The Future of University Education (Palgrave Critical University Studies)

This collected volume of essays offers glimpses of the future of university education. While universities consider the spirit of theoretical exchange and intellectual pursuit to be a defining trait of their identity, this book argues that this heritage is disappearing under the influence of the short-term demands of societies and markets. Universities used to be sites of dissent, civil courage and societal conscience, but have now instead become little more than pseudo-businesses, rendering them incapable of remaining critical or independent. However, with more people going to university every year, there is a strong resistance to the notion that the university as a collegial and critical institution is dead, among academics as well as the broader public. With contributions from scholars across the world, this edited collection explores the ramifications of marketization on universities, and provides glimpses of what higher education will look like in the future. It will be of great interest to teachers and students in higher education, as well as policy makers and those interested in the current and future state of higher education. The Future of University Education 4 Series Editor’s Preface 6 Contents 9 List of Tables 12 1 Introduction: The Future of University Education 13 Legacy 13 Paideia 17 State of Play 19 Structure of the Book 22 Note 26 References 26 Part I Dissecting the Status Quo 29 2 Academic Freedom in the Corporate University: Squandering Our Inheritance? 30 Freedom! 33 Neoliberalism and the University 36 Managing the Corporate University 39 The Game of Excellence 42 The Inheritance of Freedom 44 References 47 3 The University of the Common: Beyond the Contradictions of Higher Education Subsumed under Capital 50 Introduction 50 The Common as a Concept and as a Perspective in Higher Education Research 52 Contradictions of the Contemporary Higher Education Systems 55 Classification of Contradictions of the Higher Education Systems 57 Apparent Contradiction (I): The Private and the Public 59 Apparent Contradiction (II): Academic Oligarchy and Capital 60 Real Contradiction (I): Corrupted Forms of the Common and the Common 62 Real Contradiction (II): The Common and Capital 64 The Future of the University: The University of the Common 66 Note 69 References 69 4 “The Last in the Food Chain”: Dignity of Polish Junior Academics and Doctoral Candidates in the Face of Performance Management 74 Introduction 74 Dignity and Work 75 Dignity and the University 77 Performing Academics 79 Research Context: Polish Higher Education 81 Methodology 83 Data Collection 83 Data Analysis 84 Research Questions 84 Findings 84 Instead of Conclusions 89 Notes 91 References 91 5 The Culture of Control in the Contemporary University 96 Introduction 96 Neoliberal University 97 Neoliberal Management Methods 98 Neoliberal Management of Universities 100 Criticism in Research on Neoliberalism 102 Culture under the Pressure of Change 105 Culture of Academic Quality 107 Cultural Change Process 108 Discussion and Proposals of Change 111 Summary – Critical Remarks on Control Culture 112 Note 115 References 115 Part II University in Context 120 6 Living in a World of Foam: Global Ideas, Bubbles, Institutions and the Fairy Tale of Business Education 121 The Strange Case of the University as Institution and the Fairy Tale of Business Solutions 124 Conclusion: Looking for Another Fairy Tale 127 Notes 129 References 129 7 The Future of the University? Social Activism among Young Polish Scholars 132 Introduction 132 Academic Initiatives and Social Movements in Poland 134 Citizens of Academia – the Research Project 139 The Citizens of Academia – the Pilot Study 141 Conclusions 146 Notes 149 References 149 8 University as a Terminal: Socio-Material Infrastructure for Post-Neoliberal Society 154 Notes 164 References 164 Part III Teaching and Research 166 9 McLearning and the So-Called Knowledge Society: An Essay 167 Introduction 167 Du Temps Perdu 168 The Protean University: The First Thousand Years 170 McLearning: And the Illusion that Has Enabled It 173 Delivering McLearning 175 McLearning to Date: Not a Pretty Picture 177 Distance “learning” 177 Enabling Technologies: Data? Information? Knowledge? Learning? 179 Measurement Metastatic: Answering the Answerable. Measuring the Measurable 181 “Pedagogy” 182 In Support of McLearning 184 Old Norms: The Classroom for Instance 185 The Purpose(s) of McLearning 185 The Professorate 187 So, Where to from Here? 189 References 190 10 Neoliberalism’s War against Higher Education and the Role of Public Intellectuals 192 Introduction 192 Reading Neoliberalism 195 Higher Education and the Crisis of Legitimacy 198 The Centrality of Education to Politics 200 Dreaming the Impossible 201 Conclusion 206 Notes 210 References 210 11 Re-Imagining Business Schools of the Future as Places of Theorizing 214 Introduction 214 Real-World Business Ethics – the Nature of Relevant Knowledge 217 What the Bad Business Guys Do: Criminals in the Classroom 218 Theorizing as Contemplating Our Assumptions and Values, Our Being in the World 222 An Obsession with the “Applied” in Business Schools 224 Business Schools as Unique Places of Learning 227 References 229 12 Re-Integrating the Professional Learner: The Complementarity of Teaching and Research in Academic Life 233 Introduction 233 Taylorisation of Academic Life 234 Narcissism in Teaching and Research 237 The Love of Learning 238 Learning and Personal Constructs 240 Learning as Teaching and Research 241 Modelling Learning 243 The Future of Universities as Learning Communities 244 References 246 Part IV Into the Future 248 13 Escape from the Neo-Liberal Higher Education Prison: A Proposal for a New Digital Communist University 249 Introduction 249 Digital 253 Communist 254 The Proposal 256 Funding 260 Bureaucracy and Power 261 Creativity and Grading 264 Discussion 265 Notes 269 References 270 14 A Curious and Collaborative Future 274 A Closer Look at the Classroom 275 Gatekeeping in an Information World 276 Collaboration, Innovation and Culture Change 279 What is the Best Use of Student’s Time in the Classroom? 279 Principles of the University of the Future 282 Positivity 282 Generosity 283 Empathy and Impact 284 Curiosity 285 Specific Threats and Opportunities to the University 285 Who does the University Serve? 288 The Bigger Picture 289 Predicting the Future 290 References 292 15 Speculations on University Futures in 2025: Corporate Cloning, Intellectual Underground, and a New Critical Awareness 296 Introduction 296 1 January 2025 – Initial Reflections on Hopes for the Millennium 297 The 2010s – An Era of Fundamental Change 298 2010–2015 – From Public Good to Economic Profit: What Is the Core Purpose of University Learning? 298 2015–2020 – Reinforcing the Corporate Agenda: The Corporate University and the Quasi-Public Institution 301 Narrative One: The 2020s – An Era of Diversity...But of What Kind? 302 Narrative Two: The 2020s – An Era of Diversity...But of What Kind? 305 Conclusions – There Are None for Now... 307 References 308 16 2021: A Campus Odyssey 312 Exploring Social Imagination 312 Welcome to the Future: Level of Narration 316 Dystopias 316 Privatized Stories 318 Positive Visions 318 Transformative Stories 319 What Have We Become? Level of Interpretation 321 2021 Flaneurs: Level of Metaphors 326 Notes 328 References 328 17 Anti-Coda 331 Reference 337 Index 339 Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction: The Future of University Education....Pages 1-16 Front Matter....Pages 17-17 Academic Freedom in the Corporate University: Squandering Our Inheritance?....Pages 19-38 The University of the Common: Beyond the Contradictions of Higher Education Subsumed under Capital....Pages 39-62 “The Last in the Food Chain”: Dignity of Polish Junior Academics and Doctoral Candidates in the Face of Performance Management....Pages 63-84 The Culture of Control in the Contemporary University....Pages 85-108 Front Matter....Pages 109-109 Living in a World of Foam: Global Ideas, Bubbles, Institutions and the Fairy Tale of Business Education....Pages 111-121 The Future of the University? Social Activism among Young Polish Scholars....Pages 123-144 University as a Terminal: Socio-Material Infrastructure for Post-Neoliberal Society....Pages 145-156 Front Matter....Pages 157-157 McLearning and the So-Called Knowledge Society: An Essay....Pages 159-183 Neoliberalism’s War against Higher Education and the Role of Public Intellectuals....Pages 185-206 Re-Imagining Business Schools of the Future as Places of Theorizing....Pages 207-225 Re-Integrating the Professional Learner: The Complementarity of Teaching and Research in Academic Life....Pages 227-241 Front Matter....Pages 243-243 Escape from the Neo-Liberal Higher Education Prison: A Proposal for a New Digital Communist University....Pages 245-269 A Curious and Collaborative Future....Pages 271-292 Speculations on University Futures in 2025: Corporate Cloning, Intellectual Underground, and a New Critical Awareness....Pages 293-308 2021: A Campus Odyssey....Pages 309-327 Anti-Coda....Pages 329-336 Back Matter....Pages 337-346 Welcome to a wonderful birthday party! On his birthday, a cross-cultural child learns how special he is to his family and to God. Along with presents and packages, his extended families bring the favorite foods, party games, and language of their different cultures -- Hispanic and Anglo. "What a great birthday party for David! Along with presents and packages, his mother's and father's extended families bring their favorite foods, party games, and language of their different cultures, Hispanic and Anglo ..." Michał Izak, Monika Kostera, Michał Zawadzki, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.