Most colleges argue that there is no difference between a smartwatch and a smartphone in an exam room. Excessive exposure to smartwatches can reduce students’ attention span, lower their grades, and increase exam malpractices.
Although that is understandable, colleges can leverage wearable technology to enhance communication between teachers and learners. So, Is a smartwatch allowed in college?
The answer is yes. Smartwatches are allowed in colleges. You can use a smartwatch to track your health and fitness, make calls, and use an intelligent voice assistant outside the exam hall in college.
Recommended article: Advantages of having a smartwatch.
Is smartwatch allowed in college?
The college examination malpractice decree discourages wearing smartwatches to the examination room. A smartwatch can give you an unfair advantage over other students.
Exam malpractice is not only an offense, but it also endangers “the achievement of the set goals of education for sustainable development.” Avoid wearing a smartwatch to the exam room unless it’s a special case the college administration understands.
If you were using the smartwatch to monitor your heart rate, step counts, or calories burned, continue monitoring after the exam sessions. Afterward, you can even attend physical classes wearing your smartwatch during regular college programming. Having the features of a smartwatch and additional sensors makes a smartwatch a handy device for college students. Apart from health and fitness monitoring, you can use a smartwatch with voice recording to record lectures.
Why are smartwatches not allowed in exams?
Smuggling a smartwatch inside an examination hall is punishable by expulsion from most colleges. Education institutions consider smartwatches as “unauthorized materials.” As far as examination is concerned, smartwatches fall in the same category as phones and other electronic devices.
Here are three reasons why smartwatches are not allowed in exams:
Artificial Intelligence
Smartwatches offer complex tools for storing and retrieving any kind of information from the internet. Students could take cheating too far if they can carry smartwatches to exams. For example, the Apple Watch Series 7 calculator supports scientific notation and engineering.
A math student with an Apple Watch in an exam hall is more likely to be tempted to solve complex arithmetic using the smartwatch. Also, the Series 7 has internet connectivity and an intelligent voice assistant. Students can search exam queries online, read notes, and perform beyond their actual value due to the support of the smartwatch AI.
Reduced attention span
Like with every piece of technology, a student can easily be addicted to a smartwatch. Avid smartwatch users agree that you won’t leave the smartwatch behind if you get used to it.
If you wear a smartwatch to college, it is possible to spend more time on the smartwatch than on the lecture. You might constantly check notifications and your health and fitness metrics on the smartwatch.
If you wear a smartwatch to a class, you might miss essential knowledge from the lecture because of divided attention.
Poor grades in college
Over-reliance on smartwatches can consume a student’s study time. For example, students with smartwatches can set exercise goals for running, biking, or swimming. A smartwatch such as Garmin Fenix allows users to set cycling goals and milestones.
Students who lag in sporting competitions often detach from academics, eventually lowering their grades. Although smartwatches can be distracting, they are not a problem for students with solid willingness, enthusiasm, and motivation to learn.
There are several benefits you can derive from smartwatches for your academics. Let’s look at some of these.
Benefits of having a smartwatch in college
Here are some of the benefits of having a smartwatch in college:
Improved performance
You can leverage the smartwatch’s artificial intelligence for your studies. Using Apple Watch, Siri is one step away from giving you conclusive voice responses to what you don’t understand in class. If you are using the Galaxy Watch, Bixby can make clarifications for you.
In addition, smartwatches can allow you to install quality applications that would supplement your studies. For instance, you can install the Merriam Webster Dictionary, Notebook, and a voice recording app to record and store audio lectures.
Punctuality
Like most wristwatches, smartwatches show time and have an alarm. A smartwatch like the Apple Watch allows you to create a schedule and reminds you of each task through real-time tactile feedback.
If you set a schedule for a class on Monday at seven in the morning, the watch will deliver physical sensations on your skin to remind you about it.
You can do the same to your studies and extra-curricular activities to have enough time for college work and leisure. In that case, you will be punctual in all your college endeavors.
Stay fit and healthy.
Poor health can interfere with your college studies. A smartwatch is designed not just to give notifications but also to monitor vital body signals like heartbeat and calories burned.
If you are part of your college’s sports team, a smartwatch can be essential for monitoring your improvement or that of your team. A smartwatch will keep track of your swimming, hiking, walking, or running data.
Some sophisticated smartwatches have GPS to measure your elevation, speed, distance, and workout intensity. Smartwatches sync the data to an app or website where you can draw significant insights for healthy living.
In conclusion
Smartwatches are allowed in college to the extent that students don’t wear them to the examination hall. Carrying any device that can aid in exam malpractice to the exam hall could result in expulsion from the college.
However, you can use a smartwatch in other settings in the college. You can record audio lectures with a smartwatch and use it to remain fit and healthy during your study period. Most importantly, a smartwatch can keep you punctual by reminding you of your to-do list.
Although smartwatches can be distracting, they are not a problem for students with solid willingness, enthusiasm, and motivation to learn.
Are you a college student with a smartwatch or looking forward to buying one? What does your college say about wearable technology? Share with us in the comments below.
