Attendance Scanner

In every classroom on campus, an attendance scanner has been installed near the main entrance. Students must use their XCards to record their attendance at each class meeting. This information is collected by the university and used for mandatory reporting to the Department of Education. Faculty members are responsible for setting up the scanner before class, so students can record their attendance. Although the scanner can be set up for a specific class at any time, it will only allow students to "tap in" during a 25 minute window around the start time of the class (10 minutes before and 15 minutes after). Faculty do not need to log out of the scanner at the end of class.

Before you start

Make sure you know the course prefix, course number, and section number for your class. In years past, faculty had to enter an assigned 4-digit code; however, the preferred method now is to simply search for your class. Note that these terminals are touch-screens.

Video walkthrough

This short video demonstrates how to log in and navigate around the portal.

Captioned. File:How_to_use_the_card_scanner.pdf available.

Step by step

Part 1: Logging in

This step is not usually necessary. However, sometimes you will need to login to set up the system. If the screen simply has the TRANSACT logo on it, follow these steps.

1. Tap the screen to wake it up.
2. On the LOGIN screen, touch the "Operator Number" button on the screen.
3. Select the number 1 (one).
4. Click OK.
5. When prompted to enter a PIN, type in 1111 (one-one-one-one).
6. If done correctly, you should see a message that says, "Hello, Attendance".

Part 2: Setting up the Scanner for a Specific Class

1. Click on the Event button.
2. On the Select Event screen, you can either scroll through all the classes or search for your class. These instructions will use the search option.
3. Tap the screen next to the magnifying glass icon. A keyboard will appear on the bottom half of the screen.
4. Use the keyboard to type in the course prefix.
5. Instead of a space, enter a dash (-).
6. Type in the course number.
7. Enter a dash (-).
8. Type in the section number.
9. When you see the button for your course on the screen, tap it.
10. If done successfully, you should see a screen with your course information, the window during which students can tap in, and a large button that says "Tap or Swipe".

Part 3: Reviewing and Modifying Attendance Data

Faculty can use the scanner data for their own attendance tracking, but they are not required to. Faculty can also update the stored data from a class meeting.

1. In a web browser, go to the Attendance Dashboard.
2. To log in, enter your XULA username (do not include @xula.edu) and your SSO password.
3. On the Current Selected Term screen, you will see a table with your teaching schedule. Click on the CRN (the five-digit code) of the course you need to access.
4. On the next screen, note carefully the "Date Range" being displayed. If you need to move to a different week, click on the Previous or Next buttons. For the selected week, you will see your class roster and the timestamp from when each student used the attendance reader for your class. Please note that it takes the system several hours to update from the readers, so you will not have access to attendance data during or immediately after a class meeting.
5. If you need to modify the attendance record for a student, click on the button for the day of the week you need to modify.
6. In the focused table, you will see a checkbox for each student. If the student scanned in that day, the box will be checked; if not, the box will be blank.
7. If a student attended class that day but was not able to scan in, you can check the box for their name to record that student as having been in attendance.
8. If, for some reason, you need to mark a student as having been absent that day, you can uncheck the box by their name.

Please make changes to these records carefully. This data is used to provide mandated reports related to federal financial aid.

Troubleshooting

• The terminal screen is blank and will not turn on. — The system may be down, or the terminal may be having trouble connecting. Submit a Helpdesk ticket if the problem does not resolve during your class.
• I forgot to set up the scanner and have students scan in. — Use the Attendance Dashboard to record everyone's attendance that day.
• A student who is registered for the class is not able to scan in although other students are. — Have the student contact the University's Card Office.

Related pages

• Single Sign-On (SSO)