Faculty Negotiations 2026: Why Collective Agreement Terms for the Teaching Scholar Appointment Need Improvement

When UWOFA negotiated the 2018-2022 Collective Agreement, we succeeded in convincing the employer to agree to something new: the Teaching Scholar appointment. At that time, Western had a de facto faculty teaching stream in the form of limited-term appointments, but without the job security that went along with the teaching-focused appointments that existed at other universities. With this new appointment category, Western faculty whose primary academic responsibility is teaching now have access to a dedicated career path, one with real standing, eligibility for promotion, and the security of continuing status.The creation of the Teaching Scholar appointment not only enhanced job security of teaching-focussed faculty, but it has also led to the emergence of a community of scholars who make outstanding contributions to the university’s teaching mission.

Teaching scholars hold the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Professor, just like their colleagues in the Tenure Track stream. What sets them apart is the shape of their work: 60% teaching, 20% service, 20% scholarly activities. 

As any faculty member knows, teaching is rigorous, complex, and demanding academic work. It is the heart of the teaching scholar role. What might be less well known is the academic work Teaching Scholars do in addition to their teaching. Scholarship activities that usually constitute a fifth of a Teaching Scholar’s workload include educational leadership, mentorship of colleagues, as well as curriculum development and innovation. They can also include work in the scholarship of teaching and learning: investigating, innovating, and sharing knowledge about how students learn and how education is delivered. In addition to these latter research components of scholarship activities, some Teaching Scholars maintain a program of research in their discipline, and it is important that this work be recognized as part of their academic responsibilities. 

The contributions of Teaching Scholars show up in tangible ways, including new models of effective teaching, advances in how a discipline or profession delivers education, and active participation in the scholarly conversation around teaching through publications and professional engagement.

“The Teaching Scholar role has been incredibly liberating for my career because it embraces a broader view of scholarship. Rather than focusing solely on traditional research, it encourages us to ask meaningful questions about teaching and learning and pursue them through various avenues such as research, innovation, collaboration, and educational leadership. It has also reinforced that creating knowledge is only part of the work. For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of the role has been finding creative ways to ensure my work has a broader impact on the teaching and learning community.”

-Nicole Campbell, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry

What We’re Bargaining for in 2026

The Teaching Scholar appointment was new in 2018. Eight years later, we know more about how it actually works in practice, and it has become clear to us that the language hasn’t kept pace. The reality is that many Teaching Scholars don’t choose between teaching-focused scholarship and disciplinary research; they do both, and often aren’t recognized for that work. 

In our current negotiations, we are advocating to update collective agreement language to define scholarship activities in a clear and consistent way, while ensuring administrators recognize disciplinary research as part of the academic work of Teaching Scholars who choose to pursue it, in addition to their scholarship activities. This change would better reflect the reality of the role and ensure Teaching Scholars receive full recognition and support for the full breadth of their academic responsibilities.