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

1. Background2. The Mysteries of Higher Education3. Public Good and Public Goods4. Redesigning Higher Education

Structure

1. BackgroundInfluences

Discourse

Globalism

Jane Austen and the Belly of the Beast: Commodification, Technology and the Open Agenda in Higher Education

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’

2. The Mysteries of Higher EducationLegacy Features – Scarcity

Property

State Intervention

Technology and Monopoly

Digital Transgressions

Jane Austen and the Belly of the Beast: Commodification, Technology and the Open Agenda in Higher Education

Mysteries of Higher Education: The Economics of Scarcity

Mysteries of Higher Education: Property Rites

‘The University of Cambridge, it appeared, worked in practice but not in theory’

Mysteries of Higher Education: Digital Transgressions

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

3. Public Good and Public GoodsPolicy & Property

The Commons

Jane Austen and the Belly of the Beast: Commodification, Technology and the Open Agenda in Higher Education

Public Good and Public Goods: An Emerging Open Economy?

Public Good and Public Goods: The Commons

4. Redesigning Higher EducationUncertain Futures

The Knowledge EconomyBeginnings

BenefitsDirections

Jane Austen and the Belly of the Beast: Commodification, Technology and the Open Agenda in Higher Education

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 UnwrittenJoe 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, Londonhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/exclusive-red-cross-launches-emergency-food-aid-plan-for-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 virtualUniversity. Ariadne Issue 24. Available online athttp://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-and-information/resources/news-and-in-focus-articles/all-news/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-kumar-0920.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 onllinehttp://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

Wolfgang GrellerVice-Principal for Research and QualityVienna University of EducationGrenzackerstrasse 18A-1100 ViennaAUSTRIAE-mail: wolfgang.greller@phwien.ac.atweb: www.greller.eu

John CaseyLearning Technologist Centre for Academic PracticeQueen Margaret University, Edinburgh EH21 6UU Email: jcasey@qmu.ac.uk web: http://geronimoscadillac.wordpress.com