Japanese university uses cellphones to monitor attendance

For once, the Japanese have come up with a method of keeping an eye on students in schools that doesn't involve
RFID tags. This time, cellphones are being used to enforce attendance rules, which can affect grades at Japanese universities. Aomori University has students send an email from their mobile phone to a college administrator containing a number shown to them by their teacher at the beginning of class. School administrators then send replies to five to ten students who've claimed attendance, who must then stand up and give their names in the classroom. Administrators hope to reduce the workload of teachers, and also hope the system "encourages students to study and deepen their knowledge." We hate to break it to them, but that latter goal may be a wee bit of a stretch.

[Via Smartmobs]