Sharp rise in professors hired to teach

Many Canadian universities are seeing a sharp increase in the number of professors hired to primarily teach rather than research. While that may be good news for students, the change could threaten the mission of universities, writes Simona Chiose for The Globe and Mail.

More than 40 Canadian universities provided The Globe and Mail with data on their faculty ranks. In spite of differences among universities, what becomes clear is that teaching-focused positions have seen consistent and sharp increases at many of the country’s most prominent post-secondary institutions, and the model is growing at smaller universities as well.

Teaching-track faculty hold the promise of resuscitating university education on a more personal scale. They have 20% more time to teach than do research, and usually get their jobs because they’ve proven they care about the student experience. Yet separating teaching and research could make universities not that different from colleges or high school.
Full report on The Globe and Mail site