Universities key resource (even it top management sometimes seem to deny it) is their staff, you can tell a lot about shifts in activity by the character of staff employed across Higher Education.

In response to shifts in funding, universities are slowly moving more staff on to teaching only contracts while also reducing the number on 'full' academic contracts, (while also keeping more people on temporary contracts).

Its a further intensification of academic work.

#universities #politics

@ChrisMayLA6 What few people talk about is also how this does not work with the academic calendar. My Uni only teaches from mid -September to the end of March. My colleague on a 100% teaching contract therefore has to do 90% of their work (save for some marking and dissertation supervision) in 7.5 months. That is a massive physical and mental health challenge.

@TheCybermatron @ChrisMayLA6 we (research and teaching staff in the Netherlands) teach 50% of our time (used to be 40% a few years ago), from 1 September until 15 July... that is devastating for your research.

I admit, we regularly have some weeks without teaching because of the 50%. Mostly too short to really dive into your research.