Skipping class at Northern Arizona University just became a little harder.

The university is in the process of installing proximity card readers outside some of the lecture halls at the university to take attendance.

‘NAU believes it will save instructors valuable time from calling roll. And study after study has demonstrated that attendance and engagement in class lead to more student success,’ said Thomas Bauer, the director of public affairs at NAU.

Under the new system, funded by the federal stimulus package, students will have to hold their ID cards six to eight inches away from a reader, called a proximity card reader. The reader will record students’ attendance in class and place the information in a database professors will be able to check.

Original plans called for 20 proximity card readers to be installed outside of larger classes, but due to construction, the university plans to have six in place by the end of the semester. Once professors are trained on using the new software, the system will be activated, Bauer said.  

‘We know that it is cumbersome for teachers to take attendance in large lecture classrooms,’ said Karen Pugliesi, the vice provost of academic affairs at NAU. ‘This system is simply an effort to add another tool to an array of strategies that faculty already use to take attendance.’

Proximity card readers are already used throughout campus for entrance into the residence halls, dining halls, health centers, recreation center, bookstore and sporting events, Bauer said.

The system is voluntary for professors, Bauer said, but the university will encourage its use.

Some students said they are afraid the ID readers will invade their privacy. A Facebook group, called ‘NAU against proximity cards,’ started by Rachel Brackett, a junior biochemistry major, has 1,635 members. The amount of information on the ID cards is a big concern, Brackett said.

‘The student ID has your meal plan, your access to the dorms and vending machines, and some places downtown,’ Brackett said. ‘It just doesn’t seem like a good system to me to have all that information stored in one place.’

The administration understands student concerns, Pugliese said.

‘I think some of the fear from students comes from the way in which the equipment has been described. The words scanner and surveillance have been used quite a lot. When students hear these words, that sounds kind of creepy,’ Pugliese said.

Brandon Cruickshank, a chemistry professor at NAU, said he plans on using the system once it is in place.

‘I think it will help us who teach large lecture classes,’ Cruickshank said. ‘We don’t want to give up the time it would take to call roll. And I’m not comfortable passing a roster around and having students sign in. This system will help students to come to class.’

Cruickshank is currently using a remote electronic device to track participation and attendance, as are other professors in the university. Students attend class and use the remote to answer questions. The whole campus uses one type of device, so once students have registered their device, they can use it for multiple classes. The remote, itself, costs around $25 and four years of registration is around $40, Cruickshank said.

Cruickshank said despite student concerns, he thinks the ID readers will be less intrusive than traditional roll call, as it will not let other students know when one is absent.

Brackett said she sees fewer flaws in using the clicker system than installing proximity readers.

‘A lot of students think the proximity readers are a waste of money. We do already have the clicker system. Students can click in and get counted for attendance that way, without having their attendance monitored in a database,’ Brackett said.  

So far there have been no complaints from parents or professors, Bauer said.

‘No one is being forced to attend class. Students can still choose to act however they feel,’ Bauer said. ‘That is not to say there won’t be consequences to their choices, just like in the outside world.’