Information technology has an impact on many aspects of academic life -- university-business linkages, possible privatization of programs, the perceived role of the university, ownership of course materials, electronic journals, reward systems for academic staff, academic freedom, performance indicators, student accessibility, employee rights and protections, and so on. At the onset of the November CAUT Council, faculty association delegates spent a day making an initial examination of some of the issues raised by the introduction of technology in the university.
University Faculty & Information Technology
As part of a general overview, Ken Field (Trent), chair of CAUT's Librarians' Committee, noted that Canada is making a concerted effort in the race towards a global information economy. That economy treats information as a commodity to be sold, and access to that information has a price tag attached to it. The various initiatives of the federal and provincial governments of Canada are encouraging the private sector to take control of the information infrastructure, the information highway. Access to information could become very expensive and limited, disadvantaging those who cannot afford to pay, including university libraries. The drive towards privatization will have other impacts on universities, as private industry seeks to influence both research endeavours and the university curriculum at the expense of academic freedom.
American Overview
Perry Robinson (American Federation of Teachers) suggested that academic staff should also be concerned about the costs of introducing instructional technology. Costs are not restricted to the obvious upfront costs of acquisition of hardware and software, but also include recurring costs such as maintenance, upgrading, and technical support. Rapid obsolescence of innovations means that high-tech equipment and programs are often out-of-date by the time they actually reach the classroom. He cautioned that, in the United States, governments have slowly withdrawn the funding that allows students direct access to the campus, in favour of providing electronic access to educational facilities. Administrators of some institutions are wholeheartedly embracing information technology as a means to raise the profile of the university and to provide students with a perceived competitive advantage in the "information age." A distinction has to be made, however, between the technical skills needed to use the tools that universities buy from private companies such as IBM and Microsoft, and the learning processes that shapes a student's ability to think critically, and to transform data and other information into meaningful knowledge.
Electronic Publishing
David Beattie, head of the virtual products section at Industry Canada and director of operations for SchoolNet, spoke about government expectations for electronic journals. Commentaries were provided by Ken Field and Jennifer Bankier (Dalhousie), chair of CAUT's Status of Women Committee.
Doing IT Right
Faculty members Sonya Symons (Acadia), Richard Bochonko (Manitoba), and Darren Meister (Queen's) made presentations about planning and using instructional technology.
Security & Privacy
Daniel Shap, a lawyer with the law firm of Goodman & Carr in Toronto, gave an overview of security and privacy of electronic mail and individual Internet resources.
Collective Agreements
Speakers David Clipsham (York University Faculty Association); Cynthia Petersen, a lawyer at Sack Goldblatt Mitchell in Toronto; and Perry Robinson had suggestions for contract provisions to protect the interests of academic staff. Commentaries were provided by Vic Catano (Saint Mary's), chair of CAUT's Collective Bargaining & Economic Benefits Committee; and Pat O'Neill (Acadia), chair of CAUT's Academic Freedom & Tenure Committee.