How do you keep track of students?

[kyokushin4life]

How do you keep track of your students? Attendances? Training fees?

I'm sure that the bigger the dojo, the harder it would be hard to track these things and need some efficient ways to keep the track.

Please share your ideas.
- Make students sign in a attendance note? (some students don't bother)
- Call out names at the end of the session for checking the attendance?
- You are using a software to track these things? Using a card system which students can swipe cards etc..?

[Bloke]

I use an excel spreadsheet and the names and attendance are all tracked there.

[Spirit]

M/A software and scanner for their IDs.

Fees I charge more than everyone else in the area, this way I keep out the fluff, BUT I also let students who can afford the fees come at much reduced rates or free (this is after interview of each new student).


Teaching is a classical idea
Running a dojo is a business

[Olrac]

We use a card system.
All junior students must bring their card every training.
Names are noted and checked if payment has been done.

[smoothsake]

We use a sign-in sheet (pretty informal) which is more used I think to determine if a student has been training frequently enough to qualify for the next belt grading. The MT gym I went to used a card scanner system.

[anaticula]

We've been using rather simple paper sheets for taking attendance so far. Usually one of the students fill it out at the end of class (preferably one that knows all/most of the names ). This then goes into a database, to keep track of everything over time. Fees goes into here as well.

As we're moving to a new dojo next year (up until now we've been using the training hall of a local school) I'm planning to get a card system up and running (barcode readers seems reasonably priced), which will give us better track of who's been training, who's late with paying their dues and so on. And a lot less paper work...

[vapor]

Dojo in Asakusa was a simple sign up sheet, to be filled out at the end of each session.

Monthly fees are automatically deducted from your bank account, so this is more of keeping track of number of sessions attended per month.

vapor

[nzproud]

The dojo I went in Japan, the instructor called out names at the end of the sessions I think.. The card system may be ideal for dojo operators

[DKKC]

We pay per session at the beginning of the session - you are ticked in the register when you pay. We are not a big dojo so it is fairly simple to keep track of people. If there are many people in the dojo, a quick count of people against the number of ticks lets you know if we missed someone out. As training regularly is part if the requirement for grading it's in the student's interest to get ticked in!

[Surfer_Sam]

Osu,

I use a diary, week to an opening, and everyone signs in. I know whose paid, and those who don't pay, write "IOU" and I follow it up later.

But, I am pretty small, one dojo runs in local gym, the other in a hall. Total of 20 students - train four nights a week.

enter details later into excel spreadhseet.

My ambition is to have to get a bigger diary, day to a page!!!

[Brad]

Osu.

in our dojo. One of the seniors writes down each time we come.

[satodojo]

I use super duper computer to keep track every single student's attendance and payment.
The issue is that this computer has very limited memory and sometimes the system crashes after hard training of the second session.

[tmd]

Right;

We take a register,

everyone has a two sighting in cards, one for grading and one for an attendance badge

and they are scanned into the computer so that this info can be uploaded to Shihan.

Can take awhile!

[Nix]

We do calls every session (I usually do it during stretching, others do it immediatly after class). The list is then tallied every now and then before grading. If a student hasn't showed up for a long time, the instructor will notify the sempai in charge of the registry, and the student will be removed.

What's this about attendance badges, tmd? Does it work? I am considering to promise some kind of prize to the three students who attend the most, like a bag of candy or something.

[tmd]

Attendance cards: the first is to sign off your classes and can be done at any IKK dojo, these record your training and ensure you have achieved the right number of classes to complete your next grade, I purposely used right number as this is how most see it rather than minimum number.

The second card is to encourage dojo loyalty and to keep them training more regularly rather than 'bulking up' near a grading by driving around to each and any dojo or double training on a particular night.

To keep it simple I'll use our dojo as the example - we train on Thursdays so to get a badge you have to have 3 months worth of Thursdays signed off in a row:

[IMG][/IMG]

If they get a row they get a silver kanku badge of about 30mm.

Do they work? Emmm not sure, One flaw is that our Sensei runs several dojo's and we have a total of 10 within 1/2 hours drive yet if a kid trains every week on both Tuesdays and Thursdays but misses 1 at any time during the 3 months off each and they get no badge and yet a kid who trains once a week but always at the same dojo they get a badge?

I have seen kids covered in badges, literally like a sash down the edge of their dogi's who still can't stand or move very well in Zenkutsu Datchi so they have to been seen as what they are, attendance not commitment badges.

[Nix]

Thank you for your explanation, tmd. I think I understand, but it sounds really complicated. Wow, 10 dojo within ½ hour drive. One might think that's great, but I can see how it might be a problem sometimes.

[tmd]

NO, it's great having training available most nights and the only possible negatives are if your training clashes with another good session elsewhere or that for all that there's very little at the weekends, the only complaints come form those who can only train say once a week but on different nights so don't get any badges but for me they are of no consequence to the positive of spending time training under several different Sensei.

[tmd]

Originally Posted by Nix

it sounds really complicated.

yeah and you add that to signing them in, blipping their card and making sure the computer picked it up and signing their grading cards and it can be a pain, I normally do all the warm ups so keep well clear

[Chris_Ed]

Originally Posted by Nix

Wow, 10 dojo within ½ hour drive. One might think that's great, but I can see how it might be a problem sometimes.

It is great! Except for the fees.

I must say that having attended various MA clubs over the years, the dojos which tmd and I go to are easily the most organised in terms of registration, even if as he said it can be a little bit slow sometimes.

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by satodojo

I use super duper computer to keep track every single student's attendance and payment.
The issue is that this computer has very limited memory and sometimes the system crashes after hard training of the second session.

And the HD has to be protected from some of the users. They constantly try to damage both the software and the hardware!

Osu!