Reform of the title system of college teachers: how to break the bad tendencies

　　How can college teachers’ professional titles be more scientific?

——Focus on the reform of the title system of college teachers

　　Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 13 -

　　Xinhua News Agency reporter

　　In order to further improve the evaluation mechanism for college teachers, the "Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Title System of College Teachers (Draft for Comment)" issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Education not long ago clearly proposes to overcome the problems in the evaluation of college teachers’ professional titles. Only qualifications, only "hats", only thesis, only projects and other tendencies.

　　How to break related bad tendencies?

How many hurdles will the reform pass?

Xinhua News Agency reporters visited many universities and related education management departments.

The impact of related adverse trends needs to be corrected

　　-Injury teaching.

"In the past, the evaluation of professional titles often only focused on quantitative indicators such as publishing a few papers, publishing a few monographs, and getting a few topics." Many college teachers told reporters that the quality of teaching and whether students are making progress are difficult to quantify. The content was "marginalized" in the job title evaluation investigation.

This dampens teachers' enthusiasm for teaching and has a bad influence on students.

Many college students complained that some of the scientific research stars with high titles and bright titles, or rushed to read the text in class, "feel that they are more than a teacher."

　　——Injury research.

The designer and developer of the Chinese Social Science Citation Index "Chinese Social Science Citation Index" (CSSCI, or "C Journal"), Professor Su Xinning of Nanjing University, pointed out that some colleges and universities still have the problem of the paper evaluation mechanism: when evaluating teachers’ academic ability through papers, the quality of papers is ignored , Just look at the "impact factor" of the publication of the paper, whether it is an SCI journal, or the first or second area of ​​the SCI, and mistakenly equate the index for evaluating the journal with the index for evaluating the value of the paper.

Some colleges and universities will publish papers in SCI journals with heavy rewards.

　　Experts such as Su Xinning pointed out that the "deformed" evaluation criteria and material benefits will alienate normal scientific research evaluation into "academic GDP."

On the one hand, this has led to a "surge" in the unnecessary expenditures of page fees in domestic colleges and universities, and on the other hand it has induced academic misconduct.

　　-Injury teachers.

Academic honors and resources such as "hats", projects, and awards tend to be concentrated on a small number of officials and senior teachers, which adversely affects the growth of young teaching and research workers in universities.

　　A subject leader from a university in Jiangsu told reporters that he found that about two-thirds of the papers signed by him published in high-quality domestic academic journals each year were unaware of him.

"I received a paper acceptance notice inexplicably, and the corresponding authors of some papers have not yet contacted me." However, it is "difficult" for young teachers to send papers.

　　"Qingjiao" was originally an online term used by young college teachers to call themselves, but now it has been replaced by the term "green Jiao".

Many young teachers say that they have to teach and lead students, take care of their children and squeeze time to do scientific research. When applying for projects, they are not as good as senior predecessors. A few papers published in the journal are likely to be eliminated directly.

How about a more scientific job title evaluation?

　　At present, some colleges and universities have made useful explorations on the reform of the title system.

　　-Pay more attention to "good teaching".

"Hua Song has three treasures in class, case studies, writing on the blackboard, and less drinking water." Jiang Huasong, deputy dean of the School of Science of Nanjing Forestry University, has rooted in the podium for more than 30 years and is a "mathematics speaker" in the minds of students.

In his professional title review materials, there are no papers, only one signed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and "Advanced Mathematics" and other textbook monographs.

In 2019, Nanlin adjusted its policy, and Jiang Huasong was evaluated as a senior professional title through the "teaching expertise" category mainly for teaching public courses and basic course teachers.

　　Yang Jing, deputy director of the Human Resources Department of Beijing Institute of Technology, said that in 2019, the school will newly establish a full-time counselor position, set up separate promotion conditions for counselors' series of titles, and implement separate indicators and individual reviews in the job title evaluation work.

Counselors with excellent work performance can be promoted to the titles of Senior Counselor and Senior Counselor, respectively, at the same level as associate professor and professor.

　　-Pay more attention to "can be transformed".

Teacher Li Lingzhi, a vegetable major from the College of Horticulture, Shanxi Agricultural University, has been engaged in the promotion of more than 50,000 acres of agricultural technology, achieving an average income increase of more than 2,000 yuan per acre, training nearly 10,000 vegetable farmers and poor households, and driving more than 30,000 growers.

But if she evaluates the title according to the old rules, her results are not as good as an SCI paper.

After the school explored and implemented the new rules for the evaluation of the title of "promotional professor", she was awarded the senior professional title.

　　Gao Jiangning, director of Nantong University’s Service and Local Affairs Office, introduced that the school has introduced new regulations to treat the projects and funds undertaken by scientific and technological personnel in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements as the corresponding level of government science and technology plan projects, and give them in terms of professional title evaluation. Treated equally, the incentive effect is obvious.

　　-Pay more attention to "having expertise".

A few days ago, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of Southern University of Science and Technology hired a science fiction writer majoring in critical state physics as a first-level lecturer to teach the course of "Communication and Writing"; introduced a "returnee" with no papers and projects to teach creative writing, just because he He has taught in 4 overseas universities and is good at teaching Chinese and English writing.

　　"Teaching is important." Chen Yuehong, the dean of the college, said that SUSTech students urgently need to improve their Chinese and English writing skills. "Therefore, when we introduce teachers, we don't look at his hats and papers to see if we can teach well."

The title system reform still needs to break through

　　The interviewed experts pointed out that the reform of the title system needs to break through the barriers from exploration to the implementation of the system.

　　"Fairness Off".

"Evaluation standards vary from person to person and from school to school." Chen Yuehong said, but professional evaluation indicators such as academic qualifications, research capabilities, academic achievements, and representative works are themselves necessary, and they are also the basis for ensuring fairness in the evaluation of professional titles and cannot be discarded.

　　In order to ensure fairness, Beijing Institute of Technology has established an expert resource database and explored and strengthened the peer review system. During the initial evaluation of the college, no less than one-third of peer experts from outside the school were introduced, and samples were also added to the second round of school review. The quantity has been increased from three or four in the past to nine, and the quality of the evaluation is guaranteed by referring to high-level expert reviews.

　　According to Sun Songping, Director of the Personnel Department of Nanlin, the basic requirement for the "teaching expertise type" to participate in the evaluation of professional titles is that the average annual teaching workload reaches 600 equivalent classes. In addition, it also depends on the evaluation of other teachers and students. The school supervision team will also attend classes. Comprehensive evaluation of ability training, curriculum and teaching materials construction, etc.

　　"Guide Off".

The president of Harbin Institute of Technology Zhou Yu and other heads of universities stated that the evaluation criteria for professional titles in universities should strive to break the "official standard" and reject the "power-oriented"; we should oppose academic corruption, advocate healthy academic criticism, and reject the "circle-oriented"; Academic evaluation is "decoupled" from high material benefits, and "vote-oriented" is rejected.

Experts said, "Aiming at major innovations and taking contribution as an important evaluation indicator is an important guide for reform."

　　"Autonomous Pass."

"Currently, many outstanding domestic innovations are first published in foreign journals," Su Xinning reminded relevant departments to pay attention to the increasingly prominent issue of intellectual property loss.

　　Zhou Zhentian, director of the Personnel Department of Shenyang Normal University, suggested that more college teachers should be encouraged to publish more results in influential domestic journals, and China's own academic value evaluation system should be cultivated.

　　The Professional and Technical Personnel Management Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security stated that the next step will be in accordance with the requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and other departments, to further increase the intensity of work, and in accordance with the work arrangements for deepening the reform of the title system, conduct extensive research and demonstration, and fully listen to Teachers’ opinions suggest that the reform of the title system for teachers and experimental technicians in colleges and universities should be accelerated, so that teachers can fully enjoy the dividends of the reform.

(Note holders: Yang Siqi, Chen Xiyuan, Wei Mengjia, Hu Hao; participating reporters: Zheng Tianhong, Wang Ying, Wang Feifei)