EdD comps and the state capitals?

I have just finished the course work for an EdD in Community College Leadership. It has required 4 years, about $16,000, uncounted hours away from family and hobby pursuits, and has been an absolutely fascinating journey. I am looking forward with great anticipation to applying what I have learned and learned to reflect on while I complete the dissertation process. I will be delighted to have earned the prestige marks that will follow my name.

Having said all that, I am less than enthusiastic over the latest hoop we had to jump in order to pursue this dream. We just completed a comprehensive, closed-book, six-hour essay exam, the outcome of which is unknown to us, and can remain so for another month. We can't figure out the rationale for this exam as it obfuscates the very curriculum from which we learned; a curriculum based on cohort discussion, learn-to-learn contextual activities, and constant research, all framed by adult-learning theory. Being forced to reverse course, spend a month memorizing authors and quotes and dates turned my brain into oatmeal and my stress level up to overload. It was one of the worst experiences in my professional life and one I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Dr. Tony Karrar had an interesting post following up on his concept of being knowledgeable vs being knowledge-able (sure wish I had said that!). [Link to full post] Entitled Brain 2.0, Dr. Karrar posits that he would rather his children know when it would be important to know the capital of a state and what they would need to know about it than to have them memorize the 50 state capitals.

I had not thought about my recent experience with the EdD comps in context of the 50 state capitals memory exercise, but suspect they have a lot in common. I had to memorize the capitals, I bet you did, if you went to elementary school in the US, and apparently today's young folks still have to do that. What are the odds that the form and content of the exam I was just tortured with was required because it always has been required, just as, apparently is the 50 state capital memorization activity? Has anyone, with either example, looked to see what is being assessed and correcting where it is the wrong thing? I doubt it.

Karrar's blog posting moved from his children to a reflection on one of his college professors who tested on details rather than critical analysis. Specifically, he recalled the questions:

(1) "What was the population in England in 1800?" (2) "What percentage worked in agriculture?". I actually knew the first part, because I believe that fully 10% of the population had moved to London which had grown to 1M people. (Now these facts could be completely wrong some 25 years later, but that's besides the point.) I got part 1 correct. The second part I had to guess between 25% and 35% or some such thing and still don't remember.

I could have told the professor about the move towards more urban and away from agriculture, but he didn't ask that. He didn't know if I knew the important concepts that he stressed in the class. No he had to ask a ridiculous memorization question.

I guess that says it. What if we all took a look at every assessment we force on our students and try to determine if each gets to the meat of what the student knows of if we, too, are guilty of asking "a ridiculous memorization question"?