In the past, the system has been used by professors to make attendance mandatory even in large lecture halls, but now will be phased out immediately.

MSU IT Services and various academic groups cite many reasons for the system’s retirement, such as its age, the exclusion of new card swipes implemented in future buildings, the cost of the system per room and the rarity of teachers actually implementing the system.

“We’ve looked at how many professors used (the system), and we get less than 10 courses,” Assistant Director of IT Services Teaching and Learning Michael Zakhem said. Zakhem said 15 classrooms at MSU feature the attendance system, with only a small fraction of the classes in those rooms utilizing it.

In addition to the lack of popularity, Zakhem said the MSU Attendance System is built on 15-year-old infrastructure.

He said this puts the system far beyond its service life expectations.

Current technology has opened many new alternatives for the MSU Attendance System, Assistant Director of IT Services Teaching and Learning Brendan Guenther said. He said solutions such as the iClicker are already popular at MSU and could serve as a form of attendance.

“Professors could ask questions during class as a form of attendance in the classroom,” Guenther said.

With the small number of classes implementing the MSU Attendance System, many students might not notice any changes.

But in such departments as the James Madison College and Broad Business College, the system is used often.

“I have had two classes that use the card swipes; one of them is this year,” finance junior Michael Heyblom said.

Heyblom said he has never been bothered by the card swipe system, but believes the system has kept attendance high in some lectures.

“I’ve always been a kid who goes to class everyday … but I know how easy it is for students to skip class in big lecture halls,” Heyblom said. “For lectures that no longer have the card swipe, we could see a decrease in attendance.”

Heyblom said he does see the other alternatives as a step in the right direction.

He said the iClicker is not already commonly used around campus, but it forces students to engage in the material they are learning about.

“I think that with the card system, many kids would slide and leave. The iClicker gives teachers an opportunity for involvement in the class,” Heyblom said.