From EDUPUNK to Open Policy: Critical Technology Praxis within Higher Education

Abstract

Emerging less than a decade ago, the term EDUPUNK sought to encapsulate the nascent rebellion against the corporatism and neoliberal ideology permeating digital aspects of higher education. A loose association of academic technologists with interests in net neutrality, open source software, hacktivism, and so on, the EDUPUNK movement has also been informing the adoption of various open practices in higher education, including open educational resources (OER). Intriguingly, university administrators and policymakers—attracted by aspects such as increased access and lower costs for students—are taking notice. In this article, I focus on developments from across the state of Virginia to introduce a critical praxis landscape from within higher education. Thus, I showcase some of the opportunities for critical technology praxis within the neoliberal(izing) university.

“EDUPUNK” 这个不到十年前浮现的概念, 企图概括捕捉对晚近在高等教育的数码面向盛行的企业主义和新自由主义意识形态之反抗。 作为对网络中立性、开放资源软件、黑客行动主义及其他议题有兴趣的学术界科技人士的鬆散连结, EDUPUNK行动同时对高等教育中各种开放实践之採用提供信息, 包括开放式教育资源 (OER)。有趣的是, 大学行政人员与政策制定者——受到较低的成本和增加学生取得管道所吸引——正在投以关注。我于本文中聚焦维吉尼亚州的发展, 以引介来自高等教育内部的批判实践地景。我从而展现在新自由主义 (化) 的大学中进行批判科技实践的若干契机。

Tras aparecer hace menos de una década, el término EDUPUNK buscó compendiar la naciente rebelión contra el corporatismo y la ideología neoliberal infiltrando aspectos digitales en la educación superior. Una asociación suelta de tecnólogos académicos con intereses en neutralidad de redes, software de fuente abierta, hacktivismo, y similares, el movimiento EDUPUNK también ha estado informando la adopción de varias prácticas abiertas en educación superior, que incluyen recursos educativos libres (OER). Enigmáticamente, administradores universitarios y legisladores—atraídos por algunas cosas como acceso mejorado y menores costos para los estudiantes—están tomando nota. En este artículo, me concentro en desarrollos observados en el estado de Virginia, para introducir un paisaje crítico de praxis desde adentro, en una universidad neoliberal(izante).

Key Words:

• critical pedagogy
• education technology
• higher education
• neoliberal university
• open education

关键词:

• 批判教学法
• 教育技术
• 高等教育
• 新自由主义大学
• 开放教育。

Palabras clave:

• pedagogía crítica
• tecnología educativa
• educación superior
• universidad neoliberal
• educación abierta

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jamison Miller

JAMISON R. MILLER is a PhD candidate in Educational Policy and Planning with a concentration in open education in the Department of Education at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23185. E-mail: [email protected]. He is interested in the potentials of “open” approaches (e.g., open access, open educational resources [OER], open data) to education and research for transforming existing institutions into more democratic and equitable forms. More specifically, his work examines theory, policy, and practices of open education adoption and engagement at federal, state, and institutional levels.