Read the attendance matrix
Use the course attendance matrix to see Present, Absent, and Excused across every appointment — filter by student or status, group by format, and export.
The attendance matrix gives you a bird’s-eye view of attendance across all appointments in a course. Each row represents a student and each column an appointment, so you can quickly see patterns of absence or perfect attendance. It is the course-level summary built from the same statuses you set in Take attendance and that students create via check-in.
Where a single Attendance Management panel answers “who was here today?”, the matrix answers “how has this cohort shown up over the term?”
Why it matters
Programme rules often care about cumulative presence — a maximum number of unexcused absences, a minimum participation rate, or early outreach when someone disappears mid-term. Scanning appointment-by-appointment is slow and error-prone. The matrix makes absences, excused gaps, and strong attendance visible in one grid, and export turns that view into something you can share with exam boards or student services when your process requires it.
How it fits
| Related area | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Take attendance | Per-appointment source of Present / Absent / Excused |
| Check in | Student self-registration that also feeds appointment attendance |
| Manage course appointments | Columns appear for appointments on the course calendar; format groups columns |
| Manage attendance | Mobile staff tools for a single appointment; the matrix remains the course-wide web overview |
Key concepts
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Row | One enrolled student (name and email) |
| Column | One appointment (date and title in the header) |
| Cell | That student’s status for that appointment: Present, Absent, or Excused |
| Column group | Columns grouped by appointment format: In-person, Online, or Hybrid |
Open the attendance matrix
Open the course and go to the Calendar tab.
Click Attendance or the attendance overview button (the exact label may be Attendance Management depending on your role).
Read the matrix
The matrix is a grid with:
- Rows — one row per enrolled student (showing name and email).
- Columns — one column per appointment. The appointment date and title appear in the column header.
- Cells — each cell shows the student’s attendance status for that appointment: Present, Absent, or Excused.
Columns are also grouped by the format of the appointment:
| Column group | Meaning |
|---|---|
| In-person | Face-to-face sessions |
| Online | Remote or virtual sessions |
| Hybrid | Mixed in-person and online sessions |
Filter the matrix
Use the filter controls above the matrix to narrow down the view:
- Search by name or email — type to find a specific student.
- Filter by status — show only rows where a student has a particular attendance status (for example, show only students with at least one absence).
Filtering is for analysis — it does not change stored attendance. Clear filters when you need the full cohort again.
Export attendance
To export the attendance data, look for the Export button above the matrix. The export downloads a spreadsheet with the same information shown in the matrix.
Best practices
- Review the matrix after the first few weeks of term, not only at the end — early patterns are easier to address.
- Use status filters to build outreach lists (for example, students with absences), then confirm details in the relevant appointment’s Attendance Management panel before acting.
- Keep appointment titles and formats accurate so column headers and groups remain meaningful — see Manage course appointments.
- Export when you need a snapshot for a meeting or archive; re-export later rather than editing an old file as the system of record.
Common pitfalls
- Empty or sparse columns — attendance was never taken and students never checked in for those appointments.
- Unexpected absences after a full room — check-in may have failed for some students, or attendees were not invited; fix records via Take attendance.
- Missing student rows — enrollment and invitation differ from what you expect; confirm course membership and appointment attendees.
FAQ
Does the matrix include appointments from other courses?
No. It is scoped to the course whose Calendar tab you opened. For a personal cross-course schedule, use the sidebar calendar or the Base calendar.
What happens if I delete an appointment?
Deleting an appointment removes its attendance data. That column will no longer be part of a meaningful history for the deleted session — see the warning on Manage course appointments.
Can students see the full matrix?
This page describes the staff-facing course overview. Student visibility of attendance details depends on your institution’s configuration and role permissions; when in doubt, assume the matrix is for teaching and admin use unless your institution has communicated otherwise.