Teaching academics in higher education: resisting teaching at the expense of research

Abstract

The experiences of academics caught up in the rise of teaching academic (TA) (teaching-only) roles in Australia, the UK, the USA, and Canada, are not well documented in the literature. This paper describes a recent university restructure that resulted in a significant increase in teaching-only positions being created. Despite the claims by the university that teaching-only roles demonstrate excellence and innovation in teaching, the actual experiences of TA in the last few years have highlighted a common finding of "the perceived low value of the TA role and confusion about what the role entails" (Bennett et al., 75:271-286, 2018, p. 271). We use a more local conception of regime of truth as a tool (Gore, 1993) for reflecting on possibilities for resistance and re-imagining how we might think about ourselves beyond 'second tier'. By understanding that a reconceptualisation of ourselves is simultaneously within a given regime but also outside of it, allowing for reading the regime and thinking about the production of that regime in ways that open up possibilities for creating a space for talking and sharing both research and teaching, which is also within the 'cultural web' of the university.

Navigating the neo-academy: Experiences of liminality and identity construction among early career researchers at one Australian regional university

“…Instead, time to reflect (that is, engage in the thinking of identity construction) in any intentional way was compromised by their heavy workload, university expectations and a lack of preparedness to navigate the complexities of the academy. As in previous studies (Nicholson & Lander, 2020;Rogers & Swain, 2021), both Rory and Morgan felt overwhelmed by the range of academic responsibilities, particularly teaching compounding the pressure of intensified academic performance expectations. Dugas et al (2020) similarly report on the simultaneous pull between teaching and research occurring in regional universities, where research expectations have escalated but teaching expectations have not decreased.…”

“…One of the immediate challenges facing ECRs as they transition from their doctoral research status is the procurement of secure employment, whether within or outside of the Academy (Rogers & Swain, 2021). Significantly however, even where ECRs hold academic positions within the Academy, studies have reported concerns about excessive workloads, with ECRs required to "do more and run faster" (Peterson, 2011, p. 36), and a lack of quality support offered to achieve this (Locke et al, 2016).…”

“…Despite their novitiate status, ECRs in the employ of university contexts are required to meet amplified research expectations alongside their more experienced colleagues, while concurrently navigating the complexities of academic life that often includes substantial teaching workloads, building research capacities (Zipin & Nuttall, 2016) and importantly, continuing the journey of researcher identity development (Castelló et al, 2020). Regional university settings, and particular disciplines such as education, have been identified as conspicuous sites of rapidly escalated research performance expectations in a bid to remain competitive (Rogers & Swain, 2021).…”

“…Regional universities, in particular, have been significantly impacted by this Report (Aprile et al, 2020). With many traditionally less competitive in research than their top tier counterparts (Diezmann, 2018), and in some cases known more predominantly as teaching universities (Rogers & Swain, 2021), many regional universities immediately began to amplify performative policy around research productivity in a bid to improve their measurable research outputs. As warned by Dougherty and Natow (2020, p. 465), under this metric-based regimen, universities are at risk of being seen as "winners or losers, leaders or laggards", meaning that regional universities, regardless of potential financial, geographical, demographic or axiomatic differences, are forced to compete with elite institutions.…”

Beyond ‘Aware and Paralysed’: Governance, Research and Leadership at the Nexus of Academic Development and Corporate Universities

“…Recent scholarship has focussed on the public role of the university sector, from its position as a democratic space (Brennan, 2010;Evans et al, 2019;Tapanila et al, 2020), to the role of academics as public intellectuals and stewards of robust thought and progressive thinking (Benson & Boyd, 2015;Fraser & Taylor, 2016;Giroux, 2014). However, the role of the university is frequently undermined, or usurped, by alternative agendas under ailing capitalist structures (Giroux, 2014) and staff under these transformed structures are left reeling after continued erosion of the fundamental purpose of their institutions, arcane changes to metrics which transform scholarship, and increasingly troubling employment conditions (Cornelius-Bell & Bell, 2021;Rogers & Swain, 2021;Rogers et al, 2020;Walker et al, 2022).…”