MIND OVER MEMORY

The blight of any educational institution is the widespread prevalence of dull, factual examination questions demanding little but an air-ting memory. Veering away from such a danger, two recent trends at Harvard have approached the problem from different directions, both pointing toward a more successful criterion than factual memory. The value of the first trend, substitution of more general exam questions attacking a broad subject from a particular angle, has been recognized by practically every department, even in the most technical sciences. On the other hand, the second trend, the use of essays, papers and short theses in place of monthly tests and hour exams, hotbeds of memory questions, has by no means been so widely endorsed. The purpose of this and the next two editorials is to examine the possibilities of such essays and estimate their importance.

In a test of only an hour's length, it is the man who can reason the quickest and have the subject at the tips of his fingers who will come our on top. Yet this places a high premium on one type of student, and explains why so many people with thoroughness rather than equickness, originality rather than powers of memory, do not have a chance to show their ability in an hour exam. But given an essay to prepare outside of class, all the various talents of each individual manifest themselves; initiative in research, originality in approach, clarity of organization, and brilliance of interpretation become obvious in an essay of moderate length. Above all, it does what an hour exam can never do, by making possible a study that cuts beneath the surface of a subject.

In elementary course it is often remarked that too much has to be covered in a short time to allow anything but a summary of the field. Actually the reverse is true. Because so much is covered, writing a paper on a detailed subject is the only way a student can take a deep breath in the field and discover its true nature. History 1 and Physics B apply this principle with great success, and other elementary courses like Economics A and Biology D would do well to follow suit.

The difference in procedure between elementary and advanced courses arises from the fact that the former usually have to assign essays in addition to hour exams, whereas the latter can and should substitute papers in the place of these exams. Certainly the only excuse for "hour troubles" is the necessity for a half-semester grade for Freshmen, since an essay on a small subject would be an incomplete test. And yet a great many advanced courses have hour-exams which are merely an unnecessary check-up at a time when an essay would determine the student's real ability much more clearly. There are, however, certain drawbacks in assigning written papers instead of giving tests in class, and these will be discussed in the two editorials to follow.