Automated tracking of class attendance

1. A method for classroom attendance tracking, comprising:

harvesting personal identification data from each one of a plurality of students attending a class in conjunction with a conduct of the class using a portable identification capture device;

establishing data communication between the portable identification capture device and a client coupled to a server via a network; and

automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server;

wherein the step of automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server further comprises the step of temporarily storing a copy of the personal identification data in a nonvolatile memory of the client while the personal identification data is being transmitted to the server until an indication is received that the personal identification data was successfully received in the server.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of making the personal identification data stored in the server accessible to the client.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server further comprises the steps of:

executing an application on the client that automatically detects that the portable identification capture device has been coupled to the client;

automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the client; and

automatically transmitting the personal identification data from the client to the server.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server further comprises the steps of:

installing one of a plurality of upload plug-ins in the client as a portion of the application, wherein each of the upload plug-ins is compatible with a corresponding one of a plurality of course management systems; and

executing the one of the plug-ins in conjunction with the execution of the application, the one of the plug-ins being configured to package the personal identification data so as to be compatible with the corresponding one of the course management systems executed on the server.

5. A method, for classroom attendance tracking, comprising:

harvesting personal identification data from each one of a plurality of students attending a class in conjunction with a conduct of the class using a portable identification capture device;

establishing data communication between the portable identification capture device and a client coupled to a server via a network; and

automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server;

wherein the step of automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server further comprises the steps of:

generating a graphical user interface with the application that facilitates an initiation of the automatic uploading of the personal identification data; and

initiating the automatic uploading of the personal identification data upon a manipulation of a graphical component in the graphical user interface by a user.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the class is one of a plurality of classes that comprise a course, the method further comprising the steps of:

analyzing the personal identification data amassed for each of the classes of the course for each of the students to identify any of the students that have missed a predefined number of classes of the course before the course is complete; and

implementing a remedial action in an attempt to improve the attendance to the course of the student that missed the predefined number of classes.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the remedial action comprises automatically transmitting an electronic message to the students that have missed the predefined number of classes.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the remedial action comprises automatically scheduling a meeting between each of the students that have missed the predefined number of classes and a corresponding advisor.

9. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:

analyzing the personal identification data amassed for each of the classes of the course for each of the students to identify any of the students that have missed the class; and

automatically transmitting an electronic version of the subject matter presented in the class to each of the students that missed the class.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor circuit in a client, the processor circuit having a processor and a memory;

an automated upload system stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the automated upload system comprising:

logic that detects an initiation of data communication between a portable identification capture device and the client, wherein personal identification data captured from each one of a plurality of students attending a class is stored on the portable identification capture device, the personal identification data having been captured in the portable identification capture device in conjunction with a conduct of the class; and

logic that automatically uploads the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to a server that is coupled to the client through a network.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the personal identification data comprises biometric data.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the portable identification capture device further comprises a card reader, and the personal identification data captured from each one of the students attending the class comprises personal data stored on a card held by each of the students.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the portable identification capture device further comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, and the personal identification data captured from each one of the students attending the class comprises personal data stored on an RFID tag held by each of the students.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the logic that automatically uploads the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server that is coupled to the client through the network further comprises an upload plug-in that facilitates the automatic upload of the personal identification data by implementing a communication protocol with one of a plurality of course management systems executed on the server, wherein each of the course management systems requires a corresponding unique communication protocol.

15. A system in a client uploading data to a server from a portable identification capture device, comprising:

means for detecting an initiation of data communication between the portable identification capture device and the client, wherein personal identification data captured from each one of a plurality of students attending a class is stored on the portable identification capture device, the personal identification data having been captured in the portable identification capture device in conjunction with a conduct of the class; and

means for automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to a server that is coupled to the client through a network.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the means for automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server that is coupled to the client through the network further comprises:

means for automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the client; and

means for automatically transmitting the personal identification data from the client to the server.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the means for automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server that is coupled to the client through the network further comprises means for temporarily storing a copy of the personal identification data in a nonvolatile memory of the client while the personal identification data is being transmitted to the server until an indication is received that the personal identification data was successfully received in the server.

18. A computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium for execution in a client to upload data to a server from a portable identification capture device, comprising:

code that detects an initiation of data communication between the portable identification capture device and the client, wherein personal identification data captured from each one of a plurality of students attending a class is stored on the portable identification capture device, the personal identification data having been captured in the portable identification capture device in conjunction with a conduct of the class; and

code that automatically uploads the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to a server that is coupled to the client through a network.

19. The computer program embodied in the computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the personal identification data further comprises a plurality of values that correspond with each of the students, respectively, wherein each of the values uniquely identifies one of the students relative to each other and provides proof that the respective student was personally present at the class to effect the capture of the value in the portable identification capture device.

20. A method for enhancing classroom attendance, comprising the steps of:

accumulating an attendance record in a database for each student of a course during the conduct of the course, where the course comprises a plurality of classes, and each of the attendance records comprising personal identification data captured in each of the classes from a respective one of the students;

analyzing the attendance record for each of the students taking the course to identify at least one of the students that have missed one of the classes of the course before the course is completed; and

automatically transmitting an electronic version of the subject matter presented in the missed one of the classes of the course to the at least one of the students.