[Attendance] Grid Display

[ibornstein]

Problem statement:

The problem is that when marking attendance, I can only see what I mark for that day. I cannot easily see patterns for the course because I can't see all course days together in one screen. This limited view of attendance is problematic because it prevents the instructor from seeing attendance trends like "has Student X missed the last three classes?" or "is Student Y always late on Mondays?" It's important for instructors to be able to catch these patterns early, to intervene with students earlier and increase their chance for success in the course and overall student retention for the University. The other problem is that students cannot easily (or at all?) see their own attendance record, so their attendance grade is just a number with no context (i.e. they should be able to see "Oh, it's a 95% and not 100% because I was late to class a few times last month...")

Proposed solution:

Offer an "overall" picture of attendance, not just a "daily" option to record. Present a grid so I can see in the list of student names what their attendance pattern has been across every day I have recorded attendance (and please don't include the days I don't record). If I've taught 10 classes so far, I'd like ten columns so I can see who has missed class and how frequently. When I can see this pattern, I can better support students in figuring out why attendance is challenging. This type of early intervention helps student retention by directing services and outreach to students who have a need. It's too late to wait until midterm or end of the semester and simply look at their grades. I can help my students succeed when I can see who isn't even coming to class.

User role(s):

instructor