Acadly at UIC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Acadly free for UIC instructors and students?

Yes.

Does it work inside Blackboard or as an independent app?

Acadly has a Blackboard plugin for instructors, which can be used for (a) setting up a course, (b) viewing course statistics, and (c) exporting attendance data / participation points to the Bb gradebook.

However, the core functionality of the app such as (a) recording attendance, (b) sharing activities like polls and quizzes, and (c) viewing instant reports for attendance and activities, works only on the Acadly app or website (not inside Blackboard).

Who else has used Acadly?

Acadly is used at more than 400 US universities. At UIC alone, it has been used for attendance automation since Jan 2018 (close to five years). If you would like to connect with the Acadly team one-on-one for a demo, feel free to schedule a call using this link.

How does Acadly's attendance work?

Acadly discovers students in professors' proximity using a mesh-network technology that uses Bluetooth and WiFi.

Is it compulsory for students to be connected to the WiFi?

No. Acadly works even if students are connected to the internet via mobile data / LTE.

What devices do my students and I need to use?

For students: If Acadly is being used for attendance tracking in a course, students are required to download the Acadly app (available on Android and iOS) on their phones. Automatic attendance will not work unless they have the app open on their phone. Students can access other features (such as class activities, learning resources shared by the instructor, and class discussions) on the Acadly web app as well.

For teachers: All features of Acadly are available for instructors on the web as well as on mobile. Automatic attendance, manual edits, class activities, and resource sharing will all work on both the web and mobile apps. We recommend that instructors download the app for easy authoring on the go.

Can students get marked as present if they aren't inside the classroom?

No. If a student is not inside the classroom, their device will not connect to the mesh network and they will not be marked present.

What if a student does not have a phone or if it's switched off?

No worries, they can let you / your "Class Assistant" (you would need to set one using Acadly) know and you can manually mark them "Present" as well.

Since when has UIC had an enterprise agreement with Acadly?

Since Fall 2021. However, Acadly has been in use at UIC since Spring 2018. It has been used by instructors in thousands of lectures at UIC.

What is the range of Acadly's automatic attendance? Will it work in a large class?

Yes. There is practically no upper limit to the class size, thanks to how the mesh network technology works. Acadly has been used in courses with as many as 450 students too, and there's no reason why it can't work for even more!

Does this process run continuously and drain my battery?

No. The attendance process, once started by the instructor, runs for about two minutes and then ends automatically. The Acadly app automatically switches the radios on your phone off once the attendance process is over to minimize energy consumption.

Does this use GPS?

No. The Acadly app does not use GPS and does not track the physical location of anyone. On Android devices, the app does ask for permission to access GPS, but that's because of an Android quirk which combines Bluetooth / WiFi scanning permissions along with "location" permissions. However, while the app has to ask for this permission due to technical reasons, GPS data is neither collected nor stored by Acadly at any time.

Can Acadly replace clickers?

Yes. Acadly can be used for in-class polls, quizzes, discussions, Q&A, word clouds, and even to share files and videos with students. All this data can be exported to the Bb gradebook as well.

Has Acadly been reviewed for compliance with FERPA?

Yes, Acadly has been reviewed for compliance with FERPA by multiple universities, including UIC. For any specific questions regarding data privacy, please reach out to us at support+uic@acadly.com.

What is the purpose of Acadly's Zoom integration?

Acadly can also be used to teach online or blended synchronous (or HyFlex) classes, using the product's Zoom integration which works with UIC's existing Zoom licenses. The demo videos are linked below.

How do I sign up and set up an instructor account?

If your course is on Blackboard, you can access the Acadly LTI plugin listed under "Course Tools" in your course and follow the steps shown here. If your course is not on Blackboard, you can sign up on the Acadly website and we'll reach out to you with further instructions on email.