Identifying conflicting demands for a balanced teaching approach

Abstract

This paper introduces the preliminary development of the Teaching Balance Model (TBM), a conceptual framework to help educators navigate competing discourses in contemporary higher education. Developed through grounded theory methods combined with individual and collaborative reflection, the TBM responds to tensions heightened by increasingly complex teaching environments—particularly in technology-enhanced, online, and hybrid contexts. Rather than viewing challenges such as theory versus practice, learning versus assessment, or students as partners versus customers as binary oppositions, the TBM encourages an integrative approach. Data were generated through reflective memos and coding of teaching decisions and rationales from three business academics with experience across online, hybrid, and face-to-face settings. Through iterative coding, constant comparison, and theoretical sampling, key categories—such as value priorities and decision-making rationales—emerged to inform the model. The TBM proposes a balanced middle ground that supports inclusive, values-driven teaching while acknowledging systemic pressures. We discuss the model’s potential as a reflective tool for practitioners and its future development for research into academic identity, wellbeing, and institutional culture. The TBM aims to contribute to conversations about sustainable and equitable teaching practice in digitally mediated learning environments.