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Bye-bye blue books
It looks like final exams may soon join the ranks of other relics in higher education which include Friday classes, rigorous core requirements, tough grading and significant homework. The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences recently voted that from here on, classes will not require final three-hour examinations, unless a professor notifies the registrar within the first week of class. According to the article, the vote only confirms what had already become a fait accompli: in the spring term, only one in five undergraduate classes scheduled finals. As James Engell, the chair of the English Department noted, after you factor in grade inflation and the fact that many departments have already eliminated senior-year general examinations, it is becoming increasingly unclear how to answer the most fundamental question of "How are we assessing students?" Harvard's long-standing prestige has made it a bellwether for our colleges and universities. Let us hope this is one trend that does not catch on.
Posted by David Azerrad on July 08, 2010 at July 8, 2010 02:25 PM
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