A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W Discuss: If essays are dead, then where does that leave everything else? A response to: Shirley Alexander’s ‘Buying essays: how to make sure assessment is authentic’ Kelvin McQueen University of New England Professor Shirley Alexander is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor rooms; or conversely allowing students access in an exam and Vice-President (Teaching, Learning & Equity) at the room to everything they’d need to (dare I say it?) write an University of Technology, Sydney. On 12 November 2014, essay; hoping for ‘ghost writer’ whistle-blowers; and, in an an article of hers appeared in The Conversation: ‘Buying odd association, ‘high-touch, face-to-face learning’. essays: how to make sure assessment is authentic.’ That Contrary to this intensified surveillance of students article traverses, in an abbreviated way, three significant (who obviously are guilty until proven otherwise), I concerns about university assessment tasks. Those three find that the electronic matching software used at my concerns, in sum, apparently render essays ‘dead’ ‘as the university works very well in detecting plagiarism in primary form of assessment’. extended-response assessment tasks, if indeed that degree In what follows, I’d like to set out and respond to of surveillance is deemed necessary. Alexander’s objections to the essay form. Then I’ll make When Shirley Alexander’s essay finishes dealing with some observations about what essays are good for the advantages of exterminating essays to prevent students and why, perhaps, some people can’t understand that from cheating, then interwoven in the paragraphs that usefulness. follow are the other two death-dealers to the essay form: The first concern of Alexander’s that drives a nail the need for ‘authentic’ (or ‘real-life’) assessment; and its into the essay-form’s coffin is that there are, apparently, companion, meeting employers’ demands for ‘real-life’ ‘cheating factories’ pumping out plagiarised or ghost- work skills. written essays. A search is then undertaken to find ways Here, concerns about types of ‘authentic’ assessment and means to prevent students cheating; ways and means and the vocational ‘value’ of university courses converge. of which the US National Security Agency would be proud: Alexander emphasises this relationship by asking, ‘When, biometric scanning; hermetically sealing students in exam for instance, in one’s real life [read: ‘in a job’] does one vol. 57, no. 1, 2015 Discuss: If essays are dead, then where does that leave everything else? Kelvin McQueen 69 A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W ever have to write an essay, unless you happen to be an job. And it is further implied that in none of these ‘real life’ academic?’ But this begs the question: what is an essay on-the-job situations would the essay form of deliberation and in what ways might it connect with the ‘real world’? find any place. And in some contrast with the unalloyed virtues of At least in the case of teacher education, Australian vocationalism, these ‘real world’ essays may both conform governments moved away from the teacher-apprentice with but also challenge what employers may suggest are system 100 years ago because the lash of imperialist ‘real-life’ skills. competition meant that time-honoured (read: ‘outdated’) Essays, even brief one’s like Alexander’s, are meant knowledge and practices were not good enough for to be sustained, focused and coherent arguments that nations to survive. Experts were needed to generate systematically and explicitly evaluate relevant evidence expert knowledge and pass it onto the next generation and arguments. They are in themselves a way for students of teachers. That recently some politicians have and others to show logically their assessment of evidence become deeply suspicious of that expertise and its and arguments either found independently or provided transmission is less about favouring the virtues of on-the- to them; usually evidence and arguments that are to job apprenticeships and more about fears of an ‘over- some degree vital to understanding (some part of) a educated’ (read: ‘tenaciously enquiring and sceptical’) field of knowledge and practice. That means, crucially, workforce. the essay form is used as a way of becoming engaged in Essays, or similarly extended, coherent responses, are however neophyte or limited a way an ongoing debate precisely about allowing students to enquire at length about evidence, arguments and practices in some field of about both existing and new knowledge and practices endeavour. in a field and then provide a reasoned and critical So Alexander’s rhetorical question that supposedly judgement. It is what professionals do when taking a administers the last rites to the essay form can be participatory role in their professions and not just existing rephrased in the following way: when, in one’s real life (or as well-trained practitioners without a coherent, logical or in a job), would one have to present a sustained, focused evidence-based thought in their heads – and, even if they and coherent argument about evidence arising from a field have, being unable to convey it successfully. of professional endeavour? The answer would be: as soon Professor Alexander obviously can convey her thoughts as a professional moves into a position of responsibility in in essay form; she can provide relevant evidence and their field. And the whole point of being a professional is arguments; she can use this skill to participate in and even precisely to gain that position of responsibility. lead her field, yet apparently would deny this to fellow The tolling of the death knell for the essay form professionals. becomes absurd if the question is put this way: when These ‘authentically’ trained and assessed professionals, would an economist have to provide a coherent essay- for example, would suture a wound wonderfully, but have like presentation to a board of bankers; a doctor an no idea whether the health care system, or their part of extended review of procedures for a panel; an architect it, is up-to-date, is functioning optimally, is beneficial for a focused proposal for a corporate client; a teacher a patients and / or staff, can do things differently, and so detailed explanation to staff or parents of curricular on. Even if they had some inkling of these issues, they and pedagogical choices; a head nurse a rationale for couldn’t express their sentiments in any sort of extended, procedural variation; a bureaucrat an elaborate plan for logical, evidence-based, coherent and critical way. In developing or reviewing a policy; and so on, ad infinitum. other words, they could never participate effectively in, Shirley Alexander’s contrasting view, presented in let alone lead, their profession. a series of dot points (a practice I tend to discourage Even beyond this broad (but still vocational) value of students from using in essays), is that first-year health care learning and then practising the fine art of essay writing, students should work in hospitals; architecture students there’s the value of the essay as a public intervention in architects’ offices; engineering students undertake ‘real’ providing readable (because logical) comment; practical projects; and so on. As always with this extreme view of (because evidence-based) investigation; and, at the the value of on-the-job learning (and assessment) as a pinnacle of this, for engaging in political debate. I have my type of apprenticeship system (and thereby devaluing suspicions that the institutionally approved atrophying of the purposes of higher education), one wonders how the essay form converges with the institutional approval these students would learn anything new or different or of the atrophying of a willingness to engage with the ‘real challenge the ‘received’ wisdom provided by those on-the- world’ politically. 70 Discuss: If essays are dead, then where does that leave everything else? Kelvin McQueen vol. 57, no. 1, 2015 A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W Thus, in the micro-politics of assessing academic certain types of academic assessment with ‘real life’; and learning with or without essays is encapsulated something the ritual genuflection before ‘employer-needs’ as the only of the largest issue confronting academia: the retreat from legitimate justification for academic programs, with those democratic governance in our institutions. The politics ‘needs’ usually consisting of lists of ‘outcomes’ cobbled of retreat from promoting the skills of using sustained, together, oddly enough, by non-employer technocrats. logical, evidence-based argument often emanates from Exposing, elaborating, and announcing publicly a the same quarters that have a hankering for arbitrary sustained and critical argument with logic and evidence rule-making (and rule-ignoring) without reference to is what essays are very good at; and that’s what the logic, argument or a wish to engage in sustained debate. essay form as academic assessment and professional and From those same managerial quarters, the legitimate political intervention should be all about. and indeed crucial use of the essay form as a means of expression and therefore of assessment is disavowed with Kelvin McQueen is a lecturer in the School of Education, arguments that show an unconscious convergence with University of New England, NSW. this retreat from democracy: references to institutionally- generated fears of cheating really being an expression Reference of managerial exasperation at being unable to sweep Alexander, S. (2014). Buying essays: how to make sure assessment is authentic. away student (and staff) rights such as the right not to The Conversation, 12 November. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/ be placed under super-intrusive surveillance; technocrats buying-essays-how-to-make-sure-assessment-is-authentic-34125. confusing narrow and constraining vocational skills and vol. 57, no. 1, 2015 Discuss: If essays are dead, then where does that leave everything else? Kelvin McQueen 71