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Conceptualising the Digital University

The Intersection of Policy, Pedagogy and Practice

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Define the 'digital university' according to a more holistic and integrated account
  • Analyses how technology can redefine the concept of the university and extend higher education as a public good
  • Examines the challenges, possibilities and opportunities that digital technology and practice bring to higher education

Part of the book series: Digital Education and Learning (DEAL)

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxi
  2. Visioning the Digital University

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. The Digital University: An Impoverished Concept

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 19-38
    3. Exploring the Digital University: Developing and Applying Holistic Thinking

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 39-60
  3. Deconstructing the Digital University

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 61-61
    2. The Myth of Digital Transformation

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 63-84
    3. Digital Participation and Open Communities: From Widening Access to Porous Boundaries

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 85-103
    4. Information Literacy, Digital Capability, and Individual Agency

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 105-125
    5. Digitally Enriched Learning Spaces

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 127-148
    6. The Digitally Distributed Curriculum

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 149-176
  4. Reimagining the Digital University

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 177-177
    2. An Extended Conceptual Matrix for the Digital University

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 179-202
    3. Institutional Practice and Praxis

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 203-215
    4. Academic Development for the Digital University

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 217-233
    5. Conclusion: Advancing the Digital and Open Education Agenda

      • Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth
      Pages 235-244
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 245-265

About this book

Despite the increasing ubiquity of the term, the concept of the digital university remains diffuse and indeterminate. This book examines what the term 'digital university' should encapsulate and the resulting challenges, possibilities and implications that digital technology and practice brings to higher education. Critiquing the current state of definition of the digital university construct, the authors propose a more holistic, integrated account that acknowledges the inherent diffuseness of the concept. The authors also question the extent to which digital technologies and practices can allow us to re-think the location of universities and curricula; and how they can extend higher education as a public good within the current wider political context. Framed inside a critical pedagogy perspective, this volume debates the role of the university in fostering the learning environments, skills and capabilities needed for critical engagement, active open participation and reflection in the digital age. This pioneering volume will be of interest and value to students and scholars of digital education, as well as policy makers and practitioners.

Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Psychological Science and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

    Bill Johnston

  • Academic Quality and Development, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK

    Sheila MacNeill

  • Learning and Teaching Academy, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, UK

    Keith Smyth

About the authors

Bill Johnston is Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Psychological Sciences and Health at the University of Strathclyde, UK. Before retiring in 2010 Bill was Senior Lecturer at Strathclyde’s Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement.

Sheila MacNeill is Senior Lecturer in Digital Learning at Glasgow Caledonian University, UK. 

Keith Smyth is Professor of Pedagogy and Head of the Learning and Teaching Academy at the University of the Highlands and Islands, UK.


Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Conceptualising the Digital University

  • Book Subtitle: The Intersection of Policy, Pedagogy and Practice

  • Authors: Bill Johnston, Sheila MacNeill, Keith Smyth

  • Series Title: Digital Education and Learning

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99160-3

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Education, Education (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-99159-7Published: 30 January 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-40442-0Published: 20 February 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-99160-3Published: 16 January 2019

  • Series ISSN: 2753-0744

  • Series E-ISSN: 2753-0752

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXI, 265

  • Number of Illustrations: 8 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Higher Education, Educational Technology, Technology and Digital Education, Educational Policy and Politics

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access