A campus credential, more commonly known as a campus card or a campus ID card is an
identification document certifying the status of an
educational institution
An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...
's students, faculty, staff or other constituents as members of the institutional community and eligible for access to services and resources. Campus credentials are typically valid for the duration of a student's enrollment or an employee's service.
Functions
The functions of the campus credential, in addition to data storage for the student's identification, vary by University. Some examples of campus credential functions are:
* Building access (Classroom, Residence Halls, Recreational Facilities, Libraries, Dining Facilities, Lockers, etc.)
* Equipment access (Computers, Copy machines, Printers, etc.)
* Transportation access (Campus and/or Public Transportation, Parking Permits, Ride Sharing, Bike Rentals, etc.)
* Cashless payment for Dining, Vending, Laundry, and at campus retail locations
* Mobile banking
*
Library card
A library card can refer to several Plastic card, cards traditionally used for the management of books and patrons in a library. In its most common use, a library card serves similar functions as a corporate membership card. A person who holds a ...
* Time and attendance control
* Exam registration
* Mobile phone and
NFC Services
Campus credentials with multiple functions can help simplify internal administrative processes.
Technology
Electronic card access has been available on campuses since as early as 1968. Early versions, such as the “VALI-DINE” system at
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York, Rochester. It was founded in 1829. It is one of only two institute of technology, institut ...
, relied on cards with mechanically punched holes to allow access to their dining halls. In the years following, the use of campus credentials and technology has matured. In 1972,
California State Polytechnic University installed the first known card-based system utilizing
magnetic stripe technology. By 1985, the Harco multi-application, campus-wide system utilizing
bar code
A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, Machine-readable data, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly ref ...
, Prox contact-based chips and magnetic stripe technology was implemented by Duke University. Technological advances continued to pick up speed with both cashless payment systems introduced by Debitek Inc. and copy machine management introduced by DANYL Corporation in 1986. By the 1990s, universities began linking their campus cards to banks, with Florida State University being the first in 1990. DataCard introduced its first color digital imaging card production system in 1993. In 2001, contactless chip technology cards were introduced and CBORD released the first IP-addressable
card reader for campus credential access systems. (Huber, 2007). Technology continued to ramp up, with cloud-based Campus Credential systems growing in popularity in 2005. By 2015, the use of
smart device
A smart device is an electronic device, generally connected to other devices or networks via different wireless protocols (such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, near-field communication, Wi-Fi, NearLink, Li-Fi, or 5G) that can operate to some extent inte ...
s instead of physical cards soared. And by 2020, wearable credentials, such as wristbands and fobs, gained popularity, along with mobile apps and digital wallets to manage credential functionality (Huber, n.d.).
Several universities throughout North America and Oceania use digital wallets such as
Apple Wallet
Apple Wallet (or simply Wallet, known as Passbook prior to iOS 9) is a digital wallet developed by Apple Inc. and included with iOS and watchOS that allows users to store Wallet passes such as coupons, boarding passes, Campus card, student ID c ...
for
iOS
Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
&
watchOS
watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc., Apple. It is based on iOS, the operating system used by the iPhone, and has many similar features. It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the o ...
,
Google Wallet for
Android, and
Samsung Wallet for Android &
Wear OS to store campus cards as mobile credentials. Some universities have replaced physical cards entirely with digital IDs.
Samsung Wallet (on Android) and Apple Wallet (on iOS) allow the use of IDs when the phone's screen is off or the battery is depleted. Samsung allows up to 15 taps within 24 hours, and Apple rates their reserve feature as being available for 5 hours after initial depletion.
See also
*
Academic mobility network
*
Barcode
A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, Machine-readable data, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly ref ...
*
Card printer
*
Erasmus Programme
*
Identification document
*
International Student Identity Card
*
Magnetic Stripe
*
MIFARE
*
Multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA; two-factor authentication, or 2FA) is an electronic authentication method in which a user is granted access to a website or application only after successfully presenting two or more distinct types of evidence ...
*
Near-field communication
Near-field communication (NFC) is a set of communication protocols that enables communication between two electronic devices over a distance of or less. NFC offers a low-speed connection through a simple setup that can be used for the boots ...
*
Personal identification number
A personal identification number (PIN; sometimes RAS syndrome, redundantly a PIN code or PIN number) is a numeric (sometimes alpha-numeric) passcode used in the process of authenticating a user accessing a system.
The PIN has been the key to faci ...
*
Proximity card
A proximity card or prox card also known as a key card or keycard is a contactless smart card which can be read without inserting it into a reader device, as required by earlier magnetic stripe cards such as credit cards and contact type sm ...
*
RFID
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver, and a transmitter. When tri ...
*
Smartcard
A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart cards include a ...
References
{{Reflist
* National Association of Campus Card Users. (n.d.
"About NACCU"
* Lv, Weichun (2013). "Design of Campus Smart Card System". ''Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation''. doi:10.2991/isccca.2013.120. ISBN 978-90-78677-63-5. S2CID 44239953.
* McKee, Mary K
"Policy-Based Access Controls" ''ID Pro Body of Knowledge'', Volume 1, Issue 4, 2021.
* Thomas, Dawn
The Evolution of the Campus ID Card" ''College Services Magazine'', Spring 2020.
* Kruger, Kevin
"Student Success: Mission-Critical" Rebecca Martin, George Mehaffy, John O'Brien. ''Educause Review''. May 8, 2017.
* Hudson, Andrew
"New Senate Bill Could Require ALL Campus Cards to Feature Mental Health Resources" CR80News. January 22, 2021.
* Huber, Robert C
"A Brief History of the Campus Card Industry" CR80News. March 28, 2007.
* Huber, Robert C. and Associates. (n.d.
"Campus Card Technology Evolution (1960-2020)"
* Jaworowski, Caitlin
"Embracing Z Generation" ''College Services Magazine'', Spring 2020.
* Duke University. (n.d.
"Symptom Monitoring – Duke United"
* Hudson, Andrew
"NC Colleges Weight Campus Cards for Voter ID" CR80News. March 1, 2019.
* Alabama Secretary of State. (n.d.
"Valid ID at the Polls"
* Travel.state.gov. (n.d.
* Huber, Robert C
"The Campus Card Factory: Time for a New Business Model" ''University Business''. April 13, 2017.
* Nealon, Sinead (Executive Director at European Campus Card Association) Email to Laurie Harris. August 23, 2022.
* ECCA Student eID Framework
November 2021.
External links
Campus ID NewsEuropean Campus Card AssociationNational Association of Campus Card UsersESC-tension
Identity documents
Campuses