'This is not a data problem': Algorithms and Power in Public Higher Education in Canada

Autor: McConvey, Kelly, Guha, Shion
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Druh dokumentu: Working Paper
DOI: 10.1145/3613904.3642451
Popis: Algorithmic decision-making is increasingly being adopted across public higher education. The expansion of data-driven practices by post-secondary institutions has occurred in parallel with the adoption of New Public Management approaches by neoliberal administrations. In this study, we conduct a qualitative analysis of an in-depth ethnographic case study of data and algorithms in use at a public college in Ontario, Canada. We identify the data, algorithms, and outcomes in use at the college. We assess how the college's processes and relationships support those outcomes and the different stakeholders' perceptions of the college's data-driven systems. In addition, we find that the growing reliance on algorithmic decisions leads to increased student surveillance, exacerbation of existing inequities, and the automation of the faculty-student relationship. Finally, we identify a cycle of increased institutional power perpetuated by algorithmic decision-making, and driven by a push towards financial sustainability.
Comment: In CHI '24 Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Honolulu, HI, USA
Databáze: arXiv