TO THE EDITOR:
I'm sure that the recent column about multiple-choice exams raised more than a few eyebrows.
I could almost hear the collective comments across campus: ""Are you kidding? That's the only way I could pass (fill in the blank).""
That's all well and good if your only aim is to get a passing grade"" so the parents will continue to fund your ""education"" here at UNC.
Then there's the old standby whine: ""That class is so hard! I hate that professor's exams; he or she makes us write essay answers...""
So you feel pretty good about those good ol' multiple-choice exams" do you?
Think your odds of passing are better than if you had to actually think of an answer on your own?
Well" let me pose a question to you. Someday when you're faced with a major (or even a minor) surgical procedure — which doctor would you prefer to be performing it?
The one who closed his eyes and just picked the answer that was statistically safe?
Or do you want the doctor who actually studied and not only learned the material but learned how to apply it and integrate it into the larger picture of his education?
I think we both know the answer to that one — and it's not ""A.""
Carolyn Shomaker
Federal Documents Coordinator
University Library