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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 46-56 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Further and Higher Education |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Keywords
- administration
- administrators
- Data
- digital
- systems
- university
Cite this
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‘You need a system’ : Exploring the role of data in the administration of university students and courses. / Selwyn, Neil; Henderson, Michael; Chao, Shu Hua.
In: Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2018, p. 46-56.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘You need a system’
T2 - Exploring the role of data in the administration of university students and courses
AU - Selwyn, Neil
AU - Henderson, Michael
AU - Chao, Shu Hua
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - administration
KW - administrators
KW - Data
KW - digital
KW - systems
KW - university
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84980411215&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/0309877X.2016.1206852
DO - 10.1080/0309877X.2016.1206852
M3 - Article
VL - 42
SP - 46
EP - 56
JO - Journal of Further and Higher Education
JF - Journal of Further and Higher Education
SN - 0309-877X
IS - 1
ER -