Attendance in distance learning is…complicated, to say the least! However, I am hoping to provide a process that will make it more simple for you!
Below, you will find three easy steps on how to utilize Zoom and Google Sheets to take attendance. Directions and GIF’s are listed below, however, I have also added a tutorial at the end if you would like to be walked through it more formally.
Important Note: Step #1 is only available in some versions of Zoom and depends on your plan.
Step #1: Download Usage Reports from Zoom
- Go to the Zoom website.
- Click on “Reports”.
- Go to “Usage”.
- Click on the number underneath “Participants”.
- Download the .CSV file.
- Open in Google Sheets.
- Insert a new column to the right of Column A.
- Go to “Data” and select “Split Text to Columns”.
- Select Row 1, go to “View”–> “Freeze” –> “1 Row”.
- Select Column B and select “Sort Range by A to Z”.
Go to your student information system (SIS) and take attendance! That’s it!
If you need a walkthrough, here is a short video on the process outline above:
How do you take attendance during distance learning? Share in the comments below!
Hi there! Just a heads up that this must be a feature only on certain levels of accounts. We tried this with our teachers and they do not have the “Reports” access. Thanks anyway for sharing!
Great point! I’ll add a note in the post!
Our district requires attendance at the START of the period. Can the usage report be created at the start of the zoom (I.e., during a warm up)?
That is a great question! Honestly, I haven’t tested it that way. But if you do, please let us know how it works out!
One thing to keep in mind is that many zoom crashers are coming in to these classes and causing significant disruptions to say the least. Some of us teachers have been taking attendance as we let them into zoom to minimize illegitimate users. This is done by eliminating duplicate students, and by eliminating duplicates, you reduce the chances of getting a Zoom crasher. This means that using this method will not allow for using zoom as your sole means of taking attendance.
That’s an interesting approach, too! We have teachers take attendance when works for them so that it does not take up instructional time.