The article says that teachers should avoid essay exams. While I don't completely disagree with the statement, I think that it is important to include essay questions when relevant on exams. I usually make 20% of my midterm and final exam essays questions because (1) it helps the student develop their writing skills and their verbal skills in terms of making strong points and (2) it makes the exam a stronger, more accurate assessment because you are not sticking with just one type of questions. I typically make sure my exams are a mixture of multiple choice, short answer, essay, and diagram questions. For example, on a history exam, the student may have forgotten the dates of a specific event and maybe even some names of important figures, they might still understand the underlying concept. A 3-6 sentence short essay might allow the students to still convey the message, even if they have forgotten some key points. Essay questions also help to solidify the students' own understanding of the topic. When I was college, seeing and/or hearing material didn't always help me learn and remember the material. Writing it did. on my midterms I often give my students the essay topics in advance, so they can do a little research on their own to prepare for the essays on the exam. I would rather a student research the topics, and learn and retain the material, than take an exam with essays blind, lose points on the essays, and learn nothing.