Download - Academic Staff in the UAE: Unsettled Journey
Academic Staff in the UAE: Unsettled
Journey David Chapman, University of Minnesota
Ann Austin, Michigan State UniversitySamar Farah, Dubai School of Government
Elisabeth Wilson, University of MinnesotaNatasha Ridge, Dubai School of Government
March 2011
Growth and transformation of higher education across much of the Middle East
A remarkable success story
Government seeks a knowledge-based economy
High level of government support for higher education in the UAE
Postsecondary options Expanded
New universities Created
Enrollments Grown
Number of instructional staff
Increased
Rapid growth also poses serious challenges
Main challenge: Improving the quality of instruction and research in UAE universities
At present, no UAE university ranks among the top 300 in the world.
ChallengesFaculty are dedicated teachers…but they will need
to stay current in their fields and expand their teaching strategies to meet student needs
Research is important to international standing…but it is a new expectation, and usually only at research universities
In moving forward…choices to make
How to mobilize, deploy and manage human resources
Institutional excellence depends on the quality of the faculty
Example: Student learning depends on instructional quality
UAE faces a somewhat unique challenge
Heavy reliance on expatriate instructors
All of whom are on short term (usually 3-year) contracts
Conceptual framework:
These essential elements do much to define the professional satisfaction, motivation, commitment of faculty members.
In turn, these essential elements are central to establishing the conditions for educational quality.
Equity -- fair employment policies and access to resources
Autonomy -- freedom of expression in research and teaching without institutional censorship.
Flexibility -- suitable work arrangements, benefits, and
opportunities for a career change.
Professional growth -- opportunities for faculty to pursue projects, programs and knowledge-exchanges that lead to their development and satisfaction.
Collegiality -- opportunity to feel part of a community,
which values their contribution and engages them in decision making.
The StudyRandom sample of instructors at 3
public and 3 private institutions in UAE (undergraduate courses: arts & sciences, engineering, chemistry, biology)
Interviews with random sample of 32 instructors; 4 senior level administrators
ResultsCharacteristics of UAE instructional staff: Male outnumbered female instructors by 2:1 (21
males; 11 females)Heavily expatriate; broad range of nationalitiesTerminal degree: About ½ of instructors had
Ph.D.s; 20% had BA
Motivation to teach in the UAE
Motivations clustered into 5 categories
Adventure seekersRoot seekersRedemption seekersComfort seekersMeaning seekers
Adventure seekers Academic nomads - young, mobile,
seeking noveltyRecent retirees - end of career but not
ready to stop working
Good at their workCommitted to well-being of studentsLittle long-term commitment to the institutionThinking about their next adventure
Root seekersProximity to extended family members
in nearby countriesBut…better salary and quality of life
than if they relocated to those countries.
Professional advancement was not a primary consideration
Redemption seekers
Difficulties in previous position or personal lives (divorce, denied tenure, fired, experienced conflict)
Seek another chance; a new beginning
Comfort seekers
Mixed-race or cross-ethnic marriages
Find multi-ethnic character of UAE to be attractive, more comfortable
Meaning seekersMostly Emirati instructors
Committed to building UAE Mostly teaching in public universities, hence,
teaching Emirati students If Emirati, received better salary and job
security than others
Instructors saw themselves as being ‘away from home’
Many instructors coming to teach at UAE universities do not expect to stay
Current government policies do not typically grant
citizenship to expatriates. Neither universities nor many instructors seek or want
long-term organizational commitment.
Everyone wins
Transience has consequences for higher education institutions
Hard to build institutional loyalty or
commitment on the part of faculty
Equity (in compensation)Emeratis and Ex-Pats are in different
compensation categories. However, within each group, considerable comparability in compensation and benefits within institutional types
Salaries are competitive, but not necessarily a
windfall
For most, compensation levels are an attractive feature but not a major magnet in attracting them to a faculty position in the UAE
Flexibility
policies and procedures that enable instructors to adjust their work arrangements as needed to do well in both their jobs and their personal responsibilities
Faculty said:Flexibility is problematic and limitedNot safe to challenge leadership, express
dissatisfaction, or raise criticismsTake safest course –”hunker down” Net result: Limited ability to push for changes in
their teaching load or other working conditions
Administrators said:Some administrators discounted these
concerns They think faculty stories of capricious
firings were overblown and overstated But fact or fiction, these concerns were
salient in the minds of instructional staff
Collegiality Many expressed positive regard for their
colleagues, quality of their working relationships, & atmosphere of workplace
Yet decision making processes caused concern and dampened collegiality (top-down, lack of transparency)
Faculty feel expendable, “hired hands”
Little identification with institution
While most instructors reported having little interest in institutional governance, most administrators showed little interest in having them involved
Given short-term nature of faculty contracts, why involve faculty in long-term decisions
Professional development Administrators varied in the value they attached to
professional development activities Most thought their institution offered relevant
opportunities
Faculty members tended to see this differently
Faculty thought professional development opportunities tended to be highly structured, limited in scope, and not particularly helpful
Autonomy
Similarities to other well-developed higher education systems:
Considerable autonomy in their classroom teaching methods
Appropriate but less autonomy with respect to curricular decisions
Autonomy (continued)
Differences from other well-developed higher education systems:
Autonomy tended to end at the classroom door
Little autonomy in terms of larger issues of academic freedom
Perception that criticism of institutional policies was not welcome and poorly tolerated
Conclusion
As the UAE seeks to build a world class higher education system….a central question:
How will universities engage, support, and
respect instructional staff in ways that encourage them to view themselves as professionals committed to the overall quality and welfare of the institution?