Study vs. Examinations.

The Conference Committee has now been deliberating for several months on the marking system without drawing any perceptible conclusions therefrom, except that it is well to make haste slowly. The real trouble seems to be that all this time they have been working on the wrong tack. It would be far better for them to spend their time in raising the standard of knowledge and incidentally improving the marking system. It is vastly more important that men should acquire much useful knowledge than that they should get high marks. If nothing more than an improvement of the marking system be desired, the best plan would be to abolish all examinations and let the students mark themselves. The method, perhaps, sounds revolutionary and visionary; but it can easily be shown to be the best and simplest plan, and one which would prove perfectly feasible. The great trouble with it is that it offers no incentive to study, and in that direction would not be superior to the present state of affairs. Consequently, the real question is not to find out how we can improve our system of examinations and marks, but rather, how we may get more real work out of students. By this is not meant more frequent attendance at recitations, nor even higher marks on the examinations, but a more thorough, deeper knowledge of his electives on the part of each man. A long step in the right direction was taken when elective studies were introduced instead of a compulsory course, as is shown by the much higher standing of the classes as a whole, and as regards the individual members thereof, albeit these comparisons are not as satisfying as one could wish, owing to the inherent unfairness of our examinations; but as they are our only means of comparison, they have to be taken for want of a better. Another step towards real study, as opposed to mere efforts of memory and blind trusting to luck, would consist of abolishing all examinations, and substituting in their place theses to be written by the students on topics given out by the instructor and suggested by the course. These theses could be written once a month, or less often, at the option of the instructor, their length varying, of course, inversely with the number required. The subjects could easily be made so comprehensive as to necessitate a fair knowledge of the ground covered by the course, and even if they were only special topics, the student would be so keenly alive to gather anything which might be said concerning his particular specialty that he would inevitably learn all that was said, involuntarily as it were. These theses would, of course, be marked excellent, good, bad, etc., and not by percentages; thus doing away with all ranking, except by grades, which is one of the crying evils of the present system. It may be urged that if many men had the same topic to write upon, as would necessarily happen, they would get some one else to write for them; but this is really a superficial objection, for such a thing is even now possible in such courses as sophomore and junior themes. There are not many men who would be guilty of such an act, and in any case such men are not the ones who are much benefited by their sojourn at Harvard, nor the ones whom the college wishes to attract. The real burden would come on the instructors, especially in the popular courses, for a system of monthly theses would entail a tremendous amount of work, although it would be lightened by the fact that the general impression produced by a thesis would be sufficient to determine the grade in which it should belong, and consequently much of the time which a long and careful marking would take, would be saved. Despite this objection, the plan seems a good one, for the advantage gained from the superior knowledge acquired by the students would more than counterbalance any objections like the above, and if anyone doubts the existence of this superior knowledge, let him try and write a good, clear, well written thesis on some subject, and let him see what kind of a result he will obtain, unless he knows a good deal about his subject.

This plan is already, with some notifications, in use at the German universities, though there theses are required not oftener than twice a year; but this seems unadvisable at Harvard, because the men in the two lower classes at any rate have not sufficient command over the English language, nor training in the use thereof, to enable them to produce a finished piece of work of the requisite length. Besides, if each theses were required only twice a year, there would be altogether too much of what is now the customary thing, namely, everything being left to the last minute, and then studied up in a few days; which is, of course, contrary to all principles of honest work.