FEWER EXAMINATIONS

The revision in the system of grading students at the School of Business Administration marks another step in the definite trend away from old, purely mechanical methods of marking. The Law School has long considered only final examinations, trying to estimate general ability and thorough knowledge, rather than averaging a group of grades obtained from periodic tests. To this same end points the new attitude of the Business School toward hour examinations. They have not yet become optional, as in the Law School, but their function is primarily aiding both the student in self-orienation, and the instructor in finding out where the most assistance is needed. For all practical purposes it will be assumed that students can pass; the examinations should show who don't, and perhaps why.

Probably the most significant part of the new arrangement is that giving greater responsibility to the instructors. Since their opinions can have a decided influence on the failure, pass, or distinction a student may receive, it is all the more important that they be well qualified for their positions. Theoretically, an almost ideal method of grading can be attained, showing if a student has truly mastered his work; practically, much of the result depends on the interest and impartiality of the instructor.

In the College, such a plan could hardly ever be satisfactorily carried out. Men enter professional schools with a far more definite purpose than they do colleges; hence undergraduates need more than a minimum of checking up. Yet in numerous upperclass courses, professors are greatly hampered by the restrictions of existing requirements, while students are all too often held down by the frequency of monthly hours. The next step should pare down still farther the number of unnecessary tests in some undergraduate courses.