology fee that students pay each semester. University officials say that under the contract, the cost of the Proctorio system breaks down to about $3 per student, per exam. The system offers up to three different proctoring methods: through ID verification, on-screen monitoring and student monitoring. The professor decides which of these methods is required at the time they configure the exam.

As part of Proctorio's ID verification process, a picture is taken of the student holding up their student ID prior to beginning the exam. By default the student will not be filmed during the exam, nor will their computer be locked down, unless otherwise specified by the professor.

The optional student monitoring feature takes a recording of the student and flags for any suspicious behavior such as leaving the screen for an extended period of time or if they appear to be reading notes that aren’t within the camera view. It also picks up audio, so the film would be flagged if the student’s microphone picks up another person speaking in the room.

By: Tom Stiles, executive director of the Identification Systems Group

Colleges and universities spend a lot of time and money attempting to speed up the process of issuing ID cards. As an example, they look for card printers that are faster and require less frequent supply changes or they move to online photo submission. While both of these practices save time, there’s another time consumer that can be easily overlooked: the recall of records from your database.

The typical record recall process sees the operator select the “Search” icon, fill in some fields of data such as first and last names, and hit “Enter.” This can often result in more than one name being recalled if the name is a common one. Then, the operator has to select the correct person based on another data field like date of birth. I estimate this process to average 10-15 seconds each time it is done.

In many systems, there is a chance the record is not found and thus needs to be entered manually. This occurs if the main database has not updated the ID database. For institutions that have this issue, the normal process for missing records is to manually enter the information – a process that can take 60 seconds or more to complete per entry.

Shaving valuable seconds

A simple and inexpensive system called SmartReg is the answer to both speeding up the recall process and facilitating the identification of fraudulent cards all while complying with common identity theft requirements.

Bear with me here! Since you are already asking to see the driver license, simply swipe it in the SmartReg reader and the correct record is instantly recalled – instantly saving the 10-15 seconds mentioned earlier.

I have seen hundreds of fake IDs and none have ever been encoded correctly. And because fraudulent IDs rarely, if ever, have correct data encoded in the magnetic stripe or 2D bar code, card employees can be alerted instantly should the card be a fraud.

At this point, you may be asking: How does this work? Is it complex to install? Does it need to connect to my database? No, no and no! In fact, it’s very simple.

The SmartReg system simply reads fields from the driver license or ID card and fills in the appropriate fields into your Search or Enrollment screens. The system just maps the fields on the card’s magnetic stripe or barcode to the correct fields based on the screen you are in.

The system can read most any government-issued ID card, as well as your university ID card. The SmartReg system also works with any software program. In essence, the system emulates human keystrokes by reading the electronic information from the ID card.

Other key SmartReg features:

• As an application-independent system, there is no integration needed with your current database.
• Reduction of duplicate records caused by human errors, typos and common names.
• Greater privacy in the enrollment process by reducing verbal exchange of information.
• Enhanced customer experience.
• Reduced fraud by detecting fraudulent ID cards.

Identity verification and the Red Flags Rule

Another integral part of the ID card issuance process is identity verification. Institutions are supposed to verify the identity of students and individuals when they open an account. This is strongly related to the FTC Red Flags Rule. The typical process is to ask for identifying information like a driver license or state issued ID card. From there, the ID is supposed to be assessed to confirm it does not appear to be fraudulent.

Keep in mind that detecting fraudulent ID is only one part of the Red Flags Rule. Below is an overview from the FTC website.

The Red Flags Rule tells you how to develop, implement and administer an identity theft prevention program. A program must include four basic elements that create a framework to deal with the threat of identity theft.²

1. A program must include reasonable policies and procedures to identify the red flags of identity theft that may occur in day-to-day operations. Red Flags are suspicious patterns or practices, or specific activities that indicate the possibility of identity theft. For example, if a customer has to provide some form of identification to open an account with your company, an ID that doesn’t look genuine is a “red flag” for your business.
2. A program must be designed to detect the red flags you’ve identified. If you have identified fake IDs as a red flag, for example, you must have procedures to detect possible fake, forged, or altered identification.
3. A program must spell out appropriate actions you’ll take when you detect red flags.
4. A program must detail how you’ll keep it current to reflect new threats.

About Identification Systems Group (ISG)

The ISG is a nationwide network of local experts in identification, security and tracking, providing high-quality, cost effective solutions backed by local support and the strength of our Professional Services Certification program. Visit the ISG website and use our Dealer Locator to find your local ISG member dealer. SmartReg a product from BadgePass, Inc. and is exclusively available from all ISG dealers.

Houston's Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District can now notify parents when their students arrive and depart on buses, as well as process school cafeteria lines more quickly and efficiently with the implementation of a new district-wide RFID card system.

As reported by the Houston Chronicle, the district decided on the system after meetings with principals and administrators. The district opted for a multi-use card, complete with a photo of the student.

The district enlisted Zonar Systems to install the ID card system at a cost of $1.6 million, paid for with funds from a 2014 bond package that were initially intended for transportation and communication purposes. The system includes software, hardware and licensing, while the annual costs to maintain the system will run an estimated $100,000 and will be split between the food service and transportation departments.

The district -- which boasts a total enrollment of 113,000 students -- started phasing in the ID card system at the start of the school year with the goal of issuing cards to all students in time for the 2016-17 school year. All students will be required to have a card for identification purposes, as well as for use on school buses, in cafeterias and libraries.

Only two high school campuses were using student IDs prior to the district's implementation of the Zonar system. With the advent of the new district-wide system, roughly two-thirds of the district's 88 campuses are now using the system.

Elementary students are being issued two cards -- one to be kept in the classroom for the cafeteria and library and a second card to be attached to their backpack for use on the bus.

With the new ID system, school officials are able determine when a student arrives home, as well as know in near real time whether the student got off the bus at the correct stop. The transportation department, which moves around 78,000 students each day, can more easily assess student loads.

Elsewhere, card swipes now replace the previous method of entering in a six-digit number, helping to expedite student lines at the cafeteria, and relieve operational burdens for the district's food services department.