Scholarship and teaching-focused roles: an exploratory study of academics’ experiences and perceptions of support

Teaching-focused career tracks are increasingly prevalent across the Higher Education sector internationally, driven by student number growth and perceived managerialist agendas. Opportunities for advancement are challenged, however, by ambiguous and inconsistent conceptual frameworks regarding the role of scholarship in career progression, structural inequalities relating to available development support, and an absence of role models. The findings of a survey conducted with teaching-focused academics working in the UK identified an urgent need for clarity from the sector and more structured development opportunities for those employed on teaching-focused career paths. It is critical to ensure equity in professional opportunity, to truly embed teaching-focused careers into academic culture, and for institutions to fully benefit from the output of their scholarship activity. Until a more precise and consistent understanding of the concept of scholarship is established and the developmental support infrastructure is more comprehensive, barriers for those pursuing teaching-focused career routes will remain.