DATA takes over the academy

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New issue of Academe gets at quantification issues that plague us
The winter issue of Academe takes a critical look at the “higher ed data juggernaut.” Guest-edited by Siobhan Senier, professor of women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire and vice president of UNH-AAUP, this special issue considers “the headache-inducing proliferation of tools and platforms that are increasing our workloads, shrinking our workforce, abrogating our academic freedom, interfering with our pedagogy, and generally policing us and our students.” Articles examine the spread of corporate educational technology on campus, the quantification of learning, compliance-driven demands for institutional data, and the biases underlying the data that shape public perceptions of higher education. 

You can make a difference on your campus by joining the AAUP and getting involved with an existing chapter or starting a new one. AAUP members have access to full-issue PDFs of Academe, can opt to receive the magazine by mail, and enjoy a range of other benefits. 

FEATURES 

 Educational Technology and the Entrenchment of "Business as Usual" Higher education's problematic relationship with massive learning analytics vendors. By Catherine McGowan, Britt Paris, and Rebecca Reynolds 

Bad Data Are Not Better Than No Data A guide for radically inserting ourselves in decisions about educational technologies. By Martha Fay Burtis and Jesse Stommel 

Has Quantification Seduced Higher Education? An emphasis on quantitative metrics threatens the values of the liberal arts. By Eric Scarffe and Katherine Valde 

The Academic Dilemma of Data-Driven Decision-Making Colleges and universities face rising demands for data. By Patricia McGuire 

Data Sources, Funders, and Austerity in Higher Education How economic interests shape data-driven higher education. By Neil Kraus

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