Workload management for academics within higher education settings has been and continues to be heavily contested and cited by some as a challenge that has proved impossible to satisfactorily decipher. This is especially problematic within postgraduate contexts where academics have multilayered roles and responsibilities that include teaching,…

In the Nordic context, transnational discourses influence recontextualisation of ideas and discourses, and thus, how local actors negotiate around values imbued with ideas and discourses. In Sweden, the idea of teacher assistants has been prompted -- through policy discourses on teacher professionalism -- under imperatives of reducing teachers'…

Expectations placed on School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) teachers are wide and varied as they fill an array of roles and responsibilities. Tasks associated with teaching SBAE can be inferred from literature related to the needs, challenges, and characteristics of these teachers. As an integral component of SBAE, classroom and laboratory…

This paper begins by establishing the A+ Inquiry model as a theoretical lens for assessing needs related to program assessment workload by demonstrating its alignment with elements of five published frameworks associated with higher education assessment. Then, it uses the model as a frame of reference to explore faculty needs related to program…

Using the rights contained in the Freedom of Information Act, we collected data on the teaching undertaken by staff at 52 UK universities. In contrast to workload modelling, our data reveals the extent of the variation in contact hours by institution, subject, and seniority. We provide for the first time an accurate measure of the teaching…

A large body of scientific literature has highlighted the gendered division of academic work, particularly the undervalued and invisible tasks that make up the less prestigious dimension of the academic professions. Informed by the concept of 'academic housework', this paper explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gendered…

This paper presents an improved Distributed Genetic Algorithm (DGA) that surpasses the classic genetic algorithm (GA) in terms of both efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to optimizing faculty scheduling systems. The proposed Differential Evolution Genetic Algorithm (DGA) combines DE with chaotic mapping and asynchronous communication to…

The promotion of blended learning has not only enhanced instructional quality but also increased the workload, pressure, and professional challenges faced by university teachers. This study aims to identify patterns of work-related behavior and experience pertaining to successful blended instruction. From the perspective of conservation of…

This paper shows how system-level data can generate useful insights into the profile of first-year graduates who are teaching out-of-field (OOF). Understanding in-school demand and impacts on first-year graduates teaching OOF is important, especially when the first years of teaching are complex, busy, and involve a steep learning curve. A mixed…

Purpose: This study aims to raise the issue of the president as the intellectual leader of the university in that they are the voice of the importance of the Humanities, both in inclusion and diversity measures, in decolonizing the curriculum and recognizing the importance of teaching life skills to students. Design/methodology/approach:…

The nature of academic appointments in Australia has changed. Given the recent emergence and growth of teaching focused academics roles across countries and contexts, in this conceptual paper we begin by parsing the language and role descriptions used for these academic appointments. Then, we consider what we know about teaching focused academics…

This article focuses on academic temporalities to consider the rhythms, repetitions and discontinuities of academic work. Using a photo-serial methodology which generated an archive of images taken at the same time of day for a fortnight, we take up material and affective theories to rethink academic work as assemblages or micro-worlds that emerge…

Much has been written on tenure status among librarians due to the unique work responsibilities they have in comparison to other faculty across campus. This study explores one facet of work often unique to tenure-track librarians--long-term or permanent management responsibilities. In addition to gathering descriptive data about what type of…

This paper focuses on our experiences as higher education workers and the changing work culture that has resulted in the move to online digital labour. The shift to online and remote teaching has had disastrous impacts on academics' ability to both pursue research, and maintain a work-life balance. Examined in this paper is an understanding of how…

Purpose: This study was conducted to fill gaps in the literature based on institution type, career level, and gender identity. Design/methodology/approach: Faculty often struggle with achieving work-life balance. This struggle is exacerbated for faculty parents. Most academic parent research has been conducted on early-career women and at…