Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-02

Washington. d, c., Nov. ga new
kind OF examination is now being given
TO students attending Columbia uni
v~ersity.
Doubtless every students has hoped
and believed that some day examlna-
lions would be pronounced Anticipated
and unscientific. The trend. however,
is IN a different direction. In recent
years, scientists have been trying TO
make 1t easier for a teacher to estl-
mate a pupils knowledge, and exami-
nations, far from being relegated TO the
waste basket, are being improved and
made eoldly and exactly scientific.
Columbia university is already wide
~ known as the home of the intelli-
gence test. Since 1919 it has been adj
uniting large numbers of students by
such tests instead of by formal ques-
tioning as to their familiarity with
high school text books. It was recog-
nlzed that n high school graduate might
be able to pass tests on subjects that
ne had studied, and yet he might not
be the type of person who would bene-
TT BY a college course. On the other
hand, 1T was possible that occasionally
a high school graduate who had the ca
pacity for higher education might be
shut out of college because of failure
to pass the entrance tests.
Tests of intelligence were tried out
and pronounced q satisfactory means
of sorting applicants for college en-
trance Last year. only a scant half
dozen colleges besides Columbia were
using these tests. This year 40 col
leges are giving them a trial.
Meanwhile Columbia has taken an
other step. The method of intelligence
tests is being applied to examinations
for promotion. This represents an at
tempt to solve one of the oldest prob
lens Of the teacher, namely, how TO
measure the effect of his teaching.
How much do students really grasp and
remember? The ~traditioAai way Of
finding out has been by giving a class
a set of questions to be answered or
By assigning a subject for an essay.
Objections to Old Method
Such tests are admittedly far from
being exact measures Of acquired
knowledge Il has always been taken
more or less for granted that a pro
fessor often rates q student more on
his personal estimate of the students
ability than on the examination paper
itself. IT d brilliant students hands in
paper filled with vague statements, the
instructor without intending to be I'M
fair is apt to read between the lines
and TO conclude that the student knew
the missing facts. A similar paper by
a student who had not impressed the
instructor would be graded with more
StrictnesS.
This is one criticism Of the old style
Of examinations consisting of questions
and essays. Another il that in the
hour or two allowed for an examina-
fFOl nDiv n small Earrtnn 1f +bn n,r1sn
can be covered if the class must write
answers to questions. An examination
may just happen to cover the facts
most familiar to one student. while
another member of the class may have
a run of bad luck.
A third drawback to the traditional
college examination system is the
great amoun Of time which the in
structor must spend in rating papers.
some Of which run to 30 and 10 pages
of rapidly scrawled handwriting. IF a
large class is to be rated the task
must cut seriously into the time need
ed by the teacher for other work.
That these disadvantages are greatly
test is the claim of Or. +. l.. Thorn
dixie and other professors of Columbia
university. DIR. Thorndike is we'll
known as one of the leading opponents
Of psychology tests. BY applying to
content examinations the methods used
in such tests, particularly those of
the Intelligence tests, he has evolved
what he regards as a much more reli-
able kind Of examination.
The new type of examinations given
at Columbia are printed in pamphlets.
One pamphlet is given to each student
Of the class. and at the signal Il seal
which ~fastens the pages together may
be broken. Instructions to be followed
are given ut the top IF each division
in the test.
Thus, au economies examination re-