The Uberisation of Higher Education: Reclaiming Space and Time for Study in the Platform Era

Abstract

The platformisation of higher education has brought about a deep transformation of the university's pedagogical, institutional, and epistemic foundations. This article critically examines how the spread of platform logic —characterised by automation, datafication, and modularisation—reconfigures the traditional role of the university. By analysing the emergence of MOOCs and platform-based models, we argue that these systems increasingly frame education as a transactional, individualised, efficiency-driven activity. This occurs at the expense of the relational and open-ended nature of teaching and research. The resulting uberisation of the university redefines students as clients, teachers as content producers, and institutions as logistical interfaces. This marginalises the pedagogical encounter as a shared, dialogical practice. Rather than rejecting platforms outright, this article explores the conditions under which they could support the university's formative role. Drawing on the notions of scholéand the pedagogical triangle (teacher–student–subject of study), we argue for the recovery of study as a time of collective attention and inquiry. We also consider how automation, if designed and governed critically, could free up time for reflection rather thanenforcing standardisation. Ultimately, we argue for the reappropriation of digital infrastructures in ways that uphold educational responsibility, intellectual openness, and the co-presence of individuals gathered around matters of concern.