Assessing the usability and efficiency of a smartphone-based class attendance tracking system

Many studies have shown a strong correlation between a student's academic performance and attendance rate. This paper presents the results of evaluating the usability and efficiency of a newly-developed smartphone-based class attendance tracking system in two undergraduate Computer Science classes at New Mexico Tech. The smartphone application of the system was used by the students for attendance recording. The time spent taking attendance using four different authentication methods was determined with the application. Entry and exit surveys were also distributed to evaluate the user acceptance of the application. The results show that the system can greatly reduce the attendance recording time compared to the traditional sign-in sheet method. The survey results indicate that the application is generally considered useful by students in terms of three vectors of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM): Utility, Ease-of-Use and Behavioral Intent to Use.