Student Attendance Tracking Information System (SATIS)

1. General Description of the Information System

1.1 Title  

Student Attendance Tracking Information System (SATIS)

1.2 General Description

The Student Attendance Tracking Information System (SATIS) is designed to record the electronic signature of a student’s ID card as they walk into their lectures and/or tutorials. This information will be used by the lecturer to analyse if there is a link between a student’s attendance and their results.

The SATIS will be installed on a tablet that can be found at the entry points of the lectures and tutorials. Students will either touch or swipe their ID card on the tablet’s screen, or manually input their student ID as they enter the room. The SATIS interacts with Blackboard’s GradeCentre, adjusting the attendance with each week’s lecture and tutorial attendances. The student receives a notification from the tablet confirming that their attendance has been recorded.

1.3 Users and Uses

Student

The student reaches a tablet with the SAT software and interacts with it to record their attendance of a tutorial or lecture. Once their attendance has been recorded, the student receives confirmation from the tablet and attends the lecture or tutorial.

a. Registration: The student arrives and interacts with the tablet in order to register their attendance to the lecture or tutorial.

SAT Software

The SAT (Scanning Attendance Tracker) software runs on the tablets placed at the entrances of a class. It searches for the student and confirms their attendance by communicating with Blackboard’s GradeCentre.

a. Logs-on: to Blackboard’s GradeCentre.

b. Student Search: The tablet searches for the student on Blackboard’s GradeCentre.

c. Attendance Verification: The SAT software receives and relays the any change made to the Attendance column of the GradeCentre. Displays the name and student ID once there is confirmation of a change in the Attendance column.

GradeCentre

GradeCentre is a tool used by the university faculty to record and monitor a student’s academic progress (“Blackboard Grade Center: Basic Features Quick Guide”, 2019)

a. Receives a query: from the SAT software to search for a student.

b. Student Verification: GradeCentre searches for the student using the scanned card or the manually typed student ID and verifies that they are in the class.

c. Attendance Update: GradeCentre will update the attendance of the student in response to the query made by the SAT software.

1.4 Instance

Scan Student Identification Card Authorization (SSICA) is an example of a student attendance tracking information system. Staff use their smartphones to scan a student’s ID card to monitor their activity, such as attendance, detention and student validation (“Why SSICA? – SSICA”, 2019).

An alternate form of scanning is via a tablet. A tablet can be placed in the school with the SSICA installed onto it. The camera on the device will be able to process the ID cards, or Bluetooth can be used for faster scanning (“Why SSICA? – SSICA”, 2019).

Student look-up is also provided in the case where a student doesn’t have their ID card on them (“Why SSICA? – SSICA”, 2019)The student’s name or number can be searched to access or alter the details of the student.

2. External Description of the Information System

2.1 Inputs

Student Details

The student is considered to be an external user as they provide information to the SAT software. The information exists as an input to the information system as it sent to the SAT software to be verified.

a. Student Name  – The given name and family name of the student.

b. Student ID – The unique personal identification number assigned to each student.

By scanning with the student ID card, these details will be provided. But manual input will require the student to enter their Student ID into the SAT software.

2.2 Outputs 

Attendance Confirmation

When the student’s details have been confirmed, their attendance will have officially been accounted for. The output will notify the student that their attendance has been recorded.

a. Student Name – The given name and family name of the student.

b. Student ID – The unique personal identification number assigned to each student.

c. Time – The time at which the attendance was recorded.

d. Date – The date when the attendance was recorded.

e. Class – The name of the tutorial or lecture that the student attends.

f. Attendance Confirmation – The tablet will inform the student that their attendance has been confirmed for that class.

2.3 System Boundary

External Components

Student – As they directly input their information into the SATIS for attendance, the student is an external component to the information system.

Internal Components

SAT Software – The software is an internal component as it processes information from the student and sends it to the GradeCentre Database.

GradeCentre Database – The GradeCentre Database is internal to the information system as it acts as an information store. It will interact with the information processors to alter the attendance columns by using the details of the students.

3. External View of  the Information System

Figure 1 – External View of the Student Attendance Tracking Information System

4. Internal Description of Information System

4.1 Information Processors

SAT Software

The SAT software is a computerised information processor which is used to update a student’s attendance. The software is run on a tablet which the lecturer has placed in each class.

a. The SAT software queries the GradeCentre Database. The SAT software asks the GradeCentre Database if the student is authorized to attend the class by examining the student’s personal details.

b. The SAT software relays the updated attendance and displays it on the tablet.

 

Tablet

The tablet acts as an information processor where students interact with it to attend their tutorial or lecture. The tablet has the SAT software loaded inside.

1. The student swipes their student ID card or manually enters their details when they attend a class.
2. Tablet interacts with the SAT software and sends the students details to the SAT software to be queried.
3. The SAT software interacts with the tablet which displays an attendance confirmation along with the details of the student, time, class and date.

4.2 Information Stores

GradeCentre Database

The GradeCentre Database is a computerised information store that holds the information of all students. It keeps records of the personal details of each student and can be altered in accordance to changes in a student’s details.

a. Student Name – The given name and family name of the student.

b. Student ID – The unique personal identification number assigned to each student.

c. Attendance Column – The attendance column holds the attendance of a student. It contains information of the date, the time and the class that they have attended.

4.3 Communication Networks

Internal Communication Networks

Wide Area Network 1

The interaction between the SAT software and the GradeCentre Database is a WAN network connection.

a. The GradeCentre Database is housed externally from the campus of the university. So that all tablets with the SAT software can connect to the database, an extranet or internet connection is required. This allows the SAT software to tell GradeCentre to change the attendance columns of the student.

Direct Interaction 2

There is a direction interaction between the tablet and the SAT software.

a. The tablet directly sends the students details to the SAT software. This is because the tablet is already loaded with the SAT software.

External Communication Networks

Direct Interaction 1

There is a direction interaction between the student and the tablet.

a. The student directly interacts with the tablet when the student swipes their Student ID card past the tablet or when they input their student details for attendance.

Direct Interaction 3

There is a direct interaction between the tablet and the SAT software.

a. The tablet will directly provide the student with confirmation of the attendance by showing an attendance confirmation signal, as well as the student name, student ID, time, class and date.

5. Internal View of Information System

DI1

DI3

DI2

WAN1

Figure 2 – Internal View of the Student Attendance Tracking Information System

6. References

• Blackboard Grade Center: Basic Features Quick Guide. (2019). Retrieved 12 October 2019, from https://www.niu.edu/blackboard/_pdf/guides/gradecenter_basic.pdf
• Why SSICA? – SSICA. (2019). Retrieved 12 October 2019, from https://www.drssica.com/why-ssica/