University of Chicago - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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The College Today ces, Humanities Biological Sciences, or Physical Sciences, the bacheloris degree is awarded by the division. If the field is the School of Business, the Law School, or the Graduate Library School, the degree is awarded by the College. In either case Of specialization the student fulhlls his require- ments through a combination of the college gen- eral courses and the divisional courses. The num- ber of general education courses varies according to the division. For instance, in the science di- visions, students have fewer general courses be- cause these helds require a larger technical back- ground. In both cases divisional courses taken can generally be applied to the divisional Mastefs requirements. If the student does not want to specialize, he can enter the tutorial program and continue his general education with independent research under the guidance of a faculty member. This tutorial program results in a BA. in the college. This combination of general and specialized education at Chicago is causing changes in the previously established forms of eoilege organiza- tion. One serious probiem being considered this year is the practicability of the testing and grad- ing system. Formerly students were involved only in coliege courses and therefore subjected to Only one time of stress and strain. This was due to the comprehensive examinations admin- istered at the end of the year, constituting the sole grade for the course. In the divisions, how- ever, tests with grades that are recorded come at John C. Netherton, Dean ofstudents 0f the College

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The Academic Life A student and his advisor. A lecture given in thc collega preParing for class discussion. A lab section. . taking comps.

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A college discussion section CWM'CMIMM the. end of each quarter. Now with students tak- ing courses in both college and divisions simul- taneously, these two systems Ctjnflict for the stu- dentas attention. The tendency is to neglect the eomp-testcd course because of the immediate urgency of the. quarterly test with its permanent grade. Also coming into consideration is the fact that the comp system seems to put a tremendous emo- tional strain on the student. Comp nerves arenat necessary. The problem is to fmd a way to make the student realize that he must distribute his work over the year rather than allow all to wait until May. Some learn from experience in their first year, It is for IhOSe who do not seem to learn that the administration is concerned. 36 A trial step in answer to these problems was taken last spring when the task of examination was removed from the sole control of the Exam- inerls thce and given to the departments. They may now test how and when they please. There is, working this year, a committee considering further changes in the comp setup. One sugges- tion was that year-long courses be divided into three separate quarterly courses having inde- pendent tests at the end of each quarter. A less radical plan, suggested by Joseph Schwab, Wil- liam Rainey Harper professor of Natural Scien- ces, at an Undergraduate Assembly, is to have three separate tests which will have recorded grades but which will leave the courses covering one year periods. These tests would he cumula- tive: the htst covering in detail the work of the first quarter; the second, covering in detail sec- ond quarter and more generally first; the third and last covering all quarters generally and the last specifically.