New criteria for academic recognition
Posted on April 13th, 2009
The University of Maine has approved new guidelines for tenuring and promoting academics [later:] in the New Media program (although see the comments for a complexification of this). The new guidelines allow crediting an academic for contributing to social media.
This the right thing to do not only because it is a more realistic assessment of an academic’s worth. It’s also the right thing to do because it helps to build the value of the network. If knowledge and expertise are becoming properties of the network, it is the social responsibility of our institutions to encourage the enhancement of that network.
Tagged with: academics • digital culture • education • everythingIsMiscellaneous • expertise • knowledge • scholarship • universities
I’m sure this will be a trend with other schools soon.
I see that as only one department – “New Media Department”.
Not the whole University of Maine.
That’s quite a difference.
Just to be clear, I think these are only guidelines for the *New Media Department*, not all departments.
Tim—proud to be a Mainer today!—Spalding
LibraryThing
[...] Joho the Blog » New criteria for academic recognition "This the right thing to do not only because it is a more realistic assessment of an academic’s worth. It’s also the right thing to do because it helps to build the value of the network. If knowledge and expertise are becoming properties of the network, it is the social responsibility of our institutions to encourage the enhancement of that network." (tags: academic-culture tenure universities worklife credentials standards) [...]
It’s true that the guidelines were only formally approved for U-Me’s New Media Department for now. But we have reason to believe this will encourage their adoption by other departments at U-Me.
For one thing, our department is not an outgrowth or wing of a particular department (such as Art or Communication) but an interdisciplinary faculty with backgrounds in journalism, engineering, literature, and other fields. Secondly, the guidelines were approved at the provost level, meaning if similar criteria float past the university’s captains from other departments, it won’t be the first time they see them.
That said, we are keen to spread adoption at other schools, so if we can help please pop us an email!
jon
That’s a good step. Was it adopted in 2007, as the header notes, or proposed then and adopted more recently?
The guidelines were formally adopted at the university level in 2007. Leonardo published them in their Winter 2009 issue (42:1).
That said, folks like me have been yammering about the need for changed standards for some time–for example, at the 2005 REFRESH conference on the histories of art, science, and technology:
http://newmedia.umaine.edu/interarchive/three_threats.html