3 ms·

As a counterpoint, at Caltech during the 70s (at least) it was pretty standard to have a take home final that was (1) no collaboration, (2) closed book, and (3)

As a counterpoint, at Caltech during the 70s (at least) it was pretty standard to have a take home final that was (1) no collaboration, (2) closed book, and (3) timed. In fact, I very clearly remember screaming out loud on hard tests as time ticked away. Thank goodness I was in a deserted campus building in the middle of the night. You could study/cram all your notes and texts that you wanted before you put everything away for the test, but, alas, it usually didn't help. They weren't that kind of test. For non-take home tests of any kind, the campus honor system specifically prevented the professor from staying in the room where the test was being given. They could force the students to collect in one place, but there was a strict rule against any kind of proctoring. The professor or TA with the test passed it out, hung around for a bit to answer any initial questions, and then left the room. They would typically return every fifteen minutes or so to answer any new questions, and then finally return at the time limit to collect the tests. The professor also could not prevent you from taking the test from the specified room and going, say, to the library to take the test. You missed any chance to clarify test questions, and you had to be back before time was up, but they could not force you to stay in a room packed with tense people. It was pretty refreshing when trust and presumed integrity like that was integrated into the educational system.

mikexstudios 14y ago
The majority of classes at Caltech still have take home exams like you described. For midterms and finals, the exams were handed out at the beginning of the week and due at the end of the week. More often than not, they were open book (although the joke was that those books weren't going to help you solve the problems anyway). The honor code at Caltech was taken very seriously and in my opinion, the students reciprocated with integrity. Cheating and dishonesty was a big social stigma there.
- tzs 14y ago
  My freshman year (1977-78) I was what was then known as a "computroll": someone who spends far too much time in the computing center, usually to the detriment of their academic performance. I managed to flame out so spectacularly first and second terms that I had to petition to be allowed to stay for third term. I was allowed, on the condition that I pass all my third term classes. It was close. It came down to one exam where I knew that if I got this one question, I would pass, and if I did not get it, I would fail and be kicked out of school. I also knew exactly what equation I needed from the textbook to solve the problem. I could visualize what page it was on, and exactly where it was on the page--I just couldn't visualize the damned equation itself. I was alone in my room, and the book was sitting closed on my desk just a foot or two away. It would have taken less than 10 seconds to glance at the equation I needed and pass that exam. But it was a closed book exam and peeking would violate the honor system, so peeking was out of the question. So, I failed the exam and got kicked out. I spend the next year at my local community college, taking courses in psychology, anthropology, and economics to show that (1) I could actually do college level academic work (2) even in subjects that weren't in my main interests. I also took a computer course, to show that I could succeed in college course even when I have access to a computer, to show I could keep my computroll tendencies in check. Caltech let me back in, and I even was able to transfer enough credits from the community college courses to come back as a sophomore. And since I had graduated high school in three years, the year at the community college actually dropped me back to where my age matched my classmates instead of being a year younger. So it all worked out reasonably.
  - tptacek 14y ago
    I have no idea if I'm this honest, because I've never been tested this way, but I will say this: I want to spend my career working with people like you. o.O

mikexstudios 14y ago

The majority of classes at Caltech still have take home exams like you described. For midterms and finals, the exams were handed out at the beginning of the week and due at the end of the week. More often than not, they were open book (although the joke was that those books weren't going to help you solve the problems anyway). The honor code at Caltech was taken very seriously and in my opinion, the students reciprocated with integrity. Cheating and dishonesty was a big social stigma there.

tzs 14y ago
My freshman year (1977-78) I was what was then known as a "computroll": someone who spends far too much time in the computing center, usually to the detriment of their academic performance. I managed to flame out so spectacularly first and second terms that I had to petition to be allowed to stay for third term. I was allowed, on the condition that I pass all my third term classes. It was close. It came down to one exam where I knew that if I got this one question, I would pass, and if I did not get it, I would fail and be kicked out of school. I also knew exactly what equation I needed from the textbook to solve the problem. I could visualize what page it was on, and exactly where it was on the page--I just couldn't visualize the damned equation itself. I was alone in my room, and the book was sitting closed on my desk just a foot or two away. It would have taken less than 10 seconds to glance at the equation I needed and pass that exam. But it was a closed book exam and peeking would violate the honor system, so peeking was out of the question. So, I failed the exam and got kicked out. I spend the next year at my local community college, taking courses in psychology, anthropology, and economics to show that (1) I could actually do college level academic work (2) even in subjects that weren't in my main interests. I also took a computer course, to show that I could succeed in college course even when I have access to a computer, to show I could keep my computroll tendencies in check. Caltech let me back in, and I even was able to transfer enough credits from the community college courses to come back as a sophomore. And since I had graduated high school in three years, the year at the community college actually dropped me back to where my age matched my classmates instead of being a year younger. So it all worked out reasonably.
- tptacek 14y ago
  I have no idea if I'm this honest, because I've never been tested this way, but I will say this: I want to spend my career working with people like you. o.O