The complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of UK higher education: exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategies

Abstract National strategies play a crucial role in framing how digital technologies are enacted in Higher Education (HE). This paper draws on some of the findings of a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of thirteen digital teaching and learning strategies issued by government departments and non-dep...

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Main Author: Morag Munro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2018-03-01
Series:International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41239-018-0093-2
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author Morag Munro
author_facet Morag Munro
author_sort Morag Munro
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description Abstract National strategies play a crucial role in framing how digital technologies are enacted in Higher Education (HE). This paper draws on some of the findings of a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of thirteen digital teaching and learning strategies issued by government departments and non-departmental public bodies in the UK between 2003 and 2013. It demonstrates that, across the strategies, digital technologies are depicted as tools for advancing the marketisation of UK HE. Rather ironically, the strategies are also fraught with contradictions and paradoxes with respect to the claimed relationships between digital technologies, learning, and markets. I argue that this problematic portrayal of digital technologies makes them complicit in the neoliberal erosion of UK HE.
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spelling doaj.art-cf96dc86dc8f484595609772b1cb1b572022-12-21T19:20:04ZengSpringerOpenInternational Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education2365-94402018-03-0115112010.1186/s41239-018-0093-2The complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of UK higher education: exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategiesMorag Munro0Centre for Teaching and Learning, Maynooth UniversityAbstract National strategies play a crucial role in framing how digital technologies are enacted in Higher Education (HE). This paper draws on some of the findings of a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of thirteen digital teaching and learning strategies issued by government departments and non-departmental public bodies in the UK between 2003 and 2013. It demonstrates that, across the strategies, digital technologies are depicted as tools for advancing the marketisation of UK HE. Rather ironically, the strategies are also fraught with contradictions and paradoxes with respect to the claimed relationships between digital technologies, learning, and markets. I argue that this problematic portrayal of digital technologies makes them complicit in the neoliberal erosion of UK HE.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41239-018-0093-2Digital technologiesHigher education policy and strategyMarketisation of HENeoliberalismCritical discourse analysis
spellingShingle Morag Munro
The complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of UK higher education: exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategies
International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education
Digital technologies
Higher education policy and strategy
Marketisation of HE
Neoliberalism
Critical discourse analysis
title The complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of UK higher education: exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategies
title_full The complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of UK higher education: exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategies
title_fullStr The complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of UK higher education: exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategies
title_full_unstemmed The complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of UK higher education: exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategies
title_short The complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of UK higher education: exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategies
title_sort complicity of digital technologies in the marketisation of uk higher education exploring the implications of a critical discourse analysis of thirteen national digital teaching and learning strategies
topic Digital technologies
Higher education policy and strategy
Marketisation of HE
Neoliberalism
Critical discourse analysis
url http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41239-018-0093-2
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