---
title: "Using the Attendance Tool"
type: "article"
space: "Blackboard Ultra"
author: "Anh Lam"
created: 2023-01-10T19:49:43Z
updated: 2025-09-04T21:55:28Z
tags: ["attendance-tool", "blackboard-ultra", "grading-in-meeting-view", "grading-in-overall-view", "grading-in-ultra", "navigating-ultra", "ultra", "using-the-attendance-tool"]
url: "https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/spaces/266/blackboard-ultra/articles/setting-up-your-course/16218/using-the-attendance-tool"
---

# Using the Attendance Tool

You can assign an attendance grade to each student by marking them as present, late, absent, or excused for each class meeting.

**Note:**

- Currently, attendance scores cannot be hidden from students. Updates to student attendance are visible to students as the course progresses.
- As per Seneca's [Student Assessment Policy](https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/student-assessment-policy.html#:~:text=grades%20will%20not%20be%20assigned%20for%20attending%20classes), students cannot receive grades for attendance.

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### Setting Up Attendance

1. Select **Mark attendance** from the **Details & Actions** pane. The Attendance page is displayed. **Note:** Select **Add attendance** if this is your first time setting up attendance.![Screenshot of step 1 of Setting Up Attendance as explained on this page.](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=VoosD8mFiqYsJj6ccHIcqg%3D%3D)
2. Select the **gear icon**. The Settings panel is displayed. ![](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=C9AVf4J6%2Bdnzav6CRL4ygQ%3D%3D)
3. Set the following values: 
![](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=zDZNhh3OQ4lhmadyCURMFQ%3D%3D)
    - **Attendance Values:** These are percentages associated with each student's attendance. **Note:**Currently you can only change the Late value.
    - **Include Excused in calculations:** Marking a student as Excused will count them as present for scoring purposes.
    - **Use attendance as a grade:** Toggling this on will add the student's attendance to their Gradebook. **Note:** Per Seneca’s [Student Assessment Policy](https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/student-assessment-policy.html#:~:text=grades%20will%20not%20be%20assigned%20for%20attending%20classes "Student Assessment Policy"), students cannot receive grades for attendance.
    - **Grading scale:** Select the desired grading schema \(Points, Percentage, or Letter grade\).
    - **Remove attendance:**Removing attendance will exclude it from the grading calculation.
4. Select **Save**.
![Screenshot of step 4 of Setting Up Attendance as explained on this page.](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=1o1iBkt9RyJMtKDjZQVTQg%3D%3D)

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### Marking Attendance

By default, when you open the Attendance page you will see the Meeting view for the current day. In the Overall view, you can view several meetings and see overall course statistics. You can mark your attendance from either view.

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#### Mark Attendance in the Meeting View

The Meeting view allows you to mark each student's attendance or mark all students as present/late/absent or excused for the class meeting.

1. Select **Mark** **Attendance** from the **Details & Actions** pane.![Screenshot of step 1 of To Mark Attendance in the Meeting View as explained on this page.](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=VoosD8mFiqYsJj6ccHIcqg%3D%3D)
2. Select **Meeting** \(top-right corner\). Meeting view is displayed.![Screenshot of step 2 of To Mark Attendance in the Meeting View as explained on this page.](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=4Leo9%2BsA8PihclXHubzAuQ%3D%3D)
3. Select either **Present**, **Late**, **Absent**, or **Excused** to mark each student's attendance. **Note:** Students' attendance grades are posted automatically.![Screenshot of step 3 of To Mark Attendance in the Meeting View as explained on this page.](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=PfJDMnG1oADWIiB%2BFniAag%3D%3D)
4. **Optional:** You can assign the same attendance to all students by selecting the desired column header and then selecting **Mark all present/absent**. ![](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=0TRdJhtmev6tyK1%2BSOxzzg%3D%3D)

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#### Mark Attendance in the Overall View

The Overall view allows you to mark attendance, view the attendance history, and create, edit, and delete the attendance for a given day.

1. Select **Mark** **Attendance** from the **Details & Actions** pane. ![Screenshot of step 1 of To Mark Attendance in the Meeting View as explained on this page.](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=VoosD8mFiqYsJj6ccHIcqg%3D%3D)
2. Select **Overall** \(top-right corner\). Overall view is displayed.![Screenshot of step 2 of To Mark Attendance in the Overall View as explained on this page.](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=lPaRJRZDbuRPZ82POQjv%2Bw%3D%3D)
3. Select **Mark** next to the student you want to mark, and then choose**Present/Late/Absent/Excused** from the drop-down menu.![](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=EA26qX6MwLIjjp7PIEWFHw%3D%3D)
4. **Optional:** You can assign the same attendance to all students by selecting a specific date in the column header to access the following drop-down menu options: Mark all present; Mark all absent; Clear marks; Exempt meeting; Edit meeting; and Delete meeting.

![](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=%2FiXogTUPZurEOgohvIVdiQ%3D%3D)

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### Adding a Class Meeting in Overall View

1. Select **Mark** **Attendance** from the **Details & Actions** pane. ![Screenshot of step 1 of Adding a Class Meeting in Overall View as explained on this page. ](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=fxMbztcsONWrmx9NiStdMg%3D%3D)
2. Select **Overall**. Overall view is displayed.![Screenshot of step 2 of Adding a Class Meeting in Overall View as explained on this page. ](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=lPaRJRZDbuRPZ82POQjv%2Bw%3D%3D)
3. Select the **plus icon \(+\)**. A new meeting is added.![Screenshot of step 3 of Adding a Class Meeting in Overall View as explained on this page. ](https://employees.senecapolytechnic.ca/attachment?file=5BfbJVXvznUA3TAKglfRwg%3D%3D)

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### Additional Resources

This short video covers the attendance tool.

- [Mark Attendance in Blackboard](https://www.youtube.com/embed/C9FCxq1hfUY "Mark Attendance in Blackboard")

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