ERIC Number: EJ1113456
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0316-1218
EISSN: N/A
The Academic Profession in Canada: Perceptions of Canadian University Faculty about Research and Teaching
Gopaul, Bryan; Jones, Glen A.; Weinrib, Julian; Metcalfe, Amy; Fisher, Donald; Gingras, Yves; Rubenson, Kjell
Canadian Journal of Higher Education, v46 n2 p55-77 2016
Previous scholarly attention to the experiences of faculty members has emphasized the contexts of US institutions, with minimal attention to the experiences of faculty members at Canadian universities. This paper presents the findings of the Canadian component of an international survey that was administered in 19 different jurisdictions to understand the perceptions of faculty members about the nature and scope of changes to academic work. As such, the paper explores the perceptions on research and teaching of full-time faculty members affiliated with Canadian universities. Overall, faculty members revealed that Canadian universities have strong, engaging, and vibrant research and teaching environments, yet there are also areas for improvement. Specifically, findings showed that faculty members perceived considerable autonomy with respect to research activities, despite the increasing need to secure external funding for research. Also, faculty expressed substantial commitment to teaching undergraduate students but a lack of clarity about some issues related to graduate teaching. The survey results provide an important baseline for future studies of Canadian universities and the working conditions of the professoriate in a time of rapid institutional and professional change.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, College Faculty, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Research, Instruction, Educational Change, Teacher Surveys, Productivity, Teacher Collaboration, Knowledge Management, Concept Formation, Commercialization, Social Influences, Teaching Experience, Online Surveys
Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education. P.O. Box 34091, RPO Fort Richmond, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5T5, Canada. Tel: 204-474-6404; Fax: 204-474-7561; e-mail: csshe@cc.umanitoba.ca; Web site: http://csshe-scees.ca/publications/canadian-journal-of-higher-education/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A