Jane Austen and the
Belly of the Beast:
Commodification, Technology and the Open
Agenda in Higher Education
John Casey, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh
Wolfgang Greller, Vienna University of Education
Presentation for The Goldsmiths Learning and Teaching Conference 2014
Structure
1.
2.
3.
4.
Background
The Mysteries of Higher Education
Public Good and Public Goods
Redesigning Higher Education
Jane Austen and the Belly of the Beast:
Commodification, Technology and the Open Agenda in Higher Education
1. Background
Influences
Discourse
Globalism
Background: What is the Point of Art School?
Background: Public Aesthetics & Ethics
Background: Public Aesthetics
Background: Public Ethics
Background: Technology and Fear
Background: Inequality and ‘The Belly of the Beast’
Jane Austen and the Belly of the Beast:
Commodification, Technology and the Open Agenda in Higher Education
2. The Mysteries of Higher
Education
Legacy Features – Scarcity
Property
State Intervention
Technology and Monopoly
Digital Transgressions
Mysteries of Higher Education: The Economics of Scarcity
Mysteries of Higher Education: Property Rites
Mysteries of Higher Education: Digital Transgressions
‘The University of Cambridge, it appeared, worked in practice but not in theory’
Mysteries of Higher Education: Reaching its Limits?
20 Years of Progress…without MOOCs
Graduation Rates up by 20% (equivalent to a UK Degree)
across all OECD countries “an average of 47% of today’s young
women and 32% of today’s young men will complete this type of
education over their lifetimes”
OECD 2012
Jane Austen and the Belly of the Beast:
Commodification, Technology and the Open Agenda in Higher Education
3. Public Good and Public Goods
Policy & Property
The Commons
Public Good and Public Goods: An Emerging Open Economy?
Public Good and Public Goods: The Commons
Jane Austen and the Belly of the Beast:
Commodification, Technology and the Open Agenda in Higher Education
4. Redesigning Higher Education
Uncertain Futures
The Knowledge Economy
Beginnings
Benefits
Directions
Redesigning HE: Uncertain Futures
Redesigning HE : Reality Therapy?
“the idea of the knowledge economy‘ has shaped
education policy in the UK and around the
world…this vision, may be increasingly hard to
realise…highly rewarded, creative and autonomous
work is likely to be restricted over the coming two
decades to ever smaller global elites.”
Final Report: Beyond Current Horizons Programme 2009
Redesigning HE: Beginnings
Redesigning HE: Open Benefits for the Mainstream
•Showcasing, networking and recruiting
•Students make well-informed choices = better retention &
satisfaction
•Portfolio of published work – teacher – student - institution
•Institutional recognition and reputation
•National and international collaborations
•Institutional and disciplinary ‘memory’
•Learning design skills
•Reduce repetitive aspects of work
•Facilitates accountability / improvement.
•Public service delivery
•Passing on subject knowledge and teaching expertise
•Driver for cultural change
Redesigning HE: Back to the Beginning?
‘ a balanced' civic humanist
form - placed 'off balance’
by public needs
Redesigning HE: Future Options
There is No Alternative
Margaret Thatcher
The Future is Unwritten
Joe Strummer
References
[1] Till, J. (2013) What is the Point of Art School: Three ‘Politicals’, in CSM Time 14 – Time to Question.
Published by University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins. Available at
http://issuu.com/csmtime/docs/csmtime14_16_pd_single/1?e=1914579/3735172, last retrieved, 2/12/13.
[2] Quinn, M. (2012) Utilitarianism and the Art School in Nineteenth-Century Britain, Pickering Chatto,
London.
[3] Hardt, M., Negri, A. (2001) Empire, Harvard University Press.
[4] Barber, M., Donnelly, K., Rizvi, S. ( 2013) An Avalanche is Coming,
Institute for Public Policy Research, London.
[5] Seimens, G. (2013) Remaking Education in the Image of Our Desires. Available at:
http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2012/04/19/remaking-education-in-the-image-of-our-desires/, last retrieved
2/12/13.
[6] London Mapper A Social Atlas of London (2014), London Mapper project, Trust for London & University of
Oxford.
http://www.londonmapper.org.uk
[7] Mcdonald-Gibson, C. (2013)Exclusive: Red Cross launches emergency food aid plan for UK’s hungry,
Independent (Newspaper) 11/10/13, London
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/exclusive-red-cross-launches-emergency-food-aid-planfor-uks-hungry-8872496.html
[8] The Harvard Library (2012) Faculty Advisory Council Memorandum on Journal Pricing: Major Periodical
Subscriptions Cannot Be Sustained, Harvard University.
References
[9] Pollock, N. and Cornford, J. (2000) Theory and practice of the virtual
University. Ariadne Issue 24. Available online at
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue24/virtual-universities/
[10] OECDa (2012) Education at a Glance: Highlights, OECD Publishing
http://www.oecd.org/edu/highlights.pdf
OECDb (2012)http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/48630696.pdf Retrieved 30/4/2013
(11) Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/about
(12) The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (12) http://www.hewlett.org
(13) UNESCO Paris OER Declaration: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-andinformation/resources/news-and-in-focus-articles/allnews/news/unesco_world_oer_congress_releases_2012_paris_oer_declaration/#.U5Cx5Vz9fIY
(14) Institutional Leadership: Kumar, V. (2012) Open Education on the Move: An Interview with Vijay Kumar.
MIT News http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/open-education-on-the-move-an-interview-with-vijay-kumar0920.html
(15) OpenLearn: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/
(16) California and Washington Open Textbooks:
Creative Commons USA (2012) California Unveils Bill to Provide Openly Licensed, Online College Courses
for Credit http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/37278
Washington Open Course Coursebook site: http://opencourselibrary.org
(17) Californa Irvine – Open Chem: An entire degree programme onlline
http://ocw.uci.edu/openchem/
References
(18) US ‘Bridges to Success Project’
McAndrew P. (2012) A Bridge to Success http://bridge2success.aacc.edu/include/pdf/presentation.pdf
[19] Bean, M. (2013) Comments made during a presentation at Universities UK event: Open and online
learning: Making the most of Moocs and other models London 16th May 2013. Further details and
presentations available at:
http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/events/Pages/Openandonlinelearning.aspx, last retrieved 2/12/13.
[20] Facer, K. (2009) Final Report of the Beyond Current Horizons Research Programme,
www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk
Contacts
John Casey
Learning Technologist
Centre for Academic Practice
Queen Margaret University,
Edinburgh
EH21 6UU
Email: jcasey@qmu.ac.uk
web: http://geronimoscadillac.wordpress.com
Wolfgang Greller
Vice-Principal for Research and Quality
Vienna University of Education
Grenzackerstrasse 18
A-1100 Vienna
AUSTRIA
E-mail: wolfgang.greller@phwien.ac.at
web: www.greller.eu