Top 6 Educational Applications of Biometric Technology

This article focuses on the top 6 educational applications of biometric technology that can benefit schools and other academic institutions.

Educational institutes face unique challenges regarding identification, authentication, access control, and security. They have to keep track of students and staff timing while ensuring their security within the campus. The daily operations can take significant time if they are not streamlined. Unlike most other organizations, schools and educational institutions can be more vulnerable to security incidents as they may have a large group of children and underage students who cannot appropriately respond to a security incident.

Repetitive incidents of violence at educational institutions have also made administrators rethink security and access control. Security, however, is not the only challenge educational facilities have to address. There are several other operational challenges, such as registrations, student attendance management, access control, scheduling, etc., that these institutions have to face on a daily basis.

Technology has always been a way to streamline productivity, and educational institutions have been leveraging it to improve operational efficiency and address the challenges. Biometrics is one of the emerging technologies in identity management and access control space. Biometrics offers a technology-based automated approach to identifying individuals or verifying their identity. This technology is beneficial in applications where a moderate to high level of confidence in identity verification is required.  Here is a summary of the applications of biometric technology from which educational institutions can benefit.

1. Student Registration

Biometric technology in schools and other educational institutions can be used for student registration instead of the students’ biographic data. Using biographic details of the students for registration is a time-consuming process whenever a student record needs to be fetched. Different pieces of information have to be verified to ensure that there is no error in fetching the record, as there can be more than one student with similar data fields.

Using students’ biometric identifiers (such as fingerprints, facial geometry, etc.) will lead to more accurate student registrations and diminish errors while fetching their records. Once a student is registered on the institution’s system with their biometrics, this information can be used for biometric attendance, access control, and security in a well-integrated environment.

2. Student attendance management

From pen and paper to computer software, schools may use several methods to keep track of students and staff members’ attendance. However, when it comes to the security and accuracy of attendance data, no other approach seems to outperform biometric attendance in schools and educational institutions. Manual paper-based attendance data collection may seem cheap (and somewhat easy). Still, educational institutions must pay the price for compiling this data, which becomes tedious and requires long manual efforts.

Biometric attendance in schools and other educational institutions can completely replace paper-based and other student attendance management approaches with seamless and automated systems.

Biometric attendance systems have already become synonymous with attendance management in many small—to large-scale organizations and institutions. From the administrators of large corporations to financial institutions and banks, biometric technology is used for access control, employee attendance, security, and many other applications.

Many institutions across the globe have started using biometric technology for student attendance management. For example, the University of Sunderland London Campus and Delhi University in India have been using biometric attendance.

3. Security

School security has become a pressing issue, especially given the vulnerability of children and underage students. Even higher education institutions like colleges and universities have faced security incidents, including gun violence.

Schools draw many visitors daily, posing security risks if not properly screened. Educational facilities can enhance security by registering visitors using fingerprints, protecting students and staff. Many organizations already use this method to improve visitor management.

A school information system with a visitor management module can position your school as a high-tech facility. Colleges and universities are also targets for cyberattacks due to the vast amount of personal and research data they store. Biometrics, instead of passwords or PINs, can help educational institutions defend against cybercriminals. Passwords or PINs can be easily shared among students, leading to compromised IT network security.

4. Biometric ID for different facilities

In educational institutions, there are several facilities and sub-sections where students may require a dedicated card or slip to issue books from the library, enter different labs, get subsidized meals in the cafeteria, enter exam halls, etc. Biometrics in education can work as a universal ID that students do not need to carry.

Librarians use library cards to keep track of books, issuances, and submissions. Managing libraries and books becomes increasingly complicated as the number of students grows. A biometric-based system can help educational institutions replace this otherwise slow and tedious manual library management system. A library system with biometric integration can keep track of all the books issued to students and due for submissions. When a book is issued or submitted, a student verifies their identity with a biometric scan, and the system can enter.

Similarly, students can perform a biometric scan to pay for meals at the cafeteria, verify identity at examination halls, etc.

5. Access control

6. Student Engagement

Apart from traditional attendance, identification, and access control applications, biometrics can help educational institutions improve student engagement in academics and other activities. Face recognition with emotional state sensing can help track students’ emotional and cognitive states.

For example, an overhead camera in the classroom, equipped with facial recognition and emotional and cognitive state-sensing ability, can help ascertain the students’ attentiveness. That is not all; advanced algorithms can even measure the attention students pay to a lecture/activity. This precious behavioural data can help educational institutions to improve their delivery system.

Facial recognition can also track students in different activities and sports. A biometric modality called gait recognition is also used in sports at a professional level to improve sportspersons’ performance.

Conclusion

Educational institutions can address their operational challenges in several ways. For example, student attendance management can be done with paper-based methods or attendance software. However, no student attendance management approach seems to beat biometrics when it comes to accuracy, reliability, and efficiency.

Numerous educational institutions around the globe have already been using biometric technology for different applications; however, many have yet to take up the trend. The one unparalleled advantage that biometrics in schools offers is that this single technology can be used to address many challenges.

Image courtesy of Depositphotos

• About the Author
• Latest Posts

Tanvir Ahmed

After working at Bayometric for nearly a decade, Tanvir has a good understanding of what it takes to ensure the security of a business. He likes to cover newsworthy events related to public safety, mass surveillance, cloud communication, cyber security, and BYOD. His articles give insights into the latest trends in the biometrics and identity management industry.

• Top 6 Educational Applications of Biometric Technology