ABSTRACT

Recent years have seen increased attention towards the value of academic ten­ ure in many parts of the world. Some observers have suggested that the tenure system is related to declining faculty orientation towards teaching, through its incumbent rewards for research producitivity, and contributes to poor aca­ demic performance among students. It has been argued in several parts of the world that the tenure system places too much emphasis on research ac­ tivity and too little importance on classroom teaching. We have set out to examine these issues in terms of how they relate to an environment without a tenure system-the University of Buenos Aires. The primary focus of this chapter concerns the impact of academic contests on the quality of univer­ sity teaching.