Princeton to Re-evaluate Its Educational Methods

Princeton University is about to begin a $200,000 "experiment in self-appraisal." Endowed by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Nassin has set up a five year long study project which will attempt to evaluate education at Princeton today in terms of the institution's avowed purposes.

Although the initial report of a special committee created by President Harold W. Dodds won faculty approval last February, Bicentennial festivities blocked advancement of the new enterprise. Frederick, F. Stephan, professor of social statistics in the Princeton economics department and director of the project, stressed Tuesday that "there is nothing spectacular about this and we will move slowly, step by step, starting off at the present time with exploratory discussions."

Biggest thing of its kind in the history of advanced learning the project will boast a paid staff of twelve specialists working under Director Stephen when it ultimately becomes established. Shaping the broad policies of the entire program is the general advisory committee, chaired by the President, including representatives of faculty, alumni, trustees, administration, and students to the tune of a 24-man total.

An eleven member executive committee selected from this body makes major day-to-day decisions. While the two student representatives, the editor of the Daily Princetonian and Student Council president, now officially take part in all deliberations, the original report in no way made a place for them in the proposed organizational structure.

Out to Find Facts

Princetonians themselves will be the guinea pigs in specific researches coming up. But it will all go on in a quite and unobstrusive way. Since no recommendations concerning methods of instruction or other matters of educational policy lie within the scope of the project, fact-finding for its own sake will be the order of the day. The method of attack will consist in "critical objective analysis, proceeding a step at a time from the simple to the complex as results accumulate."

The fundamental thinking behind the endeavor holds that vast general issues in education can be solved only through factual research: "the frontier of the imponderable retreats as knowledge of the tangible expands."

Thus the latest devices in statistical work an in mechanical tabulations must find employment in the course of the investigation. First foray might involve looking at University records of the student's standards at entrance, his scholastic aptitude rating, and his academic and extracurricular records.

Cause of Effect?

Next would follow a consideration of a variety of associations, for example, "how is entrance standing associated with academic standing in the different departments, and extracurricular activities associated with academic performance?"

In the mass of small issues that will constitute the very stuff of the study. Stephan declares, it will probably prove easy to forget the large goal. That objective was set forth in the report: "to examine as critically and systematically as possible through the use of modern techniques all aspects of residential University life, including both instructional methods and programs and extracurricular activities, for their effect on the student's intellectual, moral and physical development."