HOW EXAMINE?

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1965, 23 January 1914, Page 11

HOW EXAMINE?

FOR UNIVERSITYiDEGREES; "■) (By Teloffraph.-Prejs '■,; DUltfitiin, s 'j|mifto| : 'ii'f % At the meeting of the University;Seiiji ate to-day discussion was : -resumeilAm;: Professor Hunter's motion providiiig;'fpr_a local examining board. Mr. H. Yon Hnast said would bo a difficulty ■ in , dbtamingvjin' the Dominion im examiner. : of.. , prbfes-; ; serial standing who could be-associated: with the professors. Whore couhKtheyi find a man who was a scholar of emio-;; ent standing, and who had. kcptv,!iis ; ; knowledge up io elate, and-was :bothpractical and academical ?-.-.■ -.'lTbo'/only people who would be. suitable , to.--.work with professors were the teachers in.the primary and secondary ■ schools', '■ and there wns an objection to them, not because they were teachers, but.'-because they were engaged at, teaching., at-a much lower standard tho.n the■ pfofes-" sors were. That, ho thought,-was a. strong objection. What would be'the. position of such an examiner if he differed from tho professors? ■;. Ho would behold promptly that his knowledge.was out of date. The chief objection to external examination was that it hampered the work of tho original teachers.; He thought that this insistence, on originality, and on men of originality, was a source of great danger. : They wanted men to deaj with matters "in a clear, illuminating way, but- they did not want men in tho. University (who were essentially specialists), who a*ealt with subjects from.one point of view. They'wanted teachers wsio ' would give students a thorough grounding in : the different subjects. The Chancellor had objooted to teachers passing their own pupils, and had said that thff personal clement would intervene. - That was not the only danger. The provincial.element also would intervene, '■''''■■/.£% §." Pros and Cons Discussed. Nf , ; \ Professor J. Macraillan Brown stated that ho was going to vote, against the motion. It would be a very expensive business having so many examiners' meeting regularly. Evidently, the new. professors considered that it would bo derogatory to their dignity- that they should not have tho examining. ■'-. They , evidently thought that they would.be greatly hampered by having external examinations. He had never felt' so. No institution should be without some external tost of its efficiency, especially in a young and democratic country. It could not lemain longer than a few years without a test. It was just that they should bear a tost. It was a protection for themselves, and it should bo by. men who knew neither themselves nor their students. Tho externa! examination had been the true protection of all professors. Mr. Hogben saif] that bo would vot-o for the. motion on general principles. . Dr. Shniid said that the question bad. been before tho Senate for at' least thirty-four years, and no satisfactory method had yet been dovisod. A body like the Senate should not rush blindly into any scheme without having every detail laid clearly before it. It.was necessary to obtain full details before deciding to abolish the* present system. The main advantage of the present system was that it was absolutely. , . above susnicion. Thcvßev. A. G'amcron stated that he would vote for the motion, because he believed that t-fio professors nviriit bo trusted to devise some scheme -wherebytho proposal could carried out. Ho would rather have seen more details before it wns put into effect, and ho , thought that it should bo referred to a 'coramitfee who .could supply full details, tothe ' - ■'" .... - ; ../'.■., Professor Hunter's Reply, t Professor Hunter said that, with - all due respect to those members who had spoken, it was still true- that teachers in our colleges had no part in examinations for degrees.. The London commission had pointed out, in. summarising the position in New Zealand, that tho Dominion's system was more external in that respect than any other system'. As regarded some of the arguments against the proposal, there was absolutely no necessity why examination papers should bo set during the university session. There would be plenty of time to have papers set, and the "examinations held, after the university session. The session could be altered ". as they liked, because they would not be bound ; by the English examiners. Ho did not want to carry anything that was impracticable, but he stressed the fact that prominent scholars and tho representative commissioners had condemned the system. Surely the Senate would attach some weight to the great mass of expert opinion against tho system. If the Senate were prepared to pass tho motion, it could be referred to a committee, and a detailed scheme devised. As to the argument that the scheme would be too expensive, he gave it as his opinion that the cost- of -examinations in Kngl.ind would more than pay for the system he proposed. ~' . A -*"j,.. How tho Senate Voted. The motion was rejected by 14 to 8. The division was as follows:—For. tho motion: Profosso'- J. 11. Brown,'tho Revs. A. Cameron and W. A. Evans, Professor Ilight, Mr. Hegbcn, and Professor Hunter. Against tho motion:' The chancellor, the vice-chancellor, Professor J. M. Brown, Professor Cliilton, the Hon. Dr. Collins, Mqssrs. Gordon (by proxy), Von Haast, Professor Hewitson, Professor Marshall, • Di.. M'Dowoll (by proxy.). Professors Sogat and Shand, Mr. Tibbs, and the H.ott. Mr. Tolo (by proxy). . . .- : -