Teaching has always been and remains a core function of universities. However, there is a pervasive assumption that research activity is privileged over teaching contributions, particularly when hiring, tenure and promotion decisions are being made. Where do such beliefs come from? Are these assumptions based on policy or practice, or a combination of the two? Is research privileged, and if so, does teaching really matter? This dissertation considers the assumption that teaching is undervalued in Canadian universities, particularly within the context of institutional reward structures and more specifically in relation to the tenure review.
My dissertation examines the emergence of formal faculty evaluation systems in the second half of the 20th Century and considers various influencing factors on their development, including the evolution and adoption of tenure within academia and the move toward faculty collective bargaining.
The extensive body of literature on the evaluation of teaching provides a conceptual framework to examine the current Canadian landscape. Specifically, this involves a comprehensive review and analysis of tenure policies from 46 Canadian universities. This study reviews these polices to determine the extent to which they reflect the recommendations emerging from the current literature.
The results of this review reveal that the recommendations from the literature are inconsistently reflected in current tenure policies at most institutions. In particular, a clear definition of “teaching effectiveness” is absent from the majority of policies. However, institutions have more consistently adopted the recommendation for multiple measures and means of assessing teaching effectiveness. For example, there exists a wide use of course evaluations and an increasing use of teaching dossiers to document teaching contributions at Canadian universities.
Subsequently, this study examines in detail five policies (from the universities of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan and from York and Nipissing universities) that most thoroughly reflect the recommendations in the literature. These policies may be understood as models of emerging effective process.
By identifying inconsistencies, shifting practices, and emerging trends, this study provides a foundation for further research on the evaluation of teaching at Canadian universities and will aid universities in the process of reviewing their own tenure policies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/31764 |
| Date | 09 January 2012 |
| Creators | Gravestock, Pamela |
| Contributors | Jones, Glen A. |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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