Help! I have no SEAt

Photo Courtesy: Nicolas COMTE on Unsplash

UCL’s latest method of capturing attendance is proving problematic.

At the start of this academic year, UCL launched a new way for students to register their attendance in class. In addition to the traditional tap-in registration system, students are now also able to sign-in to class through the SEAtS app. Although an admirable pun, downloading and navigating the SEAtS app has proven problematic for many.

The app is designed for use in older rooms where registration devices are unavailable. Students are meant to use the app to scan a QR code provided by seminar conveners at the start of class. Downloading the app, however, is an issue for many international students whose app store is not UK-based. Even for those students able to download the app, registration has proven problematic. Several students have reported issues registering for an account on the app, receiving error messages that claim their UCL email is invalid.

With only 1.5 stars on Google Play, and an abysmal 1.1 stars on the Apple App Store, the app has few seat-cret admirers. It is hardly surprising that students are experiencing problems.

This kerfuffle could have significant ramifications: as London’s “global university”, tracking attendance is vital for the visa requirements of many international students. 

If students are worried about their record of attendance, they should contact their home department for reassurance of their records. SEAt or not SEAt, nobody should be left standing.

UCL has yet to comment on this issue.