Student Attendance TrackingUniversity of Bolton – Retention to UKBA to Retention

Presented by……….

Andy Dale – Systems Development Manager [University of Bolton]

Richard Cooke – Technical Consultant [CELCAT Consultancy Services]

We have been using CELCAT at Bolton for a number of years now.

We currently use the following elements of the software across the University......

•Timetabler•Student Attendance•Web Publisher•RoomBooker•iCalendar

Brief Overview

Project Approval

• The Student Attendance Project proposal was approved by the University’s Executive in May/June 2007.

• Following this approval, it was agreed with and backed by the teaching unions in the University.

• Pilot scheme ran from the start of the 2008/9 Academic Year, this was available to everyone on a trial basis.

• We identified some specific staff in different areas of the University to try the software and feed back any issues.

Support for the Project

University buy-in at a senior level has been key to the success of the project as a whole, initially through the three major commitments……….…

•the purchase of a dedicated server for the CELCAT system

• a Senior Management ‘champion’ has been essential to the continued success of the project

•the decision of the teaching unions to support the project

Initial Intentions

• The aim of the project was to improve our retention rates

• The registers would assist staff in identifying students who might be seen to be ‘at risk’

• Allowing for an intervention before the student actually withdrew

• To do this, the University appointed Student Liaison Officers [SLO’s] to act as an independent point of contact for all students

• The SLO’s reported to the then Director of Learning, Retention and Professional Practice

How are Registers marked?

• Registers can be completed on-line in the classroom, using either the Client or Web based application

• Staff can also take a paper register and complete the register once they return to their office

• Electronic registers must be completed within 48 hours of the session – if using paper

Implementaion

The project went live across the whole University at the start of the 2009/10 Academic Year

After a few issues in the first month, mainly around training and confidence, we had reached a figure close to 80% compliance by the second month

Reports were generated on a weekly basis and these were e-mailed to senior academic staff identifying any unmarked registers by staff name

The introduction of a 90% benchmark from the start of the second semester, helped us to reach around 95% compliance mark

Register Data - [2008/9 – 2012/13]

Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Register Marking Compliance

2008/92009/102010/112011/122012/13

Months

% M

arke

d

Register Data - [2009/10 – 2012/13]

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

Register Completion[Against 90% benchmark]

2009/102010/112011/122012/13

% M

arke

d

Notifications

• We sent an e-mail to students when they missed a class, in a gentle ‘miss you’ style

• They were also invited to speak to the SLO for their academic area if they had any personal issues or problems with their studies

• Staff were sent an e-mail, if they had not completed their registers within the 48 hour grace period

• A further e-mail was sent to their line manager after 72 hours if it was still incomplete.

Evolution• An unmarked register report now goes out on a Wednesday of each

week to the academic managers

Early Reports

Student Attendance Reportstudent ID week

Numberday Of Week Number module Code Mark module

ID0910224 9Tuesday (28/09/2010) BLT1716-10-E Present (P) 1230

Wednesday (29/09/2010) BLT1717-10-E Present (P) 1235BLT1718-10-E Present (P) 1239

10Tuesday (05/10/2010) BLT1716-10-E Absent (A) 1230

Wednesday (06/10/2010) BLT1718-10-E Absent (A) 1239BLT1717-10-E Absent (A) 1235

11Tuesday (12/10/2010) BLT1716-10-E Absent (Notified) (P) 1230

Wednesday (13/10/2010) BLT1717-10-E Absent (A) 1235BLT1718-10-E Absent (A) 1239

12Tuesday (19/10/2010) BLT1707-10-E Absent (A) 1201BLT1716-10-E Absent (A) 1230

Wednesday (20/10/2010) BLT1717-10-E Absent (Notified) (P) 1235BLT1718-10-E Absent (A) 1239

13Tuesday (26/10/2010) BLT1707-10-E Absent (Notified) (P) 1201BLT1716-10-E Absent (Notified) (P) 1230

Wednesday (27/10/2010) BLT1718-10-E Absent (A) 1239BLT1717-10-E Absent (Notified) (P) 1235

14Tuesday (02/11/2010) BLT1716-10-E Present (P) 1230BLT1707-10-E Present (P) 1201

Wednesday (03/11/2010) BLT1718-10-E Present (P) 1239BLT1717-10-E Present (P) 1235

15Tuesday (09/11/2010) BLT1716-10-E Absent (A) 1230BLT1707-10-E Absent (A) 1201

Wednesday (10/11/2010) BLT1718-10-E Present (P) 1239BLT1717-10-E Present (P) 1235

16Tuesday (16/11/2010) BLT1707-10-E Present (P) 1201BLT1716-10-E Class Cancelled (U) 1230

Wednesday (17/11/2010) BLT1718-10-E Present (P) 1239BLT1717-10-E Present (P) 1235

17Tuesday (23/11/2010) BLT1707-10-E Absent (A) 1201BLT1716-10-E Absent (A) 1230

Wednesday (24/11/2010) BLT1717-10-E Absent (A) 1235BLT1718-10-E Absent (A) 1239

18Tuesday (30/11/2010) BLT1707-10-E Absent (A) 1201BLT1716-10-E Absent (A) 1230

Wednesday (01/12/2010) BLT1718-10-E Absent (A) 1239BLT1717-10-E Absent (A) 1235

19Tuesday (07/12/2010) BLT1707-10-E Present (P) 1201BLT1716-10-E Absent (A) 1230

Wednesday (08/12/2010) BLT1718-10-E Present (P) 1239BLT1717-10-E Present (P) 1235

20Tuesday (14/12/2010) BLT1716-10-E Absent (A) 1230BLT1707-10-E Absent (A) 1201

Wednesday (15/12/2010) BLT1718-10-E Absent (A) 1239BLT1717-10-E Absent (A) 1235

24Tuesday (11/01/2011) BLT1716-10-E Absent (A) 1230BLT1707-10-E Absent (A) 1201

Wednesday (12/01/2011) BLT1718-10-E Absent (A) 1239BLT1717-10-E Absent (A) 1235

Unmarked Register StatsEvent Week

Subject Area Name Number of Registers

Week Of

28Art and Design 14807/02/201128Biology and Environmental St

udies1607/02/2011

28Business 22807/02/201128Civil Engineering 5507/02/201128Community Studies 2207/02/201128Computing 5407/02/201128Construction, Surveying and A

rchitectural Technology24407/02/2011

28Creative Technologies 4107/02/201128Creative Writing 2007/02/201128Education 13307/02/201128Engineering 9107/02/201128English 1707/02/201128Games 6707/02/201128Health and Safety 907/02/201128Health Studies 6107/02/201128Learning, Retention and Profes

sional Practice207/02/2011

28Mathematics 1807/02/201128Philosophy and History 807/02/201128Product Design 3007/02/201128Psychology 5907/02/201128Sport Rehabilitation 2407/02/201128Sport Science 4607/02/201128Textiles 707/02/201128Theatre and Film Studies 1407/02/2011

The Current Report

Staff/Student Comments

I was in this class on another day’

‘Thank you for the e-mail and show of concern.......’

‘Me, NOT ATTENDED!.... This is wrong’

‘Thank you for the e-mail, everything is alright I will be in next week’

‘I’m dropped out, this is probably an automated message that no-one will read’

‘I told the tutor I would not be in’

‘I was at this lesson? The tutor doesn’t even take a register’

.....these are all student quotes

‘We have always used paper registers why do we now have to do this twice...’

Fast forward a couple of months, this member of staff was checking the attendance profiles of the students on his course, from his computer

‘I need the students signature to prove they were here’

‘I can’t go back to an earlier date when I need to fill in my register......’

‘We have not had any training and I am to busy to sort it out’

‘From day one I have had problems........’

‘It’s a useless system’

..........these are all staff quotes

Benefits

• Improved data quality

• More accurate management information

• Ability to check against student performance [eg. degree classifications]

• Check space utilisation - [planned v actual]

• First indications would indicate an improvement in retention

Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Space Usage Data[Booked Vacant by day]

Book

able

Slo

ts

1 2.1 2.2 3 P40.00

50.00

60.00

70.00

80.00

90.00

100.00

Attendance v Degree Classification

Degree Classification

Ave

rage

Att

enda

nce

%

Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

70.00

80.00

90.00

Space Utilisation[Daily Averages]

Avg OccAvg FreqAvg Util

The PULSE Report

• The report was developed to assist Personal Tutors to quickly and clearly see any of their tutees potentially at risk

• It is ordered by most at risk on the left and alphabetically on the right

• Identifying students most at risk in red at the top through to green

• It also includes an attendance trend arrow, indicating whether a student is improving or not

• By clicking on a student’s name you can see their full profile

The PULSE Report

The PULSE Report

The PULSE Report

The PULSE Report

The PULSE Report

The PULSE Report

The PULSE Report

The PULSE Report

Any Questions?