Theses and Dissertations
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Mohammadi-Aragh, Mahnas Jean
Committee Member
Jones, Bryan
Committee Member
Green, Ryan
Committee Member
Burch, Rueben F., V
Date of Degree
8-8-2023
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Campus Access Only
Major
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
College
James Worth Bagley College of Engineering
Department
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Abstract
Distraction from personal technology is a widely recognized problem in the modern classroom. Further, instructors have limited abilities to determine when students are waxing or waning in attentiveness. This evaluative experiment leverages the Apple Watch’s heart rate sensors to capture signs of attentiveness in participants simulating remote university lectures of differing interest levels as determined by YouTube commenters. Once captured, the heart rate data separated and analyzed to determine the effect of the lecture treatment on the participants’ heart rates. Twenty-seven students from Mississippi State University’s Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering departments elected to participate in the experiment, which shows a statistically relevant finding that the participants’ heart rates generally accelerated when presented interesting content and decelerated when treated with the uninteresting content, expressing with confidence the finding that the Apple Watch is capable of measuring attentiveness through heart rate.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Erik Rhodes, "Determining student attentiveness by use of heart rate measurement using a wearable device" (2023). Theses and Dissertations. 5969.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/5969