The Academic Profession in Canada: Perceptions of Canadian University Faculty about Research and Teaching

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.  Jusqu’à présent, les études scientifiques sur l’expérience du corps professoral ont surtout porté sur le contexte étatsunien, accordant très peu d’attention à l’expérience vécue dans les universités canadiennes. Cet article présente les résultats de la partie canadienne d’un sondage international effectué dans 19 juridictions, et dont le but était de comprendre la perception du corps professoral envers la nature et la portée de changements modifiant le travail académique. Dans l’ensemble, les membres du corps professoral ont confié que le milieu de la recherche et de l’enseignement est solide, stimulant et dynamique, bien que des points restent à améliorer. Plus précisément, notre recherche révèle que les membres du corps professoral perçoivent une autonomie considérable sur le plan des activités de recherche, malgré le besoin grandissant d’obtenir du financement externe pour la recherche. De plus, les membres du corps professoral ont exprimé leur engagement capital envers l’enseignement au premier cycle, mais aussi un manque de clarté quant à certains problèmes liés à l’enseignement aux cycles supérieurs. Dans un contexte de changements institutionnels et professionnels rapides, les résultats du sondage fournissent un important point de départ pour de futures études sur les universités canadiennes et les conditions de travail du corps professoral

South-South-North Research Partnerships: A Transformative Development Modality?

This thesis investigates development assistance programming in the research activities of higher education institutions by studying the case of the Norwegian Programme for Education, Research and Development (NUFU) and its activities in two sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations. In this thesis, North-South Research Partnerships (NSRPs) are conceptualized through the construction of an ideal-type based on the historical record of NSRP progrmaming. A conceptual framework and analytical tool are developed in order to present the dominant norms associated with mainstream North-South research programming over the past sixty years, as firmly embedded in exploitative core-periphery dynamics. The main research questions ask to what extent the NUFU model differs from other NSRP programs, including South-South collaborative opportunities, and to what extent the program creates spaces for endogenous research needs and priorities to take precedent over exogenous demands and targets. A qualitative investigation is used to gather data from textual analysis, participant observation and key informant interviews in order to investigate how the NUFU program establishes demand-driven programs in Southern universities while negotiating the Norwegian and global political economies. A case study of a single NUFU North-South-South project demonstrates how the program framework influences the construction of the partnership modality. The findings indicate that the North-South component of the model presents significant opportunities for demand-driven research, but that changing trends in Norway are placing pressure on the program and researchers. With regard to the South-South component, the study concludes that the modality is under-conceptualized, lacks clarity of purpose and has failed to generate sustainable collaboration within the SSA region. The implications of these findings for NSRP programming, the NUFU program in particular, are that historical asymmetries remain firmly entrenched; without a radical reconstitution of the economic and political relations between Northern and Southern states, the most powerful international actors, be they states, private entities or multilateral agencies, will continue to dominate and determine knowledge production capacities and outputs. The study concludes by suggesting opportunities for NSRP programs to augment their support of Southern universities and by reflecting on how ongoing changes in current geo-political configurations could open new spaces for alternative development trajectories.Ph