Android app can guess students' results before exams

Researchers at Dartmouth College have shown that data automatically collected by an Android app can guess how students are spending their time and predicting their end-of-term grades with scary accuracy, nprEd reports.

The lead investigator, Andrew Campbell, explained the findings, which he admits sound a bit "creepy".

Campbell explained that smartphones generally have Wi-fi, GPS to detect location, an accelerometer which detects motion and a microphone, which can pick up nearby sound, while also sensing if the phone is being charged or being used.

He said, using this information and a map of the campus, the researchers designed an app that modelled several different behaviour scenarios:

Sleeping: It's night-time, your phone is charging in your dorm room, and you are not interacting with it.

Physical activity: You're walking or running.

Studying: You're in the library, a computer lab or a coffee shop that is a popular study location. The noise level is relatively low. You're there at least 20 minutes. The app infers your level of focus by seeing how often you check the phone during the study period, and whether you're staying in one spot or roaming around.

Partying: You're at a fraternity or sorority house. You don't live there. It's loud.

When tested on about 30 undergraduate students the results showed that students who spend more time studying get better grades.

Interestingly, they also discovered that students with better grades studied in louder locations, linked possibly with group study discussions.

With this app, a student can know before the exams what his chances are of passing an exam.

Android app can guess students' results before exams

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Recommended articles

You should avoid boat rides for these 5 reasons

How to save a life by doing CPR during an emergency

Avoid these 3 common mistakes when cooking fried rice

Okin biscuits and 9 other snacks millennials loved as children

3 reasons most airplanes are painted white

How 1 woman became first lady of 2 different countries — she married 2 presidents

How parents, teachers can recognise when a child is being bullied

It's illegal to publicly celebrate your birthday in this country

Here are Dagrin's 10 best rap verses on the 14th anniversary of his death