750 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIX. No. 1012 



is going to. The remedy is obvious. The high 

 school should limit its incomplete scientific 

 work for the many who do not expect to fol- 

 low scientific courses in college, and either 

 offer complete courses for those who do expect 

 to do scientific work, or leave the introductory 

 science to the college. Such a program would 

 mean a certain amount of individual work 

 along the lines of vocational guidance, a thing 

 which is being done more and more in prep- 

 aration for the trades, and with excellent re- 

 sults. It has not been applied to the profes- 

 sions. As the age of graduation has increased 

 it has become evident that some method must 

 be devised which shall save the time of the 

 student in order that he shall be prepared for 

 his life work before he reaches senility. I 

 have already called attention to a possible 

 method of applying guidance methods to pre- 

 medical students in high school and grammar 

 school, but so far as I know the experiment 

 has never been made. 



There is a method which might be used 

 certainly in college and even in high school. 

 My attention was called to it by my colleague. 

 Professor Fischer, who designated it as the 

 Missouri plan. It is based upon a system 

 which allows a student who does excellent 

 work in a subject additional credit. The fol- 

 lowing extract from the University of Mis- 

 souri Bulletin 1913-14 will elucidate the 

 method : 



In order to encourage students to do the best 

 work of whicli they are capable, the faculties of the 

 college of arts and science and of the school of edu- 

 cation credit their work in proportion to the grade 

 received, thus enabling the most industrious stu- 

 dents to graduate in three years. For each recita- 

 tion hour for which the grade of excellent is re- 

 corded, the student will receive thirty per cent, ad- 

 ditional credit. For each recitation hour for which 

 the grade of superior is recorded, he will receive 

 fifteen per cent, additional credit towards gradu- 

 ation. 



The faculty further recognizes that those stu- 

 dents who are inferior to seventy-five in a hundred, 

 but whose work is not estimated by the teacher as 

 a complete failure, are entitled to some credit. 

 Students will, therefore, be given four fifths of the 

 normal credit towards graduation for each recita- 



tion hour for which the grade of inferior is re- 

 corded. 



In order to do entire justice to the needs of the 

 students coming to the University of Missouri, the 

 faculty adopts the method of instruction to the 

 students of average ability. Those who are of some- 

 what less ability wiU thus receive some benefit 

 from the instruction and some credit. Those who 

 are of superior ability and will devote their best 

 energies to their work will accomplish much more 

 than the average student, and will be given for 

 this, not empty honors, but recognition of their ac- 

 complishments by additional credit. 



There is one letter which attacks the gen- 

 eral elective system. In this letter the writer 

 says that he has been opposed to the free elec- 

 tive system. His " contention has been that 

 the undergraduate should be free to select his 

 own aim, such as law, medicine, commerce or 

 engineering; but that we should prescribe the 

 program of work for its attainment." " Your 

 letter," this professor says, " gives one a new 

 incentive for a renewal of the contest ; but this 

 time for a three-year program." 



Personally I believe in this stand on the 

 subject of electives. I believe there should 

 be a very definite program outlined for each 

 student who has chosen his field — ^not a time 

 schedule, but a subject schedule — in which 

 there shall be some space for electives. And I 

 believe, as I have said elsewhere,^ that the 

 earlier in the educational career of a student 

 this schedule can be put in force, the better. 

 There is too much to be known in all profes- 

 sions to waste time in indeterminate grazing. 



The letters from professors, aU from heads 

 of departments, are as strong as those al- 

 ready quoted. In almost every instance the 

 writers insist upon thoroughness and upon 

 essentials rather than time consumed. Every 

 one insists (though indirectly in certain 

 cases) that three years of college work is tbe 

 least in which the average man can obtain 

 the essentials of medical preparation and the 

 other things which, while not essential for 

 medical practise, are essential for breadth and 

 wide understanding. It was this thing that 

 I have called breadth which made our fore- 



1 Lancet-Clinic, 1914. 



