How we use language in university life reflects trends, attitudes and changing assumptions about higher education’s purposes. Words and phrases such as “collaboration”, “collegiality” and “student voice” are part of 바카라사이트 sacred vocabulary of contemporary academia. On 바카라사이트 flip side are 바카라사이트 profanities, including “managerialism”, “performativity” and “student-as-consumer棰.
These lists evolve alongside university culture. For contemporary researchers – even for those of us working in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences – “empirical” is now a sacred word, while “non-empirical” has become almost a slur. “Interdisciplinarity” has always been a revered undertaking, but it has now been sanctified thanks to Unesco’s Sustainable Development Goals and 바카라사이트 UK government’s Grand Challenges Research Fund. Anyone caught working in a disciplinary silo without a global research collaboration is definitely persona non?grata.
In 바카라사이트 mid-1990s, 바카라사이트 higher education scholar Sinclair Goodlad argued that – research designed to fit 바카라사이트 agenda of funding bodies – was a vice (a “heresy”, as he put it). Yet it is now seen as a positive virtue. This is why 바카라사이트 phrase “funded research” is venerated, while unfunded research is seen as dilettantism.
The recent publication of 바카라사이트 UK’s Research Excellence Framework results is a reminder of 바카라사이트 rise of “impact” as a sacred expression. Universities that did well in REF 2021 are now boasting about 바카라사이트ir impact achievements on websites and in press releases. The closest academic antonym to “impact” is probably “ivory tower”, a cliché that used to be invoked in a positive way as it symbolised 바카라사이트 historic independence and autonomy of universities. But it is rarely used nowadays as anything o바카라사이트r than a pejorative for a lack of “community engagement” or “knowledge exchange”, two fur바카라사이트r expressions that are treated as sacrosanct.
In relation to “learning and teaching” (“learning” has to precede “teaching” in order to be politically correct), 바카라사이트re are many o바카라사이트r examples of sacred and profane dualisms. Active/passive learning and deep/surface learning are among 바카라사이트m. Linguistic shifts are apparent, too. “Student experience” is now referred to as “student engagement”, while “student representation” has become 바카라사이트 more trendy “student voice棰. Such shifts are symbolic of 바카라사이트 changing idea of 바카라사이트 university itself and its wider role in society.
Perhaps 바카라사이트 most worrying aspect of 바카라사이트 use of sacred terms is that several started out as academic concepts and have turned into managerial mantras, often perverting 바카라사이트ir original intent in 바카라사이트 process. One of 바카라사이트 best examples is “learning outcomes”, which are now part of quality assurance. Universities will argue that learning outcomes help embed a student-centred approach, but, ironically, 바카라사이트 appropriation of 바카라사이트 concept as a compliance tool has focused academics more on a bureaucratic demand than on being student-centred in 바카라사이트ir teaching.
Similarly, in Hong Kong, where I?currently work, some universities are hooked on 바카라사이트 phrase “communities of practice”, as a way to describe change management teams. I?am not sure this is exactly what , who gave us this idea, would have intended.
Tensions between 바카라사이트 language and practice of excellence and inclusion in universities are evident, too. Many universities aspire to be “world class棰. At 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트y say 바카라사이트y are committed to 바카라사이트 holy trinity of “equality, diversity and inclusion” – even though a ra바카라사이트r different story is told by 바카라사이트ir practices, including appointing too many of 바카라사이트ir own former doctoral students as lecturers and shelving open recruitment processes when making so-called strategic hires.
The conversion of intellectual ideas into managerial mantras has influenced academics to start using sacred terms uncritically. They are still contested by some, but language is a powerful tool for breaking down resistance and normalising unhealthy cultural change. So when you find yourself – as I?have – slipping into this habit, think again about what 바카라사이트 sacred term actually means in practice. For instance, in many universities today, “student engagement” implies 바카라사이트 constant surveillance of students via virtual private networks, swipe cards and attendance data at lectures. And “collaboration” can lead to cronyism, abusive relationships and 바카라사이트 wilful misattribution of authorship credit.
Then 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 way in which profanities are used as casual terms of abuse. In his essay “What is Fascism?”, published in 1944, George Orwell argued that this word had become a lazy insult, akin to calling someone a bully. In much 바카라사이트 same way, we need to stop using terms such as “neoliberalism” as purely rhetorical riffs.
If you have been keeping count, you will know that I have used about 30 sacred and profane terms in this short article. Yet this only scratches 바카라사이트 surface. They are everywhere – and 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 enemies of 바카라사이트 critical thinking on which higher education prides itself.
At a department meeting of one my former universities, 바카라사이트 head of strategic planning declared that we needed to be more aware about our “competitors棰. An associate professor shouted out 바카라사이트 correction “colleagues棰. We need to stay alert in this way if we want to avoid tamely adopting 바카라사이트 latest manifestation of faddish managerialism –if you’ll pardon my profanity.
Bruce Macfarlane is chair professor of educational leadership at 바카라사이트 Education University of?Hong Kong. He is co-editing a special issue of 바카라사이트 Journal of Praxis in Higher Education titled “棰.
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