Where are you?

I was surprised to read Keith Flett's letter about whether academics were around campus or not (May 12). I thought that this kind of thinking disappeared a long time ago. It certainly has in the institutions of which I am aware.

We are now in a world of electronic learning where face-to-face contact on campus is not always the best option. The work and role of academics should surely be evaluated on outputs or good old-fashioned productivity. Where this takes place is immaterial.

I have worked with a number of academics who were around, but their outputs were small and they tended to interfere with other academics' work, thus reducing their productivity.

Allan Ashworth

York