UNIVERSITY REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 727, 28 January 1910, Page 4

UNIVERSITY REFORM.

Sir,—Once moro you have lent tho weight of your editorial columns , to- a ; protest against change in thd "external 1 examination" system ,of the New -Zealand 1 University.. I admit, that much may be 1 said against such change, and also. that 1 your attitude ,is ,-,obviously dictated : by ' solicitude for the welfare, of tho university; but arguments you,put forward wero.' such as, in.' my -opinion, to ; cloud'the real , issues and. to mislead , tlio public. There are a good many .prima l'acie "common sense" arguments '• in favour of the contention that the. earth is . Hat. I havo 'seen'them .collected' in .a' book. But it would hardly bo ingenuous to adduce those .. arguments in controversy,' before..a-public whose- mind was not made up on the: question, without a hint that these arguments are regarded as worthless-bj; tho unanimous consensus of scientUic opihion.. . - ...y. JHero we have an analogous, case. External examinations may very well, bo the ' best thing .-for us, in, our conditions; but it is hardly ingenuous to.argue -about tho inorits, per se, of., external oxamina- , ;tjons, ignoring; the;, fact that the unanimous consensus of scientific .opinion condemns. them as ; theoretically indefensible. I'hero are three .perfectly.. sound arguments wliich may fairly bo advanced, .by - opponents, of- the change,: ■■■ - . , -1. ,That under-.our local, conditions 1 we cannot substitute,'for . externals examina- -, tions anything, better... -.(Thiij'-argumont does not quite ionvinco me.: but: at least it is Rueli ns' any, .fair-minded. consorva.tivo might;yery well.defend.)' 2. That tlio-Now Zealand.professors are not competent, - iii numbers,-, or*' in distinction, to; nlidertakc ;the, task- of 1 exam-ination.^.--(With - this argument I" am not preparedto ' dissent.! . ; 3. That .-' the consensus ' of. opinion . con.demning;- external;.; examinations' applies on 'y t°,universities;'that-ours is iio proper university 'at; all; we. only have con* , tinuation ; schools;that-iio..general''argu-ments ■ beariug on university methods or I' lurals-Jiave: any application :h'ere: ; (Some- • thinp libo this, iargumehtilwaS'.put forward by one or two: members of, tho .IJni- ;• varsity-Senate ;and: amplified by'tho furthor proposition: - "That' isV-allf we: want; and we - oughtnot to aim Vat;,'anything ■ else.' )-. ••' .-. - : ,l T h. 0 ' aboye.:three; : they do .-not, convince ,' mi; r striko Sme '-as perfectly.-,legitimate; -'N'ot-' so'-<-the" other argumentswhich you put forward! arfeu- ' .ments .which suggest; thati'extcrhal ■ ex-: animations,, may.be'defensible per se. It Vfty-«e-..r&ard«i: as>-established beyond .iloupt that,in tho opinion "of the whole ', odncaoonal 'yorld-of Europe ; 'and' America external. examinations, tend not;-to praise but to-lower the.; valiio of university 'de- : Krees. maict- injustice j.on' 'students, rand tend to. impair not . only -the- '-intrinsic, r tmt ovon the. extrinsic, value of .their .StudlCS^ — I cannot conccivably,-; in , <v- newspaper . -submit -the,whole of-the-ovidence ' available..- oa ; , tliis...point. ;; : ;Isubmit,"', by '; ;Way of .appendix, a .number ofnoxtracts trom tao..:fin(lings of -.the - Melbourne' "Uniyersity ..Commission of -1901; should s you have, space to print these.- extracts, ••they will .serve, as',;aii-indication of- the views of European . and American /authorities • consulted-by the commissioners.' ,' If-the;.'dignity of- academic'discussion' permitted; such a proceeding,l would. 1 l? yt ,l°, n S odds that among the^-eminent • English professorswho corrector su- - perintond the''correction l, of)..papers by , Now; Zcaknd- undergraduates,. not onewould be .found'-:to defend an- external examination' system; on' the . ground that it adds to 'the '-.value','of the degrees.'—l amy etc., • . . •vG. W. VON ZEDLITZ. 'i .Victoriii-CoHege,':January'if;. 1910, i' Extracts from report of Melbourne versify. Commissioners, 1904. • [N.B.—Some; of, those quotations- aro' compressed, but not so as to affect" tho sense.] .;, .-; Hore.;importarice is 1 attaohed to: exammations! ,-iu England;'than' in' any•; other country. In Germany and America upon is imposed: almost the whole oi the responsibility. -,'.ln. Germany the. examination, as .such/ plays, a .very subordinate.part.; It, should, bo noted that there aro iio '"external" oxaminers. ; In- the United ; States xxtor-. nal 'examiners .are quite unknown; iior is the need for them, recognised. - ,l?ro^.Hernsen, Principal of John-Hop-kins University,.,writes:—"ln; the. earfy days- of pjir , work,: we > were, rather -inclined , to. call in 'examiners frbm other universities,; but the . plan did . notwork' satisfactorily; and-1' believe-. our.-teachers ' aro,-no.vr,..unanimously opposed' to it.- not ■ because;; they, ■. fearthe of' others; • but .because . the..;examiners', --.were - fref quently. extremely unfair—sometimes ,too lement, .-but .generally; quite, the 'reverse. 0 . not' depend ;upon' examinations lor, information in regard-to. our candi.(|ates;, -.so . far as . 1 ani' • concerned ' I attach very-,,little, importance^-'-to' the pri- ' cess.!'..; . Eliot,, Harvard,'.writes:—"For tlio degrees_of Doctor of. Philosophy. and .Doctor, of , Scicnce it may sometimes be necessary. to - call' in. outside assistance. • particularly, in 1 'departments where :. the number .of: teachers .issmall." In. actual, experience,. however, tho - number-: of in- : stances has very small. . I- ,V .! Terr rc J^ ess P r Richards, Harvard, writes i--vTJnaergraduate , work sis .'tested ■ the instructors ..themselves; ;: Outside.', inter--' •fereuce -Graduate.work'is very.. 1 different: are. pub r \ic t written anav^oral.examinations.'-Theo-retically, ; right 1 question-, candidates.Prdctically; a* maii's teachers are his sole • questioners; - " J)i*.Bottinger, the well-known nianu--facturer.- and ;-AI.P.,' writes:—"That the final : and degree examination is to' bo heldt'by the respective - teachers of'- the . is':, /absolutely :; -necessaryj' not only'in the interests of absolute freedom of tuition, but 'just aS imich in the-in-terests' of the -student; . , All - Continental - nations 'possess amination systems approximate 'to those of Germany and America. ; f'- v. It will be s?ei'i that. tho - idea of examination 'without; teaching is unthinkable in the'iiniversity I ,''world. -'This/iiot only. relates;'tp:;'the scidnce; course, but .to philosophy and'arts^;.;'!The' I tJniversity' ;of London, . which) was priinorily responsible .for:.tho',worst' form-.ol: divorce between .'teaching and examination,' has' now. been reconstructed. ;. .' , ; : .The'.whole weight of authority, on the part of the. witnesses of eminence' in the iworld of; science - arid 'learning emphasises these considerations. .. : ; ' /It is ' quite a (liferent, thing -to teach students so that „thoy; may ; pass, certain examinations, and to ..teach;them-- according. .to the .-'.professor belieyos- to be 'the ' best system to' equip - them with a knowledge of (ho subject., .'.-. -. .Mr. Balfour, -speaking;before the..British -^Association,.says:—"The-existing educational - -.systom:. of .- this - country is chaotiOj ia.;ineffectual,-is utterly behind : the. age, makes; us-the laughing-stock, of every advanced ;natioa in /Europe-, and' America; puts/lis. not. only -behind ,our American cousins, but tho -Geriiiari. and the Frenchman, and. the; Italian." , - [We gladly 'print the views'.opposite to our own, -.for ,the university cannot, .better, bo served, in a tim 6 :when progress is coming . to bb - measured by- the' mero amount/of change,. than by the. freest possible ' discussion of >, its affairs., AVe adhere entirely to -.our views, and wo cannot admit that we ..have ever ..urged ! that "external examinations may be, defonsiblo. 'per . se."-■ What ,wo -do hold is that external examinations .are the best thing for us, iii l our conditions; and our correspondent does not,dispute tliat;position.] " - .. .- .