Wither the University, by Dave Barrows

The first universities in Europe were established by Catholic Church monks. The University of Bologna, Italy, founded in 1088, is the first university in the sense of:

  • Being a high degree-awarding institute.
  • Having independence from the ecclesiastic schools, although conducted by both clergy and non-clergy.
  • Using the word universitas (which was coined at its foundation).
  • Issuing secular and non-secular degrees: grammar, rhetoric, logic, theology, canon law, notarial law

The Harran University, also known as the Madrasa of Harran, was a medieval institution of higher learning in modern-day Turkey, active from the 8th to the 12th century and briefly again in the 16th century. The university was the first Islamic institution of its kind, had a liberal intellectual environment and made Harran renowned as a center of science and learning. 

By the 18th century, universities published their own research journals and by the 19th century, the German and the French university models had arisen. The German model was conceived by Wilhelm von Humboldt and based on Friedrich Schleiermacher's liberal ideas pertaining to the importance of freedom, seminars, and laboratories in universities. The French university model involved strict discipline and control over every aspect of the university.

It is estimated that there are now over 40,000 universities globally.

Is the Modern University any Good?

Concerns are raised over the increasing managerialisation and standardization of universities worldwide. The overreliance on teaching assistants and part-time lecturers in modern universities is a concern as it can impact the quality of education and limit career opportunities for those educators. It can also lead to decreased job security, low salaries, and reduced benefits. This trend towards “casualization” in the academic workforce has raised questions about the long-term sustainability of higher education.

Walden University's Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CSWE’s Commission on Accreditation is responsible for developing standards that define competent preparation for professional social workers and ensuring that social work programs meet these standards. However, there is a Note on Licensure:

  • Walden University’s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program meets the academic requirements to obtain the required credential to practice as a bachelors-level social worker in many states.
  • State licensing boards are responsible for regulating the practice of social work, and each state has its own academic, licensure, and certification requirements for practice as a social worker at the bachelor’s degree level. Walden recommends that students consult the appropriate social work licensing board in the state in which they plan to practice to determine the specific academic requirements for licensure or other credentials. Walden enrollment specialists can provide information relating to the state-by-state requirements for licensure. However, it remains the individual’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all licensing requirements for the state in which he or she intends to practice. Walden makes no representations or guarantee that completion of its coursework or programs will permit an individual to achieve state licensure, authorization, endorsement, or other state credential as a social worker.

 

Walden also offers a Doctorate in Social Work.

 

Forms of Examination

Many schools face pressure to expand enrollments, give frequent low-stakes mini-assignments and use technology to quiz students in mass or “gamify skills” called “student engagement”. Written exams carry an aura of rigor, objectivity, and modernity. They provide a permanent record of performance and make it easier to rank students and subject them to standardized questions. 

Oral exams have been around at least since Socrates grilled Meno on the nature of virtue. Students at medieval universities in Europe debated one another and their teachers in oral disputations and endured public interrogation by committee viva voce — “with the living voice.” In the 1600s, all exams at Oxford and Cambridge were oral, and in Latin.

By 1700 some Cambridge courses began to drop orals in favor of written exams and phased them out of most disciplines by the mid-19th century. Orals persisted longer at Oxford, a university traditionally strong in classics and theology.

Oral exams continue to remain a crucial part of many Ph.D. programs, especially in the humanities. Perhaps this reinforces the image of orals as an eccentric hazing ritual appropriate only in those corners of the ivory tower that the modern world has left behind.?

However, oral exams remain a rite of passage for some large student populations around the world. France’s baccalaureate exam culminates in the Grand Oral, a 20-minute session in which a panel of teachers examines a student on a topic that he or she has researched. In Norway, all students take three to four oral exams by the end of secondary school.

Oral exams are not necessarily more time-consuming for professors than grading written assessments. However, Canadian, and American universities do not support healthy disagreement. Professors avoid controversial topics for fear of running afoul of student opinion, and if they grade rigorously, they worry about incurring the wrath of parents.

If a student’s parents call to complain about the grade for an oral exam, there is nothing to show them. However, recording exams can be useful, and not just for reducing liability.

Oral exams come in many formats but have a positive benefit for students who take oral exams in conjunction with other means of evaluation. The benefits of oral exams include better retention of concepts, better academic performance, and immediate feedback from the instructor. However, oral exams are not without difficulty. Significant time is required by instructors to design and administer the test. In addition, it is very difficult to ensure objectivity of all students during an oral exam. An instructor must deliberately plan the format, questions, and design of the course with an oral exam to achieve maximum benefit.

Chat: A New Game in Town

Research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of business found that the artificial intelligence-driven chatbot GPT-3 was able to pass the final exam for the school's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. It should be noted that the Wharton School of Business is ranked No. 1 in the United States according to Forbes and No. 1 in the United States according to the 2020 U.S. News & World Report ranking.

The bot's score shows its "remarkable ability to automate some of the skills of highly compensated knowledge workers in general and specifically the knowledge workers in the jobs held by MBA graduates including analysts, managers, and consultants."

The bot did an "amazing job at basic operations management and process analysis questions including those that are based on case studies, the bot's explanations were "excellent." The bot is also "remarkably good at modifying its answers in response to human hints”.

Educators are increasingly concerned that AI chatbots could inspire cheating. New York City’s Department of Education announced a ban on Chatbot from its schools’ devices and networks.

Sources:

  • Wikipedia
  • Dr. Worthen New York Times
  • Plagiarism