issue50 永不言弃第十二次作业 by stgzhao 7#

stgzhaoUID: 2583165

TOPIC: ISSUE50 - "In order to improve the quality of instruction at the college and university level, all faculty should be required to spend time working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach."
WORDS: 607          TIME: 00:35:56          DATE: 2009-2-17 11:06:18

1.
教育主要是为了培养各方面人才。与实际结合有助于实现这个目的。
2.
信息时代科技突飞猛进，与实际结合有利于根据需要设置课程。
3.
某些科目相反（如艺术，历史等），即使结合实际也不能太过度。

Whether all faculty should be required to spend time working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach in order to improve the quality of instruction at the college and university level? With respect to the fields which outside work benefits, I strongly agree with the point that faculty should spend time working outside. However, for some specific fields, it is not the case.

When we think over this point of view, the first that comes into our mind is the basic aim for education - to make more talented people for the society in order to construct it better. Under this goal to let students acquire more knowledge about the current situation of the courses they have learned will surely make a different. The way students can get this kind of knowledge lays not in the textbooks, but is from the faculty who teaches the very course. Therefore, it is entirely appropriate to require faculty spend time working in professions relevant tot the courses they teach. Given the main purpose of academic research, it should be beneficial for faculty to do work outside the academic world as well.

We are living in an age called "the Information Age" for the rapidly spreading information, which allows the social productivity grow in a unprecedented rate. Under these circumstances being out of date is of great danger not only for individuals but also for the countries. In order to keep our next generation in pace with the time, we must teach them both academic knowledge and practical skills. The requirement that all faculty should spend time working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach does good to better set up courses which should be taught to the students, and hence contributes to the overall development to their minds.

However, there is a group of fields in which the combination between academic and practical is unavailable and inappropriate. Such fields include art, history, astronomy and so forth. Take art, which is a discipline that artists should create their works out of their emotions and feelings, as an example, doing outside working does no good to the creation. Suppose the case that a painter does some out-academic work such as painting for sale. It is entirely possible for the painter to become a utilitarian who is mercenary and no longer able to devote himself into art creation. When he communicates with his apprentices it is natural for him to deliver this kind of thought to them and hence damage the continuity of art. In this cases I am strongly against the idea that faculty should do some outside work.

Even in the fields which is appropriate for the faculty to have outside jobs focusing too much on the work will become harmful for the teachers job - teaching. If a professor spends too much energy in his out-academic work the most possible result is that he and his graduates can no longer attain some great achievements in academic fields. Therefore, it is of great importance for us to find the balance between teaching and gaining practical experience - working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach.

In sum, I agree with the point that in some fields it is appropriate for faculty to be required to spend time working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach. However the ratio of their energy spent on academic performance and practical work should be balanced to a moderate degree. Besides, there are some subjects where it is unavailable and inappropriate for faculty to do so.