Table 2 Questions asked to academics in semi-structured interviews

1

With reference to your own university, to what extent is there a strong emphasis on disciplinary research and publication?

2

With reference to your own university, to what extent is there a strong emphasis on learning and teaching and publication?

3

With reference to your own university describe the extent to which academics focused on learning and teaching are valued? What are the indicators of this?

4

With reference to your own university describe the extent to which the quality of teaching is valued? What metrics are used to provide evidence of value and quality?

5

With reference to your own university, describe the extent to which disciplinary science research is valued? What metrics are used to provide evidence of value and quality?

6

With reference to your academic role, how much time in your role did you spend this semester on teaching, administration and disciplinary science research/scholarship?

7

Describe some of the metrics which should be used to evaluate education-focused positions and/or education component of the academic role in science

8

Should universities appoint academics in education-focused positions, separately to disciplinary research? Explain reasoning for your answer

9

Flexibility in the academic role in the sciences is being broadly discussed? To what extent is flexibility possible in the academic role? For example is it possible to move from focus on research, to education and back again? What metrics and/or evidence is used to provide evidence of value and quality?

10

Which source of metrics and/or evidence (i.e. student evaluation, peer evaluation, awards, student progression) do you most value when evaluating the quality of your teaching?

11

What is meant by the scholarship in teaching and learning?

12

Are you published in learning and teaching? If so what value does it add to your role as an academic?

13

What factors are primary in driving your decisions to work in education, research or both? Considering your academic work, how many hours to you spend in a typical week on the following activities

(a) Teaching

(b) Research

(c) Service (unpaid assistance to government agencies or colleagues)

(d) Administration (unit co-ordination, committee meetings)

(e) Other (attending conferences, reviews)

14

Considering your academic work, how many hours to you spend in a typical year on the following activities

(f) Teaching

(g) Research

(h) Service (unpaid assistance to government agencies or colleagues)

(i) Administration (unit co-ordination, committee meetings)

(j) Other (attending conferences, reviews)

15

Considering promotion and promotion committees which of the following activities is likely to influence the decision

(a) Teaching

(b) Research

(c) Service (unpaid assistance to government agencies or colleagues)

(d) Administration (unit co-ordination, committee meetings)

(e) Other (attending conferences, reviews)