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an impassioned appeal to her school’s professors to refrain from take-home exams. “Students risk
health and well being, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers
take-home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries,” she told me. “Research now shows that
regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over the course of a term better enhance
learning and retention.”
[F] Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the
subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask
their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or
journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home
testing. Chris Koch, who teaches “History of Broadcast Journalism” at Montgomery Community
College in Rockville, Maryland, points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the
memorization of minute details. “In my field, it’s not what you know—it’s what you know how to
find out,” says Koch. “There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for
anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the
resources available to them.
[G] Students’ test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course
difficulty. “I prefer take-home essays because it is then really about the writing, so you have time
to edit and do more research,” says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress
factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, “I find the in-class ones are more stressful
in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you
get to forget it all. Take-homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term
stress as there is never a moment when the time is up.” Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at
Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. “If you understand the material
and have the ability to articulate (说出) your thoughts, they should be a breeze.”
[H] How students ultimately handle tests may depend on their personal test-taking abilities.
There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to
be. And then there those who, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having no
resources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fit both those descriptions.
[I] Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in part because of my inability
to access the information as quickly. As another returning student at Columbia, Kate Marber, told
me, “We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Our fellow
students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last in school.”
[J] If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share, When I
asked his opinion on this matter, he responded, “I like in-class exams because the time is already
reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test,” he responded. It seems to
me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two in advance, and then
doing the actual test in class with the ticking clock overhead.
[K] Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her
final exam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, “It is going to be
a piece of cake.” When the students came in, sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a blue
book in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and they each were given a slice.
36. Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.
37. Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.