Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

Question Scans

Question 20: Do research obligations of tenure-tracked faculty negatively affect the quality of undergraduate education?

Overview

The purpose of this question scan was to examine whether faculty at research universities are functioning adequately in their roles as teachers and researchers. An examination of articles on the relationship between tenure-tracked faculty and undergraduate students may present information as to whether students at research universities are provided adequate access to professors and a quality education.

The initial search, utilizing applicable search terms in three major databases, generated 270 potentially relevant articles written between 1985 and 2005. A subsequent examination of article abstracts reduced the number to 170. The majority of research appears to emanate from the United States, which may owe either to that country’s greater recognition of the issue, or simply its capacity to generate research.

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