20100521

有效率的盡責

我系的同事大都是很盡責的老師,但沒有人及得上J。J兩年前在UCLA拿了博士便來我的大學當助理教授,是個笛卡兒專家,旁通中古哲學。他人品極好,有料子卻無半點傲氣,對學生很隨和,教書盡心盡力,頗受學生歡迎。

通常新當助理教授的第一年都很辛苦,備課已佔去大部分時間,但如果第二年仍然是教那些科目,便會駕輕就熟,開始能夠騰出時間做研究。J卻不同,他的第二年看來跟第一年沒有兩樣,雖然教相同的科目,他仍然是幾乎將所有時間花在教學上。原來他經常重寫自己的教學筆記,寫很多handouts給學生,改文時給很詳盡的評語。我就見過他早上八時許便到辦公室,到晚上七八時仍未走,仍在那裏埋頭改文。

我們幾個較要好的同事都勸他要改變教學的時間分配,都認為花這麼多時間不一定會有更好的教學效果。此外,如果他因此而沒時間做研究,沒有期刊論文登出,便可能得不到長俸,連教席也失去時,就算他是多好的老師亦沒意思了。

就以期終論文為例,無論你多用心給學生評語,他們有大部份只要見到打的分數是自己認為可以的,便沒有心機看你給的評語;暑假來了,他們心裏想著的可是其他事情啊!這不是我想當然,以往期終論文不是以電子方式提交和發還時,我會把改好的論文放在辦公室門外的信箱待學生自己來取回;結果呢,新學期開始時,那疊論文還有七八成在那裏,像被人遺棄的孤兒。

我現在的辦法是在學期末先向學生講明我只會給簡單幾句的評語,要詳細評語的,可以在我改文前電郵要求(我會告訴他們我在那一天開始改文),並要在電郵裏答允一定會看那些評語。

我這不是不盡責,而是有效率的盡責,學生大多很明白我為何要這樣做,不會有反感。這學期的「形上學」一班大約有二十人,只有四個學生電郵我要求詳細的評語;假如我二十篇文全給詳細的評語,那時間不是花得很冤枉嗎?

我已將這辦法告之J,不知他會不會用?

21 則留言:

  1. J是否還年輕﹖年輕人都很有幹勁嘛。(嗯﹐講到自己好老咁!)

    不過我想﹐路是每人自己行出來的。有時﹐不吃點苦頭是不會變的呀。

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  2. 雲,

    他比我年輕,但已不是黃毛小子。

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  3. 可能他經過學生的「冷淡」對待,第三年會精靈一點呢!

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  4. 有時候想想,當大學教授,為自己「前程」寫論文重要?還是教學生重要?想想香港現在的大學生水準每下愈況,正是大學商業化,爭高排名,教授每天無心教書,只是想寫論文。教授漫不經心,學生上課亦得過且過,最後當然是整個大學教育的失敗。

    為何研究論文?難道教育學生不重要?沒錯!九十九位學生冷淡對待,但只要有其中一人感教授之熱誠,將來成為英才,更為重要。自己寫一百篇論文留傳後世,也不及培養一位國學大師更具意義。中國古人正是這樣,有時候不述著,卻會教學生,原是常有的事。

    小小愚見,純粹對今天大學教育的不滿,望勿見怪。

    對J不苟合西方利益潮流,忠於為師之道,感到敬佩。

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  5. The student survey done here in my college shows that students do want feedback... (although I don't think they are actively trying to get it)... So no choice but to really grade carefully... lab report, literature reviews, thesis report... ack!

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  6. >經常重寫自己的教學筆記,寫很多handouts給學生,改文時給很詳盡的評語。我就見過他早上八時許便到辦公室,到晚上七八時仍未走,仍在那裏埋頭改文。

    J真是個認真的好家伙,換我們學校的老師,門都沒有!

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  7. BTW, not sure you do the same thing as we do here. We cannot teach a course continuously for more than 5 years. So basically no matter how much we hate it, we do have to prepare new course notes, hand outs, etc at least once every 5 years. Just recycling notes from colleagues formerly teaching the class is being frown upon (yes, peer pressure here). So for those who have been around long enough, it is very often that they have already taught 6 or 7 different courses (like my line manager)... It would be nice if someone can suggest why this system is in place...

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  8. 馮友,

    不少教授其實是不喜歡教書的,他們在大學工作只是為了學術研究。我則教學與研究都喜歡,難題只在於平衡。

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  9. RandomCoil,

    Most of my students do want feedback for their mid-term papers so that they know how to improve when they write the final paper. So I have to give detailed comments for all the mid-term papers.

    We can teach the same classes for as long as we want to.

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  10. Wong,

    “門都沒有”是普通話,意思約是“沒有可能”

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  11. Wong,

    不好意思,你原先的意思是什麽?

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  12. CYC,

    我就是問"門都沒有"是甚麼意思。

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  13. Wong,

    那是普通話,意思如上。

    (難道是我的中文表達有問題?)

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  14. CYC,

    我不知道講普通話的人會用“門都沒有”來表達“沒有可能”的意思,剛問過人才知,現在明了。

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  15. Wong,

    不要緊,事實上我最近也在擔憂自己的中文能力。所以你剛才一問,我也隨即緊張起來,在網上查了一下才敢確實回答。

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  16. RandomCoil,

    */The student survey done here in my college shows that students do want feedback... (although I don't think they are actively trying to get it)*/

    What do you expect from this kind of survey? Of course students would answer yes if this doesn't cost them a penny (or they think they'd already paid for the 'service')! It's my right to get feedback from you and whether I'm going to use it is not your business. The teacher never win in this game. :-(

    Wong,

    */我現在的辦法是在學期末先向學生講明我只會給簡單幾句的評語,要詳細評語的,可以在我改文前電郵要求(我會告訴他們我在那一天開始改文),並要在電郵裡答允一定會看那些評語...學生大多很明白我為何要這樣做,不會有反感。*/

    Good on you. Probably students majoring in philosophy are different. If you're teaching other disciplines or in places like HK, it won't be long that you receive a complaint (or sent directly to your line manger).

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  17. CW,

    //If you're teaching other disciplines or in places like HK, it won't be long that you receive a complaint (or sent directly to your line manger).//

    Really? But the policy I am using is a reasonable one.

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  18. I've no problem with your policy. The issue is the students feel that they're deprived of something they're entitled to (or had paid for) if you 'announce' such a practice.

    I'd left HK for a long time but I keep hearing stories from my friends. The students expect you to hand-feed them everything. If you don't provide detailed handout or tell them which pages to read in a book, you're not a good/responsible teacher and this is going to reflect in the evaluation survey at the end of each semester. It's of course another story whether they make good use of these materials or not.

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  19. CW,

    Thanks for clarifying. I think I am fortunate that my students don't think like that.

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