A Private Cellphone Network
Other than with pen and paper, there is no cost-effective and e fficient means
of taking roll call or holding quizzes in large classes. For a roll call,
calling out names is slow and tedious and passing around a list makes it
simple for students to cheat by signing their friends names for them. For a
quiz, passing out multiple-choice answer sheets or collecting written answers
wastes even more valuable lecture time.
In an environment where all the students have computers and can answer online quizzes,
this problem is easy to solve. Answering the quiz will automatically verify that
the student was in attendance. In a lecture theatre, however, the only form of
network communication students have is via their cellphones and lecturers cannot
expect their students to spend their own airtime answering questions via SMS at normal
network rates. The purpose of this project is therefore to investigate whether
it is possible to set up a private cellphone network at a reasonable price and to
determine whether this network would be a viable option (in terms of both effectiveness
and legality) to solve the problem at hand.