An Interview with Robert Shaw

1. What makes you decide to come to China and teach in GDUFS? Do you like your life and work here?

First of all, I have been here for two and a half years and I'm in my third year here. I just enjoy China, the university, the students and being with other teachers. I just like the life really. I come from New Zealand and my family is back to New Zealand. So when I have holidays, I came back to New Zealand and stayed with my family.

2. You’re a dedicated and excellent educator. What do you think is the most rewarding part in education?

The most rewarding part is the students, of course. When they come to learn and are interested in subjects and when I have succeeded, that is definitely the most rewarding part. I think most teachers will tell you that.

3. You created a website for students and I believe you must devote lots of time managing the website. I wonder what encourages you to do this.

The website really takes a little bit of time, but it actually saves me time. Because when people ask me questions about things or they want presentations or they need notes or something, I just say:" go to the website". I don't have to find things and get them to people. So the website really saves me time. And build up a record for what I have done. If I do something produced, I can send a video or an audio tape and then put it on the website. So when people are interested in that subject, I just say to them:" Go to the website". And I don't have to find things for them.

4. You ask your students to write an e-mail to introduce themselves at the beginning of the semester. It is very nice of you to be their friend, but in China, teachers get on with their students in a totally different way. What’s your opinion about the relationship between teachers and students?

I see what I'm doing here is giving the Chinese students a chance to work in the same way as they would if they are in western university. So I treat them the same way we treat them in the western university. And that's different from the way they have been treated here. So what I try to do is to give them to send the e-mail when we start. And I tell them to say something about themselves and I say to them not to just tell me "my name is, I'm 22 years of age or whatever and my hometown is and it's very pretty and I love it and we've got great food", because that is what they would tend to say, most of them. You have got to tell me something interesting about your family, your history, your parents or your grandparents. Because what I am trying to do is to get the students to think more about things, to try to say more about things. And when they do that and reply to that, then I try to give them a little reply and make connection with them. And the reason for doing all the things is because if they know nearly a little bit that I know them. Then it might be a little easier for them to work harder to focus on the course. In other words, that is motivation for them.

Robert Shaw and KE Youyue

5. We looked up your CV when we are preparing for this interview. We are amazed at your achievements and experience. You have academic qualification in both science and arts, and apart from that, you have various services and editorial appointments. How have you managed to do that?

It helps to be a bit older. Because when you go on, you get older and you get more thinks like all adult. So when you got something on your CV, it stores it forever. The older you get, the more you got. So your question was how you found the time to do all those things. All teachers have got. Some teachers have got really three things: teaching they do, research they do and they also have some kind of service thing. And you just might fit in as fast as you can. Some people think when you got holidays and you would go back to your hometown. And off you go, you are in holiday. But teachers actually don’t stop working on holidays; teachers keep doing their research on the holidays. So when you are not here, that is when the teachers do their research and other things. In the Chinese university, if you came here in the holidays quite often you find this place close. But in the Western university, they just keep going through holidays. It doesn't mean they don't take time off sometimes. The answer to your question really is that people work through their holidays and somehow things just fit in.

6. Most Chinese students are not interested in academic research. For example, business students are probably more willing to participate in a real business act, so how can you motivate their passion in research work?

If you want to learn how to be involved in business in a practical way, don't come to university and go to work on business. And that is the only way you can learn how to work in business. You have to go to work there. You know, you get time to do that when you go out. Sometimes students go out to work on business and that gives you some practical experience. But you really can't learn to be a business person in the university. You can't. Universities aren’t places for them really. So what the subject business is in university is about the theory of business, is about how business relates to society, and is about the theory of effects that is based on the decisions you make. People think it should be practical, but it is not and nor can be.

7. Many college students are quite disoriented, having trouble in finding their place in such a complex society. What advice will you give them?

I was having my lunch in No.2 cafeteria, and a little girl came and said her name was June. She was born in the month of June, so she adopted her English name June. She said she was 17 years of age and first year here. I said June what caused you interested in accounting. And she said I didn't. She didn't want to do accounting. She said:" My mom and Dad had me to do accounting."

I said:" what do you want to do. " She said:" I want to do Chinese culture." So you got a problem, didn't you? So a lot of students here are doing subjects they don't want to do. So we got to work towards to give students a choice. So they can choose what subject they do. And once a student takes a particular course, like accounting for example, they went into a class of 30 others. They knock into the system. They all do the same subject. They all stay together. A lot of students in the business school, they don't like their subject. Probably most of them would be glad to do something else. Somehow, we got a chance and worked on that problem. So one day, you have more choice in the subject you do.

8. You know, in China, students are studying in a very standardized education system, so it’s very difficult for them to develop a creative and independent thinking pattern. How do you inspire your students to step out of the stereotypes?

The first step is that don't have an exam. By exam, I mean kind of exams that we go and sit down in a room and you write in spot on your paper. That is what I mean by exam. Instead of having an exam, you have to write papers during your course. Many ways, they have been tired of having exams, because of just the thing you have raised. They have to think themselves to generate their own ideas to do their own research. So that is really to make progress on the question. You have got to stop doing exams. It is really easy for teachers to send exams and the students do it and that is it, over. But it doesn't help, just for the reason you see. So we have to stop having mounding exams. And that is one of the things this university got to work them. Because most of teachers and students thought it is a record and we got to have them. But a natural thing, exams do more help. You've done a lot of exams and you don't like exam.