Teaching in Academic Promotions at South African Universities: A Policy Perspective

A tension exists in universities where the recognition and rewards related to research and teaching in academic promotions are contested. Does teaching play a role in academic promotion and, if so, to what extent? This article examined these questions across South African universities by conducting an analysis of promotions policies and institutional self-reports. The findings show an increasing tendency to recognise teaching on par with research in academic promotions at all ranks, including full professor, especially by research-focussed universities. This mainly occurs via single-track promotion pathways with different emphases on teaching and research. Teaching portfolios that encapsulate multiple criteria are the prevailing method for evaluating documented evidence. The most common measures of teaching are student evaluations and peer evaluations, followed by reflective statements about teaching and evidence of innovative teaching practices. Two teaching criteria were important for promotion to full professor: postgraduate supervision and curriculum design.