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Welcome to ATrack

Main Screen on an Android Device

MC Item Response Report

Numeric Response Report

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Voting Screen on Device

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ATrack is an open-source attendance and participation system based on the following observations I had about my college students:

1. 80% of them carried a modern smartphone.
2. They were quite comfortable using technology in the classroom
3. They tend to forget to sign attendance sheets if they come in late
4. Attendance sheets are a pain to code and enter

In the past I'd used third-party remote response devices (colloquially known as "clickers" to teachers) to complete in class surveys and quizzes. These were less than optimal because...

• They had proprietary and bulky software formats that I had to install and configure
• They were completely closed, with no easy way to modify the preset designs.
• And THEY COST A LOT OF MONEY. Not to me of course, but to my students, who usually bought the clicker for about $50, and returned it at the end of the semester for $25, so that the bookstore could resell it next semester for $50.

So I created ATrack, a simple and secure way to take attendance and run short polls or quizzes. Since my students mostly already have smartphones, I've created an iOS and Android app to install and register an account with an ATrack installation. The backend lives on your own server, is completely customizable, and the entire system is FREE.

Enjoy, and feel free to contribute!

Project Admins:

• Jon Westfall

How ATrack Works

From the Student Perspective

Students Download the iOS or Android app from the Apple or Google stores, respectively. They then start the app and press the "Register" button. They're asked for the ATrack Address, which their instructor has provided to them. The device then sends the student to the instructor's ATrack installation, where they complete their registration. The device also sends along a unique identifier, to pair device to student information.

Once they've registered, actual participation is trivially easy:

1. Student sees QR code given by instructor
2. Student opens ATrack and hits "Scan" button.
3. Student scans code, it records their attendance or takes them to a poll question.

Additional Functions

• Students can set a password through the app which they can then use to check their participation records online.
• Students can register for as many ATrack installations as they like. Since the participation or attendance URL is encoded in the QR Code, they don't need to 'switch' instructors - they simply register once, and can scan codes all day in all their classes.
• The unique identifier puts the student who wants their friend to sign them in into an awkward situation - they need to give up their phone for an hour or more! Plus it is pretty easy to spot someone scanning in more than once.
• The unique identifier also allows students to scan and go - no entering a username and password, or even a PIN (Although one could easily add that in).

From the Professor or Event Coordinator's Perspective

Instructors download the PHP files that constitute the backend of ATrack. They install them on a web server or shared webspace account, and configure the MySQL database. From there they can modify the system as they wish - 95% of the system lives on the server!

Once the system is up and running, instructors log into the Administrative interface to add attendance items and participation questions. They can then get a report of QR codes to copy/paste into a Powerpoint presentation (or just show on the screen). Finally they can use the backend system to retrieve usage information.

And if they're particularly crafty, they can design new question types, new screens, and new methods of participation. All without having to modify the student's app!

Q&A

What if students lose their phones?

The system is very forgiving - it allows multiple devices for a unique email address. Students simply register their new phone, and move on.

What if students sell their phones to another student in the same class?

The system allows devices to be registered any number of times, and uses the most recent registration to track attendance. This does provide some security vulnerability in that a student could sign in, run registration with their friend's email address, then sign in again. However the device registration table would make this fairly obvious to the administrator.

What about students who don't have a smartphone?

Unfortunately you'd probably have to use paper for them. Better yet, have them simply give you a piece of paper with the date on it, their name, and answers to the quiz/participation questions!