College to use RFID to check class attendance
badgerherald.com
badgerherald.com
If they don't attend and can't learn the material then just fail them.
Like you say though, it makes sense for a class where you are expected to participate, since then you will be teaching and learning from the other students as much or more than the teacher.
The problem here is you, the student, have become part of the value proposition of the class -- and the penalty against non-attendance is not the school penalising you for reducing your own learning, but a discouragement from reducing the learning of others, who the school promised a classroom full of smart peers.
Attendance is part of how the school gets paid. (No, the students aren't paying much of its expenses.)
A school setting is the worst environment you can possibly imagine trying to secure anything, let alone attendance.
Did the student pay tuition?
Did the student learn the material the class covered?
I can't see any other things the university need worry about and I can't see how either of those two questions could lead to the need for some strict attendance policies that are connected to student grades.
Perhaps, the school is concerned that if people don't come to class and still do well it will become common knowledge that students can learn the same material more effectively on their own. Bad news, I think that cats already out of the bag.
Computer attendance tracking is something the administration of KU have tossed around. They want to do a few things with it:
1. provide an early indication whether or not a student may be struggling due to something like alcohol abuse or personal difficulties that the university has structures/programs existing for support. (here, they will likely avoid the more big brother tag readers or "id card swipes in class" and use a metrics looking at meal plan use, gym activities, and student activity involvement.)
2. They'd like to very quickly nail down who is in what room in case of an emergency. (Chem lab catching fire, gunman, rabid badgers) This is pretty much a C-Y-A maneuver.
3. provide a system to the faculty that do pass around paper to opt-in and use. The paper passing around is hokey and requiring students to purchase a 50$ license for a 50$ 'click pad' ontop of the 150$ book is seen as asinine.
I don't necessarily agree with any of this, it's just what has been discussed here.
It's a lot harder for a student to whine "I'm failing this class! This biased professor hates me!" while being able to discover that sonny-boy was only in class 25% of the time.
I never found lectures to be particularly useful anyway.
Nor I. You and I are not the norm (evidence: we are on HN).
But I have taught in a community college in rural/bluecollar area where the only hope that some students had of breaking out of their apathetic, educationally-clueless family/community was to have instructor(s) who mentored them - that is connected personally.
Being present in class was not sufficient for them to transcend the crippling effects of their upbringings. But it was the first (and necessary) step for those without other mentors in their lives.
[ Apologies for any arrogant sound in the above. Calling it like I have seen it. ]
I think the problem though is when you 'require' all students to be in class as part of your grade. This is little different than classrooms in a high school that are set up to help students falling behind that end up hurting / punishing the top performing students.
But, from the university's standpoint, which strategy is a better selling point? Tracking attendance "solves" the problem of, you know, actually having to parent your kids. I bet there's a lot of parents who want to pay for that.
If there were too many students to ask questions, I agree. In that case, you might as well be watching a video lecture at your own convenience.
I find the ability to ask at least an occasional question during a lecture, however, a big part of the value of taking a college course.
Ultimately I found that to learn effectively I needed to try applying the material to problems, try to solve the problems, and then use questions to overcome any sticking points I was having. I'm not sure it can really be done effectively in anything but the smallest of classes.
If that's the case the problem likely commenced at a much earlier date, and no RFID'ing is going to change it.
Something like this would encourage every teacher to take attendance and penalize those who don't come; I can only see that as something bad for college. And, as others have pointed out, it doesn't prove someone was there. If anything it could give an easier way to slack, because you can point at the time and say "see, I was there" if they say you weren't. And who will the higher-ups believe? You, the teacher, or the timestamp? I'd be willing to bet the teacher, as you could just give someone your card, making the whole thing pointless.
No, the blocking wallet is too minor. I'd be willing to bet the security on the RFID is minimal at best; I'd attempt to broadcast cards with an RF antenna and a dish, so everyone attends every class.
When all these systems will be in place, what will prevent some entity to use them improperly? I really find these things scary when I look at them.
The funny thing is that the countries best protected against this kind of bull-shit are the former sov-block countries. They have seen what all this can lead to in living memory, it seems to work like a vaccin.
More time for education while replacing an old-fashioned, outdated system with fancy "new" tech. Why the hate?
If the RFID had an off switch, that might mitigate this concern. (Would be frustrating, though, if you forgot to turn it back on before class and thus did not get credit for attendance.)
The interesting lecturers never had required attendance.
I think I'm still this side of legal, for merely thinking of such a scheme. Next year, maybe not.
How does carrying around an RFID improve that? One could simply carry the chip cards for his buddies to class or to protest the system just wrap all chip cards in tin foil and claim the system obviously failed. This is much easier than learning to fake signatures.
Apart from all that, as a student you should be mature enough to decide which classes you have to attend and which ones you simply study for on your own.
This isn't high school, Northern Arizona University, grow up.
I have a feeling the other HNers will override your foolishness.
...and now I regret voting you back up.
I guess I'm just from a different era. The attitude seems to be "they cashed my check, I can do what I want". Can't say that's totally a wrong attitude, given how colleges in the US work these days. There's a big "don't care" attitude on both sides of the fence now.