Coursera and the platformization of education: operation of markets, datafication and governance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56162/transdigital95Keywords:
MOOCs, Coursera, datification, digital education, educative platformsAbstract
This article approaches to educative platforms from platformization studies framework. It approaches the Coursera platform as operator of an educational market made up of heterogeneous actors. It studies the visibility of its courses from data processes managed by algorithms, and the constitution of educational practices that emerge from the relationships between the platform and its users. The study is conducted by analyzing Coursera's educational offer and its interface as a space in which educational experiences materialize to reframe. The findings show that technology-based companies located on the west coast of the United States are the main partners of Coursera and that datafication is reused in the prioritization of courses promoted mainly through these companies. The predominance of US institutions in content contribution stands out, and the gaps between the global North and South, where the offer is scarce. The user interface analysis shows that educational practices focus on completion times and individual tasks whose information is data and can be reused for purposes that exceed educational ones.
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