Many classes require attendance and use classroom attendance as a part of grading. There have been two traditional methods of taking class attendance and both are burdensome and inefficient. The first is reading the entire roster of students and having them respond if they are present. This method can take up valuable class time for the professor and is not feasible in classrooms containing large numbers of students. The second method is passing around an attendance sheet. Both methods require the professor, or a teaching assistant, to spend their time after class charting the presence or absence of every student.
Rick Holsberry, a Software Engineer in the Department of Mathematics, created a method to streamline the process of taking attendance for professors. In addition, the invention provides professors with tools making attendance information easier to manage. “The idea of creating something of value that could be utilized by others was exciting,” said Mr. Holsberry of his technology. Mr. Holsberry’s work led to the development of “Attendance Manager Software”.
The system is a hardware/software combination which allows for attendance to be tracked, updated, and modified. The software operates as a standard Windows™ application so it is easy to use and gives each professor access to their attendance rolls. The software works in conjunction with specialized hardware such as the MSR500 portable scanner.
The system and the process of use are very user-friendly for both professors and students. The professor brings the MSR500 portable scanner with them to class. The device is about three inches long and one inch wide, making it small enough for easy transportation from class to class. The professor simply hands the scanner to a student in the front or back of class and then it is passed around the room.
The hardware itself is very accurate and provides multiple signals to let a student know whether or not their card was accepted. Students scan their ID cards in the device, hearing a low beep if the swipe was successful and then passes it on. This allows professors to immediately get started with their lecture and the students can register their attendance easily and quietly, unlike the traditional attendance methods. For students that have forgotten their student ID, they can write their names down and the professor can easily enter their information into the database later.
When class is over the professor takes the scanner back to the office and plugs it into a computer. The data is then uploaded, via the internet, to a backend server created by Mr. Holsberry. The software created by Mr. Holsberry is also extremely accurate in reporting the data acquired from the scanning system. After the data is uploaded, a number of tracking and alert functions are available via custom software created by Mr. Holsberry. The software also provides professors with a variety of options in data processing and can be manually imported into Blackboard™/ECampus™.
Currently the system is used by several professors in the Mathematics Department and soon Mr. Holsberry hopes to make it available to professors all over the campus of West Virginia University. Mr. Holsberry has worked with the Office of Technology Transfer on the protection of his invention which is currently Patent Pending. After the positive reviews from initial users, Mr. Holsberry anticipates moving forward with the commercialization and marketing of the software so that professors all over the country can use this device to more efficiently manage their classroom attendance.
Written by Sherry White
Posted by Matt Livengood on September 21, 2007 at 12:08 pm in the following categories: WVUBI
