Roster Capture is an Android app that helps teachers connect with their students by learning their names, faces, and how to address them. Teachers specify what information to collect (photos, preferred names, pronouns, audio pronunciations), and then pass the device around their classroom, letting students take selfies and add their information.
The collected information is passed to the popular free flashcard app, AnkiDroid, where teachers can study the information and quiz themselves. They can also sync the data from AnkiDroid to to AnkiWeb, so it can be accessed online or through Anki's desktop or iOS apps.
To install Roster Capture, go to Latest Releases
on your Android device (or use this QR code) and click
on the link ending in "apk", such as rostercapture-v0.1.0-release.apk
This one-minute video (silent version) shows all the installation steps.
These are the required fields:
- First name
- Last name
- Selfie
The teacher can decide whether to collect the following types of information and whether they should be required or optional:
- ID
- Preferred name
- Audio recording of student's name
- Pronouns
- She/her/hers
- He/him/his
- They/them/theirs
- Other (specified by user)
The prompt for any field can be changed. For example, I use "NUID" [Northeastern ID] for ID information for my students.
When you open the Add Student screen, you are prompted to enable Android pinning so students can't do anything else with your phone. If pinning is engaged, it will show up on your display:
Students may be able to view incoming notifications. You can protect yourself by:
For more security, use a burner phone or Guest Mode.
- CAMERA, so students can take selfies
- RECORD_AUDIO, so students can record their names
- INTERNET, so it can check for updates
- REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES, so it can install updates with user permission
- USE_BIOMETRIC, so students can't do anything but add their information
Android 12 (API 31)
All information about your classes and students stays on your phone. The app does report crash data and analytics, such as that the user created their first class (but not any information about the class) [view code].
If that happens, here's how to install it:
- Open the Files app.
- Click on Downloads.
- Tap the most recent file with the Roster Capture icon and a name ending "apk".
- Confirm that you want to update or install the app.
Create an issue, or email me (rc@ellenspertus.com). I'd be happy to hear from you.
I got the idea of passing a phone around the classroom to get selfies from Name That Student by Alexandra Marin.
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AndroidX Libraries - Android Jetpack components
- License: Apache 2.0
- Copyright (c) The Android Open Source Project
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AnkiDroid API - Flashcard integration
- License: LGPL-3.0
- Copyright (c) AnkiDroid contributors
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Firebase Android SDK - Analytics and crash reporting client libraries
- License: Apache 2.0
- Copyright (c) Google LLC
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Material Components for Android - Material Design UI components
- License: Apache 2.0
- Copyright (c) Google LLC
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Kotlin Coroutines - Asynchronous programming
- License: Apache 2.0
- Copyright (c) JetBrains s.r.o. and Kotlin Programming Language contributors
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Protocol Buffers - Data serialization
- License: BSD 3-Clause
- Copyright (c) Google LLC
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Timber - Logging utility
- License: Apache 2.0
- Copyright (c) Jake Wharton
The app icons were created by Aisha Asgha.
- Pictogrammers (Apache License 2.0)
- camera_account.xml
- camera_retake_outline.xml
- lock.xml
- microphone_outline.xml
- stop_circle_outline.xml
- Material Design icons by Google (Apache License 2.0)
- ic_add_24.xml
- ic_edit_24.xml
- is_settings_24.xml
- outline_app_blocking_24.xml
- outline_error_24.xml
- Claude.ai
- dashed_border.xml
- solid_border.xml
Copyright (c) 2025 Ellen Spertus
This project is licensed under the MIT License.