Ben Williamson
Ben Williamson is a Chancellor’s Fellow in the Centre for Research in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh, UK, where his research focuses on education policy, technology and data. He is an editor of the journal Learning, Media and Technology, and the author of Big Data in Education: The digital future of learning, policy and practice.
Written by Ben Williamson
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Leading the profession 6 May 2024 Are edtech platforms threatening academic freedom and intellectual property rights?
Janja Komljenovic, Ben Williamson
Digital platforms are routinely used in universities to support teaching and learning, but they can also challenge academic freedom and intellectual property (IP) rights. In our new report for Education International, ‘Behind the platforms: Safeguarding intellectual property rights and academic freedom in Higher Education’ , we reviewed the landscape of...
Are edtech platforms threatening academic freedom and intellectual property rights? -
Equity and inclusion Behind the platforms: Safeguarding intellectual property rights and academic freedom in Higher Education
Janja Komljenovic, Ben Williamson
6 May 2024Behind the platforms: Safeguarding intellectual property rights and academic freedom in Higher EducationHigher education (HE) faces a complex landscape of digital technology services, shaping educators’ labour and working conditions in new ways. Two particular issues are ownership of intellectual property (IP) and academic freedom when using digital education services such as edtech platforms. Edtech platforms complicate questions of academic ownership of content...
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Fighting the commercialisation of education 25 November 2022 Sportswashing edtech: how a World Cup corporate sponsor is playing with education
Ben Williamson
Education technology companies do not usually sponsor global sports tournaments. The brand logo of Byju’s, however, is currently displaying in football grounds in Qatar, after becoming an official FIFA World Cup sponsor . But the most highly-valued EdTech company on the planet is also carrying a lot of recent reputational...
Sportswashing edtech: how a World Cup corporate sponsor is playing with education -
Fighting the commercialisation of education Pandemic Privatisation in Higher Education: Edtech & University Reform
Ben Williamson, Anna Hogan
15 February 2021Pandemic Privatisation in Higher Education: Edtech & University ReformDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, a state of emergency engulfed higher education. The crisis of mass campus closures and a rapid ‘pivot’ to online learning became the context for attempts by private actors and commercial organisations to reconfigure the sector.
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Fighting the commercialisation of education 9 February 2021 “Post-pandemic reform of higher education: Market-first or purpose-first digital transformation?”, by Ben Williamson and Anna Hogan.
Ben Williamson, Anna Hogan
Educational technologies have become central to higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of emergency in tertiary systems worldwide has enabled private edtech companies, global tech businesses, and the networks of promoters backing them, to define the post-pandemic future of the university.
“Post-pandemic reform of higher education: Market-first or purpose-first digital transformation?”, by Ben Williamson and Anna Hogan. -
Fighting the commercialisation of education Commercialisation and privatisation in/of education in the context of Covid-19
Ben Williamson, Anna Hogan
15 July 2020Commercialisation and privatisation in/of education in the context of Covid-19The Covid-19 emergency has affected education systems worldwide. The ‘pivot’ to ‘online learning’ and ‘emergency remote teaching’ has positioned educational technology (edtech) as an integral component of education globally, bringing private sector and commercial organisations into the centre of essential educational services.
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Future of work in education 10 July 2020 "The edtech pandemic shock", by Ben Williamson & Anna Hogan.
Ben Williamson
The Covid-19 pandemic was the context for two major disruptions in education. The first was the disruption to schooling for millions of students worldwide, and a rapid shift to remote learning online. The second, closely related disruption was the entry of the commercial education technology sector into public education at...
"The edtech pandemic shock", by Ben Williamson & Anna Hogan.