The MSU Attendance System, currently available as wall-mounted card swipes in 12 lecture-style rooms, will be retired upon completion of the spring semester 2014.
Historical attendance data will be available on an as-needed basis for one year past the system retirement date.
Background
MSU IT Services consulted with the Undergraduate Assistant and Associate Deans Group, the Learning Systems Advisory Group, the University Classroom Committee, and other academic groups prior to making this decision.
These groups considered the following details before reaching this decision.
- The current attendance system relies on hardware that’s beyond service life expectations.
- The University Classroom Committee won’t be adding card-swipe attendance in new construction or renovation of campus lecture halls.
- Multiple requests for funding a replacement system have failed to reach priority status.
- The cost per room is significant and a minority of instructors use the card-swipe attendance system in the rooms where it is available.
Alternatives for classroom engagement
If you are interested in alternate methods to promote student engagement, there are several technology approaches listed by MSU Faculty and Organizational Development. More specifically, teaching with iClickers may be a useful alternative.
If you would like to consult on ways to leverage technology to enhance student engagement, please contact IT Services – Learning Design and Technology at (517) 432-0711.
If you need help planning for attendance in summer 2014 or fall 2014 courses, please call IT Services Classroom Support at (517) 353-3960.
