Count me in attendance monitoring

Count Me In aims to improve our attendance recording process, moving from passing around a printed register to tapping in when you enter rooms for your classes. Using the readers is as straightforward as using a contactless bank card – simply tap your card to record your attendance.
Recording attendance helps us support you throughout your time at City. We know that engaging well in your studies helps you succeed and develop to your full potential, while inconsistent attendance could have a negative impact on academic performance.
It also helps us meet our obligations as a University. We are proud to have many sponsored students attending City on a student visa and this comes with a responsibility to record attendance of students.
Count me in allows us to improve the way attendance data is recorded and used. If you miss classes, we can quickly reach out to you to check if everything is OK. If it isn’t, we’ll direct you to a University service that could help.
What do the count me in readers look like?
The count me in readers are a small square digital box, fixed on to a wall within most of our teaching and learning spaces.
You are required to register your attendance by tapping your student card onto the reader at all of your timetabled activities. When placing your card against the reader in the session you should hear a short bleep and a green tick will appear on screen. This means your attendance has been recorded.
Will attendance of online activities be recorded too?
Yes, they will. We are all adapting to new ways of working and learning remotely so it is even more important that Schools can identify where students are not engaging with their studies, and this includes online activities.
Is anything different if i’m a sponsored student on a student visa?
The process for recording attendance is the same but it is extra important to register your attendance if you’re a sponsored student on a student visa. UK Home Office policy means we are required to regularly check you are engaging with your studies.
If you do not meet the attendance and engagement requirements, your visa status could be at risk. Please ensure you are clear on the attendance requirements by referring to your programme handbook and checking the guidance for International students
What if the guidelines for campus attendance change?
We are monitoring the situation each term and any updates to your attendance requirements and or methods of recording attendance will be shared with you by your School and updated on the Student Hub.
What if I forget or lose my card?
If you lose your card, details on how to obtain a replacement can be found on the ID cards page of the Student Hub.
You will need to obtain a new card as soon as possible to ensure your attendance is updated.
What if I attended a class, but forgot to tap in?
Remember you are responsible for ensuring your attendance is recorded. However, if you forget to tap in, then please contact your lecturer as soon as possible to let them know.
Lecturers aren’t obligated to update your attendance, but it is good practice to let them know. Please remember to tap in at all your scheduled sessions.
I can’t make a class, what should I do?
If you are unable to attend a class, you are responsible for notifying your School Engagement Team. Depending on the reason for your absence, they may be able to update your attendance record so that it will not show as a missed class on your record.
As a City student you are responsible for making up lost learning when you cannot attend. If you know that you have missed content and need to catch up, you should contact your module leader for support.
If you know you are going to be absent for a number of days or weeks, you are required to notify your School Engagement Team. They will help you arrange a plan to ensure you continue to engage in your studies while you are away.
Would I still be able to register my attendance if I am late?
Yes. If you tap in up to 15 minutes after the start of the activity, you will be marked as attended. If you tap in between 15 to 30 minutes of the activity you will be marked as late. After that you will automatically be marked as absent.
What happens if my attendance is low?
We will contact you if there are concerns about your attendance to check that you are OK and offer support. The steps we may take are set out in the Taught Student Attendance and Engagement Policy.
I’m having technical issues, who do I contact?
If you’re having issues with your personalised timetable, or don’t think it is correct, please contact your Course Officer or Programme Office team.
For all other issues, including with your card, you should contact the IT Service Desk on +44 (0)20 7040 8181, or online at IT Service Desk.
What to do if a card reader isn’t working?
If the card reader is not working, please report it to your Programme Tutor or Lecturer at the time of the timetabled session to ensure your attendance can be recorded manually.
You can also report a card reader as faulty to the IT Service Desk directly on +44 (0)20 7040 8181, or online at IT Service Desk.
I've received an email regarding bad attendance, I know I attended, what should I do?
It's important to note that while we are currently experiencing temporary technical issues with the system, we are still encouraging students to tap in.
Please be reassured that staff are working hard to resolve these issues. If you know you have attended a session and tapped in but are still receiving emails about being absent in error, please let your School Engagement Team know.
The same applies if you are a sponsored student and have been reported as absent at a session that you have attended, please contact your School Engagement Team to notify them of this. Your visa will not be impacted due to technical issues.
Updated 23/11/2022
What happens if I tap in for attendance before 8.45 a.m?
Any tap-ins before 15 minutes of the start of the lecture are not recorded in our attendance monitoring system.
This means that any time you have tapped into a card reader before 8.45 a.m., our attendance monitoring system has not recorded you as having attended the lecture.
If you have questions about what this means for your attendance or have concerns about tapping in early, please contact your School Office directly.
What happens if I tap in for attendance and then leave the lecture?
Attending scheduled teaching is an essential part of your learning, which is why City keeps track of student attendance for course activities like lectures and seminars.
Falsifying attendance records can lead to disciplinary procedures laid out in Senate Regulation 13: Student Disciplinary. We would consider whether it may be academic misconduct if you gain an academic advantage (e.g. someone tapping in to gain marks for a module where attendance is one of the methods of assessment). These cases would be assessed via the Academic Integrity and Misconduct policy.
Students who are seen to be tapping into a lesson and leaving, will have their records manually amended and may be issued a warning, following which there could be disciplinary action taken against you for violating our policies.
If your student records are manually amended to reflect your absence, you could fall below your courses attendance threshold. For students who are on a sponsored student visa, it is also important to note that if there are continued concerns linked to your engagement and attendance, you risk losing your student visa. We encourage all students to attend and participate in their schedule activities to make the most of your time and learning while studying at City.
What happens if I mistakenly tap in with an old ID or other card?
We request that you take extra care to ensure that you are tapping in the correct ID card to the reader.
Check that:
- Avoid card clash – take your ID card out of your wallet/card holder to ensure the right card is read
- Your ID card is not placed alongside any other cards while tapping in
- You are not using an old ID card to tap into the lectures
Count Me In card readers will produce a beep and a tick mark whenever any chip-containing card is tapped.
If the correct card is not tapped into the card reader, your presence in the lecture will not reflect in our system and you might be marked absent. In case you do this mistakenly, please tap in with your correct card again within the first 15 minutes of your lecture or let your lecturer or engagement team know if you realise it later.