30/04/2026
𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 | 𝐀 𝐓𝐀𝐏 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘: 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐒
𝐁𝐲: 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐫
During school events, attendance is always required yet still remains as such a hassle. When it comes to signing in and signing out, many students choose to ask their friends to forge their signature instead of waiting in line. Not only is this a hassle and wastes time, but it also discourages students from attending such events where attendance is required, despite it being monitored by school officials. There are other instances when simply signing an attendance sheet gets confusing, as there are times when the attendance sheet is passed from one student to another.
Other times, attendance isn’t monitored through pen and paper, but is monitored through Google Forms. Although it may sound convenient, the reality is that it isn’t. Many students struggle trying to get a decent connection in certain venues, for example the UST-Legazpi Dome where the signal is weak, making it almost impossible to connect to internet browsers. It also takes time from the event or seminar and students can still answer the attendance sheet without actually attending the event. All it takes is a picture sent to a group chat and students can answer despite them being at home or casually avoiding the event by leaving the campus.
However, during the recent SIRIKLABAN 2026 Miting De Avance, the registration system seemed different — it was faster, organized, and straightforward with just one tap of a student ID. This hassle-free system was created by Luke Railey F. Flores, a 4th year BSCS student from CEAFA, with the assistance of the Educational Technology Center also known as ETC led by Mr. Daryll Abion, MIT, the director of ETC.
In an interview with Mr. Flores, I was able to ask some questions regarding the creation and ex*****on of the idea of RFID system, which was seen by the students as a tap system which is also used on a day to day basis when entering the campus.
According to Luke, the introduction of the system to the Miting De Avance was originally an idea from the Commission on Elections. This project was assigned to him during his OJT (On-the-Job Training) at the ETC.
Flores explained how the idea first took shape, “The main features they wanted was to use the student's IDs and RFID technology to make attendance tracking quick with just one tap.” He also added, “They also wanted to export reports to help them easily analyze attendance data.” In the interview he also said that he was given flexibility on how he would design and implement the system.
Undeniably, the system was able to solve the giant elephant in the room — written attendance. Not only was it time consuming, but it also gave room for students who didn’t want to attend to fake their own attendance by asking their friends to forge their signatures. With the RFID waiting time in lines were cut shorter and organizing struggles were solved.
Luke explained that the system solved written attendance problems. According to him, “By using RFID, it makes attendance faster, accurate and makes analysis easier for big events like the Miting De Avance.” It’s important to integrate newer technologies when it comes to events, may it be big or small events. Not only does it help the organizers of the events, but it also helps the students too.
Such a system used during a tertiary based event would not have been able to be used if it weren’t for the offices and organizations that made it possible. During the interview, Luke explained that the development process of the system went relatively smoothly, receiving guidance from his supervisor at the ETC.
“They helped me with the database design and provided student data to help me start the project. They also gave me an rfid reader to use to test the system. The biggest challenge was finding out what data is stored in our IDs.” He added, “The biggest challenge was finding out what data is stored in our IDs. I had to find out the type of RFID card we use [which is the] Mifare 1k. Once I figured that out, I created a simple program to get the data from the ID. Then I found out it contained our student number. Development went smoothly from there as I already have student data and I just needed to create the core features and update whatever they asked for.”
During the process of creating the system, the ETC was able to provide technical guidance and support in the creation of the system, while the Commission on Elections visited him from time to time to make sure that the system he was creating aligned with their requirements and needs for the Miting De Avance.
In everything, people will encounter challenges and errors. Luke Flores shared that he experienced challenges while working on the RFID system. He explained that his biggest challenge was making sure that the system works across multiple PCs, which required setting up and using a centralized server.
“With the help of ETC, a server was established, and I set up the system to be compatible with it, allowing multiple devices to access and record attendance simultaneously,” He said.
He said that during the implementation of the system, things went smoothly and he had to teach them how the system works, “I had to teach them how the system worked. They had to create a session with details like name, time in range and time out range. Once created, the student just has to tap and the attendance is recorded.” He shared that once the system was tested out, it was easily understood how it operates.
He believes that the system he created could be used for future events. Luke said that the system was created for other events in mind, not just the Miting De Avance. With this system, it can speed up student attendance. In his words, “It offers a faster and more reliable way of tracking attendance, and the reporting feature makes it easier for organizers to review and analyze data.”
Great minds and talent can create technology that both benefits students and the organizers of such events. The RFID system made signing in and out of the event a smooth process. It’s a system that can’t be cheated and it doesn’t consume much time. Old school ways can be simplified and cater students without consuming most of their time. Maybe in the near future, event coordinators and organizers could consider using this system when tracking the attendance of students without the struggle of organizing attendance sheets per department and forged signatures for those who don’t want to attend.
Pubmat by Christ Paraiso
in
