Feb 05, 2015 12:32:46

University where you can get free food and merchandise if you lock your phone during class

By

Penn State Turfgrass

While using smartphones or cell phones during class is not exactly a sensible thing to do, one American university has introduced a system where students who lock their smartphones during class can receive free or discounted food at fast food restaurants or various other prizes depending on how long their smartphones are locked.

Put Your Phone Away In Class and Earn Free Food, Rewards - Onward State
http://onwardstate.com/2015/01/30/put-your-phone-away-in-class-and-earn-free-food-rewards/

'Pocket Points' hits Chico State
http://theorion.com/blog/2014/09/27/pocket-points-hits-chico-state/

This system has been adopted by universities such as Pennsylvania State University in the United States. Students install the dedicated app ' Pocket Points ' on their smartphones in advance, and points are accumulated based on the amount of time the smartphone is left unused. The accumulated points can be used as discount coupons at fast food restaurants and restaurants around the school, such as Pita Pit , DP Dough , and Rotelli , as well as general stores like Dwellings Boutique . For example, using 15 points at Pita Pit will get you two free cookies.

The app used here is a newly developed app called ' Pocket Points ,' which has now been released for iOS. You can install it from the link below, but since Japan is not included in the supported regions, it may be difficult to use right away.

Pocket Points™ on the App Store on iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-points/id908136685

To use the app, simply open it, turn off your smartphone screen, lock it, and leave it. The app uses your smartphone's location information to detect when you are on campus, and if you leave your smartphone unattended during a lecture, you will receive one point for every 20 minutes.

The app was developed by Mitch Gardner and Rob Richardson, two students at California State University, Chico . They were inspired to develop the app after looking around the class during a lecture and seeing half the students looking down and using their smartphones.

According to the two, this system allows the school to keep students focused on their lectures, the students to receive a 'reward,' and from the store's perspective, it provides an effective promotional tool to attract customers, so the major benefit is that it creates a relationship that goes beyond 'win-win' to ' win-win-win .'

Some may criticize the app, saying that students cannot concentrate without a reward, but it is an interesting idea that could have a ripple effect on students and surrounding businesses.