ACADEMIC PERCEPTIONS OF THE VALUE OF TEACHING FOR UNIVERSITY PERFORMANCE

This study aims to find out how the value of teaching is perceived in the valued outputs and impacts of universities, and their metrics, and how this relates to the nature of academic work.The study was conducted as a qualitative interview study (n=23) in two Finnish higher education institutions in relation to the work environment change projects.By examining the interplay between the nature of academic work and the metrics used to evaluate teaching performance, the study provides new insights into the structural and systemic reasons for the undervaluation of teaching and suggests ways to address them.This study shows that, compared to research, teaching in higher education lacks metrics to assess its performance in terms of quality and at the individual academic level.However, the nature of academic work is such that it highlights the importance of measuring individual academic performance in career advancement.Together these two aspects may create a mechanism that leads to undervaluing teaching.