Back in the day with the invention of the calculator watch, schools were quick to realize that it could be used for cheating, at least during exams where no calculators were allowed. Fast forward to today, those calculator watches are considered ancient but schools now have a new technological threat to deal with: smartwatches.
So much so that according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, they have announced that they will be banning students taking its entrance exams from wearing or using any kinds of watches. We know, how could a regular mechanical watch be used for cheating, right? According to the university officials, this is done to ensure that the tests are fair.
They also add that with smartwatches, it has made it difficult to determine if the student is communicating with friends outside or inside the exam hall for answers, or if they are legitimately using their watches to calculate their answers. This ban also makes Kyoto University the first in Japan to ban such devices.
This is obviously not the first we’ve heard of such a ban. Earlier this year there were reports that universities in other countries had enforced similar bans and we suppose this is just the natural progression of things, so don’t be surprised if your university were to one day start banning wearables from its exam halls as well, if they haven’t done so already.
Filed in . Read more about Education, Smartwatch and Wearable Tech.