How can you promote academic freedom through effective policy implementation?

All higher education institutions should have a clear policy on academic freedom, which covers academics and students. It should be principle based rather than exact rule driven policy - as recommended by the former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia (Justice Robert French). There will always be tensions in the freedom to make public statements but avoiding language which is discriminatory or inciteful or harmful. Aiming to respect various points of view id easier said than done but a crucial role of universities is to create such spaces where important matters can be considered and debated.

"Academic freedom" is a delusion in modern societies, where academics earn living by being, well, academics. There is no freedom when your employer or funding agency decides what research to support, particularly when such decisions are based on publications lists, which in turn depend on publishers and peer-reviewers, who are not even elected and oftentimes are self-appointed. Free were astronomers of olden days who made living from horoscopes. Free were the offsprings of noble families, who were provided by slave labour. The only free academics nowadays are amateurs who do research for the love of it. We call them fringe scientists, no journal will take them seriously, but well, at least they are free.

I love the word "freedom" but am also cognizant of the complexities and challenges that come with it. To promote academic freedom the key is to establish a clear set of principles to be upheld. When this is established there is no undue interference that allows people to give their best to the organisation.

Less policy and rules, more academic freedom. Look at your own institution or other that you know and observe: More rules is positivily correlated with censorship. More rules of assessment of performance is positivelly correlated with a decline of meritocracy to mediocraty and even to downright dumbness. More rules leads to less efficiency (e.g. academics spend a large fraction of their time dealing with the administration and administrative process, which has been put in place to assist them) Look at the AI suggested points to discuss. The ultimate proof that policy and academic fredom do not belong together.

I agree that it is important for institutions to adopt a written policy for academic freedom. This must occur collaboratively among administration, academic faculty, and students. Academic freedom for students is often overlooked. As academic programs refine the their curricula for greater coherence and connectivity across courses through faculty collaboration, it is important to develop guidelines for academic freedom that respects elements of the faculty approved curricular and assessment activities shared across courses and general academic freedom. It is vital that the policy is sensitive to the institutional culture and context and the needs of current and future community members. Regular review of the policy is also essential.

Deciding to champion academic freedom at your higher ed institution is the first step; the next is communicating what that means. It’s important to be clear about the value of academic freedom with faculty, students, and all stakeholders. Without it, the answers we have to any of our questions will never advance. Every era is tempted to think “we’ve corrected all the horrible mistakes of the past, we have it all figured out now!” and that has always been a mistake. We don’t know what we don’t know, and we’ll *never* know without robust academic freedom. It’s also important to recognize that academic freedom carries responsibility. Make sure everyone understands how important it is to be civil. You can disagree, but engage in good faith.

Uma vez desenvolvidas, as políticas de liberdade acadêmica devem ser amplamente divulgadas e compreendidas por todos os membros da comunidade acadêmica, incluindo professores, alunos, funcionários e administradores. Além disso, programas de treinamento devem ser oferecidos para garantir que todos compreendam seus direitos e responsabilidades em rela??o à liberdade acadêmica.

Considero que se debería hacer un consenso entre todos lo que aplican las libertades, hacer reuniones, asambleas, foros, etc., y así llegar a puntos de acuerdo para luego difundirlos en los ambientes académicos, eso de libertad académica como tal es algo que se aborda como sí todos supieran de ella. Por lo tanto, comunicarla debe ser a través de de los acuerdos que se llegaron para que todos naveguemos en la misma corriente en la que concluimos y así no hayan desviaciones o mal uso de las libertades académicas.

Encourage dialogue and open discussions about academic freedom. Create opportunities for students, colleagues, and the wider community to share their thoughts, concerns, and experiences related to academic freedom. Listen actively, respect diverse opinions, and foster an inclusive and respectful environment for meaningful conversations.

It is not very easy and safe, to some extent, to share the opinion and importance of academic freedom among the stakeholders or social media in many areas. However, creating a culture among the academics in and around the institution is pivotal. I believe that creating awareness among the academic members is foremost important. Because, in many cases academic community is not fully prepared to change the culture toward academic freedom.

The best policy to ensure academic freedom is to end the casualization of academia, and instead provide secure, irrevocable positions to academics, as early in their careers as possible. It is nice to talk about championing, defining, and encouraging academic freedom, but all of this is not worth much if you have to still live with having to defend your views, or research directions to an upcoming tenure board or hiring committee. It is no historical accident that the UK defined academic freedom in law in 1988, the same time they removed tenure from academics. Before that academic freedom was simply a structural property of the system, safeguarded by the fact that you could not easily get rid of an academic who had an unpopular opinion.

As políticas de liberdade acadêmica devem incluir disposi??es claras para proteger os indivíduos contra represálias ou retalia??es devido ao exercício legítimo de sua liberdade acadêmica. Isso pode incluir prote??o contra censura, demiss?o injusta, puni??o disciplinar ou qualquer outra forma de intimida??o ou discrimina??o.

Regular Assessments: Set up mechanisms for regular assessment of academic freedom at the institution, using both internal and external evaluators. Complaint Resolution: Implement a transparent and fair process for addressing complaints related to violations of academic freedom, ensuring that cases are investigated thoroughly and resolved promptly.

Should be a collaborative process with administration and the academics. Academics need to be part of the process. Similar to how you would want physicians to be part of policies relating to patient care.

En verdad, la libertad académica como se expone aquí está muy relacionada con la libertad de expresión, o sea que va a depender de donde se esté laborando, entonces desde mi forma de entender la academia y sus procesos, la libertad académica es una utopía, quien esté en los puestos más altos de las organizaciones académicas y lo que ellos consideren que son las libertades académicas, éstas van a venir entubadas desde arriba y solo va hacer un mero ejercicio de aplicación. Hay que estar claro que cuando el sistema propone, lo que están imbrincados a él solo son engranajes de acción. Entonces se cumplen a través de las normas y leyes que están concebidas en esa organización y el país que estén.

As institui??es de ensino devem estabelecer mecanismos eficazes de reclama??o e recurso para lidar com viola??es da liberdade acadêmica. Isso pode incluir comitês ou órg?os independentes encarregados de investigar e resolver quest?es relacionadas à liberdade acadêmica de forma imparcial e justa.

Considero que este punto, no le compete al que ejerce la academia, porque las libertades como tales no existen, siempre debemos encajar a lo que la organización propone, por lo tanto la vigilancia está enmarcada como dije antes en los niveles jerárquicos más altos, por ejemplo, en algunas organizaciones que he trabajado a nivel de postgrado, ellos delineaban todo lo que debías o no hacer. Todo lo envían a tu correo electrónico y tu libertad académica era si aceptabas o no. Así que este punto es muerto para las jerarquías que accionan en los niveles medio hacía abajo.

Have processes that continuously evaluate how academic freedom is been used. Monitoring is a must as well as feedback. This is a must do for every academic management leader.

Uma implementa??o eficaz das políticas de liberdade acadêmica deve promover ativamente a diversidade de ideias, perspectivas e opini?es dentro do ambiente acadêmico. Isso envolve incentivar o debate aberto e o intercambio de ideias, bem como proteger os espa?os seguros para a express?o de opini?es divergentes.

As an advocate for educational integrity and inclusivity, I've seen the challenges to academic freedom, particularly in teaching content that accurately reflects the rich contributions of people of color. One policy I like is a "Faculty Academic Freedom Charter." This charter explicitly protects educators' rights to explore a wide array of histories and perspectives, shielding us from censorship and undue external influences. Adopting this can be pivotal in defending our academic liberties. It's also a crucial strategy for attracting and retaining top-quality faculty, underpinning our commitment to academic justice and excellence. By instituting this charter, we reaffirm our dedication to being a beacon of free inquiry and inclusivity.

Effective policy implementation is crucial for promoting academic freedom and requires acknowledging the existence of academic honesty breaches and developing a comprehensive policy. Key stakeholders with clearly defined roles and responsibilities should be involved, and senior administrators must be overtly supportive. Measuring and monitoring results is essential to "close the loop" and ensure the effectiveness of the policy. Further, effective implementation of policies should consider communication, resources, and the attitude of implementers. By considering these factors, policies aimed at promoting academic freedom can be implemented holistically and efficiently.

At its core, freedom refers to the ability to act, think, and speak without restriction or restraint, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others. It includes: - Personal Freedom - political freedom - economic freedom - freedom of speech - freedom of religion - freedom of thought - freedom of bias - etc In essence, freedom is the power to exercise autonomy in various aspects of life, contributing to personal growth, societal development, and the pursuit of happiness. Our education system does not teach us to be free eee

At its core, freedom refers to the ability to act, think, and speak without restriction or restraint, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others. It includes: - Personal Freedom - political freedom - economic freedom - freedom of speech - freedom of religion - freedom of thought - freedom of bias - etc In essence, freedom is the power to exercise autonomy in various aspects of life, contributing to personal growth, societal development, and the pursuit of happiness. Our education system does not teach us to be free eee

As institui??es de ensino devem se envolver com a sociedade civil e outras partes interessadas para promover e defender a liberdade acadêmica em nível local, nacional e internacional. Isso pode envolver parcerias com organiza??es de direitos humanos, grupos de defesa da liberdade de express?o e outros atores relevantes.

Lastly, one needs to realize that in this phenomenally diverse world, people are bearing different realities as their truths. They are the very mold of their experiences. And have built up defining their unique definitions and terminologies based on their part of suffering and processed meaning of the circumstances. The basic thing of understanding is to provide people a space where they can grow and mature their concepts without being marginalized while respecting others' opinions and perspectives simultaneously.

It’s important to go back to the origins of academic freedom and why it was necessary in the first place. The reason it was put into place was to protect unpopular perspectives and allow them to part of the marketplace of ideas. Academic freedom is now necessary more than ever since politicians are limiting what can be discussed in schools and public spaces.

???Academic freedom encompasses both rights and duties of faculty ??Freedom to teach or discuss their subject in the classroom ??Freedom to pursue research per their interests and publish related findings ???Academic freedom also encompasses rights and duties of students ??Students receive a conducive and favorable environment for learning in classrooms, on campus, and among the larger academic community at educational institutions? ??Student bodies can reach out to the institute or university administration to advocate for a safe space and tolerance in classrooms ??Students are able to freely challenge the intellectual and philosophical ideas taught by the faculty.?

Academic freedom is not a blank check to do whatever one wants. It is a privilege that comes with many responsibilities to oneself and others.

Academic Freedom should be renamed ‘Innovative Thinking’ and should be aligned to the Ethical Principles or Values of the educational institute. Keep it simple but effective. Innovation is the way forward. I wrote a chapter on an award winning book on it.

Promoting academic freedom through effective policy implementation involves creating a supportive environment that fosters open inquiry, debate, and the free exchange of ideas.