Universities Fear Apple Watch Could Be Used For Cheating, Ban Wearable Tech For Finals
(CBS SF) – With Apple and other tech companies releasing smartwatches, universities in Australia have placed bans on the wearable technology, fearing the devices could be used to cheat on final exams.
The Chronicle for Higher Education reported universities in Sydney and Melbourne placed restrictions on wearing watches during this month's testing period.
The University of New South Wales in Sydney told students about the ban in a statement posted this week.
"Due to advances in watch technologies the UNSW exams rules have been updated: No wrist or handheld watches are to be worn or placed on your desk during exams," the university said.
Students who brought watches of any kind to an exam are asked to place them in clear, resealable bags under their chairs.
At La Trobe University in Melbourne, students are banned from wearing all smartwatches to tests and those with regular watches were asked to place them on their desks.
According to CNET Australia, the Apple Watch was first available to Australians on April 24th. Starting this week, Australian consumers can now pick up the watches at Apple stores.
The bans at Australian universities follows similar watch bans at British schools that were put in place earlier this year, in anticipation of the Apple Watch.
In the U.S., students taking the GRE exam are banned from bringing many kinds of electronics to the testing site, including cellphones, smartphones, digital watches and smartwatches.
