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University of Missouri Tracks Student Attendance With Phones

Bird's eye view of Jesse Hall and MU's campus.
Nathan Lawrence / KBIA

The University of Missouri is tracking all new students on campus this semester through a cellphone app to learn whether they're attending class. 

It's a test expansion of a program the university has used for four years to track class attendance of freshmen student athletes and athletes in academic trouble.

Supporters of the program say it helps attendance, which improves academic performance. Critics worry that the university may one day add uses for the program that could violate student privacy.

The Kansas City Star reports that the university will help students who don’t have a phone participate.