About Smart CardsA summary explanation of smart card technology is available here. Traditionally, colleges and universities have issued their students and staff with a variety of plastic tokens, each having a single purpose such as student union membership, library access, id, access to halls of residence, meal payments and entitlements, and a variety of other functions. Recent advances in card technology have permitted the consolidation of many of these functions into single smart cards that can be issued for the duration of a person's relationship with the institution. Some of the functions that a smart card can be used for: - Electronic purse for all payments (refectory, photocopying, vending, laundry)
- ID supported by photo or biometric
- Physical access into rooms, dormitories
- Logical access into PC's, documents
- Examination access control
- Student Union membership
- Society membership
- Lecture attendance recording
- Course accreditation recording
- Curricular schedule
- Car-parking
- Off Campus Learning
- Student Voting
- The recording of other rights and privileges
Many of the above functions may also be appropriate to staff and visitors
and HE institutions are generally regarded as extremely interesting venues for the implementation of multi-application smart card schemes. In a controlled environment, they encompass most of the applications to be found in the outside world.
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