Letter: Hoops, sticks and Treasury tricks (2)

The main objection to the transparency review is the difficulty, if not impossibility, of separating time spent on research from that spent on teaching. When I read a book or paper I am doing research and considering content for lectures. When I write a book or paper I am reporting research findings and producing teaching material. I suspect this is how many of us work. Indeed, I take the inseparability of research and teaching to be a defining characteristic of a university, distinguishing it from other kinds of educational institutions. I decline to fill in the forms because I cannot do so in a way consistent with my practice.

David M. Smith
Loughton, Essex