RFID Checks Student Attendance in Arizona

The student newspaper at UW-Madison is running a piece about the use of RFID to check lecture attendance at Northern Arizona University. One poster to an email discussion list suggested that getting around this system would be simple if "all one has to do is walk into a classroom with 10 RFID-enabled cards in their pocket." "The new system will use sensors to detect students' university identification cards when they enter classrooms, according to NAU spokesperson Tom Bauer. The data will be recorded and available for professors to examine. ... [The spokesman] added the sensors, paid for by federal stimulus money, initially would only be installed in large freshmen and sophomore classes with more than 50 students. NAU Student Body President Kathleen Templin said most students seem to be against the new system. She added students have started Facebook groups and petitions against the sensor system. ... One of the most popular Facebook groups ... has more than 1,400 members." What are the odds that the use of tracking RFID will expand over time on that campus?

Comments

Re:American universities are more like businesses.

[clarkkent09]

And in case you don't like the the world's most reputable university rankings above, here is (according to Wikipedia) the second one:

http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2009.jsp

Could it be that the US has 54 out of the world's best 100 universities because they are more like businesses?

Re:Attendence in college?

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

That means they can vote, and they can risk their lives in our foreign wars. In my opinion, that makes them adults, and that gives them responsibility over their use of time.

In Nanny states, the concept of an adult capable of independent thought and action is an outdated and dangerous one. People need protecting from absolutely everything, especially themselves.

Re:American universities are more like businesses.

[Mr. Freeman]

Why is this modded insightful? This is nothing more than anti-American university garbage being spewed by someone with no idea how college actually works. This should be modded troll.

Yes, there are a couple problems with college, but nowhere near the level you claim. Professors fail students all the time, this isn't like high school. Even in public universities people fail out all the time. Do you have any evidence to support your allegations of universities being sued every time they fail a student? Yes, high school has become a system for students to sit through and receive passing grades for simply showing up to class, but not the college system.

Colleges do not just hand out diplomas to anyone who shows up to class, they actually base their grades off of your test scores.