Classroom Presence System, Iterations
A running log of how this project's scope and framing changed, and why, in the design-based research spirit of reflect and redesign.
Design-Based Research Log
Iterations
Design-based research runs in cycles of build, test, reflect, and redesign (see the Research Proposal). This page is that reflect-and-redesign step made visible, instead of scattered as "used to be X" notes across the other pages.
Timeline
| When | Change | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Built a single-input, contact-tap RFID prototype: CrowPi reader, Flask backend, dashboard. | Prove the core read-log-display loop end to end, cheaply, before investing in harder hardware. See Issue #3. |
| 2026-09-18 | Reframed the project around a research question instead of a technology. Added hypotheses H1–H4, a design-based research cycle plan, and a ground-truth evaluation methodology. | Review feedback pointed out the project had drifted into "an RFID project" rather than a presence system, and was missing key objectives visible in the teacher communication and survey. See the Research Proposal. |
| 2026-09-21 | Split into three parallel input tracks, RFID, QR, and face scan, each with an owner: Vibha (RFID), Ruta (QR), Kush (Camera). Added a shared index issue and moved cross-cutting requirements (attendance reporting, roster import, door monitor) out of any single track. | RFID alone can't answer RQ4 (which input works best) or test H4 (does combining inputs beat any single one). The three tracks needed to exist and be comparable before Cycle 3 could run. See the Presence System Index. |
Project Team
Ruta Sirdeshmukh, Vibha Mandayam, Kush Shah
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