Smart Attendance Monitoring and Alert Mechanism Using Advanced Automation Techniques

Abstract

In colleges, attendance is a mandatory requirement for writing exams, with most institutions requiring a minimum of 75% attendance for students to be eligible for examinations. However, students often monitor their attendance only a few weeks before exams. Traditional attendance tracking systems involve manual entry by the faculty in notebooks, Excel sheets, or college portals. These methods are often disconnected from alert mechanisms, and students remain unaware of their attendance status until it is too late. To address this issue, a Smart Attendance Alert System has been developed using the N8N automation tool. The system connects to Google Sheets, where attendance data is maintained. Using scheduled triggers, it regularly calculates the attendance percentage, filters students based on the threshold such as the 75% eligibility criterion and sends automated alerts via Gmail to students falling short. A summary is also sent to teachers for awareness. Compared to traditional systems and other automation tools, N8N provides an open-source, and customizable automation platform. It supports easy integration with multiple services and allows self-hosting, making it accessible without paid licensing. This system ensures consistent tracking, early alerts, and better student awareness, preventing last-minute issues related to attendance.