• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2019

The aim of this study is to analyze the current status and performance evaluation systems of faculty in Korean medical colleges and professional graduate medical schools (called medical schools). We developed a research tool based on previous studies and distributed it to 40 medical schools from July to October 2017. The response rate was 100%. We calculated the number of faculty members and analyzed the faculty evaluation systems and awareness according to national and private medical schools. As of 2017, the number of medical faculty in Korea was 11,111 (4,973 faculty were employed by their alma mater, which is 44.76% of the total), with non-medical doctor faculty accounting for 754 of the total. The medical schools reflect research achievements as most important for re-appointment and screening to promote faculty, and the area of education is secondary excepting clinical faculty of private medical schools. However, important issues in the faculty evaluation deal with the relevance of research achievement and the need for qualitative assessment. Some medical schools revised or have been revising the faculty evaluation system in areas such as minimum standards of education for promotion and separation of promotion and tenure review. Opening non-tenure track lines for faculty show positive effects such as increasing the number of positions for hire and easing the financial burdens of medical schools. Downfalls include inconsistencies between the responsibilities and actual practices of tenure not being available and the instability of faculty's status. In conclusion, medical schools need to prepare a faculty evaluation system that fits the position of faculty members and attempt to establish a reasonable compensation system.

• (The)Korea Educational Review
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.25-51
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• 2016

This study was designed to analyze instructors's perceptions on legislation of the amendments of the Higher Education Law in 2011 and discuss some issues related to direction for revision henceforth. This study explored two research questions. First, how do instructors perceive the legislation of the amendments of Higher Education Law? Second, how do they think the directions for the revision of the law? To complete this task, the author conducted in-depth interviews with 16 interviewees; 13 instructors and 3 specialists of the higher education. As a result of in-depth interviews, the author found that instructors perceive the law as condescending law or election-based law even though they recognize the significance of the law. They predict that the law can increase non-tenure track faculty members. In addition, they emphasize the law should be revised to improve the instructors' labor condition substantially, for instance increase of the teaching pay and employment stabilization. However, instructors' opinions on the law itself and its revision direction are divided according to their age and major. Based on the results of this study, I discussed some potential issues of the revision of the law and suggested improvement plans.