Senior academics have to spend time in teaching, administration works, research (including conducting research, publishing, editorial work and reviewing), professional activities (societies, associations, academies etc.), consultancies, extension etc. What could be the norm for a senior academic in terms of time spent on research and publications?
Hi Najim, it seemed that we share a similar if not the same situation in our universities. In my place, anyone working as lecturer for a high education degree basically work in three academic pillars (education, research and public service), there comes all kind of activities you mentioned. However, because a lecturer could also be appointed as Rector, Vice Rector, Dean, Vice Dean etc., in which they are dealing with more administrative jobs - whilst still have to do all their works as a lecturer- then it is difficult to maintain the balance. More often people then absorbed by those administrative jobs and do less and less research themselves. They may assigned other people (junior or students) to physically do the research while they 'analyse' the results. It will never be the same isn't it, than if you do that research from the beginning.
To my opinion, it will be better if people could choose which academic pillar he likes most, then given a permission to dedicate themselves more in the way he chose. In such a situation you mentioned, a senior academic might only been able to spend some
I strongly disagree with both you, though I was in research field for more than a decade. If a 'researcher' choose a teaching job, then there is no room for complaining that he have to do the teaching job (write from lecture to valuation).
Any position need 'bit' of administrative work, and that 'bit' increases with your responsibility (Read as position), because higher position or designation calls for higher management skills.
Being a researcher, you have a responsibility for hand holding the new generation. This hand holding cannot be called as assigning the duty or delegating the duty.
Kenneth.
His answer is the international reality. The scholars are not shying away from students (undergraduate) not to research more, but for administrative and bureaucratic activities.
In my last fifteen years teaching before retirement, I spent 60% of my time raising funds for research, organizing a team that reached at the peak more than forty people, filling out forms, attending tedious meetings by making function attorney drafting contracts. That left 30% of the time for teaching and 10% research (I stopped in time!).
My son, who is currently a professor in France, has 90% of time to research and 10% teaching, logically its production is fantastic.
But the question should be different, what governments want from academics? Since those who dictate the rules or they are called "upper clergy academic," which occupies 100% in politics!
A senior academician must get maximum time for guiding students in research , as that is what they are supposed to do ! If they are involved in too much of UG teaching or administration, their energy may be diverted to areas which can be handled by other people. Research should take a front seat but many a times, this is not the case!
As a civil engineer I know the importance of solid foundations for any buildings, as someone who has worked in education (and still working after retirement - pro bono), I know the importance of good teachers for younger students. Many international success stories in education are based on well-trained and well-paid teachers for kids.
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As the student advances in teaching he needs more of an advisor than a teacher, a good Ph.D. student does not need more than a few hours per month for advice and course correction, a student needs good undergraduate lectures, and teachers with high qualifications and experience are required. Up to arouse students' interest in pursuing studies. A good Ph.D. studentin place of classes and tests your advisor can give you a number of papers and after a period discuss with even these papers, if he has no condition that he should not be doing a PhD.
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Now, it is more important to unlock more experienced teachers boring activities such as proofreading, exercise classes, and other bureaucratic activities, so that it continues in his research. Great schools usually deliver these boring activities for PhD students and bureaucrats capable and intelligent, and for this they are great schools.
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Perhaps the question could be rephrased to: What is the way to get rid of senior academics to focus on activities middle noblest activities (teaching, designing new research, mentoring students graduate)
I endorse Kenneth view he is spot on. This is a situation in most universities. The more grant you generate the better facilities you have. The research funding is taking most of the time of senior teachers. It should be better balanced else the teachning quality will drop, research outputs might improve in this process. But is this what the Univ are looking at. In third world the situation is even more pathetic the teachers in most universities teach and minimal research is done.
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