The current manual and paper-based ways of recording attendance take a lot of time. To make things easier, quicker and simpler for both students and staff, we are piloting the use of card scanners by some classroom doors.
Instead of using paper registers, digital card readers are being installed so that you can simply tap your University ID card as you enter teaching spaces. During the pilot, we will monitor for any queues andgather feedbackfrom students and staff. We hope this way of logging your attendance will be more convenient for everyone, allowing staff to more effectively support you in your learning.
There is no change or increase to attendance requirements - the introduction of card readers does not mean that attendance to every teaching session is now mandatory.
Departments will continue to use monitoring points in the same way to keep track of student engagement in their course.
Students must still meet their department’s monitoring point requirements throughout the year.
Your department will continue to tell you how many monitoring points you need and which teaching sessions count toward them.
Card readers are being installed gradually over the next few months during Term 2 and Term 3 of the 2025/26 academic year. There is currently a pilot in the Oculus.
All centrally timetabled teaching rooms are expected to have readers installed by July 2026.
During the installation period, you may be asked to tap your ID card in some teaching rooms and register your manually in others – this is completely normal whilst installation is underway.
How it all works
Any teaching space with a card reader installed will have:
A device fitted visibly in an accessible location near the entrance door of the room.
A poster showing that the card reader is live and ready to use.
Teaching staff may also remind you to register your attendance when you enter.
Tap your University ID card on the reader as you enter the room.
Wait for the green light and noise - this means your attendance has been registered. Your attendance is recorded automatically - once you've tapped your card, your attendance will automatically be recorded in Tabula Link opens in a new window(as long as the teaching session is on your personal timetable).
Important reminder: You must not tap in for anyone who isn’t attending the teaching session, and you must not tap in and then leave the session immediately.
During the pilot, we will bemonitoring for queues, bottlenecks, and the time taken to scan in, and will gather feedback from students and staff. Students and staff are encouraged to share their thoughts: Digital Card Readers - Feedback Form
You should always carry your ID card when on campus, but if there is a time when you’ve forgotten it or the device is not working, don’t worry.
If the session is a monitoring point: Your department will have another way to record your attendance, so you won’t miss out.
If the session is not a monitoring point: You don’t need to do anything.
Yes - you can view your attendance record any time. To view:
Attendance data will help the University monitor room capacity - understanding how full teaching spaces are and whether rooms are being used for the right size group. This will help improve timetabling, reduce overcrowding, and support with the flow of people around campus.
Attendance data also helps the University support you during your studies. Your department will make you aware of your monitoring points.
All attendance data collected by the card readers is stored securely on internal University of Warwick systems.
Attendance data will not be shared with any third parties.
All data continues to be processed in line with the University’s Data Protection Policy and GDPR requirements, which means it is stored securely.
Support available
If you have questions or concerns about attendance, there is lots of support available. The most important thing is to reach out to a member of staff to let them know. They'll be able to offer guidance, talk through any issues, and signpost you to access further support if needed.
Members of staff in your department you could speak to include:
