Botella, J. R.

University of Queensland eSpace

 Studies in Learning, Evaluation http://sleid.cqu.edu.au  
Innovation  and Development 2(2), pp. iii–iv. 2005 
Balancing teaching and research in higher 
education 
Dr Jose (Jimmy) Botella, Faculty of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of 
Queensland. 
 
 
 
Studies in LEID is an international journal of scholarship and research that supports emerging 
scholars and the development of evidence-based practice in education. ISSN 1832-2050 
© Copyright of articles is retained by authors. As an open access journal, articles are free to use, 
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Teachers, Don’t be afraid to show off your stuff! 
Universities, Don’t be afraid to show off your staff! 
 
The current university environment in Australia rewards research productivity 
much more than teaching performance. As university employees, we are constantly 
reminded how important it is for our professional development to obtain research 
grants and produce good quality publications. Having an ARC discovery grant is 
‘very prestigious’ and tells everyone that you are in the elite of the Australian 
research community. If you are successful enough you might be offered the 
‘ultimate reward’: to buy out your teaching commitments in order to concentrate 
full time on research. But why is it that I get the feeling someone could be missing 
out on this deal? Oh yes, the students! Those annoying students. If it weren’t for 
them we would have all the time in the world to devote to our research programs. 
Then again, if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t have universities in the first place. 
 
It is easy to find reports in the newspapers about new scientific discoveries by 
university researchers, mostly promoted by the universities’ press offices, but you 
will have a hard time finding reports about those wonderful university teachers that 
shape the lives of our young people on a daily basis and help to develop the 
professionals that will drive this country in the near future. 
 
That is why it was so refreshing to participate in the 2005 Teaching and Learning 
Showcase at Central Queensland University where excellent university 
professionals were given a chance to ‘show off their stuff’ and were honoured for 
their success in their teaching careers. A variety of teaching approaches, methods, 
technologies and philosophies were discussed at the meeting. None of them had the 
ultimate answer to all problems but every single one of them provided important 
elements contributing to the overall quality of teaching and the student’s learning 
experience. From the presentations and subsequent discussions it was clear that 
different situations call for different approaches and that differences in student 
demographics (internal vs external, national vs international, young vs. mature, 
etc.) can dictate the teaching methods of choice. I found it particularly enriching to 
learn about the specific challenges that other lecturers face in different teaching 
environments and the solutions devised to cope with those challenges. 
 
I might be totally wrong, but I get the impression that there is a general sentiment 
that teaching is what you do when you haven’t been able to establish a successful 
research program. Nothing can be further from the truth. Research and teaching are 
not mutually exclusive terms. On the contrary, an active research career is an 
extremely good asset to enrich the teaching and vice versa, the teaching experience 
Page iii 
 Studies in Learning, Evaluation http://sleid.cqu.edu.au  
Innovation  and Development 2(2), pp. iii–iv. 2005 
can open new horizons and provide new perspectives on your research projects. 
Over the last 5 years my research has attracted over 7 million dollars in funding, 
generated nine international patents and produced two spin-off biotechnology 
companies. However, I would consider my career a failure if I had not been able to 
get the approval and support of my undergraduate and postgraduate students. 
Events such as the Teaching and Learning Showcase should be promoted, and 
publicised, by universities in order to boost the value of good teaching in the 
university environment. 
Page iv 


Balancing teaching and research in higher education

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Balancing teaching and research in higher education

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