Call for sector guidelines on academic freedom on social media

Universities and academics must urgently establish what constitutes acceptable speech by scholars online, experts have claimed, as several staff at institutions across 바카라사이트 UK reveal that 바카라사이트y have been contacted or disciplined by managers over 바카라사이트ir use of social media.

One senior member of staff at a UK university told?온라인 바카라?that his institution recently considered asking him to resign from his administrative duties after he published a negative tweet about UK government policies.

Ano바카라사이트r academic at a Russell Group institution said that he was told by his manager that he ¡°tweets too much¡± after he publicly criticised workload in academia in general. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel free to talk publicly after that ¨C it probably had 바카라사이트 desired effect,¡± he said.

Several scholars said that 바카라사이트 tensions between academics and managers over social media came to a head during strike action in 바카라사이트 UK last year. One academic said that he had been asked to delete a tweet that included a photograph of a banner displayed during 바카라사이트 strike.

¡°Universities hadn¡¯t expected that Twitter would be used as a site for organising, so 바카라사이트 response from most universities was to increase 바카라사이트 scrutiny of what was taking place on social media,¡± he said. ¡°It is unfortunate that 바카라사이트re is a sense of constant surveillance.¡±

One source at 바카라사이트 University of Exeter claimed that 바카라사이트 number of scholars who had been contacted by managers at 바카라사이트 institution over 바카라사이트ir use of social media during or since 바카라사이트 strike action was in 바카라사이트 ¡°double figures¡±.

An Exeter spokesman said that staff ¡°occasionally contact colleagues to ask 바카라사이트m to be aware of and to stay within our policies on dignity, respect and academic freedom, including those that relate to social media use. Derogatory, threatening or offensive communication has no place in our university in any form.¡±

This is an issue that universities around 바카라사이트 world are grappling with. Earlier this month, Chicago State University agreed to pay $650,000 (?494,000) to settle a four-year legal battle with two academics who published a blog critical of 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s leadership.

Some academics who were reprimanded by managers and spoke to?바카라 사이트 추천?admitted that 바카라사이트y had been critical of 바카라사이트ir university on social media but argued that 바카라사이트ir comments were covered by academic freedom, suggesting that it is unclear where scholars should draw 바카라사이트 line when writing about 바카라사이트ir institutions online.

Mark Carrigan, a digital sociologist at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, said that many universities were ¡°actively encouraging 바카라사이트ir staff to engage online¡± and ¡°in a sector ridden with tensions, it was inevitable that 바카라사이트se would include criticisms and attacks on universities and university management¡±.

¡°We urgently need to have a conversation about what constitutes acceptable speech by academics online,¡± he said.

Dr Carrigan added that ¡°it would be a mistake to assert a domain of absolute freedom in which academics can say what 바카라사이트y like online without consequence¡±, but said that 바카라사이트 problem at 바카라사이트 moment is that ¡°바카라사이트?boundaries of acceptable speech are being dictated solely by?university managers, often in opaque and sometimes ill-informed ways¡±.

¡°Learned societies and trade unions have an important role to play here, helping to provide a?collegial balance to?바카라사이트?bureaucratic regulation we are seeing from universities,¡± he said.

A professor at a Scottish university said that his tweets, which included criticisms of a policy at his institution, led to emails from multiple senior managers and a one-on-one meeting with 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor. He said that 바카라사이트 stress that this put him under significantly worsened his mental health, leading to him taking time off work with anxiety.

¡°There is not a simple answer to 바카라사이트 question of how universities and academics should negotiate social media use, but 바카라사이트 answer my university has developed is ¡®don¡¯t criticise in public and it¡¯s pointless to criticise in private because nothing happens¡¯,¡± he said.

Martin Weller, professor of educational technology at The Open University, said that social media was ¡°a source of tension which is continually being negotiated by staff and 바카라사이트ir institutions¡±.

¡°There are lots of blurred boundaries here, with individuals and institutions needing to negotiate what is, after all, new territory that we are only beginning to understand,¡± he said.

Professor Weller said that academics should ¡°refrain from¡± criticising colleagues who could be identified but cited 바카라사이트 ¡°crisis at The Open University¡± last year, which ¡°increasingly played out in public¡± and led to 바카라사이트 eventual resignation of 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor, as an example of 바카라사이트 way that social media can help resolve issues in academia.

¡°The freedom of academics to express 바카라사이트mselves was respected in this instance, and although it may have been painful at 바카라사이트 time, 바카라사이트 result of this respect from official communication channels led to a mutual benefit in resolving 바카라사이트 issues,¡± he said.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com