The Official Journal of Engineering Research

Attendance Monitoring System for

Laboratory Rooms 503 and 601
Sheramil Faith B. Casas, Mary Kenneth Joy I. Ibanez,
Jan Paulo C. Pilongco, Mark John C. Sitoy
and Cromwell M. Castillo

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a device that will monitor the

attendance of students and faculty. The device, comprising of a radio
frequency identification card reader and tags, monitoring system,
global system for mobile communication, wireless communication
and microcontrollers, will serve as a monitoring system that will help
the Dean in keeping track of the punctuality of 5th year engineering
students and their advisers. This design project employed experimental
development method. The efficiency of the system’s individual features
and its overall performance were assessed through a descriptive
approach using questionnaires. The device was tested for 10 days and
was evaluated by 21 respondents, who were comprised of six faculty
members, five guidance counsellors, five parents/guardians, and five
ECE students. Every observation during the testing of the device was
recorded. These data were analyzed to describe how well the device
performed. Findings of the study revealed that the device has achieved
the satisfactory level of functionality for RFID reader, GSM, monitoring
system and wireless communication.

Keywords: Engineering, attendance, monitoring, system, laboratory

rooms, design project, experimental development, descriptive,
Philippines

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Introduction

“Strict punctuality is perhaps the cheapest virtue which can give

force to an otherwise utterly insignificant character.” (John F. Boyes)

In the world of professionals, where time is of its highest value,

punctuality has always been an important virtue one should have. May it
be in business meetings, court hearings or mere gatherings; punctuality
marks an impression and reputation. This virtue needs a long time to
be practiced and perhaps should be learned while one is still young,
perhaps in class where one is still a student.

Rumberger and Larson (1998), stated that high rates of absenteeism

can lead to course failure and, eventually, dropping out of school. They
also stated that attendance can help students to become independent
and responsible. Research has proven that high rates of absenteeism,
tardiness, disciplinary incidents, or mobility signal are disruptions in
the continuity and quality of a student’s learning.

Skipping classes or “playing hooky” is a common occurrence

among students in the Philippines (Uehara, 1999). On the other hand,
the number of teachers who also have poor records in attendance is
also surprising. He also found that high teacher absenteeism negatively
affects student performance. He recommends a high need for attendance
policy implementation.

In Davao City, different schools experience this same kind of

problem. Students who have absences in the class have greater
probabilities of failing the subject. As for the University of the Immaculate
Conception, the Dean of the Engineering program constantly monitors
the attendance of the teachers and students by asking the secretary to
monitor strictly the punctuality and attendance; however, regularity of
monitoring is not established.

As stated by Chorneau (2012), early warning systems for school

attendance can facilitate generation of data that can serve as indicators

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about the status of performance of students in the schools. Analysis of

attendance information is a first step toward school improvement.

According to Adams (2011), the disadvantage of biometrics

in a school setting to monitor the attendance of a student is the loss
of privacy. For example, once a person’s face has been scanned and
recorded into a face recognition system, it could, in theory, be used to
track that person wherever he goes. This is made more possible because
of the increasing use of cameras in our society, including at bank ATMs
and traffic lights.

Moreover, Dontigney (2011) adds that the physical hardware that

captures the biometric data and feeds it to the software sometimes
suffers performance limitations; this adds to the disadvantage of using
biometrics. Poor lighting and even the position of the user can inhibit
facial recognition software in real world settings. Build-up of dirt
and grease, as well as smearing on sensors, limits the effectiveness of
biometric software. Weather conditions, such as rain, snow and heat,
can adversely affect biometric systems as well.

Thus, the proponents were inspired to conceptualize this study

to provide an alternative means of checking student’s attendance as
compared to the currently existing attendance monitoring systems in
schools. We attempted to use RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)
system to record student attendance automatically.

The researchers aimed to create a device that will monitor the

attendance of the students and the teachers. Specifically, it sought to
answer the following question:

1. What are the features of this school attendance monitoring

system?

2. What is the level of functionality of the device as regards to the

following features?
a. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Reader

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b. Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)

c. Monitoring System
d. Wireless Transmission

Method

This project design used experimental development method and

descriptive approach. Through the first method, the researchers could
test the schematic diagram by assembling the circuit on a breadboard
and test the functionality in order to know whether the circuit was
working. Prior to the development and construction of the device,
the researchers gathered first some information from the internet and
related books. After which, the researchers looked for a simple circuit;
then, with all the information about the components required in the
project, they proceeded assembling them to the breadboard. Once
the circuit worked perfectly in the breadboard, the researchers then
transferred the circuit in the PCB. On the other hand, through the
descriptive approach, the researchers facilitated the evaluation of the
functionality of the device by the chosen respondents.

The researchers conducted the development, construction and

implementation of the design at the University of the Immaculate
Conception Bonifacio Campus in Davao City, specifically at Rooms
503 and 601 where the engineering students performed their usual
laboratory experiments together with their instructor.

The school attendance monitoring system for laboratory rooms

was used to record the attendance of the teachers and students using
the RFID module. When a student was detected, it would trigger the
lock/unlock circuit installed in the door of the rooms. As designed, this
circuit could also be controlled by the Dean. Nonetheless, the transceiver
would transmit the information from the RFID to the personal computer
of the Dean. If four (4) absences of a particular student were detected
by the software, the system would automatically send a text message to
the parent/guardian of that certain student.

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The microcontroller is PIC16f877A and the supply is 5V DC. The

lock/unlock driver circuit was installed in the door of the laboratory.
When the RFID tag was tapped to the RFID reader, it would eventually
trigger the transceiver (JZ863) as data were transmitted. The transceiver
would receive the data and the computer would accept it. The computer
was responsible for the sending of the message.

This project test was based on the following procedures. The

teacher and students RFID tag was tapped to the RFID Reader; the
tapping of card would serve in unlocking of the door. After the passing
of the student through the door, the data received from the RFID reader
would be transmitted to the PC unit of the Dean and the time would
be recorded accordingly in its monitoring system. The Dean could print
and retrieve the brief information about the teachers’ and students’
attendance. The phone would send SMS to the parent/guardian of the
student if he or she had incurred four absences. The Dean could unlock
the door if there was no teacher present on a specific room for that
day.

The respondents of this study were six faculty members who were
responsible for checking the attendance of the students, five guidance
counsellors who were responsible for monitoring the performance of
the students, five students who belong to the assigned class, one Dean
who was the head of the program, and four parents of the researchers.
The results of the evaluation were tabulated and descriptive statistics,
specifically the averages were computed. The mean is interpreted using
Likert scale as reflected in the matrix below.

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Range Descriptive Rating Interpretation

4.20 – 5.00 Very High The system is all the time

manifesting the capabilities being
stated in the questionnaire.
3.40 – 4.19 High The system often manifests the
capabilities being stated in the
questionnaire.
2.60 – 3.39 Moderately High The system sometimes manifests
the capabilities being stated in the
questionnaire.
1.80 – 2.59 Low The system rarely manifests the
capabilities being stated in the
questionnaire.
1.00 – 1.79 Very Low The system never manifests the
capabilities being stated in the
questionnaires.

Technical Flowchart

Figure 1. Technical Flowchart of Attendance Monitoring System

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The Attendance Monitoring System monitors the student’s

attendances through the use of RFID Technology. An EM4100 cards
(RFID tag) are distributed to the students, teachers and laboratory staff.
The RFID tag is tapped to the RFID reader module (RDM630). The reader
(RDM630) received the signal from the RFID tag and a buzzer sounds
as an indicator that the RFID reader received the data from the RFID
tag. The data is transmitted to the microcontroller (PIC16F77A) that
triggers the driver circuit of the electronic magnetic lock in unlocking
the door. At the same time, as the RFID tag is tapped to the reader
through a transceiver, the data is transmitted to the Dean’s System and
the RFID tag serial number is prompted to the system labelled as “RFID
No.”. As the user passed through the door and cut the light of the laser
with phototransistor, information is sent to the Dean’s System through
a transceiver; thus, updating the users’ status (Time_In and Time_Out).
There is a lock and unlock mechanism that will be used for emergency
purposes. If those students have accumulated 4 absences, the system
would automatically send a SMS (Short Text Message) to inform the
parents.

In case there are persons who want to use the laboratory room,
they must ask permission from the Dean. The Dean would have an
access to the system which serves as a feedback to the system that can
unlock the door.

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Results and Discussion

Features of the Device

The features of the Attendance Monitoring System are the RFID

reader, GSM, Monitoring System and Wireless Transmission.

Table A. Level of Functionality of RFID Card

Interpretation
Standard Descriptive as regards to
RFID Reader Mean Deviation Rating the functionality

1. The device detects the 4.90 0.44 Very High The system is
card immediately. all the time
manifesting the
capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.
2. The device 4.76 0.44 Very High The system is
automatically unlocks all the time
the door upon detection manifesting the
of the card. capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.
3. The device has no limit 4.71 0.64 Very High The system is
in detecting RFID card. all the time
manifesting the
capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.

As shown in Table A, it can be observed that all of the items have

mean values ranging from 4.71 to 4.90 rating which indicates that the
evaluators have common opinion that the RFID Reader operation has
a descriptive rating of Very High and the system always manifests the
capabilities of its functionality.

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The first item, which pertains how the RFID reader detects the card,
has a mean of 4.90 with a standard deviation is 0.44 with a descriptive
rating of Very High. The second item pertains to the situation that upon
detection of the card the device automatically unlocks the door. It gets
a mean of 4.76 with a standard deviation of 0.44 with a descriptive
rating of Very High, which tells that the automatic unlocking of the
door is exhibited all of the time. Lastly, the item which has describes
the no limitation in detecting the RFID card gets a mean of 4.71 with
a standard deviation of 0.64 with a descriptive rating of Very High. It
shows that the device is all the time manifesting its functionality.

Table B. Level of Functionality of GSM

Interpretation
Standard Descriptive as regards to
GSM Mean Deviation Rating the functionality

1. The data that have been 4.76 0.54 Very High The system is
recorded in the Dean’s all the time
system are the same manifesting the
with the data to be sent capabilities being
to the parents. stated in the
questionnaire.
2. The time and date the 4.67 0.58 Very High The system is
message was sent are all the time
accurate. manifesting the
capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.
3. The device sends SMS 4.81 0.51 Very High The system is
once a student had all the time
already incurred 4 manifesting the
absences. capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.

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It is shown in Table B that all of the items have mean values

ranging from 4.67 to 4.81 rating which indicates that the evaluators
have common opinion that the GSM operation has a descriptive rating
of Very High and the system always manifest the capabilities of its
functionality.

The first item which pertains to the consistency of data that has
been sent to the parent gets a mean of 4.76 with a standard deviation
of 0.54. This gets a descriptive rating of Very High, which implies the
system all the time exhibits the capability of the system. Next, in terms
of accuracy of time and date of the sending of message, the mean is
4.67 with a standard deviation of 0.58. This gets a descriptive rating
of Very High which implies that the system all the time functions as
expected. Lastly, the item which refers to the ability of the device to
send a message when a student has incurred 4 absences gets a mean
of 4.81 with a standard deviation of 0.51. This gets a descriptive rating
of Very High. It only implies that the device exhibits the functionality
required.

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Table C. Level of Functionality of Monitoring System

Interpretation
Standard Descriptive as regards to
Monitoring System Mean Deviation Rating the functionality

1. The system is easy to 4.80 0.40 Very High The system is

understand and use. all the time
manifesting the
capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.
2. The system output is 4.90 0.30 Very High The system is
readable. all the time
manifesting the
capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.
3. The system responds 4.86 0.48 Very High The system is
immediately when data all the time
are being sent. manifesting the
capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.

Table C shows all the evaluation results pertaining of the

functionality of the monitoring system of the items have mean values
ranging from 4.80 to 4.90 which indicate that the evaluators have
common opinion that the GSM operation has a descriptive rating
of Very High and the system always manifests the capabilities of its
functionality.

In terms of the system user interface, the system gets a mean of

4.80 with a standard deviation of 0.40. This gets a descriptive rating
of Very High. It tells that the system all the time exhibits the function
of the system. The second item about the GUI system output being
readable gets a mean of 4.90 with a standard deviation of 0.30. This
gets a descriptive rating of Very High, which shows that the system
all the time functions according to its designed capability. Lastly, the

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item Does the system responded immediately when data were being
sent gets a mean of 4.86 with a standard deviation of 0.48. This gets a
descriptive rating of Very High which tells that the device exhibits the
functionality required in the system.

Table D. Level of Functionality of Wireless Transmission

Interpretation
Standard Descriptive as regards to
Wireless Transmission Mean Deviation Rating the functionality

1. The device can transmit 4.76 0.62 Very High The system is
data accurately. all the time
manifesting the
capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.
2. The device can transmit 4.67 0.66 Very High The system is
data efficiently. all the time
manifesting the
capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.
3. The device can receive 4.71 0.64 Very High The system is
feedback from the all the time
Dean’s system in manifesting the
unlocking the door. capabilities being
stated in the
questionnaire.

As shown in Table D, it can be observed that all of the items

have mean values ranging from 4.71 to 4.76 which indicate that the
evaluators have common opinion that the Wireless Communication
operation has a descriptive rating of Very High and the system always
manifests the capabilities of its functionality.

The item which says the device can transmit data accurately gets a
mean of 4.76 with a standard deviation of 0.62. This gets a descriptive

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rating of Very High which shows that the system all the time exhibits
its capability. The second item which pertains to its efficiency to
transmit data yields a mean is 4.67 with a standard deviation of 0.66.
This receives a descriptive rating of Very High which connotes that the
system all the time delivers its functions. Lastly, the item which pertains
to the ability of the system to receive feedback from the Dean’s system
in unlocking the door yields a mean of 4.71 with a standard deviation
of 0.64. This is equivalent to a descriptive rating of Very High. It shows
that the device exhibits the functionality required.

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