Attendance for classroom sessions can be taken using various methods:
- Classic Mode
- Time Sheet Mode
- Upload (via CSV file)
The sections below explain how to switch from one method to the other, and how each method works. We recommend that you experiment with each method on your staging server to get familiar with it prior to modifying the method on the production server.
Switching Modes
To switch between the Classic and Time Sheet modes:
- Go to Site Administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Face-to-face
- Locate the "Attendance mode" setting
- Switch it to "Classic" or "Timesheet" based on your preference.
Note that this setting applies system wide. As such, we recommend that you experiment with each mode on your staging server to get familiar with it prior to modifying the mode on the production server. You can revert back to the other mode at a later time if you change your mind.
Types of Modes
The following provides a brief summary of each mode.
Classic Mode
The classic mode has been around since the introduction of the face-to-face activity. To take attendance using the classic modeAn instructor must enter and/or confirm a user's attendance for face-to-face sessions in order for the attendees to receive a learning record.
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Starting in 4.1.7, learners can mark themselves as having attended a face-to-face session by scanning a QR code that appears on the attendance sheet using their mobile device. This marks their attendance as "Fully attended". By allowing users to self-attest, the instructor no longer has to manually enter everyone's attendance. The attendance however is not automatically "approved". The instructor must still approve the timesheet and in doing so, has the opportunity to change someone's attendance before their final approval. For example, if a learner scans the QR code available on the attendance sheet that the instructor brings to class, the learner will be marked as having fully attended the class. If the learner leaves early, the instructor can manually mark the learner as "partially attended" (with remarks that they left early) or even a "no show". The instructor can then approve the timesheet. Once approved, the learner can no longer mark their attendance using the QR code. |
Step-by-step Guide
To take attendance and/or simply approve a timesheet after learners have scanned the QR code:
- Go to face-to-face activity in question.
- Click on the "Attendees" link next to the session in question
- Click on the "Take AttendanceEnter timesheet" link at the bottom of the list of attendees. (See Note 1 below).
- Read the "Important Notes" of this page if you do not see the "Enter timesheet" button.
- Take attendance by marking each user as "No show", "Partially Attended", or "Fully attended" for each date.
- If you allow using to scan a QR code to mark themselves as having attended the class, the "Attendance" column will reflect their attendance. As the instructor, you can however manually change their attendance if you believe they didn't "fully attend" the session.
- If a user has partially attended the session, you can specify how much of the session they have attended using in the following format: hh:mm format.
- You can optionally add a comment in the "Remarks" column to state for example that the user showed up late or left early.
- The user will only be granted a learning record if their attendance is sufficient as defined in the "Activity Completion" section of the face-to-face activity in question.
- Click on either the "Save as draft" or "Save attendanceand approve" button buttons at the bottom of the table.
- The time sheet needs to be approved in order for a user to be marked as "complete" and to receive a learning record.
- The user will only be granted a learning record if their attendance is sufficient as defined in the "Activity Completion" section of the face-to-face activity in question.
Note 1: You can not take attendance enter time sheets for sessions that are in the future. You can only take attendance enter time sheets if the session is in the past, in progress, or scheduled to start within the next 15 minutes (by default). If the session is scheduled to start more than 15 minutes from now, the "Take Attendance" link will not appear.
Time Sheet Mode (New in 3.5.12)
The time sheet mode allows an administrator the fill in time sheets prior to accepting them. Once the time sheets are accepted, the information is pushed to the same database tables as the "Classic Mode". As such, any data entered using the "Classic" mode prior to switching to the "Time Sheet" mode will remain available.
To take attendance using the time sheet mode:
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Important Notes
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- The user will only be granted a learning record if their attendance is sufficient as defined in the "Activity Completion" section of the face-to-face activity in question.
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- If a user has partially attended the session, you can specify how much of the session they have attended in the following format: hh:mm
- You can optionally add a comment in the "Remarks" column to state for example that the user showed up late or left early.
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- Time sheets need to be approved in order for a user to be marked as
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- completed.
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- You can not
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- take attendance for sessions that are in the future. You can only
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- take attendance if the session is in the past, in progress, or scheduled to start within the next 15 minutes
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- . If the session is scheduled to start more than 15 minutes from now, the "
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- Enter timesheet" link will not appear in step #3 above.
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Upload Method
Whether you are operating in Classic mode or Time Sheet mode, the attendance records can easily be imported into the Dual Code learning environment by uploading a CSV (comma separated value) file. This methodology is described in great detail in the "Importing Attendance Records" article.
Related Articles
- Understanding the Face-to-Face Statuses
- Once a timesheet is approved, you can go back and modify someone's attendance. Note however that this will not void someone's learning record. In other words, if you accidentally marked someone as fully attended, approved the timesheet, and then want to mark them as a no show, their learning record will not automatically be voided. You must void the learning record manually. Read Voiding Learning Records to learn more about that procedure. You may be required to void learning records for both the face-to-face activity and the course itself depending on which learning records were issued.