The Algorithmic University: On-Line Education, Learning Management Systems, And The Struggle Over Academic Labor
Publication Date
2021
Document Type
Contribution to a Book
Publication Title
Beyond Capitalism and Neoliberalism
Editor
Vesna Stanković Pejnović
First Page
214
Last Page
241
Abstract
The use of on-line education (OLE) to deliver higher education using learning management systems (LMS) has received growing critical attention for its reliance on precarious faculty, high drop out and failure rates, and as a form of privatization. While these critiques are well grounded, they overlook the role of OLE as a strategy for rationalizing teaching and the deskilling academic labor in order to produce more self-disciplined precarious “platform” workers who can labor remotely under the control of algorithmic management. To recompose the power of academic workers new tactics, strategies and objectives based on an analysis of the new technical composition of capital in higher education is needed.
Keywords
Neoliberalism, Higher education, Datafication, Online-ification, Academic labor, Rationalization of labor, On-line education, Learning Management System
Department
Political Science
Recommended Citation
Robert Ovetz. "The Algorithmic University: On-Line Education, Learning Management Systems, And The Struggle Over Academic Labor" Beyond Capitalism and Neoliberalism (2021): 214-241.
