Over the past decade, HESA data has consistently shown a growth in the number and proportion of academic staff on a “teaching” contract – focusing on teaching and scholarship rather than research.
The growth in numbers of academics on this pathway, and the way that the sector has come to rely on these academics can be attributed to many different factors. Perhaps most notably, the rise of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and the increased importance given to student satisfaction measures within league tables suggest a renewed institutional focus on teaching quality. Alternatively, we could be seeing elements of institutional attempts in advance of REF submissions in order to reduce the numbers of “researchers” without outputs.
However, there is evidence that a generation of academics are re-evaluating their priorities and pursuing a more authentic career focused upon the vocation of education. Education-focused pathways are perhaps most prevalent within the business and management discipline, something which can be attributed to the growing demand for business and management programmes at undergraduate (including degree apprenticeships) and postgraduate levels, and the necessary staffing of these significant teaching hours.
