Understanding institutional support for teaching in higher education: perspectives from newly hired academics

The article explores how newly hired academic staff experience institutional support in relation to their teaching responsibilities and the development of a teacher identity. Drawing on qualitative data from focus groups and interviews with newly hired academics at a public university in Northern Europe, the study examines how institutional structures, orientation processes, and informal support networks shape the teaching role during the early employment period. The theoretical framework draws upon research on academic identity formation and teaching competence among university teachers to analyse how institutional conditions influence academic teaching trajectories. The findings reveal that despite various mechanisms in place, such as mentoring, pedagogical training, and teaching load reductions, their implementation is often fragmented, unclearly communicated, and reliant on individual initiative. The study illustrates how teaching is shaped not only by individual intent but also by institutional support structures and broader cultural values in higher education. It highlights the need for more integrated and context-sensitive approaches to support newly hired academics in developing both as researchers and educators.