With an open book we are testing understanding rather than memory.
When I teach physics for physics majors, the students vastly prefer open book. Physicists are typically good at analytics and poor at memorization. Give them the equations and the constants, and they can compute.
When I teach my physics course for non-scientists, “Physics for Future Presidents”, I discovered that few students took the open book option. Students from English, History, Political Science, … are accustomed to memorization, and they don’t consider the small amount needed in physics to be a burden. So they opted for the longer time I generally allow for closed book exams.
In many fields both memorization and understanding are useful. In my research, I never attempt to work without referring to books. On the other hand, when giving a seminar or colloquium, you can’t refer to a book when someone asks you a question.
Read other answers by Richard Muller on Quora:
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from Quora http://ift.tt/2kmU9Yj
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