The Academic Freedom and Internationalisation Working Group has been working on a Model Code of Conduct for the Protection of Academic Freedom and the Academic Community in the Context of the Internationalisation of the UK Higher Education Sector. The aim of the Code of Conduct is to enable UK HE institutions to adopt common responsibilities embedding transparency and accountability that will strengthen the protection of academic freedom and the academic community from risks arising specifically from internationalisation of this sector.
The AFIWG has been holding intensive consultations with colleagues, scholars, higher education practitioners and key stakeholders to inform the latest revision efforts of the Model Code of Conduct. The latest draft version can be accessed below.
The AFIWG aims to cooperate with partners to encourage UK HE institutions to adopt the Code of Conduct. The model elaborated by the AFIWG does not intend to replace procedures and processes already in place but promotes the adoption of key minimum standards across UK HE institutions, while acknowledging that concerns of and corresponding measures taken by specific institutions may differ, depending on the fields of study or geographical specificities.
The AFIWG encourages the adoption and implementation of the Code of Conduct to be accompanied by extensive consultation with stakeholders, with special reference to the academic community.
In the model Code of Conduct, academic freedom has been defined with reference to a number of legal and international documents for the sake of clarity. While the AFIWG acknowledges the difficulty in agreeing on a universal and comprehensive definition of academic freedom, members will facilitate and engage in a continuous debate on the meaning and implications of academic freedom during events organised throughout the year and in publications.