Talent is the foundation of a nation. The National Development Council on Wednesday last week launched the International Talent Taiwan Office. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at the opening it is her hope that the office would encourage more international talent to come to Taiwan. Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said that in the face of the technological war, Taiwan needs to bring forward its own talent to attract more highly skilled people from abroad, just as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has relied on so many people to get where it is today.
The Professor Huang Kun-huei Education Foundation recently published an opinion poll about college professors’ opinions about undergraduates. Seventy percent of professors felt that students are apprehensive about the future and do not know the meaning of learning. Seventy percent felt pressured about being strict for fear that students would give them bad reviews. Eighty percent said that students are easily distracted in class because of cellphone use, and 70 percent complained of Internet plagiarism.
As for students, a separate opinion poll two years ago about undergraduates’ ambitions, aspirations and thoughts showed that 40 percent of undergraduates were skeptical about the value of attending college, while only 30 percent pursued further studies after graduation, a sharp drop from 60 percent a decade ago.
To address these problems, universities should work on promoting holistic education. After going through the rigors of meticulous planning during elementary and junior-high school, college education must suddenly feel free of restraints and limitations for many students.
However, with issues such as the meaning of education, individual critical thinking and the meaning of falling in love, professors can help and inspire students by becoming their most trusted guide and mentors on these issues. Undergraduates should also try to instill self-discipline and refrain from using cellphones in class, and only use them when teachers ask them to.
Furthermore, students should make better use of clubs and faculty resources, as well as explore and cultivate their interests, and acquire financial management skills to avoid getting swindled in the future. As for pursuing further studies, students can opt to go straight to graduate school or work first and see what skills they lack and need to hone. The meaning of life and education is shaped by oneself and so is the future.
On other aspects, students should learn to use artificial intelligence in the right way. For example, as language translation tools are getting more advanced, learning a second language would not only increase one’s cultural knowledge, but also stimulate flexibility and creativity. Students using ChatGPT to answer test questions or do their homework might see their scores rise, but they learn nothing in the process, which defeats the purpose of learning.
As for performance evaluation systems, professors should have the good grace to be reviewed by students. The catch is how professors should regard the review and the rating, and whether students are mature enough to perform reviews. Some students might simply not be happy about a professor’s ban on cellphones in class and give the teacher a bad review. Two decades later, the student might even regret what they had written about the professor.
Teachers and students alike have their own perspectives and dilemmas. There could be a few rotten apples among teachers and students alike, such as teachers who sexually harass students or students who physically assault teachers.
German philosopher Immanuel Kant said that good will is an ultimate, unconditional good. Both teachers and students should have good will as their motives and principles.
Lin Ji-shing is a university professor.
Translated by Rita Wang
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