A cellphone app has been tracking attendance of freshmen athletes and athletes on probation at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri, over the last five years.  And so far, its use has boosted attendance and raised grade point averages (GPAs) of the participating athletes.

In addition, the university planned a pilot program in about 20 classes in 2020, but results of that project are on hold.  Because of the coronavirus epidemic, all classes were suspended in spring 2020.

The more students that go to class, the better they perform, is one of the underlying messages triggered by the use of this tracking device.

If a student doesn’t have a cell phone, the athletic department provides them with iPads, so their attendance can be tracked.  If attendance and grades of student athletes improve, they are given the option of eliminating the app from use.

In 2019-20, of the 540 student athletes attending the University of Missouri, 130 of them, or 20% of them, were being monitored.

That number using the attendance app is a fraction of the 22,616 undergraduates who attended the University of Missouri in the fall of 2019.  Its student population consists of 75% white students, 6.7% African American, 4.5% Latinos, 2.5% Asian, 5% international and 4% multi-racial.

Spotter App

The phone app is called Spotter and employs short-range phone sensors and campus-wide WiFi networks and notifies the athletic department that they’re not in class and clearly should be.

The University of Missouri is not only college employing cellphone tracking for attendance.  Reports are that Duke University, The University of North Carolina and Syracuse University are also monitoring student attendance by apps.

Tami Chievous, the associate director of Athletic Services at the University of Missouri, said its’ introduction stemmed from a desire to “maximize taking attendance of more student athletes at one time.”  Previously, graduate assistants were sent to class to track athletes’ attendance, which was time-consuming and cumbersome.

When the app was piloted in 2015, the athletic department went out of its way to ensure students’ privacy.  The tracking was arranged to only take place within academic walls and once students left the classroom, the signal was automatically turned off.  Hence, their privacy outside of class wasn’t invaded.

The more student athletes attend classes, the better they do and the stronger are their relationships with instructors, Chievous explains.  The tracking system was used in every sport on campus, covering about 20 different teams.

“Student athletes are pulled in so many different directions,” Chievous points out.  They have to juggle practices with the team, often have part-time jobs, traveling to different games, attending different meetings while keeping pace with their own academic studies, she suggests.

Getting Off Probation

One of its primary goals was getting student athletes off probation for having GPAs below a C.  The tracking system encouraged them to get to class and improve their time management skills, she says.  In fact, she says close to 75% of all students maneuvered their way off probation after the cellphone app was introduced.

Moreover, the app system served as a deterrent.  “The students worked hard to get off probation as they did not want us checking all their classes,” Chievous reveals.

“If you get into the habit of doing something each day, it’s a life skill to help freshmen get off on the right foot,” she says.

Faculty wasn’t involved in the cellphone tracking app system. All information filtered directly to the athletic department, which administered it.

Its underlying goal in the athletic department, Chievous asserts, “is setting students up for success after they graduate.”  Knowing that they can’t skip class and are held accountable for their actions sends a strong message to each of them.

Student athletes that fail to attend class can pay a variety of penalties, depending on the sport, including being asked to sit out practices.  If the violations continue, they can be prohibited from participating in games.

The message to student athletics is clear:  You can’t skip class. You must be disciplined.  If you’re sick, you need to bring a note to your instructor.  You can’t sneak into class ten or fifteen minutes late and not be held accountable. With everything you do, we want to ensure you’re going to be a success, Chievous indicates.

Since less than 1% of student athletes ever turn professional, athletics has been the springboard for success in many endeavors outside of basketball, volleyball and softball.

Since using the cellphone tracking system, attendance has risen, and more students are being moved off probation, she says.  And furthermore, the tracking system saves the athletic staff plenty of time.

COVID-19 And The Future

As a result of the success that the athletic department has managed with the app, the University of Missouri decided to extend its use in a pilot project in 2020 in 20 classes, explains Christian Baci, director of Media Relations at the college.  It was viewed as an opportunity to “help faculty save valuable time, as well as help us do a better job of identifying students who are at risk,” he adds.

A student’s missing class is often the first sign of having trouble with academics, Baci notes. The app lets the college know the student is missing classes, enabling it to follow-up with assistance.

“If we could identify that early, we could have a good opportunity to provide the student with academic support and help him or her succeed in class,” he says.

After the app’s use in its first semester, the college expected to gather feedback from professors and students in order to evaluate its effectiveness.

Baci acknowledged that the college had no choice but to put the project on hold when live classes were suspended due to the coronavirus.  “It’s possible we will resume it when in-person classes resume.  We’ll likely reevaluate as we get close to that date,” he says.•