Network Ethics in the Growing Global, Multi-Dimensional and Technological Academy

The papers collected in this special issue represent responses by a range of academics to the challenge to consider ethical issues associated with the modern evolving university: specifically, the university becoming increasingly networked, socially, politically and geographically, while responding to growth in the use of communication technology which provides both a means to managing networks and the stimulus for further network development. The presenters at the “A New Challenge for Higher Education” session of the Network Ethics: The New Challenge in Business, ICT and Education Conference (Lisbon, June 2009) responded to a request to think about ethical issues arising under such conditions of change. All reflected on emerging practice, behavior and culture of human-technology interaction in classrooms, administrative offices and university governance. These papers provide first explorations of the ethical and pragmatic implications of an emerging 21st century university culture. They largely opt for case studies of specific aspects of university education, and thus reserve further detailed discussion of the ethical issues per se to later studies. Nevertheless, they provide important base-level studies of human-technology practice at a crucial time of change in higher education systems. This introduction sets the scene with a discussion between two academics, one of the conference session organizer (Horta) and the collection editor (Boyd), concerning the changes confronting universities and higher education at a time of global change.