Malvern Prep recently introduced Ruvna, a digital attendance system designed to improve efficiency and accuracy. The new system makes attendance tracking faster and more reliable by replacing manual attendance check-ins with QR codes. Ruvna also enhances communication and security, which provides real-time updates on students’ locations. It aims to streamline daily operations and improve the overall process for everyone involved. Several faculty members, including Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Folan, Mr. Dougherty, and Mr. McDonald, share their experiences with the system and how it has impacted their daily routines.

Mrs. Erika Gibson, Attendance and Security Coordinator, talks about how Ruvna has made managing attendance easier and improved communication between staff members and students on and off campus. 

“In three words: manual versus automated. I had to manually update each student’s attendance for homeroom, and each period I felt like it was like I was working on homeroom at the end of the day because I had to quickly switch over and work on classroom attendance. So that manual process is less,” Gibson said.

Mrs. Gibson discusses the advantages of the new QR code system for attendance, noting its speed and accuracy. She also appreciates the removal of the need for students to touch the iPad, particularly benefiting her due to her concerns about cleanliness.

“Student scanning is definitely quicker and more accurate. It also generates the time so there’s no guessing about what time students arrive. On a personal note, [I have] semi-germophobia, so students no longer having to touch the iPad to type in their information [is definitely a benefit],” Gibson said. 

As with any new system, there have been some challenges. Mrs. Gibson shares her thoughts on the minor obstacles she has encountered with this transition and how students are adjusting to it as well.

“Yes. Minor changes for me [include] finding out where everything is located in the system and trying to find my rhythm and how to process student attendance. For the students, the challenges were downloading the app and then remembering to scan in when they [arrive or leave],” Gibson said. 

Mrs. Gibson strongly affirms that Ruvna has significantly enhanced school security. She emphasizes how the system’s alignment with the emergency system ensures that all students are accounted for.

“Using Ruvna now aligns with our Ruvna emergency system. We no longer need to look at two systems to see if students are on campus. Ruvna student and Ruvna emergency system has real-time information and can account for each and every student that is on campus, but that is only if students follow the proper process. They go to homeroom; they get signed in. If they miss homeroom, they need to come to the attendance desk and scan it,” Gibson said.

Mrs. Gibson points out how Ruvna has greatly improved communication and efficiency across the school. The system has effectively minimized the workload for staff and provided students with a quicker checking-in and out process. 

“It impacted me in a huge way, [and it was] a huge win for the community. Everyone can feel at ease that all students are accounted for accurately. For the attendance office, it is quicker and more efficient because it’s less manual. We still have some manual processes, but it’s definitely less, and it doesn’t take all day to do homeroom attendance for staff members. They now have the flexibility to take attendance in classrooms. They can also now do attendance and late versus before [when] they didn’t have the option to change a student to late. I had to do that manually each period. And then for the student body, I would say this is quicker for the sign-in sign-out process,” Gibson said.

Mrs. Folan, Head of Character Development and Wellness, discusses how the transition to Ruvna has expedited the entire attendance tracking process and made checking in and out more efficient for everyone involved.

“I think it’s helped a lot. The form that we were using before was cumbersome and could take some time to complete. So now, with everybody having downloaded the app, it’s just a quick scan. So that whole process of checking in and checking out is much faster, and I believe it’s much more accurate as well because we get automatic updates from our end as it’s happening,” Folan said. 

Mrs. Folan highlights how the new system optimizes the attendance process for students as it speeds up the daily flow. She also mentions that Ruvna provides real-time updates and remote support. 

“I think it allows students to get to class faster and to check out faster. There are usually long lines in the morning and after third period when juniors and seniors have privilege and can leave. So that helps. And as far as staff I know, for attendance and the SALs, everyone that’s working on that end, it’s much more accurate. And it’s happening in real-time, so I can be sitting in my office and updating stuff because I don’t necessarily have to be right where Mrs. Gibson is to be helping with the process as well. So from our end, it has been huge for us in attendance,” Folan said. 

Ruvna’s implementation has notably streamlined the attendance processes for staff, making the data more accurate and easier to track. Mrs. Folan emphasizes how important its role will be for future policies as well. 

“It’s probably not impacting as much the students and faculty and everybody else, but from the attendance, it’s much more smooth, accurate, and easy for us to pull the data. We would pull reports in MyMalvern, but we were finding they were really inaccurate … It’s also helping us to track excused versus unexcused and learn about trends and other things we’re seeing and how to change attendance policies for next year as well,” Folan said. 

Initially, some students simply missed the announcement to download the app. Mrs. Folan points out, however, that there have been fewer complaints overall with the app now in place and accessible for everyone.

“At first, students who weren’t in homeroom and weren’t listening to announcements were annoyed that they had to [download the Ruvna student app]. But I think now that most people have the app downloaded, it’s much easier and faster for them. So we haven’t heard too many complaints. It’s definitely seen as positive so far,” Folan said. 

Mrs. Folan acknowledges that while the new system hasn’t yet reduced tardiness, it’s providing valuable data on student arrival times. This information will play a key role in shaping policies moving forward.

“I don’t think it’s doing that yet, but what it is doing is giving us the trends we’re seeing in a more accurate capture of the amount of people who are really late and when they’re coming in. So it will really help; that data will inform policy for next year,” Folan said.

Mrs. Folan expresses gratitude for the community’s ability to adapt to this new system, especially during the middle of the school year. She acknowledges the challenges that come with this implementation but also the potential positive outcomes, too.

“One thing I would share is that I really appreciate everybody’s flexibility. I hate making changes in the middle of the year, and people were really on board and helpful and cooperative from every angle as we rolled this out for the second semester. We didn’t want to do it at the beginning of the year until we put more things into place from our end. We were a little bit hesitant to do it in the middle of the year, and I would just thank everybody in the community for being patient and working with us. So it’s really been a positive change,” Folan said.

Mr. Dougherty, 12th Grade Student Academy Leader and Upper School English Teacher, 12th Grade Student Academy Leader and Transportation Coordinator, spoke about how the check-in process will be easier for teachers and students, “Well the faster check-in process is one, the instant accountability is another. So we know who’s here within a couple [of] minutes…but it’s gonna make record keeping easier, [and] communication with parents easier.” Mr. Dougherty said. 

Mr. McDonald, 10th Grade Student Academy Leader and Upper School Science Teacher, elaborated on the simplicity of the check-in process and the benefits for teachers. 

“Ruvna has made it very easy for teachers to check their homeroom students in, first off, it’s on their phones. So it’s a lot more convenient, [a] little more user-friendly as well…It gives them the option of taking attendance as they go…So it’s automatic, it takes human error out of it, it time stamps it.” Mr. McDonald said.

Mr. McDonald added another benefit to the new Ruvna system, “But it required students to be forthcoming for that information. This is just you’re scanning in saying I’m here. So it’s made it easier for you guys, and it’s taken the option of misleading out of it” Mr. McDonald said. 

“So in that regard, yeah, it’s made it a lot easier because all it takes is one scan of the QR code or your homeroom teacher saying you’re here, right?” Mr. McDonald said.

Mr. McDonald explained the original purpose of Ruvna, “because it is an attendance manager for, like, a crisis. So during a fire drill, when we were out in the field, or any other thing, all the rosters. So we would start an event, once an event started, everyone [would have] access to all the rosters, so I can check Mr. Coles’ class, I can check in any kid. So we got it through that first, and then they started going with [the] attendance manager.

Adding on to his description, he emphasized the importance of the app in taking attendance for emergencies, “The real, the point of Ruvna right now is, are you on-site or are you off-site? And the reason for that is, if, let, God forbid, there’s an emergency first period, a fire, someone on campus who shouldn’t be, anything, we will know, are you on site or are you off site? If we have a list of 75 students who have not signed into campus, we aren’t looking for them. We’re looking for the, you know, 600 who are on campus. So in that regard, yeah, it’s made it a lot easier because all it takes is one scan of the QR code or your homeroom teacher saying you’re here, right?” Mr. McDonald said. 

Mr. McDonald envisions using the Ruvna system for period-by-period attendance.

“I think we’re going to be using Ruvna a little bit more next year, maybe even for our period-by-period attendance, which would be great,” Mr. McDonald said. 

However, “Yeah, change is always hard. Both sides of the coin here too. We had to count on 670 students to download an app. We still have students who are coming in to this day without the app. So making sure everyone’s on the same page. Also for faculty, change takes a while, you get into the habit of doing something. So that’s been an adjustment as well, teachers having to use different software, and they could use their computer still if they wanted to, Ruvna works on your computers as well, But that’s been a change as well, Switching to homeroom attendance on Ruvna versus MyMalvern,” Mr. McDonald said. 

Mr. McDonald concluded by speculating on the future of the system.

“I think it’s gonna make it easier next year than it is this year. So we’re not just changing to change, like I mentioned, there’s a plan in place, we see where it’s going. So I like it, and I hope you guys like it too,” Mr. McDonald said. 

The switch to Ruvna has made it easier for teachers and students alike. While some initial adjustments were needed, faculty and students have largely acclimated to the change. The possibility of period-by-period attendance for next year could further enhance the check-in process. It is sure to continue having a positive impact on the Malvern Prep attendance operations for years to come.