2008 Woodie Awards
Schedule Our Midterms!
Y. Aryeh Rosenbaum
Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: Opinion
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If you still have a Student Affairs Source Book (you know the shiny one that you cannot really write anything in unless you give it a few minutes to dry), open it to November. Specifically, the beginning of November. You will see that the Beren Campus Midterm exams are scheduled for that time, along with the IBC, JSS, SBMP, and MYP midterms. It also mentions that there are no SSSB-Wilf or YC non-Jewish Studies tests during this time. That's nice.
So, when are they?
The fact that there is a midterm period on the schedule this year for Stern and not for YC is disappointing. Some might claim that having a midterm period of about a week and a half could make for a much harsher schedule, cramming all of the tests into one time. However, Stern's system seems more sensible. There, the way midterm period works is that only the "two-test" classes give their midterms during the scheduled period, and all other classes are required to submit the dates of their tests before the semester begins. This keeps midterm period manageable while also allowing the students the privilege of being able to confidently plan their lives many weeks in advance without worrying whether they will have to study for a huge midterm on a random weekend in October or December.
Contrast this with many of the classes I have taken in YC, in which the students did not know when the tests would be until, usually, three or sometimes two weeks before they were given. When students are taking classes until as late as ten o'clock at night, having one weekend in which to concentrate study time is unrealistic and adds to the onerous stresses of academic life in Yeshiva College.
This is a problem not only because it inconveniences the students taking courses that do not have their midterm dates set in advance. It also highlights an attitude shared by many faculty members and students of approaching Yeshiva classrooms like high school classrooms.
Some teachers have exemplified a university attitude: they get up in the beginning of the semester and announce the day of the midterm and final, the required texts, when and how lecture will be given, and whether or not the class is participation-dependent. The students are then left to their own means to learn the material for the course on their own, be it by participating in class and taking notes, by reading and reviewing the text and seeing other sources, or whatever other means they can.
Granted, there are different styles of teaching, and all teachers in our college should not be expected to teach the same way. And even the teachers at each extreme should not necessarily be asked to change their style. However, withholding the date of a midterm from students until it is imminently approaching is not appropriate for a classroom at a high-level institution.
Many other top-notch expensive universities, and even some with lower tuition than ours, have campus-wide policies that the students must be informed of the test dates throughout the semester. Yeshiva must soon employ a similar policy for the sake of our education ... and our sanity.
So, when are they?
The fact that there is a midterm period on the schedule this year for Stern and not for YC is disappointing. Some might claim that having a midterm period of about a week and a half could make for a much harsher schedule, cramming all of the tests into one time. However, Stern's system seems more sensible. There, the way midterm period works is that only the "two-test" classes give their midterms during the scheduled period, and all other classes are required to submit the dates of their tests before the semester begins. This keeps midterm period manageable while also allowing the students the privilege of being able to confidently plan their lives many weeks in advance without worrying whether they will have to study for a huge midterm on a random weekend in October or December.
Contrast this with many of the classes I have taken in YC, in which the students did not know when the tests would be until, usually, three or sometimes two weeks before they were given. When students are taking classes until as late as ten o'clock at night, having one weekend in which to concentrate study time is unrealistic and adds to the onerous stresses of academic life in Yeshiva College.
This is a problem not only because it inconveniences the students taking courses that do not have their midterm dates set in advance. It also highlights an attitude shared by many faculty members and students of approaching Yeshiva classrooms like high school classrooms.
Some teachers have exemplified a university attitude: they get up in the beginning of the semester and announce the day of the midterm and final, the required texts, when and how lecture will be given, and whether or not the class is participation-dependent. The students are then left to their own means to learn the material for the course on their own, be it by participating in class and taking notes, by reading and reviewing the text and seeing other sources, or whatever other means they can.
Granted, there are different styles of teaching, and all teachers in our college should not be expected to teach the same way. And even the teachers at each extreme should not necessarily be asked to change their style. However, withholding the date of a midterm from students until it is imminently approaching is not appropriate for a classroom at a high-level institution.
Many other top-notch expensive universities, and even some with lower tuition than ours, have campus-wide policies that the students must be informed of the test dates throughout the semester. Yeshiva must soon employ a similar policy for the sake of our education ... and our sanity.