Abstract
Andrew Feenberg has taken issue with the “neo-liberal agenda” that is currently guiding how far too many universities both conceptualize and use “educational technology.” In this article, I expand the scope of his critical discussion to include analysis of contemporary higher education initiatives that capitalize on big data.
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Notes
Not only does debate exists as to how much data storage is required for something to be a proper ‘big data’ technology or system, but skepticism has been leveled as to whether the term itself is more problematic than useful. Woodrow Hartzog and I argue that ‘big data,’ like ‘privacy,’ should be understood as heuristic terms (Selinger and Hartzog 2013).
For a critical perspective on the Netflix case, see Richards and King (2013).
For an overview of leading criticisms of nudging, see Selinger and Whyte (2011).
References
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Selinger, E., & Whyte, K. (2011). Is there a right way to nudge? The practice and ethics of choice architecture. Sociology Compass, 5(10), 923–935.
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Selinger, E. Neo-liberal Reform and the Big Data University. Found Sci 22, 377–380 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-015-9446-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-015-9446-7