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From AAHESGIT : Academic Freedom vs. Technology Support
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(5/28/98 AAHESGIT #114. Approx. 40 lines from Joseph Swonk
of Rappahannock CC <[log in to unmask]>

Swonk is responding to an earlier posting about possible
conflicts between academic freedom and the ability of an
institution to support the usage of a variety of computer
platforms.  While he highlights and clarifies some important
issues, I suspect that it is getting more difficult to
maintain the separation between course content choices and
technology options.  The availability of certain technology
applications can make it possible to teach some topics that
were previously difficult or impossible to include in
conventional courses.  Some technology choices can also
make it more difficult to teach things that were previously
included in conventional courses.  Every technology choice
has both content and pedagogical implications.

Clarifying notions of academic freedom will become more
important as new technology choices (and new pedagogical
choices) become more widely accessible.)
Steve Gilbert =============================================
=== Working at home most of this week.  ===================
=== Still drowning in Email.  =============================
===========================================================



Academic freedom is essential to academia.  We who teach
must be left free to teach the body of knowledge we feel
relevant to our courses(See AAUP GUIDELINES ON ACADEMIC
FREEDOM).  Whenever, in the mind of the instructor, that
format or technique becomes inappropriate for successfully
completing that process or interferes with that process,
the instructor has the right, indeed, the duty to object
and refuse to use the format or technique.  If an
instructor is forced to use a technique or format against
his or her will, that instructor's academic freedom has
been violated.  The danger we now face is not the use of
technology, but the assumption that technology requires
academic conformity.  There are those in this business who
are confusing technological requirements with academic
procedures.  In their enthusiasm to make the system work,
they are treading on freedom of expression, academic
freedom, and even interfering with the body of knowledge
the instructor is attempting to express to his or her
students.

In the beginning, the technologists came up with a delivery
system, presented it to the faculty, showed them how it
could be applied in their circumstances and then left the
faculty member free to make application, if possible, of
that system.  Faculty have responded well to that approach,
using imaginative applications to successfully convey the
contents of their courses.  Now, however, the
technologists, are taking applications of successful
technological approaches; and, under the direction of
college administrators, attempting to standardize them and
force entire college learning systems to use them.  Such an
approach is unethical, in violation of academic freedom,
and can only lead to a cloning effect in higher education.
I respectfully suggest the technologists continue to
innovate technology, offer it to faculty along with its
potential application and allow the faculty to apply it to
their courses.  The technologists have the right to present
the path by which this technology should be applied; they
do not have the right to tell the instructor how his or her
course should work while using this path.

Joseph Swonk
Rappahannock Community College

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