{"id":808,"date":"2012-07-25T13:57:48","date_gmt":"2012-07-25T17:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/?p=2172"},"modified":"2012-07-25T13:59:04","modified_gmt":"2012-07-25T17:59:04","slug":"take-attendance-with-moodle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/2012\/07\/25\/take-attendance-with-moodle\/","title":{"rendered":"Take attendance with Moodle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/late2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2206\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/late2-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" \/><\/a>If you take attendance in your courses, Moodle\u2019s Attendance feature is an easy way to keep track of student absences. There are several advantages of using Moodle instead of a spreadsheet or a written notebook. In my mind, the two biggest benefits are the option to automatically calculate attendance in the final grade (if you use the Moodle Gradebook) and allowing students to view and keep track of their own absences.\u00a0 In this post, we\u2019ll hear from an Elon instructor about how she uses Moodle to take attendance and review how to setup and take attendance with Moodle. <!--more--><span id=\"more-2172\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3fHmLOkQzZM\">Hear how English instructor Victoria Shropshire uses the Attendance feature in Moodle to occasionally take attendance in her writing classes.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><object width=\"560\" height=\"315\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/3fHmLOkQzZM?version=3&amp;hl=en_US\" \/><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" \/><embed type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/3fHmLOkQzZM?version=3&amp;hl=en_US\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n<h3>Key points from the video:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The attendance feature is ideal for face-to-face courses<\/li>\n<li>Taking attendance with Moodle at the beginning of class is a good idea<\/li>\n<li>Students can be marked as present, absent, excused or late<\/li>\n<li>You have the option to tie attendance to a grade, though it is not required<\/li>\n<li>You can allow students to see their own attendance history<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Set up attendance in Moodle<\/h2>\n<p>To activate the attendance feature, click on \u201cAdd an activity\u201d and choose \u201cAttendance.\u201d We recommend adding the attendance activity into the very top topic area but it will work in any topic area.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/addactivity.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2177\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/addactivity.png\" alt=\"Add an activity in Moodle\" width=\"404\" height=\"213\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The next screen is where you can add attendance to your gradebook. If you don\u2019t want to grade attendance, choose \u201cNo grade.\u201d This would be useful if you want to keep track of student attendance but not grade it. The screenshot below shows attendance that is worth 15 points of the overall grade. If you use weights in calculating your grades, it is recommended to keep the grade at 100. Click \u201cSave and display\u201d when you are ready to proceed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/attendance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2178\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/attendance.png\" alt=\"Adding a new attendance\" width=\"472\" height=\"118\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you are not grading attendance, skip down to Add class sessions below. If you are grading attendance, take a look at the \u201cSettings\u201d tab and become familiar with how Moodle allocates points. Click on \u201cSettings\u201d in the top menu bar. By default, Moodle calculates the grade based on the following scale:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Present = 2 points<\/li>\n<li>Late = 1 point<\/li>\n<li>Excused = 1 point<\/li>\n<li>Absence = 0 points<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In calculating the final attendance grade, Moodle averages the points possible with the number of points the student has received. For example, if a class met for 30 class sessions (30 x2 = 60 points possible) and the student had 2 unexcused absences (-4 points), the student would receive 56 out of the 60 points, or 93 percent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/settings.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2179\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/settings.png\" alt=\"View the settings\" width=\"611\" height=\"347\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Add class sessions<\/h2>\n<p>Click \u201cAdd\u201d in the top menu bar to add class meetings.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/Add.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2180\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/Add.png\" alt=\"Click to add sessions\" width=\"442\" height=\"80\" \/><\/a>For this example, lets add a summer term course that meets every day.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We want to create all the sessions for the semester at once so click \u201cCreate multiple sessions.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Session date: the date of your first class session<\/li>\n<li>Duration: The length of your class session<\/li>\n<li>Session end date: The date of your last class session<\/li>\n<li>Session days: the days of the week the class meets.<\/li>\n<li>Frequency: If your class will meet every week, select 1; if it will meet every other week, select 2; every 3rd week, select 3, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Click \u201cAdd session.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/add-session.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2181\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/add-session.png\" alt=\"Example class sessions\" width=\"585\" height=\"329\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Tip: If no sessions appear on the next screen, click on \u201cAll\u201d to see them. <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/all.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2182\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/all.png\" alt=\"Click &quot;All&quot; to see all the sessions\" width=\"574\" height=\"203\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s it. Your attendance activity is configured.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>How to take attendance<\/h2>\n<p>To take attendance, click on the \u201cAttendance\u201d link on your course.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/click_attendance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2183\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/click_attendance.png\" alt=\"Click link to take attendance\" width=\"437\" height=\"96\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Look for the proper date and click on the green icon to the right of it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/takeattendance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2184\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/takeattendance.png\" alt=\"Click on green icon to take attendance\" width=\"521\" height=\"241\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Click in the appropriate radial circle for each student and click \u201cOK.\u201d You also have an option to enter remarks for each student for each day. This is useful for making <a title=\"Excused absence\" href=\"http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/blogs\/politics\/2012\/06\/president-obama-writes-fifth-graders-excuse-note\/\">a note about an excused absence, like this one.<\/a> Click \u201cSave attendance\u201d when finished.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/example.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2185\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/example.png\" alt=\"Take attendance example\" width=\"622\" height=\"321\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Update an attendance record<\/h2>\n<p>If a student comes to class after you\u2019ve taken attendance, you can update their record. To do this, click on the \u201cAttendance\u201d link on the course homepage, then click on the date you need to modify.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/updaterecord.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2187\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/updaterecord.png\" alt=\"Update an attendance record\" width=\"732\" height=\"154\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Student view<\/h2>\n<p>Students can also view their attendance record for your class. When a  student clicks on the attendance link, they\u2019ll see a snap shot of their  attendance record. If you don\u2019t want students to be able to see their attendance, you can hide it from them by clicking on the eye icon next to the Attendance link on your course page.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2188\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 584px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/Example-student-view.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2188\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/07\/Example-student-view.png\" alt=\"Example student view\" width=\"574\" height=\"347\" \/><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click to enlarge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">If you have any questions about the attendance feature in Moodle, <a href=\"mailto:tlt@elon.edu\">contact TLT<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Do you take attendance in your courses? Are you keeping attendance in Moodle? How is it working for you? Let us know what you think about this post and the attendance feature in the comments below.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a title=\"Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/thevlue\/5283662933\/\">Image by Flickr user Photo Extremist<\/a> \/ <a title=\"Creative Commons License\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/2.0\/deed.en\">Creative Commons licensed BY-ND 2.0<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>About the author<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/02\/dreis2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-769\" style=\"margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/technology\/files\/2012\/02\/dreis2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"90\" height=\"126\" \/><\/a><a title=\"Dan Reis\" href=\"http:\/\/www.elon.edu\/directories\/profile\/?user=dreis2\">Dan Reis <\/a>is an Instructional Technologist with Elon University\u2019s Teaching and Learning Technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you take attendance in your courses, Moodle&#8217;s Attendance feature is an easy way to keep track of student absences. There are several advantages of using Moodle instead of a spreadsheet or a written notebook. <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/2012\/07\/25\/take-attendance-with-moodle\/\">Continue Reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1716,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27841,27842,19535,795],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-attendance","category-grades","category-moodle-musings","category-teaching-and-learning"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1716"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elon.edu\/teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}