Student ID is important to both students and the universities or colleges they attend.
DUTY OF CARE
Universities and colleges have a duty to student’ pastoral care, attendance, learning and general well being. Using student identification cards can significantly help with this. By installing readers around the university or college, in lecture halls and classrooms for example, it means a student’s attendance can be monitored. This can help with security as well. If access control systems are installed around the college or university, only those granted permission to a room can gain entry.
EFFICIENCY
Student ID cards can also help to reduce queuing times in colleges and universities. An example of this would be when students are checking out library books. As apposed to having a member of staff look the student up, scan the book and stamp it, students can pick up the book they need, scan their ID and book and leave. This benefits the student and the university as less hours are needed by staff and the students can quickly and easily acquire the books they need.
AUTOMATION
ID cards can also automate processes such as loaning laptops to students. This can easily be done as laptops are stored in lockers and, when checked out using students ID cards, the checkout process is secure and seamless as the university can see who has checked out the laptops. Again, this saves times for both staff and students, in turn saving the university or college money.
Students ID cards can also be used by universities when providing evidence to third parties. An example of this would bemedical students who swipe their university ID cards when entering lecture halls, libararies, etc. in order to provide reports to the medical organizations with which they are interning.
SECURITY
Finally, and probably most importantly, Student ID cards are paramount for the security and safety of students and staff of colleges and universities. The ID can be used for access control and identification purposes. Using the card for access control means staff and students can be limited to only the areas of the building they require access to, and having each student's details and picture printed on their card means that they can easily be identified by staff/security. If they are using a card to gain access to somewhere they shouldn’t be, they can be asked to leave and the ID taken from them. All this can be added to with extra security features such as UV printing and foiling, making the card harder to be copied.