376 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



gets as much credit towards his degree as the best student in the 

 class. In our graduate faculties we credit men for work they do, and 

 this principle is also adopted in the secondary schools that have broken 

 the ' lock step.' Just now we hear much about the need of shorten- 

 ing the four year college course. Men can not do the work of four 

 years in three by attending more courses each year, but some men 

 accomplish as much in three years as others do in four, and many 

 men, if they had an adequate motive, would do as much in three 

 years as they now do in four. 



We find among our graduate students that the better men can 

 obtain the doctor's degree in about half the time required by the 

 poorer men, while in exceptional cases the range is greater. I have 

 found in various fundamental traits that can be measured, such as 

 accuracy of perception, reaction-time and memory, that ordinary 

 individuals differ about as 2:1. It seems that the best men (say 

 the first ten) in our classes differ from the poorest (say the last ten) 

 in about this ratio. If, therefore, men are divided into five groups 

 representing nearly equal ranges of ability and we give the C, or 

 middle group, a credit of three points for a three hour course, it 

 would be just to give the A group 4 points, the B group 3y 2 points, 

 the D group 2y 2 points, and the F group 2 points or less. 



In Columbia College sixty points are required for the bachelor's 

 degree, a point being an hour's attendance at lectures or recitations, 

 or two hours of laboratory work. Students are expected to attend 

 classes for about 15 hours a week and usually receive the degree in 

 four years; there are, however, some who attend 20 hours a week 

 and receive the degree in three years. At Harvard College 54 points 

 are required, and I understand that about half the students now 

 accomplish the work in three years. When 60 points are required 

 for the degree, and if credits as proposed above were assigned, the 200 

 students of Columbia College whose grades have been compiled on 

 the basis of half the work for the degree would be required to attend 

 a total number of hours, as follows: 



This would be a just assignment of credits to the best of our 

 present knowledge. It would permit about one third of the best 

 students to secure the degree by an attendance of from 15 to 18 hours 

 a week for three years. If, however, it is thought that this gives 

 too great a reward for good work and too great a penalty for de- 

 ficiency, the credits and deductions could be halved. This would 

 give for these students an attendance, as follows : 



