Student Engagement Techniques/Attendance Indicators

Use an "exit ticket." Exit tickets are small assignments that students submit immediately following the class session. Exit tickets can be quizzes, polls, single sentences, mind maps, concept maps, etc.

Use the "Easter egg" technique described earlier. Students who find the "Easter egg" submit the answer in an identified assignment. This counts as their attendance.

Require students to post at least once per class in the chat. Posting constitutes attendance. Be sure that students identify themselves in the chat by changing their screen name to identify them accurately.

In group work, have students identify themselves to the group on the discussion board or in their breakout rooms. Use this data for attendance.

Have a tiny assignment that students complete before class. Open the window for submitting the assignment during the first 15 minutes of class. Use that submission as a means to take attendance.

Use a "muddiest point" forum, and ask students to post at the beginning of each class period what has stretched them or confused them in the responses for that day. 

Have a discussion board for each class period. Ask students to answer questions to guide the upcoming class meeting. Articulate that each student should ask a question and that the ask counts as attendance for that day.

If you have a TA or TAs, ask them to take attendance by viewing the face-to-face and online students who've logged in for synchronous sessions.