The Changing Academic Profession
Significance
In this period of rapid change stimulated by globalization and national policies promoting the knowledge economy, it is essential to understand the orientations and actions of knowledge workers, and especially those of the academic profession who occupy such a central position in the knowledge production process. What are the academic profession’s views towards the increasing relevance, internationalization, and managerial adaptations of their workplace, and how are these views changing? The CAP project is especially well positioned to answer these questions. It will be carried out by a high quality international team committed to open scholarship. The survey will build on the First International Survey of the Academic Profession carried out in 1991 in 14 nations; hence many of the findings can be directly compared to findings from this earlier period. The CAP team is committed to expeditiously sharing its findings with the various stakeholders concerned with the future of the academic profession. The CAP project will thus be able to provide unique insights on a wide variety of issues facing the academy including:
- To what extent is the nature of academic work changing?
- What are the external and internal drivers of these changes?
- To what extent do changes differ between countries, disciplines, and types of higher education institutions?
- How do the academic professions respond to changes in their external and internal environment?
- What are the consequences for the attractiveness of an academic career?
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What are the consequences for the capacity of academics to contribute to the further development of knowledge societies and the attainment of national goals?