There are some significant differences in Check In/Out and Present/Absent in Enrollsy and how they are used. Here is how the Check-In/Out Activity stacks up against the Present/Absent Activity
Dedicated Check-In/Out Page
Enrollsy has a dedicated Check In/Out page in the Instructor Portal where Instructors can check in/out Enrollees, and in the Customer Portal for Account Holders to check in/out Enrollees.
Instructors click on In/Out in the menu bar.
Then they click either Check In or Check Out, select all Enrollees (or those needed), and click the button at the bottom (green Check In button or red Check Out button):
Present/Absent Activity
The Present/Absent Activities do not have a dedicated page. To use this activity, Instructors will have to navigate to the Activities page and choose either "Present" or "Absent" from the Activity list:
Check-In/Out - Visible Checkmarks
When an Instructor or Admin checks in an Enrollee using the Check-In Activity, a visible checkmark appears in two places:
Instructor Portal - Each Enrollee info card:
Admin Classes Page - Beside each Enrollee (on the far-left side) who has been checked in:
NOTE: The checkmark will stay until the Enrollee is checked out, then it disappears. These checkmarks DO NOT appear when "Present" or "Absent" is used.
Check In/Out - Updated Ratios
The Check-In/Out Activity also updates the Class Ratios in real-time. Class Ratios are the ratio of staff to children in a classroom. As Enrollees (Students) are checked in, they turn green on the Ratios page. The Present/Absent Activity does not affect ratios.
Check In/out & Present/Absent - Date & Time Stamps
Both of these features document the date and time, along with the Class name. The only difference is there is no "check out" with the "Present" Activity.
Use Cases
Most schools that need students to be checked in will need to use the Check-In/Out Activity. You can use the default Present and Absent Activity if you have Zoom classes and need to mark students as present or absent.
These two Activity types can be accessed from the Activity tab in the Instructor Portal. You can also create your custom Activities. For steps on how to create Activities, see this support article.
How Admin Users Take Attendance
Admin users can track attendance either of the Activities described below on several pages in the Admin Portal:
Ratios Page - Click on the Enrollee name to open up the timeline window where you can post an Activity.
Classes Page - Click on the timeline icon beside an Enrollee under a Class. This opens up the timeline window where you can post an Activity.
Activity Page - Click on an Enrollee on the left to open up their timeline.
Instructor Portal - As an admin, you can create an instructor profile for yourself via the Instructor page. Within the instructor settings, select "Can access all classes". See this support article for how to set up an Instructor profile.
For more details on how to manage attendance in the Instructor Portal, see this support article.