‘You need a system’ : Exploring the role of data in the administration of university students and courses
Journal article
Selwyn, Neil, Henderson, Michael and Chao, Shu-Hua. (2018). ‘You need a system’ : Exploring the role of data in the administration of university students and courses. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 42(1), pp. 46-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2016.1206852
Authors | Selwyn, Neil, Henderson, Michael and Chao, Shu-Hua |
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Abstract | Universities generate a mass of data related to students and the courses that they study. As such, ‘data work’ using digital technologies and digital systems is integral to educational administration within higher education. Drawing on in-depth interviews with administrative and managerial staff in an Australian university, this article examines the data practices and processes that have grown up around students and courses. In particular, the article explores the ‘back-stage’ issues surrounding data – e.g. concerns and tensions associated with appropriate uses of data; the organisational cultures that form around the use of data; and the (un)intended consequences of data work. These findings point towards an implicit ‘black-boxing’ of data that shapes the generation and use of digital data in ways that are predominantly restricted and bounded. The article concludes by considering how these constrained forms of data use might be problematised and reconsidered. |
Keywords | data; digital; university; systems; administration; administrators |
Year | 2018 |
Journal | Journal of Further and Higher Education |
Journal citation | 42 (1), pp. 46-56 |
Publisher | Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |
ISSN | 0309-877X |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2016.1206852 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-84980411215 |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 46-56 |
Publisher's version | License All rights reserved File Access Level Controlled |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 02 Aug 2016 |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 23 Jan 2016 |
Deposited | 27 Oct 2021 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8wxw8/-you-need-a-system-exploring-the-role-of-data-in-the-administration-of-university-students-and-courses
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