Today was the final exam for MATH 275 (Engineering Calculus). Because of the large class size of 1,000+ students, the exam was held in the gym rooms where each room holds several hundred students in desks arranged in a big grid.

Because the gyms are so large and the wall clocks so small, a large clock (2 feet in diameter maybe?) is placed at the very front of the gym so that students can easily see what time it is as they write the two-hour exam.

This clock is an analog clock.

For the first time since starting work at the University of Calgary, I had some students who did not know how to read an analog clock.

A few came up to the front to sign out for the restroom. The sign-out sheet asks for the time they’re signing out (and the time they’re signing in). There were two students who looked at the big clock when filling out the sign-out time and were very clearly unsure of how to read it. I had to tell them the time. Another student looked at the clock and then immediately looked at their watch instead, which showed a digital clock face.

This seems like an odd skill to lose. Like, don’t most elementary/junior high/senior high schools have analog clocks in every classroom? Ours always did. Or maybe students just don’t ever look at those because they’ve got their phones and/or watches with a digital face.

I’m not passing judgement or anything, it’s just interesting.