- A Dubai student created an app to monitor teachers' punctuality
- It tracks whether teachers show up on time and if they are explaining the correct objective
- It saves time by alerting supervisors instantaneously
- The app has been operating on school grounds for the past academic year
A student has created an app that monitors if the teacher is in class on time and following best practices at his school.
Amey Deotale, a grade 12 student of Delhi Private School Dubai (DPS Dubai), made the Classroom Operation and Punctuality (COP) app for “corridor monitors” who can, using the app, immediately send an alert to supervisors about any shortcomings.
The school adopted the paperless mode to expedite the daily checks and balances — no easy task at DPS Dubai where 295 teachers are entrusted with 3,755 students.
At 7.10 a.m, when the first bus rolls in, teachers scuttle in from across the emirates. The first class begins at 8.10 a.m. The school day requires stringent management of time, people and study areas.
Akin to an electronic register, COP equips corridor monitors to tick off basics such as whether teachers show up on time, and if they explain the correct objectives to the pupils.
Deotale, 18, said: “The way it works is like an auditing system, which basically keeps track if the teacher is [sticking with the] best teaching practices inside the classroom. And it helps to hold basically everyone accountable. It does this by providing an instantaneous report. If anyone sees anything wrong in the area, it immediately sends a report to all of the supervisors.”
In an interview, Chanda Keswani, headmistress of primary school at DPS Dubai, said COP has been operating on school grounds for the past academic year, and the supervisors call it a boon.
“Suppose earlier it was taking seven minutes [to send a replacement teacher to an unattended classroom]; with the app that’s cut down to two to three minutes. And if a teacher is in the habit of being late, that too we’ll come to know,” Keswani said.
The school works alongside Deotale to update the app as required. He said: “It’s been a continuous development, because they’ve always asked for new features and I’ve always put those features in. I was in the 11th grade and during the summer I had done an online course regarding web technology when the chance to put theory into practice came up.”
Sunita Razdan, headmistress of senior secondary school, said the program, while not foolproof — administrators do conduct random rounds too — has helped streamline processes. For one thing, she added, the teachers are on their toes because they know they are being monitored. She is hopeful Deotale will add a feature, or build a new app, that will take things a step further and gather information on those monitoring corridors.
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How COP works
Corridor-patrolling teachers, one per period per corridor, are given login names and passwords. They check classrooms and tick off, on the app, whether the teacher is present and if best teaching practices are being followed. Supervisors get immediate feedback and take quick steps to rectify any anomalies.
If a teacher is a recurring offender, he/she is first given a verbal warning, followed by a written warning, and finally, the matter is referred to the principal and HR department.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
