Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 9-10-2016

Department

Criminology

Department

Criminology

Abstract

Faculty frequently express concerns about students’ personal use of information

and communication technologies in today’s university classrooms. As a requirement

of a graduate research methodology course in a university in Ontario,

Canada, the authors conducted qualitative research to gain an in-depth understanding

of students’ perceptions of this issue. Their findings reveal students’

complex considerations about the acceptability of technology use. Their analysis

of the broader contexts of students’ use reveals that despite a technological revolution,

university teaching practices have remained largely the same, resulting in

‘cultural lag’ within the classroom. While faculty are technically ‘in charge’, students

wield power through course evaluations, surveillance technologies and

Internet postings. Neoliberalism and the corporatisation of the university have

engendered an ‘entrepreneurial student’ customer who sees education as a means

to a career. Understanding students’ perceptions and their technological, social

and political contexts offers insights into the tensions within today’s classrooms.

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