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The University of Otago is ranked as one of the best tertiary institutions in New Zealand. As quoted by Chancellor John Ward in the University’s 2013 Annual Report, “students are taught by world-leaders in their fields, and our graduates continue to be sought after by employers for their independence, critical thinking and aptitude for life-long learning.” These “world-leaders” are your lecturers; they are the ones researching the topics that are later taught to you in class.

Research is a key component to the University, but a number of students and staff have questioned whether research is taking priority over teaching. OUSA’s Student Support told Critic that members of the Education Department had commented that research was becoming more of a priority. Student Support Manager Matt Tucker said that a place “teaching how to teach” was having the focus taken away from teaching due to emphasis on research. Although the Education Department would not comment directly to Critic on this, we investigated what role research plays at the University and how this is impacting students.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Blaikie agreed that research at the University has increased over the past few years. He said research has “grown from 4,047 items in 2009 to 5,226 in 2012, an increase of 29 per cent.” Blaikie further added that “In international research publication and citation measures, our performance as the top New Zealand university for publications per academic staff member, and the citations that these publications receive, has been consistent for many years.” He said “Otago’s vision is that we are ‘a research-led University with an international reputation for excellence.’ Accordingly, excellence in both research and teaching are among the seven strategic imperatives of the University, and these two vital activities are closely linked.”

A major aspect of research when it comes to New Zealand Universities is the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) which is granted to a University based on their research output. Blaikie said, “As well as being a substantial component of the University’s funding, PBRF, through its quality evaluation exercise, ensures a rich and detailed view of the research performance at all New Zealand’s tertiary institutions, much of which is supported by taxpayer funding.” PBRF granted $53.39 million to the University in 2013. He said “The latest PBRF exercise confirms that Otago maintains a strong and balanced scorecard as a top-ranked university for research.”

The University’s 2013 Annual Report showed that PBRF testing ranked the University first for research quality weighted by postgraduate role; second for quality relative to enrolments at degree-level and higher; third for the quality of research by staff who submitted portfolios for assessment; and fourth for the measure across academic staff. The report also noted that of the 1,318 Otago staff who participated in the evaluation, 735 were ranked as either “A” (high international standing) or “B” (high national standing) for the quality of their research.

As Blakie mentioned, over $53 million of income was made through PBRF. The University’s Annual Reports stated that “The University of Otago gained around 20 per cent of the total [PBRF] funding pool.” Students, both domestically and internationally, contributed $141.2 million in fees. Thus, students contributed $87.8 million more than the Research Fund. If the claims that research is taking priority over students’ learning experience holds true, are students really getting out of Otago what they put in?

A lecturer at the University told Critic, “The revenue towards teaching versus the effort that goes in is out of sync.” He said, “The excuse is that it’s the role of the University to research and stuff like that; nobody disputes that at all. But when you get students paying up to 80 per cent of the revenue and focus is more on the research side of things, they have a right to be grumpy.” He said the research focus is taking time away from students. “[When it comes to PBRF] the University goes manic, and a lot more focus is put on research - that’s what lecturers are rewarded on. If you’re smart, that’s where you put your effort in.”

Sean Fitzsimons, Head of the Geography Department, believed the balance was equal at Otago. “In terms of looking at the performance of academic staff and the promotions process that we have, I think there’s at least equal weight on teaching and research. I think it’s actually quite balanced.” Fitzsimons told Critic he “understands where the comment is coming from, particularly with the pressure that’s put on by our Perfomance Based Research Fund that we have in New Zealand.” However, he said, “my experience as a Head of Department for the last six years shows that that’s just not true.”

David Bishop, Professional Practice Fellow in the Department of Marketing, said that balance is key when it comes to research and teaching. He said, “There is a great deal more emphasis on research than there used to be, and that has been, to some extent, not in the best interests of teaching. I suspect that maybe there isn’t enough resources being put into teaching because research is being made such a high priority.” He said, “it appears there’s a lot of emphasis on research now because most academic staff have to achieve certain standards in PBRF … If they don’t, their careers are in danger.”

Bishop referred to students as somewhat customers of the University. They pay for their education, therefore deserve to get the most out of their lecturers in regards to this. He did note, however, that research informed teaching is a vital aspect of any University, “anyone can stand up and read bits out of a book, but you’d like to think, as a student, that you’re hearing from an expert on the topic that you’re being taught.”

Dean and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor George Benwell said, “everyone gets the perception that research is the neon flashing lights and teaching is the poor cousin, but that’s a misconception.” He said “Research has a high profile … more dollars attached to it, more public appeal, therefore it’s more visible.” However, he adds, “The University’s job is to uncover new knowledge, and impart that knowledge onto the community of students.” Benwell said “We’re a University, therefore we must do both … A teacher has to be a researcher, and a researcher has to be a teacher, that’s what a University is.”

Blaikie concurred with this view. He said “teaching excellence is a clear priority and the University is committed to ensuring a strong research-teaching link, and one which achieves a synergy between these two defining activities.” He said, “teaching by international experts at the forefront of their fields ensures that Otago can continue to offer world-class qualifications to its graduates.” He also noted that “The Tertiary Education Commission’s annual monitoring shows that over the past several years Otago students have performed very strongly in key indicators.” This includes course completion and retention rates.

Professor Lyall Hanton, the Head of the Chemistry Department and a member of the Staffing Advisory Committee explains, “The University normally expects a staff member to spend about 40 per cent of their time on research, 40 per cent on teaching and 20 per cent on service.” He said “The reason people may feel that there is more emphasis on research at the moment is because we are currently half way through the PBRF assessment period, and the University is gearing up for this. People are obviously talking more about research, but that is not to say that any focus is being taken away from teaching … the balance between the two has always been good and is so at present.” Hanton said “research and teaching are not mutually exclusive and to be a good teacher you should be a good researcher and vice versa … We do that really well here at Otago.”

Another lecturer however, noted that the split between research and teaching does not work as well between different departments. He said throughout the Otago Business School, “You can split [staff] into three categories: good teachers; good researchers; and those who are involved with public service.” He said, “the model for the science side of the University is the same as for the Business School, and it just doesn’t work. We should be engaging with New Zealand businesses.” In regards to the push for research, he believes, “if you did a survey on how people are coping, it’s not a happy place because of that.” He said “the resources [the University] throw in to PBRF drives people crazy.”

The Tertiary Education Commission New Zealand has rated the University of Otago as top of all New Zealand Universities for the Educational Performance Indicators in 2013. These measure course completion; qualification completion; student progression; and student retention. According to Otago University’s 2013 Annual Report, “Otago was placed first in all four indicators, the first time any university has topped all four since the system was introduced.”

On the other hand, the QS World University Rankings have recently placed Otago in 159th position. This is four places down from last year and reflects a continued drop over the last seven years. The ranking is based on research, teaching, employability and internationalisation.

It seems that all staff agree research is essential to the running of a University, but when students are funding such a large proportion of the University’s operation, the balance is difficult to ascertain.