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Enable Qwickly Attendance in Canvas course
By default, the Qwickly Attendance tool is hidden on the left-side course navigation menu.
To enable Qwickly Attendance, follow the steps below:
- Select Settings from the left-side navigation menu in your Canvas course. The Settings page will open.
- Select the Navigation tab on the Settings page.
- Find Qwickly Attendance Pilot, Select the three dot option for Qwickly Attendance Pilot,. The options menu will open.
- Select Enable on the options page.
- Select Save at the bottom of the page to save the changes.
- Now, the Qwickly Attendance will show up on the left-side course navigation menu.
Set up Qwickly Attendance
Once you have enabled Qwickly Attendance in your Canvas course, you can then follow the steps below to set it up:
- Within your Canvas course, on the left-side course navigation menu, select the Qwickly Attendance Pilot. The Qwickly API Key menu will open.
- Confirm your user information and allow access to the Qwickly API Key page. If the information is correct, select Authorize. The Qwickly Attendance menu will open.
- Select Begin Setup on the Qwickly Attendance page. The Settings menu for your course will open.
- Configure the settings and add sessions on the Settings menu for your course. Please refer to the information below about recommended settings.
Configure the settings of Qwickly
There are three navigable sections under the Settings menu.
- Preferences: Sorting, View, Check In, Check Out, and Scheduling Sessions
- Attendance Statuses: Built-In Statuses and Custom Statuses
- Grading: None, Session Based, or Absence Based
Preferences
This section allows you to choose overall settings for taking attendance.
- User Sorting: Choose how to sort attendance lists (by first name, last name or username).
- View Preferences: These settings affect how certain information is displayed in the tool.
- Show total absences on the attendance screen: Students’ absent/present status will be displayed next to their names. Check this to see who has been marked present/absent.
- Student Grouping: By default, all students from all sections are displayed in a single list for attendance.
- If you have combined courses or a course with multiple sections and want to take attendance separately for each section, select By Course Section.
- Check In: The Check-in function allows students to check in from their own devices. You can require students to enter a PIN or scan a QR code and set a time limit for check-ins. Please note that students need the Qwickly Attendance App (for QR codes & PINs) or the Canvas Student Mobile App (PINS) to access this feature. Students can download both apps from their iOS or Android App store. Students can check in using a web browser on a computer with a PIN, Check out the tips below for using the Check-in function. If you decide to use student check-in, pick the authenticator (PIN or QR code) you want to use, if any, and set the duration for the check-in period.
- Check in Timer: Setting to any number greater than zero enables a timer for the check-in sessions.
- No PIN or QR Code Required: Select if you do not want to use this function.
- Require QR Code: Students must check in with the Qwickly Attendance App.
- Note: This option shows a new QR code regularly to prevent students from sharing codes. However, the instructor must keep the QR code visible on the screen for the entire check-in period.
- Require PIN: Setting to require a randomly generated four-digit PIN to be entered for Check-in mode.
- Check Out: This feature allows instructors to select a previously created Check In session to check out of. Use this if you want to verify that students are still in the classroom throughout the class. This requires running 2 check-in sessions during the class.
- Schedule Sessions: This allows pre-created Attendance sessions using a course schedule. Taking attendance is still required either in List view or by Check-In. This option does not automatically start Check-In sessions.
- Select Add Sessions.
- Enter the date range in which the sessions will occur (Start and End Date).
- If sessions will repeat throughout the date range, select the days in which you would like them to repeat.
- Select Create.
- Select Save Settings to save when finished.
- Now you will be able to Manage the Schedule Sessions.
Schedule Sessions
This allows pre-created Attendance sessions using a course schedule. Taking attendance is still required either in List view or by Check-In. This option does not automatically start Check-In sessions.
- Select Manage.
- Enter the date range in which the sessions will occur (Start and End Date).
- If sessions will repeat throughout the date range, select the days in which you would like them to repeat under Repeats on.
- Select Continue.The Confirm Scheduled Sessions page will open.
- Input a name for each session if you would like. Remove the scheduled sessions and remove any sessions that you do not need by clicking on the red remove button for the certain session. Add additional sessions as needed by scrolling to the bottom of the page and select the Add sessions button.
- Once finished reviewing, select the Create button at the right bottom corner to finish scheduling all sessions.
Attendance Statuses
- System Statuses: Control and customize which statuses are used in your class and create custom statuses with custom points.Use the toggle button to the left of each status. Note that values for system statuses can’t be changed. Instead, turn the status off and then create a custom status by using the Custom Course Statuses feature below.
- Late Status: By default, this is worth 85%. However, you can alter that by disabling the default status and creating a custom status by using the Custom Course Statuses feature below with your preferred percentage.
- Excused Status: Is worth no points, but it is also not counted as an absence. For example, if you take attendance 20 times during the semester and a student is excused 1 time, the student’s overall attendance grade will be based on 19 sessions, rather than 20. See About the Excused Status for more information.
- Custom Course Statuses: Create your own custom status for this course. Fill in the options then select the Add Status button.
- Select Save Settings to save when finished.
Grading
The option you select will be based on your needs:
- If you want no grade sent from Qwickly to Canvas Grades: Leave both options unchecked. Attendance can still be tracked, but it won’t appear in Canvas grades.
- If you want students to start from 0, earn points by attending sessions: check the Session-Based Grading Column. (e.g., 100 points for the entire semester) or points per session (e.g., 10 points each time you take attendance).
- If you want students to start from 100(total points), receive point deduction per absence: check the Absence-Based Grading Column. Use this to award or deduct points per absence. One way to set this up is to set total points and then make each absence worth negative points. For example, 100 points for the entire semester and -5.00 points for each absence.
- If you want to forgive a certain number of absences for each student: You can toggle on the Forgive Absences feature and configure the settings as needed.
- When finished, select Save Settings to save.
Note: If you make changes to the grading (points or type of grading column) after taking attendance, you may need to manually sync grades to update the changes in the Canvas gradebook.
Take/Record Attendance
Before you start taking/recording any attendance with Qwickly, please ensure the Qwickly Attendance tool is enabled in your Canvas course (see the Enable Qwickly Attendance in Canvas Course section above). And the sessions have been scheduled (see the 'Settings: Preferences: Schedule Sessions' section above).
List View
- Within your Canvas course, on the left-side course navigation menu, select the Qwickly Attendance Pilot. The Qwickly Attendance page will open. On the left side menu, select List. The List page will open.
- By default, all students are marked as Present. Select Absent, Late or Excused for specific student(s) to change the status.
- Select the Submit Attendance button when done taking attendance. The page will reload and the Attendance has been taken and a confirmation message will appear.
Scheduled Session
- Within your Canvas course, on the left-side course navigation menu, select the Qwickly Attendance Pilot. The Qwickly Attendance page will open.
- Select the Scheduled Session in the past under Date and Time to select the scheduled class that you want to record the attendance for.
- By default, all students are marked as Present. Select Absent, Late or Excused for specific student(s) to change the status.
- Select the Submit Attendance button when done taking attendance. The page will reload and the Attendance has been taken and a confirmation message will appear.
(Student Self) Check In
If you plan to ask students to do Check In on their device for attendance, we would recommend that for the first class, you as the instructor should use List view to record attendance. Communicate with your students that they are recommended to download Qwickly Attendance or Canvas Student App for the next class, both apps work on iOS and Android. Students can check in using the free Qwickly Attendance App (required for QR code check-in) or the Canvas Student App on their mobile devices. And they should avoid using Safari for check-in via a web browser
The Pin/QR Code options are set in Settings (See Settings - Preferences -Check In). You should eEnsure the QR code remains visible on the screen long enough for students to scan it if using the QR code to check in.
You can also edit the attendance record for students if neededSelect the cell for the date and student, change their status and click "Update."
Pin
- Within your Canvas course, on the left-side course navigation menu, select the Qwickly Attendance Pilot. The Qwickly Attendance page will open.
- Select Check In on the left side menu. The Check In page will open.
- Select the Start Check In button. Based on the configuration you did for the Settings - Preferences - Check In:
- If you chose to use a PIN, the randomly generated number will display on the next screen.
- If you are using the timer, it will automatically begin counting down.
- Let the timer run out or end the check-in session at any time.
QR Code
Important: If using a QR code at check-in, the QR code can only be scanned with the Qwickly Attendance App. Students will not be able to scan the code and check-in from a mobile browser or from within Canvas.
- Within your Canvas course, on the left-side course navigation menu, select the Qwickly Attendance Pilot. The Qwickly Attendance page will open.
- Select Check In on the left side menu. The Check In menu will open.
- Select Start Check In. The QR Code will display on the screen.
Note: Keep the QR code on the screen for students to scan during check-in. The QR code changes randomly every few seconds for security.
Check Attendance Records
Qwickly Attendance's Records page allows users two separate ways to view their Attendance data: through the "Records" view or through the "Totals" view.
- Within your Canvas course, on the left-side course navigation menu, select the Qwickly Attendance Pilot. The Qwickly Attendance page will open.
- Select Records on the left side menu. The Records page will open.
- Select Either Records or Totals for View on the right side to view the records for students’ attendance.
Sync Grades to Canvas Grades
Important: Qwickly will automatically sync grades back to the Canvas gradebook if you have enabled grading in Settings (Settings - Grading). However, if you make a change to the Grading feature(points, absence grading vs session grading), you may need to sync grades manually after the change.
- Within your Canvas course, on the left-side course navigation menu, select the Qwickly Attendance Pilot. The Qwickly Attendance page will open.
- Select Records on the left side menu. The Records page will open.
- Select Sync Grades on the Records page. The Sync Grades confirmation window will open. Select OK to proceed.
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
I have TAs that take attendance in my class.
TAs that have been added to the Canvas course with Grading privileges via SPIRE will have the same level of access to Qwickly as Instructors. Their view will look identical to yours as an instructor.
If you are teaching a large enrollment course with multiple sections, we strongly suggest that on the Settings - Preferences - Student Grouping section, you should check the By Course Section option.