In this new project, funded by the Society for Resaerch in Higher Education, CRADALL Director Anna Wilson builds on her prior work on surveillance in HE (conducted with Jen Ross of the University of Edinburgh) in the project Telling Data Stories.

This project has three intersecting aims:

1. To explore the surveillance imaginaries of postgraduate students from China studying in the UK.
2. To explore the impacts of these on acculturation, engagement and experiences of studying in the UK.
3. To (begin to) consider the implications for curriculum design, pedagogical and support practices.

Researchers have started to explore students’ experiences of and responses to digital data collection and surveillance capabilities in HE institutions [e.g. 1-2].  While some have examined international students’ experiences of surveillance in relation to visa and immigration policies [3-4], there has been little effort to understand the intersection between differing cultural “surveillance expectations”, imagined surveillance capabilities and students’ acculturation and pedagogical experiences. The proposed research will explore these important issues in relation to students from China, where social norms and expectations around surveillance differ from the UK [5].

The project will run throughout 2025.

[1]Noteboom, J. (2024). Everyday datafication and higher education: ... In Networked Learning Conference Vol. 14.

[2]Slade, S., & Prinsloo, P. (2014). Student perspectives on the use of their data: ... In EDEN Conference Proceedings No. 2, pp. 291-300.

[3]Brunner, L. R. (2023). Higher education institutions as eyes of the state: ... Globalisation, Societies and Education, 21(2), 236-251.

[4]Walsh, J. P. (2019). Education or enforcement... Crime, Law and Social Change, 71(4), 325-344.

[5]Ollier-Malaterre, A. (2023). Living with digital surveillance in China: ... Taylor & Francis.