It is indispensable for professors to "return" to the undergraduate classroom system constraints and incentive guidance
The "National Quality Report on Undergraduate Education and Teaching (2018)" issued by the Ministry of Education recently shows that the proportion of university professors teaching undergraduates is only 77.11%-
Our reporter Zhang Gailun
The proportion of university professors teaching undergraduates is only 77.11%, which is the data given in the "Report on the Quality of Undergraduate Education Teaching in General Colleges and Universities (2018)" recently released by the Ministry of Education. The proportion of less than 80% is still a certain distance away from the goal of "ensure that all professors teach undergraduates" previously emphasized by the Ministry of Education.
In June 2018, at the National Undergraduate Education Working Conference held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Minister of Education Chen Baosheng emphasized that professors who do not participate in undergraduate education are not qualified professors. In 2019, Wu Yan, director of the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education, revealed that he will introduce policies that require professors and associate professors who do not teach undergraduates for three consecutive years in the school to be cleared out of the teacher series.
The appeal was loud and the documents were strictly regulated, but why is it so difficult for professors to enter the classroom?
Classes for undergraduates "must be pushed to move"
Getting professors into undergraduate classes is not a new idea.
Since 2000, the Ministry of Education has issued a series of documents with high frequency, calling on professors to "return" to undergraduate classes. Jiaogao [2001] No. 4 stipulates that teaching work is always the central task of the school, and professors and associate professors must teach undergraduate courses; Jiaogao [2007] No. 2 stipulates that after teachers are hired as professors and associate professors, such as two consecutive years Do not teach undergraduates and appoint them as professors and associate professors; the relevant documents issued in 2012 and 2016 also emphasize that teaching professors to undergraduates should be regarded as a basic system, and undergraduate teaching tasks should be assumed as appointments Basic conditions for professors.
"Teaching undergraduates is the most basic requirement for teachers and their most professional job. Why should it be emphasized repeatedly, because there are still some problems." Dai Xiangyang, deputy director of the Educational Affairs Department of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, heard such a metaphor. : Grasping undergraduate teaching is like going uphill. Someone has to push and push hard to move forward. If you don’t push, you will stop; grasping scientific research is like going downhill. You can walk without pushing. "The metaphor is not necessarily appropriate, but it can also reflect a general concern." He said.
A university teacher told the Science and Technology Daily reporter: "Teaching is a'conscience work'. It takes time to prepare a course well. But I put the same amount of time into scientific research, and the income is definitely higher than that of teaching."
This is especially true for undergraduates. Colleges and universities generally have strict regulations on the form and content of undergraduate classes, and they also have classroom supervision. Unlike graduate class, it can be more casual and free.
Compared with ordinary teachers, professors have more diverse affairs. Some have undertaken major scientific research tasks, and some have taken on important administrative positions. When they are busy, they will inevitably put aside their undergraduate teaching.
Waving the professional title review and teacher evaluation baton
"It is difficult for colleges and universities to promote professors to return to the undergraduate classroom, so we try to do a good job in system design and make a good combination of punches." Dai Xiangyang said, the school has spent a lot of thought to guide and require the teaching of undergraduate professors. The undergraduate teaching quality report of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University from 2018 to 2019 shows that more than 92% of its professors teach undergraduates.
The most important baton is the evaluation system.
Even if you become a professor, there is a four-year appointment period assessment. If the number of lectures does not meet the standard, it will affect the evaluation of the employment period. The Academic Affairs Office evaluates each teacher’s teaching performance every year. If the number of lectures is not enough, it will affect their work performance rating. At the college level, the school conducts annual teaching work assessments, and the proportion of college professors teaching undergraduates will have an impact on this score.
In addition to the hard and fast rules, the school has also implemented some soft guidance to create a campus environment and atmosphere that values teaching. It encourages professors to set up freshmen seminars and professional introductory classes for undergraduates, and encourages them to set up professional basic courses for young students. "We have also strengthened the proportion of teaching in the evaluation of professional titles in recent years. Too few teaching achievements and insufficient class hours will affect the final evaluation results." Dai Xiangyang said that the modernization of internal governance capabilities in colleges and universities is the most important. Relying mainly on system construction, we should guide professors to pay attention to the cultivation of talents.
Professors need to teach undergraduates, many documents are involved, and each school has its own regulations, but the final implementation of the situation depends on the school’s own attention. "Universities must implement a certain system from top to bottom. School management approval, academic committee approval, professor approval, the implementation will be much smoother." Dai Xiangyang said.
College Teacher Salary System Needs Reform
Of course, the more ideal situation is for professors to devote themselves to teaching undergraduates, rather than relying on assessment and other systems to constrain them. After all, as emphasized by the Ministry of Education, the first identity of university teachers is teachers, the first job is teaching, and the first responsibility is to take classes.
Zhang Duanhong, deputy director of the Institute of Higher Education of Tongji University and director of the Center for Educational Policy Research of Tongji University, bluntly said that the reform of the income distribution system is actually a key factor for ensuring that professors teach undergraduates.
"From the perspective of teachers' salary composition, the more papers are sent and the more research projects are taken, the higher the performance." Zhang Duanhong analyzed that a research-based teacher may get better performance than teaching. Of teachers are several times taller. "Domestic teachers' class hours are very low, and class hours for undergraduates may be lower." He said frankly.
In general, scientific research accounts for a high proportion of university performance evaluation systems. The reality is that there is a big difference between the teachers' remuneration for class hours and the income from scientific research. If you work hard in class, the reward you have received is not as high as the scientific research award for a high-level thesis. "Remuneration provided by colleges and universities to teachers is actually relatively low. We do not provide a good guarantee for the basic treatment of university teachers as an intelligence-intensive industry; at the same time, they also open their mouths, and the default teachers can use projects, off-campus services, etc. Seek other income for yourself." Zhang Duanhong said.
This kind of system design is naturally unfavorable for professors entering undergraduates' classrooms. It is difficult for teachers to devote their main time and energy to talent training. "Modern universities should also have a modern teacher salary distribution system." Zhang Duanhong emphasized.
Insufficient incentives and inadequate constraints make it difficult for professors to fulfill their aspirations to teach undergraduates 100%. When the education authorities and universities stipulate that professors must enter the classroom, some workarounds have emerged. For example, a professor takes a "name" way to teach a class, and starts a class with associate professors and lecturers, but himself takes a symbolic class or two. Similar practices can cope with inspections and pass the assessment to make the "data" look good, but this is not consistent with the original intention of educating people.
The "Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Undergraduate Education and Teaching and Comprehensively Improving the Quality of Talent Training" issued by the Ministry of Education in 2019 pointed out that the proportion of education and teaching performance in performance allocation, job title evaluation and recruitment, and post promotion assessment should be highlighted, and all types of teachers should undertake undergraduates The teaching hours of the undergraduate course should effectively implement the requirement that all professors teach the undergraduate students, and promote the professors to teach basic courses and professional basic courses for undergraduate students on the front line of teaching.
Since the 2018 National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Higher Education, Dai Xiangyang felt that the importance attached to teaching by all walks of life has increased, and the school has placed teaching in a more important position at the level of system design. "It's difficult to reverse the situation of emphasizing research rather than teaching 100% in a short period of time. But every year there can be some progress and some gains, it is gratifying." Dai Xiangyang said.