A University of Auckland student has been caught wearing smart glasses in a test, raising concerns about how the new tech could be used by students to cheat.
By Luka Forman of RNZ
New products like Meta glasses have small built-in cameras which can be used to film what is in front of them, and have it answered by an outside helper or AI.
Exam supervisors would now have to check students wearing glasses to their exams to see if they could be using them to cheat.
Gone are the days of trying to smuggle pieces of paper into an exam or writing answers on a hand or water bottle label.
Technology has brought new ways for students to try to cheat their tests, as Computer Science Professor at the University of Auckland Ulrich Speidel explained.
"You can go, for example, and record your questions, you can possibly send them to external helpers and most of those glasses also project stuff into the glasses that only the wearer can see."
A University of Auckland spokesperson said a student was seen wearing smart glasses during a test by an invigilator, after a pre-test announcement explicitly said no smart glasses or watches were allowed.
The student had the glasses taken off them, and was allowed to continue the test, they said.
The student was given a penalty over the incident, but the university would not say what it was.
Ulrich Speidel said exam invigilators would now be on the lookout for smart glasses.
"Generally what you can see is they've got rather broad hinge parts or large bridges, so we can ask our invigilators to go and look for those, and for example ask [or] offer masking tape to be put over them."
Invigilators would tape over the cameras rather than taking the glasses, if students were using them as prescriptions.
Meta, the company that owned Instagram and Facebook, had two models of smart glasses made with brands Rayban and Oakley.
They retailed for between $350 and $750, depending on the model.
On the cheaper end, K-mart sold its own smart glasses for just $99 - which recorded videos and photos but did not have the AI features of the Meta ones.
Engineering student at AUT, Preston Williams, had a pair of the Meta glasses, which he used to make content for his business.
"I've got like a detailing business, so I do like POV [point of view] videos and stuff. But I don't use it for tests, because there's a massive white flashing light. So it's kind of hard to be inconspicuous."
However, that flashing light could be disabled through a relatively quick repair job.
US tech journalist Joanna Stern found in an investigation that dozens of services were available to do just that for about US$100 on Facebook marketplace.
However, those services did not appear to be available online in New Zealand.
Speidel said the university was keeping on top of cheating in exams, for now.
"I dread the day once smart glasses will be available as contact lenses. At that point I think it will be checkmate for us."
His department has moved to mostly pen and paper tests with randomised multi-choice questions, meaning each student had different tests to their peers.
The University of Auckland spokesperson said it undertook an academic integrity investigation into the student with the smart glasses, resulting in a penalty for the student.
SHARE ME