Quality University Teaching - Too Many Sticks and Not Enough Carrots
The National Tertiary Education Union strongly supports measures to improve the teaching and learning environment in universities, but believes that we need more than statistical indicators to ensure quality. Striving for Quality released today by the Education Minister, Dr Brendan Nelson, fails to acknowledge the fundamental problems faced by our university system caused by inadequate resources – choosing the “stick” over the “carrot”.“The single greatest impediment to quality in our universities is the 25% growth in student to staff ratios between 1996 and 2001, yet the paper ignores the problem” said Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU President.
“Staff are happy to consider a wide range of options to improve quality, but first the government needs to ensure that the fundamentals are right. The real issues are allowing staff more time to devote to individual students, getting enough books into libraries and providing students with access to adequate IT infrastructure.
“NTEU agrees about the need to enhance the status of teaching. However, we are opposed to teaching-only positions as they would diminish the quality of teaching by artificially separating it from the scholarships of discovery, application and integration. The paper gives great weight to a system of national accreditation for university teachers, without recognising that institutions have a variety of mechanisms already in place. These include performance management, selection processes and peer review.”
The 2000 study on workloads and stress, Unhealthy Places of Learning (nteu.org.au), found that academics are not getting the professional development they want. 63% indicated that they had not received any professional development in the previous year. This followed the 1996 decision to cut Commonwealth funded staff development.
“Far from being resistant to professional development, university staff want the opportunity to enhance their skills, but the resources aren’t there to do it. Since 1996 there have been repeated requests to reinstate a national system of staff development.
“While many staff would agree that university teaching is often the poor cousin of research, the solution to raising its status lies in working co-operatively with academic staff, providing real support for innovative programs, and to share positive experiences and outcomes across the sector.”
Further information and comment
Dr Carolyn Allport
National President
Tel 03 9254 1910
Mob 0419 349 064
Simon Kent
Policy and Research Officer
Tel 03 9254 1910
Mob 0408 520 016