Information technology and dissertation system reform
Bacchanalia
Over the past 5-6 years, the reform of the system for the training of highly qualified scientific and pedagogical personnel (that is, post-graduate students and doctoral students) is in full swing in Russia. One of the elements of this reform is to ensure the transparency of the thesis defense process. It would seem that a lot has been done - but what is the result? Despite all the statements of officials from education and science, life shows that it is hardly possible to talk about any positive results. Abstracts posted on the Internet, almost no one reads anyway. The number of substandard theses has not decreased, but, on the contrary, has increased. The Antiplagiat system, for the implementation of which considerable sums were spent, did not justify the hopes placed on it. It would seem: it's time to think again, analyze the mistakes made and outline ways to correct them. But instead, the reformers decide on another radical measure.
At the end of February, the following information appeared on the website of the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC):
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In accordance with paragraph 42 of the Regulations on the Council for the Protection of Dissertations for the Candidate Degree, for the Doctor of Science Degree approved by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated December 12, 2011 No. 2817 (registered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia on January 31, 2012 , registration number 23080), a dissertation council with a positive decision on the results of defending a thesis for 30 days from the date of defense sends to the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia an attestation of the applicant, which includes audio and video recordings I dissertation council in a computer-readable digital format.
It is recommended to use widely used codecs (H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC, etc.) and containers (.avi, .mp4, .mov, .mkv, etc.) when preparing audio-video recordings of the dissertation council meeting, with the permission not less than 640x480 pixels and a frequency of at least 25 fps. You can use other codecs and containers that provide the ability to play audio and video using a widespread free software.
Why is all this necessary? Can you imagine WACA experts looking at the video and checking it with a transcript of protection? I do not: after such views, there is absolutely no time left for reading and checking dissertations.
In addition, the innovation does not eliminate the abuse: if the video is not read on the expert’s computer for one reason or another, the dissertation is immediately “wrapped up”!
The list of absurd innovations does not end there. Not so long ago, a new Regulation on the dissertation council was made available on the Internet, where it was written in black and white: in addition to paper documents (which had to be sent to the HAC earlier), the author of the discharger is obliged to send also “electronic media” containing the same paper documents in defense electronic form, as well as the "electronic full-text version of the thesis."
My current activity is connected with electronic document circulation and electronic storage of documents, so this innovation has caused me very, very many questions. Why duplicate on paper what is already sent electronically (and that, accordingly, if necessary, can be printed in any quantity?)
What kind of electronic media do you mean? Is it really a CD (and this is in an era when CDs are a thing of the past as a storage medium)? What happens if a CD is accidentally damaged during transfer? That's right - the thesis, which spent a lot of time and nerves, "wrapped" ...
However, there are a number of other issues. Neither in the situation itself, nor in the orders and orders published on the VAK website, not a word was said about the formats in which information should be provided in electronic form. The dissertations in the humanities are more or less clear: they, as a rule, are pure text that can be opened and read in any of the common text editors. And how, then, to be with technical dissertations, including, for example, drawings and diagrams performed with the help of specialized software? What will happen if such a file is not read on any of the BAK computers? That's right - the thesis is “wrapped up”.
It is also interesting how the storage of information sent on electronic media will be organized. Will it still be stored on a CD? Or is it planned to create an electronic archive of the materials sent?
But the staff of the Higher Attestation Commission on these issues, unfortunately, do not give any explanations - they are unlikely to give ...
What to do?
Many representatives of the scientific community offer completely radical solutions to contemporary problems in the system of postgraduate and doctoral studies (see, for example, here ). It is possible to agree with many radical proposals, but at the same time one cannot but admit that at present they cannot be implemented. Below I will try to express a number of thoughts about the direction in which to move in reforming the dissertation system. To begin with, it seems to me, it is necessary to take steps to reduce the bureaucratization of science. For example, these are:
1. Full transition to electronic document management
HAC suffers the same malady as most state structures: with the declared transition to electronic document circulation, people continue to think in the realities of the “paper age”. The author should not waste time, nerves and money on printing, interweaving and subsequent shipment of materials. The thesis and all accompanying documents must be uploaded to the system via the web interface - that's all. Sending materials to the necessary instances (opponents, leading organizations, libraries, etc.) can be done by simply pressing a few buttons. Technically, all this is quite feasible.
2. Refusal from the practice of sending an abstract and the transition to a public discussion of the results of dissertation research
When I worked at a university, dozens of abstracts of dissertations were regularly sent to our department. Most of the author's abstracts (if it was not about the work of friends who asked us to write a review) no one has ever read. With the abstracts posted on the Internet, the situation is no better - almost nobody reads them either. In addition, writing the abstract and preparing it for publication eats up a lot of money and time. Why do virtually no work needed?
History knows examples of a different approach to the publication of research results (as it was in some countries where there are regulatory bodies similar in function to our WAC): the dissertation research is necessarily published in the form of a book, and then (after receiving and publishing licenses in the open press) goes to examination. Based on the study of work and reviews, the expert decides on the award of a scientific degree.
The publication of each dissertation in the form of a book in the current conditions will cost a penny, but it is quite possible to organize an open discussion on the Internet.
Before the defense, all materials (the text of the thesis, reviews of official opponents and just people who familiarized themselves with the work) would be nice to post in the public domain with the possibility of commenting.
3. Refusal from the list of leading peer-reviewed publications
It is not a secret for anyone that many publications in the so-called “Vakovsky” journals are a blatant fiction. The main requirement for the publication should be the availability of its own page on the Internet and the availability of publications. Ideally, each publication of the applicant should be available online. Reviews of publications is also very desirable to post in the public domain.
4. Improving communication between WAC and applicants
For several years now, all the decisions of the presidium have been promptly posted on the VAK website. Of course, this is a good thing, but here there is only one BUT: it seems that the employees of this respected organization have never heard the word “usability”. See how these very solutions are laid out: in most cases, these are just heavy scans of paper documents.
In addition, the search function was completely ugly implemented on the VAK website. The further you go, the harder it is to find something sensible on it. But ideally, everything should be like this: the applicant enters into the form the number of his own attestation case - and immediately receives information on the course of its consideration.
It would be very useful if there was a forum on the VAK website where applicants could receive answers and comments on their questions first-hand.
Of course, the measures proposed by me are by no means a panacea, but they still significantly facilitate the life of the applicant, save him time and nerves. In addition, they will help create the ground for further reform of the dissertation system.
Over the past 5-6 years, the reform of the system for the training of highly qualified scientific and pedagogical personnel (that is, post-graduate students and doctoral students) is in full swing in Russia. One of the elements of this reform is to ensure the transparency of the thesis defense process. It would seem that a lot has been done - but what is the result? Despite all the statements of officials from education and science, life shows that it is hardly possible to talk about any positive results. Abstracts posted on the Internet, almost no one reads anyway. The number of substandard theses has not decreased, but, on the contrary, has increased. The Antiplagiat system, for the implementation of which considerable sums were spent, did not justify the hopes placed on it. It would seem: it's time to think again, analyze the mistakes made and outline ways to correct them. But instead, the reformers decide on another radical measure.At the end of February, the following information appeared on the website of the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC):
')
In accordance with paragraph 42 of the Regulations on the Council for the Protection of Dissertations for the Candidate Degree, for the Doctor of Science Degree approved by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated December 12, 2011 No. 2817 (registered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia on January 31, 2012 , registration number 23080), a dissertation council with a positive decision on the results of defending a thesis for 30 days from the date of defense sends to the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia an attestation of the applicant, which includes audio and video recordings I dissertation council in a computer-readable digital format.
It is recommended to use widely used codecs (H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC, etc.) and containers (.avi, .mp4, .mov, .mkv, etc.) when preparing audio-video recordings of the dissertation council meeting, with the permission not less than 640x480 pixels and a frequency of at least 25 fps. You can use other codecs and containers that provide the ability to play audio and video using a widespread free software.
Why is all this necessary? Can you imagine WACA experts looking at the video and checking it with a transcript of protection? I do not: after such views, there is absolutely no time left for reading and checking dissertations.
In addition, the innovation does not eliminate the abuse: if the video is not read on the expert’s computer for one reason or another, the dissertation is immediately “wrapped up”!
The list of absurd innovations does not end there. Not so long ago, a new Regulation on the dissertation council was made available on the Internet, where it was written in black and white: in addition to paper documents (which had to be sent to the HAC earlier), the author of the discharger is obliged to send also “electronic media” containing the same paper documents in defense electronic form, as well as the "electronic full-text version of the thesis."
My current activity is connected with electronic document circulation and electronic storage of documents, so this innovation has caused me very, very many questions. Why duplicate on paper what is already sent electronically (and that, accordingly, if necessary, can be printed in any quantity?)
What kind of electronic media do you mean? Is it really a CD (and this is in an era when CDs are a thing of the past as a storage medium)? What happens if a CD is accidentally damaged during transfer? That's right - the thesis, which spent a lot of time and nerves, "wrapped" ...
However, there are a number of other issues. Neither in the situation itself, nor in the orders and orders published on the VAK website, not a word was said about the formats in which information should be provided in electronic form. The dissertations in the humanities are more or less clear: they, as a rule, are pure text that can be opened and read in any of the common text editors. And how, then, to be with technical dissertations, including, for example, drawings and diagrams performed with the help of specialized software? What will happen if such a file is not read on any of the BAK computers? That's right - the thesis is “wrapped up”.
It is also interesting how the storage of information sent on electronic media will be organized. Will it still be stored on a CD? Or is it planned to create an electronic archive of the materials sent?
But the staff of the Higher Attestation Commission on these issues, unfortunately, do not give any explanations - they are unlikely to give ...
What to do?
Many representatives of the scientific community offer completely radical solutions to contemporary problems in the system of postgraduate and doctoral studies (see, for example, here ). It is possible to agree with many radical proposals, but at the same time one cannot but admit that at present they cannot be implemented. Below I will try to express a number of thoughts about the direction in which to move in reforming the dissertation system. To begin with, it seems to me, it is necessary to take steps to reduce the bureaucratization of science. For example, these are:
1. Full transition to electronic document management
HAC suffers the same malady as most state structures: with the declared transition to electronic document circulation, people continue to think in the realities of the “paper age”. The author should not waste time, nerves and money on printing, interweaving and subsequent shipment of materials. The thesis and all accompanying documents must be uploaded to the system via the web interface - that's all. Sending materials to the necessary instances (opponents, leading organizations, libraries, etc.) can be done by simply pressing a few buttons. Technically, all this is quite feasible.
2. Refusal from the practice of sending an abstract and the transition to a public discussion of the results of dissertation research
When I worked at a university, dozens of abstracts of dissertations were regularly sent to our department. Most of the author's abstracts (if it was not about the work of friends who asked us to write a review) no one has ever read. With the abstracts posted on the Internet, the situation is no better - almost nobody reads them either. In addition, writing the abstract and preparing it for publication eats up a lot of money and time. Why do virtually no work needed?
History knows examples of a different approach to the publication of research results (as it was in some countries where there are regulatory bodies similar in function to our WAC): the dissertation research is necessarily published in the form of a book, and then (after receiving and publishing licenses in the open press) goes to examination. Based on the study of work and reviews, the expert decides on the award of a scientific degree.
The publication of each dissertation in the form of a book in the current conditions will cost a penny, but it is quite possible to organize an open discussion on the Internet.
Before the defense, all materials (the text of the thesis, reviews of official opponents and just people who familiarized themselves with the work) would be nice to post in the public domain with the possibility of commenting.
3. Refusal from the list of leading peer-reviewed publications
It is not a secret for anyone that many publications in the so-called “Vakovsky” journals are a blatant fiction. The main requirement for the publication should be the availability of its own page on the Internet and the availability of publications. Ideally, each publication of the applicant should be available online. Reviews of publications is also very desirable to post in the public domain.
4. Improving communication between WAC and applicants
For several years now, all the decisions of the presidium have been promptly posted on the VAK website. Of course, this is a good thing, but here there is only one BUT: it seems that the employees of this respected organization have never heard the word “usability”. See how these very solutions are laid out: in most cases, these are just heavy scans of paper documents.
In addition, the search function was completely ugly implemented on the VAK website. The further you go, the harder it is to find something sensible on it. But ideally, everything should be like this: the applicant enters into the form the number of his own attestation case - and immediately receives information on the course of its consideration.
It would be very useful if there was a forum on the VAK website where applicants could receive answers and comments on their questions first-hand.
Of course, the measures proposed by me are by no means a panacea, but they still significantly facilitate the life of the applicant, save him time and nerves. In addition, they will help create the ground for further reform of the dissertation system.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/141877/
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