The dilemmas of the 'efficiency university' policy and the everyday life of university teachers

Global, neo-liberalistic social and education policy has changed the working conditions and the working culture in universities. Enrolments have grown and the demands for efficiency have increased. This article analyses the manifestation of these changes in the everyday life of university teachers, particularly in their teaching. The data used for the article consist of essays written by teachers (n = 150) who participated in courses of University Pedagogy held at the University of Turku, Finland during the years 1996-2005, in which they describe the cultural and structural limitations of their working environment. The themes that arose from the essays were categorised as follows: teaching vs. research, academic hierarchy, problematic students and academic loneliness. The results indicated that the new university policy is manifested and experienced in various and contradictory ways, especially concerning the relationship between teaching and research.