"To employ each of nature's products in the most favorable way possible": nature as a commodity in eighteenth-century German economic discourse

Im 18. Jahrhundert erschien in den deutschen Staaten eine große Anzahl von Texten, die eine intensivere Ausbeutung der natürlichen Ressourcen propagierten. Sie eröffneten einen Diskurs, der sowohl programmatische Stellungnahmen als auch auf den ersten Blick neutrale Beschreibungen der entsprechenden technologischen Prozesse umfasste. Die Ausbeutung der natürlichen Ressourcen wurde als wünschenswert für die 'Glückseligkeit' des Einzelnen wie des Staates propagiert. Die Verfasser führen das Auftreten dieses Diskurses auf eine Reihe von Faktoren zurück: das zeitgenössische ökonomische Denken, die Gründung von wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Gesellschaften und die Verbreitung neuer Medien, z.B. in Gestalt der rasch um sich greifenden Zeitschriften-Kultur. Wenn der Mensch, wie oft behauptet wird, gegenüber der Natur immer eine utilitaristisch geprägte Haltung eingenommen hat, dann wurde - so die Verfasser - diese Haltung in schriftlicher Form erstmals im 18. Jahrhundert einer breiten Öffentlichkeit gegenüber propagiert, eine Entwicklung, die die Beachtung der Umweltgeschichtsschreibung auch weiterhin verdient. (ICEÜbers)'In German territories in the eighteenth century a large number of texts propagated an intensified exploitation of natural resources. This discourse comprised programmatic statements as well as seemingly 'neutral' descriptions of corresponding technological processes. For a broad range of addressees, the exploitation of natural resources was thus legitimized as desirable for the well-being ('Glückseligkeit') of the individual and the state. The contribution explains the emergence of this discourse by factors ranging from contemporary economic thought over the establishment of economic societies to the dissemination of new media like the rapidly spreading journal culture. In summarizing it is argued that if man, as has often been argued, in its actions has always been taking on a utilitarian attitude towards nature, it is in the eighteenth century that this attitude was first broadly disseminated in written discourse - a development that, obviously, can not be labeled an anthropological constant and thus deserves further investigation by environmental historians.' (author's abstract

Teaching as coaching: experiences with a video-based flipped classroom combined with project-based approach in technology and physics higher education

The role of faculty in higher education as knowledge disseminators within the knowledge and digital society can be completely redefined. This paper presents results from a video-based flipped classroom approach combined with a project-oriented learning arrangement. I show that videos combined with a project-based learning setting can be a powerful tool to facilitate the shift from knowledge dissemination to knowledge appropriation. Besides, results show a high level of student's satisfaction and achievement during the course. The self-perceived competences obtained by the students during the course and those estimated qualitatively by the lecturer on the ground of the formative and summative evaluations reach far beyond those possible in a similar course with a traditional teaching approachPeer Reviewe

Digitalisation of higher education. A critical analysis of learning analytics architectures using the example of dashboards

Im Rekurs auf gouvernementalitätstheoretische Perspektiven ergründet der Beitrag, welche neuen Formate der Selbst- und Fremdführung durch Learning-Analytics-Architekturen an Universitäten entstehen. Wir arbeiten heraus, dass Dashboards Schnittstellen zu Verdatungsregimen sind, in denen die von den Lernsubjekten hinterlassenen digitalen Spuren in Echtzeit zu Profiling-, Prognose- und Vergleichszwecken verarbeitet und präsentiert werden. Unsere These ist, dass sich im Kontext der digitalen Hochschulbildung neuartige Verflechtungen zwischen Fremd- und Selbstregierungspraktiken herausbilden, die sich durch besondere Formen des Ineinandergreifens von Außenlenkung und freiwilliger, selbstnormalisierender Innenlenkung von den Machtpraktiken in analogen Kontexten unterscheiden. (DIPF/Orig.)Leaning on theories of governmentality, the article explores which new formats of self-governing and being-governed are emerging at universities due to the implementation of learning analytics architectures. We carve out how dashboards function as interfaces with regimes of datafication, in which the digital traces left by the learning subjects are processed and presented in real time for the purposes of profiling, forecasting and comparison. We maintain that in the context of digital higher education, new interdependencies develop between practices of external government and self-government. The specific forms of interlocking external control and voluntary, self-normalising, internal control found here differ from the enactments of power in analogue contexts. (DIPF/Orig.

Privacy self-regulation and the changing role of the state: from public law to social and technical mechanisms of governance

This paper provides a structured overview of different self-governance mechanisms for privacy and data protection in the corporate world, with a special focus on Internet privacy. It also looks at the role of the state, and how it has related to privacy self-governance over time. While early data protection started out as law-based regulation by nation-states, transnational self-governance mechanisms have become more important due to the rise of global telecommunications and the Internet. Reach, scope, precision and enforcement of these industry codes of conduct vary a lot. The more binding they are, the more limited is their reach, though they - like the state-based instruments for privacy protection - are becoming more harmonised and global in reach nowadays. These social codes of conduct are developed by the private sector with limited participation of official data protection commissioners, public interest groups, or international organisations. Software tools - technical codes - for online privacy protection can give back some control over their data to individual users and customers, but only have limited reach and applications. The privacy-enhancing design of network infrastructures and database architectures is still mainly developed autonomously by the computer and software industry. Here, we can recently find a stronger, but new role of the state. Instead of regulating data processors directly, governments and oversight agencies now focus more on the intermediaries - standards developers, large software companies, or industry associations. And instead of prescribing and penalising, they now rely more on incentive-structures like certifications or public funding for social and technical self-governance instruments of privacy protection. The use of technology as an instrument and object of regulation is thereby becoming more popular, but the success of this approach still depends on the social codes and the underlying norms which technology is supposed to embed. --

The "more economic approach" in EU merger control: A critical assessment

With the "more economic approach" the EU is taking a new tack on merger control policy. This is visible not only in the new SIEC prohibition criterion and the criteria for appraising horizontal mergers but also in more recent decision-making practice. Greater legal certainty, on the one hand, and improved decision-making, on the other, have been cited as the aims of the (increased) use of industrial economics models and quantitative analysis. The objective of a (better) economic foundation in EU merger control is expressly welcomed. However, on closer analysis it is found that in point of fact the more economic approach in its present form creates less legal certainty, while the upshot in terms of the quality of the decision-making is at least unclear. At the same time, the (administrative) burden is likely to rise. Moreover, certain problems emerge for instance from the increasing involvement of economic experts or the possibilities for (industrial policy-related) political intervention. In conclusion, a broader perception of an economics-based approach which takes account especially of the institutional implications is called for. Specific recommendations are the establishment of an independent competition authority and the stronger orientation of merger control to (more) general rules. --Competition policy,EU merger control,economic analysis

The economization of education and the implications of the quasi-commodification of knowledge on higher education for sustainable development

This paper analyses an ongoing economization trend in the sphere of higher education (HE) and discusses its implications on higher education for sustainable development (HESD). The sources of this trend are connected with neoliberalism understood as a political project that seeks to extend competitive market forces, consolidate a market-friendly constitution, and promote individual freedom. In global HE neoliberalism, decision-makers, be it educational, scientific, or other, are pressured to assess how their activities impact financially on the individual, organizational, and institutional levels and/or the imperatives of an internationally competitive economy. The paper provides a contemporary analysis of the rise of neoliberalism in HE, understood as the specific trend of an academic capitalist knowledge/learning regime explained by Jessop's six analytic distinct and potentially overlapping stages of economization. This analysis is based on a review of European policies from 2006 until 2017 and explains characteristics of current economization strategies. Their core principles relating to higher education are about improving economic performance based on knowledge and innovation. Smart growth is defined politically as the main purpose of HE and positioning students as future workers, with the right higher skills, as the means. The relevance of students' skills higher education institutions (HEI) are urged to develop highly depend on business demands. European policies are driven by a comprehensive entrepreneurial agenda restructuring the organizational mechanisms in HE. Accountability towards the labour market and skills performance of students set this agenda. Funding strategies rest on strong industry ties and diversification of revenue streams depend on HEI capability to establish tech-driven knowledge alliances between research, education and business. These new intermediary and powerful alliances drive economization strategies, influence curriculum development and decide on relevant higher level skills. Respective learning practices are oriented strongly towards developing entrepreneurial and digital skills based on personalized learning environments. Currently HESD adapts towards a neoliberal education agenda rather than preventing further shifts from a capitalist towards a competitive financialized economy. A profound critique would have to question the dominant economization trends in higher education i.e. the very purpose of education and the current raison d'etre of HEI. The core of the critique might build on new institutionalized learning environments allowing deep, social learning and, hence, the potential of HEI to act as social catalysts empowering collective and disruptive agency.Series: SRE - Discussion Paper

Weblogs in Higher Education. Opportunities and Challenges: A systematic literature analysis of mandatory and voluntary student blogging

Weblogs sind ein etabliertes Instrument in der Hochschullehre, das heutzutage in vielen Anwendungsbereichen zum Einsatz kommt. Mittlerweile gibt es eine Vielzahl empirischer Studien, die sich mit dem studentischen Einsatz von Weblogs in der Hochschullehre auseinandersetzen. Ziel dieser Literaturanalyse ist es, verpflichtendes und freiwilliges Bloggen von Studierenden im Rahmen ihrer universitären Ausbildung systematisch zu untersuchen. Dabei wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche Auseinandersetzung in empirischen Studien dazu erfolgt und welche Chancen und Herausforderungen sich bezüglich des verpflichtenden und freiwilligen studentischen Einsatzes von Weblogs in der Hochschullehre ergeben. Die ausgewählten Artikel werden dabei inhaltlich mittels eines induktiven Kategoriensystems analysiert. Chancen und Herausforderungen des jeweiligen Blogeinsatzes werden aufgezeigt und praktische Implikationen zusammengefasst. Anhand formaler Merkmale des Bloggens und des Studiums wird der studentische Blogeinsatz weiter charakterisiert. Abschliessend werden die Chancen und Herausforderungen gegenübergestellt und die in den empirischen Studien dargestellte theoretische Rahmung des studentischen Blogeinsatzes in einem mediendidaktischen Kontext erörtert.Nowadays, weblogs are an established tool in higher education, and are being utilized in a wide field of applications. At the same time, one can find numerous empirical studies investigating student blogging in higher education. The aim of this literature review is to systematically investigate mandatory and voluntary student blogging in higher education. This paper considers the question of whether empirical studies discuss obligatory and voluntary student blogging and which opportunities and challenges arise in the context of the different use. Towards this goal, the content of the selected articles will be analysed using an inductive category system. Challenges and opportunities of the respective blog use are pointed out and practical implications are summarized. Student blogging is further characterised by formal elements involved in the blogging activities and in the respective study curriculum. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of blogging will be compared, and the theoretical framing of the student blogging, as this occurs in the original empirical studies will be discussed in a media didactic context