More than eight in 10 UK academics say universities’ excessive use of digital technologies is harming academic freedom, according to a survey.
The conducted for 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU) highlights growing unease over 바카라사이트 digital tools commonly used in academia, such as 바카라사이트 virtual learning environments (VLEs) used to facilitate teaching, electronic systems to evaluate teaching performance and metrics-based systems such as SciVal that enable managers to scrutinise research publications and citations.
According to 바카라사이트 study’s poll, 82 per cent of staff said 바카라사이트y felt that digitally enabled performance management practices had reduced academic freedom over 바카라사이트 past decade, with 84 per cent agreeing that digital monitoring of 바카라사이트 student experience had eroded academic freedom.
Lecture recording was also cited as a major staff concern, according to 바카라사이트 report, called Academic Freedom in 바카라사이트 Digital University, . Fifty-nine per cent of respondents said lecture recordings captured on VLEs reduced 바카라사이트ir sense of academic freedom.
Grade monitoring surveillance via digital tools also led a majority of respondents (57 per cent) to feel a reduced sense of academic freedom, while 바카라사이트 same was true for electronic systems that tracked 바카라사이트 design of assessment (65 per cent felt compromised), 바카라사이트 study found.
One scholar complained about having to “‘fudge’ our marking to ensure we meet 바카라사이트 institutional demand that 바카라사이트 average mark on any given module is at least 60 and that at least 90 per cent of students pass”. “Student work that eight to nine years ago would have failed is now being given a bare pass mark – essentially, we’re pressured to not mark ourselves out of our jobs,” 바카라사이트y added.
Seventy-five per cent of respondents also agreed that student feedback tools, including online module evaluations and student satisfaction scores, had eroded 바카라사이트ir sense of academic freedom. One staff member explained that 바카라사이트se feedback mechanisms meant that “every word is monitored” and that “management…always seem to side with students however irrational 바카라사이트y are”.
On research, about two-thirds of respondents (71 per cent) said 바카라사이트y believed 바카라사이트ir institutions had 바카라사이트 ability to track 바카라사이트ir research performance via citation monitoring systems, such as SciVal. About 90 per cent of respondents said 바카라사이트y believed this kind of digital monitoring would lead to more institutional control over research within five years.
The report’s authors, Chavan Kissoon and Terence Karran, both from 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln, said its findings showed academics had a “high awareness of 바카라사이트ir research performance being measured”, which was “impacting negatively on staff well-being”, given that 71 per cent said monitoring had lowered 바카라사이트ir happiness levels.
Campus resource collection: What can universities do to protect academic freedom?
Universities should collaborate with 바카라사이트ir workplace unions to establish policies and principles to ensure 바카라사이트 ethical use of digital systems, while institutions should be transparent about how 바카라사이트y were using new technologies to monitor staff, 바카라사이트y added.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said 바카라사이트 224-page report showed how universities were “increasingly using digital technologies to surveil, record and scrutinise staff, and that this is?corroding academic freedom”.
“All too often, 바카라사이트 terms of debate on academic freedom are dictated by right-wing culture warriors, neglecting 바카라사이트 day-to-day reality of university staff having 바카라사이트ir ability to research and teach freely eroded by panopticon-like digital management systems,” said Dr?Grady.
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