Take attendance
Record attendance for a course appointment from Attendance Management — mark participants Present, Absent, or Excused, and how this relates to check-in and the matrix.
After a course appointment has taken place — or while it is underway — you can record which participants attended. Attendance is taken from the appointment’s Attendance Management panel on the course calendar. Each invited participant can be marked Present, Absent, or Excused.
Manual attendance and student check-in both feed the same appointment record. Teachers often let students check in at the door, then correct edge cases (late arrivals, approved excuses, technical failures) in Attendance Management.
Why it matters
In many programmes, attendance is a formal requirement tied to exam eligibility, visa or funding rules, or pedagogical norms. Even where it is informal, a reliable record helps teachers notice chronic absence early and gives the institution an auditable trail. Taking attendance against the calendar appointment — not a private spreadsheet — keeps that trail connected to the schedule everyone already uses.
How it fits
| Related area | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Manage course appointments | Attendance is recorded per appointment; the session must exist first |
| Check in to an appointment | Students can self-register; teachers still use this panel to correct or complete records |
| Attendance matrix | Course-wide grid built from per-appointment statuses |
| Manage attendance | Staff can review and update attendance from Fuxam Mobile |
| Show a check-in QR code | Staff display a QR code so students can check in on mobile |
Key concepts
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Present | The participant attended |
| Absent | The participant did not attend and there is no excuse |
| Excused | The participant was absent but has an approved excuse |
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Attendance Management | Panel on the appointment details where you mark or review statuses |
| Recording attendance | Permission to mark or change statuses |
| Viewing attendance only | Permission to view without editing |
Open the attendance panel
Open the course and go to the Calendar tab.
Click on the appointment for which you want to take attendance.
In the appointment details panel, click Attendance Management (or the attendance icon).
If the Calendar tab is missing, enable Calendar in Course Settings. If you can open the panel but cannot change statuses, you likely have permission to view attendance only.
Mark attendance for each participant
The Attendance Management panel shows all invited participants. For each person, select their attendance status:
- Present — the participant attended.
- Absent — the participant did not attend and there is no excuse.
- Excused — the participant was absent but has an approved excuse.
Click the status for each participant to record it.
Save attendance
Changes are saved automatically as you mark each participant. You can return to the attendance panel later to update records if needed.
When to take attendance manually vs rely on check-in
| Approach | Good fit |
|---|---|
| Check-in (QR or key) | Large cohorts, door or screen check-in, students already on Fuxam Web or Mobile |
| Manual marking | Small seminars, sessions without check-in activated, correcting mistakes after class |
| Both | Check-in for speed, then Attendance Management for excused absences and exceptions |
For QR display and scanning on phones, see Show a check-in QR code and Check in with a QR code.
Best practices
- Take or finalize attendance close to the session so memory and check-in logs still align.
- Prefer Excused over Absent when your institution has approved the absence — the matrix makes patterns visible later.
- After marking, spot-check a few names against what you saw in the room, especially if check-in was used.
- Review the attendance matrix periodically rather than only looking at single appointments.
Common pitfalls
- Cannot change statuses — you need permission to record and change attendance; view-only users can see records but not edit them.
- Missing students in the panel — they may not be invited to the appointment; fix attendees under Manage course appointments.
- Deleted appointment — deleting a session removes its attendance data; avoid delete when you only meant to reschedule.
FAQ
Do I have to mark every participant?
Mark everyone you can. Leaving people unmarked makes the matrix harder to interpret and can understate absence. If someone checked in successfully, their presence may already be registered — still verify exceptions.
Can I change a status after class?
Yes. Changes are saved as you mark, and you can return to Attendance Management later to update records.
Where do students check in themselves?
See Check in to an appointment for web and key flows, and Check in with a QR code for the mobile scanner.