Attendance Tracking Tools

There are a handful of campus-approved attendance tracking options available at the iSchool. Details, including documentation and support information, are included below.

iClicker Cloud

iClicker Cloud (iClicker) is the campus-supported solution for attendance tracking at the University. It is a response system that allows an instructor to poll students during in-person or online classes. Instructors need to set up an iClicker instructor account and course and link their Canvas course. Each student then uses a 'clicker' (one of the following: a physical device from iClicker, a mobile app installed on an Android and iOS devices, or a web-based interface for PCs) that allows students to vote by selecting the appropriate choice. Students must either pay for a subscription or buy a remote to answer. The data for each student's response can be visualized in a graph or integrated into Canvas to track attendance and sync rosters and grades (polling and quizzing). iClicker Cloud is supported by The Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning and information on usage and how to request a consultation can be found on CITL's iClicker page or by contacting their Help Desk.

Canvas Tools

Canvas has a few built-in tools available and ready to use for attendance tracking:

Attendance (Roll Call) can be used for taking attendance in-person and online.

Classic Quizzes, a feature of the Quiz page, can be used via its polling and survey tools.

Zoom

Online classes (or hybrid on-campus courses) can use Zoom's built-in polling feature. Hosts can launch the poll during a class meeting and have the option to download a polling report after the meeting. Zoom also takes attendance through its meeting and webinar history report and can auto-populate the Canvas gradebook.

Additional Third-Party Tools

While the options above are the ONLY attendance tools fully-vetted by campus, third-party tools that have been tested by instructors are compiled in the Teaching Tools section of iSchool Connect. PLEASE NOTE: third party tools not licensed through the University may not meet FERPA, Security or Accessibility standards. It is the responsibility of faculty to read and follow best practices concerning FERPA and Privacy. Do not post personal information about students, including feedback or grades, and always allow students to set up their own accounts as may be needed for participation.


Keywords:
iclicker, attendance tracking, canvas, canvas tools, attendance, roll call, classic quizzes, Zoom, polling 
Doc ID:
157829
Owned by:
Joey K. in School of Information Sciences
Created:
2026-01-09
Updated:
2026-01-13
Sites:
University of Illinois School of Information Sciences