Two of the most debated issues within the nation’s higher education system in the past few months have been plagiarism and degree programs. In collaboration with the National Central Library, the Ministry of Education has allocated funding to establish a plagiarism check system, which it is encouraging universities to use.
However, that system has limitations, but there are ways to make it more effective.
First, the Degree Conferral Act (學位授予法) should be amended to better meet the needs of students in professional practice master’s programs to deter cheating. Compared with Europe and the US, Taiwan’s master’s requirements are too rigid, with students having to submit a thesis or a report to graduate.
Under Article 7 of the Degree Conferral Act, students in “a professional practice master’s program” can submit a “professional practice report instead of a thesis.” That appears fair and flexible, but Article 8 still requires that a degree examination committee evaluate the report. In other words, the evaluation would still be academically focused. For students looking to put their knowledge to use in the workplace, the regulation is not to their advantage. No wonder some students try to find a ghostwriter or simply copy and paste material to complete their theses, which has severely damaged the credibility of Taiwan’s master’s degrees.
The act should be amended so that working students can choose other ways to meet the requirements.
Second, master’s degree diplomas and those of other graduate-level programs should be clearly distinguished. When the non-master’s degree programs were created, they were meant for students who wanted to pursue further education alongside their jobs. The diplomas they receive were meant to be different from those of master’s programs.
After students with these degrees protested, claiming discrimination, the two kinds of diplomas have become almost the same.
It is undeniable that the admission and graduation requirements of these non-master’s graduate programs are less stringent. Over the past decade, more such programs have been created, and more people have been conferred these degrees, but the value of the diplomas have become questionable.
Third, a mechanism of strict review should be established along with a set of disciplinary regulations. To prevent plagiarism, each university has its own check system and review standards, but so far they have not functioned effectively. For example, if some master’s or doctoral students decide not to publish their theses or dissertations, there would be no easy way to review them to prevent plagiarism.
The ministry should ask each university to institute a system that would make theses and dissertations (except those on sensitive topics) open to the public.
At the same time, once a thesis or a dissertation is found to have contravened academic ethics, not only should the student be held responsible, but also their advisers, who could be fined and forced to advise fewer students. Moreover, schools should limit the number of students admitted to that master’s program.
Receiving a degree requires more than simply studying a subject. It is a training process, and a demonstration of sincerity and integrity. Universities have become places where the rich and the powerful can benefit from each other, while diplomas have been downgraded to commodities. It is truly pathetic that we can no longer find academic ethics within Taiwan’s higher education system. The agencies responsible for educational affairs must address plagiarism immediately, right the wrongs and restore the value of diplomas.
Wen Shun-te is a high-school principal.
Translated by Liu Yi-hung
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