Work place: Karunya Institute of Tech. and Sci., Coimbatore, India
E-mail: vidhyak@karunya.edu
Website: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5439-6202
Research Interests:
Biography
Vidhya K. is an accomplished academic with a distinguished career as an Assistant Professor (Selection Grade) in the Division of Data Science and Cyber Security at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences. With an extensive academic background, she holds a Ph.D. from Anna University, Chennai, and has over 18 years of teaching experience complemented by industry experience. Dr. Vidhya is renowned for her research, particularly in applying deep learning techniques in healthcare. Her work has led to multiple publications in high-profile journals and conferences, focusing on cloud computing, computer vision, and IoT. Additionally, she has several patents and has developed innovative products like smart devices for healthcare and home water management.
By Vidhya K. T. M. Thiyagu Antony Taurshia Jenefa A.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2026.01.05, Pub. Date: 8 Feb. 2026
Increased focus on personalized learning has highlighted the need for real-time monitoring of student engagement. Understanding attention levels during instruction helps improve teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes. However, existing methods rely on manual observation or periodic assessments, which are subjective and lack consistency. These approaches fail to capture moment-to-moment variations in engagement. Conventional systems using basic video tracking or facial detection lack robustness in variable lighting, head pose changes, and classroom dynamics. They are also limited in providing timely, actionable insights. This study presents FocusTrack, a real-time engagement monitoring system that utilizes facial cues and behavioral indicators for accurate classification. The system processes video frames locally and provides continuous engagement feedback. Two annotated datasets—EngageFace (150 hours, classroom-based) and StudyFocus (90 hours, home-based)—were developed to capture diverse learning scenarios. Each dataset includes labels for gaze direction, drowsiness, and facial cues. Experimental results show accuracy levels of 97.0% and 95.5% across the two datasets, outperforming conventional models. The system also maintains latency under 60 ms on CPU- based setups. FocusTrack offers a scalable, privacy-aware solution for continuous engagement monitoring in real-world educational environments. It provides instructors with objective feedback to adapt teaching strategies dynamically.
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