Minutes of evidence taken by the Royal Commissioners appointed to consider the draft charter for the proposed Gresham University in London ... / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Minutes of evidence taken by the Royal Commissioners appointed to consider the draft charter for the proposed Gresham University in London ... / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    1317/1410 (page 81)
    Senate annually to obtain the assistance of the Univer- sity professors in determining and varying the details of University legislation. Each college has, through its means, benefited by the experience of the other two. The courses of instruction for the ensuing session are arranged at each annual conference, si as sufficiently to correspond with one another in the three colleges, while at the same time the teaching in the colleges has been freed from the deadening pressure of external control, and given al) the vitality of spontaneous intellectual work. It is further to be observed that the functions of each examining professor are discharged in the presence of colleagues who are equally experts with himself; and by all these means co-operating with one another the whole vigour, tone, and quality of the work done in the University has been raised to an unusual height. In Lord Cardwell's Charter care was taken to pre- serve the power given in the Colleges Act of 1845, by making provision for a possible increase of the number of colleges in the Queen's University, and this provision stands part of the Charter as it now exists. In 1862 the Queen's University established local examinations for the examination of candidates not educated at its colleges, and gave to the candidates who satisfied the examiners at these examinations certificates analogous to those issued in like cases by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. This branch of the University's work was, some years later, extended to women, and has proved of eminent service. The University of Dublin afterwards opened similar examinations for women, and these local examinations of the Queen's University were also the precursors of the Intermediate Examinations which have recently been established in Ireland by Act of Parliament. The next event which deeply affected the University was the offer made to it in 1866 of a supplementary Charter, which proposed to open its degrees to all persons who presented themselves for examination, whether they had undergone a University training oi' not. The experience of the London University had shown that the exercise of this power led inevitably to the loosening of the connexion between a University and its colleges, and was incompatible with the main- tenance of true University education. The offer was accordingly declined. Since 1866 the career of the University has been one of continuous attention to its duties and the diligent discharge of them. The admirable mode of conducting the University examinations, established in 1863, has bound the whole institution, the University and its three colleges', into one homogeneous structure. It has enabled the Queen's University to introduce, without delay and according as they arise, such improvements into all branches of its work as the advance of know- ledge or the progress of events make possible, and it has thus enabled this University to advance in the foremost rank among the Universities of the United Kingdom. The practical examinations which the Queen's University has, of late years, introduced into its medical curriculum, may be given as one out of many instances of this. The Queen's University was the first of the licensing bodies in Ireland to adopt practical examinations as a part of its medical education, and it has been able to raise some of them to a condition of unequalled efficiency. The reputation of the Queen's University among educated men has constantly and deservedly been on the increase. The appreciation of the public is shown by the steadily increasing number of candidates who seek admission to its halls, and the prevailing serious- ness of their studies while there. The labours of the Queen's University have, in fact, more than doubled the number of persons in Ireland who receive a true University education. Three hundred and thirty-eight new students obtain admission to its instruction last session ; nine hundred and fifty-eight were taught: and these numbers air nut the limit, they are still annually on the increase. The a verage stay of a. student under instruction has been found to be more than three years. The work of the University is thus not only of the highest quality, lint is also being carried out on a large scale, and producing a proportionately large amount of good in Ireland. The quality of this work could not be maintained if the intimate bond between the Univer- sity and its colleges is severed. By order of the Senate, G. Johnstone Stoney, DSC, P.U.S., Secretary to the University. Queen's University, December 21, 1880. APPENDIX No. 416. Appendix Nos. 41a and 416. Paper sent to the Commission by Dr. Johnstone Stoney after giving evidence. (See Question 18,874.) Form for Examiner's Report used in the late Queen's University in Ireland. [Explanation.—The subjoined form is that which was used in the Queen's University by the sub-boards who examined in the several subjects. Let us suppose that such an examination as the First University Examination in Arts of the Queen's University, has to be dealt with. This examination included Greek, Latin, Mathematics, Mathematical Physics, a Modern Language, English Composition. Three Professors should, as a rule, be associated in each sub-board of examiners. The three examiners in, for example, Greek consult together after the examina- tion and fill in the form on the next page. When this has been done by all the sub-boards, they hold a joint meeting, and for this meeting another printed form has to be provided, of which each examiner should have a copy, and on to which he is to transfer the Resultant Awards (see next page) of the several sub-boards. The headings of this second form, in the case of the above-mentioned examination, would be— 5 A ■isoduic 'o 6 Greek. Latin. [ Mathematk Mathematk Physics. Modern guage. English C. tion. Final Decision. Each examiner will thus have before him the Re- sultant Awards of all the sub-boards to guide his vote as to the Final Decision. It was found of advantage to have the names printed on the forms, to avoid the risk of errors of transcription.] Form of Report used by each Sub-Board. Name of Examiner, Subject of Examination, Degree, Diploma, or First University Examination; and whether Honour or Pass, Date, Each Examiner is requested, in the first instance, to insert in the table the numbers which he allots to the Candidates for their answers to the questions put by bim. He is requested, in the next place, to copy into the table the similar numbers awarded to the Candidates by the two other Members of his Board. The Board will then proceed, upon a review of the whole credit awarded to each Candidate in the subject in which they have examined him, to decide his place iu the annexed Scale of Honour or Pass Judgments. The column headed Resultant Award is provided for this decision. When the whole body of Examiners assemble to make their combined Report to the Senate, each Ex- aminer is requested, when voting, to take into account the credit awarded to the Candidates in all the subjects iu which they have been examined.