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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 14, No. 6. June 7, 1951
After Thought on Debate — "Are Lectures, Exams, Text Book Really Essential to a University Education" — Writer's Opinion: No!
After Thought on Debate
"Are Lectures, Exams, Text Book Really Essential to a University Education"
Writer's Opinion: No!
The disadvantage of debates and specifically "speechmaking" lies in the fact that usually the essential points are left unsaid, or are drowned amidst the jokes, anecdotes and other emotionally pleasing utterances of the speaker confronted by a not too critical audience, be he now a professor or a student.
These three media of learning, or rather teaching, represent the best that our present society at this time ran offer to the students who are preparing themselves for work which requires an academic mind. Money allotted to education will buy that much and no more.
But students are entitled to better tools. The three media are a poor substitute for real education, meaning by education not the learning by heart of facts, but "the developing of the mind to the point where it can manipulate various facts and reach a logical conclusion on the basis of these facts." (The infinite search for truth.)
The staff, while successfully pointing out some of the weaknesses of the present methods, failed to show the way to a positive method. Here then is a positive proposal to take the place of lectures, exams and textbooks:
| 1. | Society must allot more money (much more) to education. This can only be done by eliminating armament races and other vain expenditures, so that these huge funds can be put to work for more constructive purposes. (This requires world-wide change in society). |
| 2. | With these additional funds we would (a) employ one professor for every 6, 8 or 10 students; (b) build the necessary rooms for experimental or practical work; (c) purchase the necessary equipment for this practical, work; (d) build some group meeting rooms (although such small groups could meet practically anywhere); (e) create a fact index, to replace textbook libraries. (Textbooks would continue to have a place in education, but would not be essential; (f) provide the funds for students to go to the best source of information in their particular field, when they have reached the stage when such travel becomes necessary to their progress. |
| 1. | Small group would ensure full participation and benefit for each student in the battle of logic with the authority in the field and on the other side, would stimulate the professor considerably. |
| 2. | The informality would ensure interest, which is the basic incentive to the learning process. (Consider that most great changes in the past were brought about through informal and hot arguments in coffee or beer-houses). |
| 3. | Examinations could be eliminated (although there may still be a use for them in order that a student may evaluate himself) since the student could easily be evaluated during group discussions. To safeguard against poor teacher-student relationships there would be enough professors and groups to suit different personalities. (This relationship is considered of primary importance). |
| 4. | The qualifying for a degree in the subject would depend not on exams, but on the evaluation made by the professor, the fellow-students and possibly a review-board. In case of injustices there would of course be on opportunity for appeal. The student would consequently not be evaluated on the basis of facts and theories learned by heart, but according to the soundness of his logical conclusions, and the use to which he has put the fact index and the discussions. |
| 5. | Instead of basing group discussions on the opinions reflected in textbooks, which are again based on other text-books and other opinions, they would be based mainly on information gathered in the fact-index or through actual experience. |
This system would not prohibit the writing of textbooks. Some professors, even if not under economic stress, have the urge to write textbooks. It would not prohibit the reading of such books, for some persons enjoy making a full acquaintance with the views of certain professors.
It would not prohibit lectures, for some professors do get something out of lecturing, and some students out of listening. It would not necessarily eliminate exams, but they would be given for the purpose of letting the student evaluate himself. This would take the detrimental strain out of them.
But the main point is: this system would make students creative rather than imitative—And the Finished Product Would Undoubtedly be Slightly Better ! ! !
M. Lenz.