Preface
Chapter 1 Basic Principles
Chapter 2 Teaching Ethics（Attidudes and Responsibilities of Teaching）
1. Faculty members should adhere to teaching with sincerity (Principle of Enthusiasm)
2. Faculty members should always exhibit self-discipline and pursue knowledge (Principle of Self-improvement)
3. Faculty members should teach with a professional attitude (Principle of Professionalism)
Chapter 3 Academic Ethics（Attitudes and Responsibilities of Research）
1. Faculty members should conduct researches with a determination to pursue excellence (Principle of Dedication)
2. Faculty members should take a careful attitude when processing research data and results (Principle of Carefulness)
3. Faculty members should take an honest attitude when presenting research findings (Principle of Honesty)
4. Faculty members should take a just and righteous attitude when participating or when accepting academic examinations (Principle of Fairness)
Chapter 4 Ethics of Inter-Personal Relationship（Campus Inter-Personal Relationships and Life）
1. Faculty members should devote to the maintenance of harmonious relationships with peers and students (Principle of Harmony)
2. Faculty members should foster integration with other colleagues for the common goal of reaching greater educational and academic achievement. (Principle of Cooperation)
3. Faculty members should devote to campus purity (Principle of Purity)
4. Faculty members should respect educational effects of campus life, and expect to become role-models for the students (Principle of Role-modeling)
Chapter 5 Social Ethics（Interacting with the Society）
1. Serving the society should be regarded as the basic purpose when participating in different social events. (Principle of Service).
2. Faculty members should establish a proper border of acceptable behavior for every interaction with the society (Principle of Self-discipline)
Preface
The greatest threats to university autonomy and academic independence are the external interventions from politics and enterprises as well as the differences in ideals and believes between faculty members and students within the university. Hence it is necessary to maintain academic dignity and campus purity through self-discipline.
The purpose of these rules is to consolidate a common understanding and to establish a common code of ethical conducts. This level of moral and ethical regulations has a positive meaning when compared with the negative restrictions of laws and regulations, and matches the university’s liberal spirit to safeguard academic dignity.
A first-class university should insist on university autonomy and academic independence. In order to put into effect university autonomy and transform NTU into a first-class university, we should create a self-regulated campus culture built on moral and ethical foundations.
In today’s disorderly society, such conduct in the campus will become a strong force guiding the society’s “spiritual construction”. These performances will have considerable influences not only around the campus but also on the society.
March 21, 1998
To assure that National Taiwan University will be a university of the highest virtue and constant progress, the ethical code shall enumerate the values and standards of scholarly research and conduct. Faculty members should encourage and learn from each other by exchanging views and opinions, and pursue success of the supreme good and beauty.
After 18 months of revisions and 12 discussions by the Teacher’s Moral Assertion Committee(師道維護委員會), the ethical code is officially approved by the University Affairs Meeting on March 21, 1998.
Chapter 1 - Basic Principles
The University regards the exploration of truth, imparting knowledge, educating talents, and serving the society as its objectives. Faculty members of the university should adhere to the following concepts in teaching, researching, and conducting.
1. Knowledge and truth
Adhere to the pursuit of knowledge and truth
2. Freedom and self-discipline
Adhere to the pursuit of scholarly work morally, and defend academic freedom
3. Be just and objective
Maintain a just and objective attitude, and promote academic and educational developments.
4. Be honest and upright
Pursue scholarly work with honesty, and create an honest and upright atmosphere of learning.
5. Be pure and harmonious
Maintain a pure and harmonious campus environment to create a beautiful university.
6. Be respectful and cooperative
Have respect for each other, and welcome cooperation, promote the coordination, integration and development of the university.
7. Devotion to constant improvement in one’s work
Always endeavor to do better, and be proud of pursuing excellence.
8. Sincere service
Serve people ardently with knowledge, and beautify the society with moral conduct.
Chapter 2 - Teaching Ethics
One of the primary responsibilities of university faculty members is to adhere to the basic spirit of maintaining academic freedom to fulfill the goal of propagating the doctrines of ancient sages, imparting knowledge, removing doubts, and train the students so that they have the ability to think independently. In this process, faculty members should constantly improve themselves, and enthusiastically impart professional knowledge to the students to inspire their learning and thinking interests.
1. Faculty members should adhere to teaching with sincerity (Principle of Enthusiasm)
1. Should do the best to assume the responsibilities given by the university
2. Should prepare well teaching materials
3. Should adhere to the scheduled time of instruction and avoid switching or canceling classes
4. Should care for the students’ learning interests and results
5. Should encourage feedbacks from students, and provide suitable time of discussion for after-class consultations.
2. Faculty members should always exhibit self-discipline and pursue knowledge (Principle of Self-improvement)
1. Should participate in research activities and seek new knowledge
2. Should constantly study knowledge of related fields
3. Should participate in appropriate professional activities in relevant fields
4. Should take teaching evaluation results seriously, and improve teaching materials and teaching methods with appropriate timing.
3. Faculty members should teach with a professional attitude (Principle of Professionalism)
1. Class contents should match those outlined by the course
2. Course outline, teaching progress, and the principle of evaluation should be clearly demonstrated before teaching
3. Should choose appropriate reading materials, exercises, or reports to help students in learning
4. Should clearly indicate the source of all contents incorporated into teaching materials
5. Demand and examination of student performance should correlate with the course
6. Should evaluate students’ learning results with a just and fair attitude
7. Disputable arguments in sensitive topics should be explained appropriately
8. Should respect students’ position in academic freedom, and avoid direct influences on students’ independent thought.
Chapter 3 - Academic Ethics
Research and teaching are prime missions for every faculty member of the university. The university should ensure sufficient academic freedom for the faculty members to assist them in the pursuit of academic excellence. Faculty members should engage in researching and guiding researches with a high level of professional ethics, honesty, and integrity. They should consider the exploration of new knowledge, the presentation or publication of research results, and the advancement of academic standards as their responsibilities.
1. Faculty members should conduct researches with a determination to pursue excellence. (Principle of Dedication)
1. Should constantly imbibe new knowledge, and devote to research work in order to advance academic standards.
2. Should devote to the presentation or publication of research results
3. Researches should be conducted with honesty and sincerity, should not be influenced by external pressures or temptations.
4. Should mainly conduct researches that are related to respective professional field of study
2. Faculty members should take a careful attitude when processing research data and results (Principle of Carefulness)
1. Should not attempt to fabricate or alter research data, or inappropriately quote others’ materials.
2. Should properly record and preserve all related materials, and offer to relevant personage for examination or reference if appropriate.
3. Chief researchers shall be responsible for the management of all research-related materials, and organize all matters related to the presentation of result.
4. Should study and analyze all research findings carefully, including the unexpected discoveries
3. Faculty members should take an honest attitude when presenting writings or works (Principle of Honesty)
1. Should not plagiarize
2. Only those who actually participate in the research can be listed as authors or co-authors of a research
3. Source of funding, involving research personnel and related departments should be listed when presenting research work
4. Should be responsible for the research presented, and should appropriately respond to all formal inquiries
5. First announcement for research findings is best presented in scholarly journals, seminars, or patent publications
6. Should not purposely disseminate research findings to create multiple announcements and disrupt the integrality of the research
7. Should not purposely present research findings repetitiously in scholarly journals
8. Materials quoted from the works of others should be clearly cited with its source clearly indicated
9. Avoid any subjective influences on the research conclusion
4. Faculty members should take a just and righteous attitude when participating or when accepting academic examinations (Principle of Fairness)
1. Evaluators should not allow subjective position or differences in academic position to influence evaluation results.
2. Evaluators should not exploit authority to influence the researcher’s academic freedom or independent consciousness
3. Researchers should respect the evaluation committee’s procedures when undergoing examination for academic achievements
Chapter 4 - Ethics of Inter-personal Relationships
The function of the university is not merely to pursue and impart knowledge, but also to give weight to the personalities and attitudes towards life. In addition to teaching and researching, faculty members should, through the interactions of campus life, seek to establish respectful and cooperative inter-personal relationships, and devote to maintaining a pure, harmonious campus. Therefore, to fulfill the function of the university, faculty members should expect themselves to play the leading role in classroom activities and in campus life.
1. Faculty members should devote to the maintenance of harmonious relationships with peers and students (Principle of Harmony)
1. Should always consider the influence of personal conducts on the society, and expect to become role-models on the campus
2. Should adhere to the basic principle of treating fellow colleagues with respect and sincerity
3. Should respect students’ independent personality, and respect every staff member’s professional knowledge and function
4. Should appropriately protect every student’s privacy
5. Should be thoughtful of and do best to assist students and colleagues when they face difficulties
6. Appropriately participate in campus activities, and maintain proper relationships with students and staff members
7. Avoid making negative comments on colleagues, or bring harm to the inter-personal relationships of others
8. Avoid harassment, differential treatment, or any mal-behavior on both colleagues and students
9. May reasonably and properly request for the conditions of research and teaching, and protect respective rights in accordance with the law.
10. Should appropriately safeguard teachers’ dignity when necessary
2. Faculty members should foster integration with other colleagues for the common goal of reaching greater educational and academic achievement. (Principle of Cooperation)
1. Should moderately partake in administrative work
2. Should respect colleagues’ academic freedom and their independent thought
3. Strive to remain as objective as possible when evaluating colleagues’ educational and academic achievements
4. Get in contact with colleagues as much as possible for mutual benefits and teamwork
3. Faculty members should devote to campus purity (Principle of Purity)
1. Should do best to assist the university in the prevention of improper external intervention from political, economical, and other source of influences
2. Avoid having biased influences on students’ religious believes, political choices, and independent consciousness
3. Avoid the use of students, administrative personnel, and public resources for personal interests
4. Avoid the acceptance of any improper gifts
4. Faculty members should respect educational effects of campus life, and expect to become role-models for the students (Principle of Role-modeling)
1. Should achieve the effect of role-modeling through the interactions with the students
2. Should respect students as individuals with independent personality, and enable them to respect themselves and others
3. Should respect students’ legitimate rights and interests, and enable them to learn about the relative ideas of rights and obligations
4. Inspire the students to think independently through different ways of communication
Chapter 5 – Social Ethics
In addition to the basic responsibilities such as teaching and academic researches, faculty members should devote to the promotion of serving the public with the university’s knowledge and the improvement of the general mood of society. Faculty members are entitled to their own personal freedom; however, given the overlap between personal freedom and university image, faculty members should abide by the proper principles even more when interacting with the society in order to protect the university image in public and establish the university’s unique style.
1. Serving the society should be regarded as the basic purpose when participating in different social events. (Principle of Service).
1. In addition to teaching and researching, faculty members should positively care for and participate in public service in spare time.
2. Interactions with the society should be established on respective professional field of study, should devote to serving the society with knowledge, and promote the spread of knowledge.
3. When interacting with the society, faculty members should facilitate the exchange of knowledge and communication between the university and the society.
4. Social justice, public service, and the university’s needs should be regarded as priorities when interacting with the society.
2. Faculty members should establish a proper border of acceptable behavior for every interaction with the society (Principle of Self-discipline)
1. When interacting with the society, should always consider the appropriateness of personal opinion and action and be the role-model of the society.
2. Faculty members are entitled to the freedom of speech, but should avoid abusing the university’s reputation and avoid being assumed to be the university spokesperson
3. Faculty members have the personal freedom to interact with the outside world, but should always keep in mind the responsibility toward the university
4. Should avoid any negative influences that might be harmful to the university’s reputation or development when interacting with the society
5. Should avoid the abuse of the university’s image or resources for personal interests when interacting with the society
6. Should avoid any improper management of personal interests when engage in promotion education or cooperative teaching
7. Should report to the university of any part-time job taken outside of the university