De-Gendering in the Use of E-Learning

The starting point of the paper is the co-construction of gender and technology, that is, the theory that the usage of and the attitude to certain kinds of technology are a way to “do” one’s gender. A survey is presented that supports the assumption that with the routinization of e-learning in highe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bernd Remmele, Matthias Holthaus
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Athabasca University Press 2013-07-01
Series:International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1299/2522
Description
Summary:The starting point of the paper is the co-construction of gender and technology, that is, the theory that the usage of and the attitude to certain kinds of technology are a way to “do” one’s gender. A survey is presented that supports the assumption that with the routinization of e-learning in higher education e-learning loses its character as a technology, which can be used for gender performance. With the routinization of its usage e-learning is becoming a gender-neutral tool with no outstanding technological appeal. However, though doing gender may disappear in certain fields the co-construction of gender and technology is still valid as basic structure. Furthermore, the results show that e-learning meanwhile supports the attitude we call study as consumption, that is, the expectation that the main e-learning features are usual services to be provided by the educational institution. This attitude is to be found among male and female students alike.
ISSN:1492-3831