Not saying you’re wrong, but what are you proposing as an alternative? How should comprehensive knowledge be tested? Weekly homework/projects?
P.s. love the user name.
P.s. love the user name.
In contrast, the "final exams" were either non-existent or extremely easy and account for only 10-20% of the grade, where they existed.
I really liked this approach. Make your assignments very difficult. Alternatively, give difficult 10-15 minute quizzes every other week. IMO, it's a much better way of evaluating students.