Network Mediated Discursive Education: From Computational to Networked Knowledge in the University

In the 1990s, knowledge management originated as a post-Fordist, information society, discourse that stressed the sociotechnical “capture” and distribution of knowledge as a sharable, information resource. Following a postindustrial model, the information/knowledge economy was seen as the leading productive sector. Today's networked systems mix information processing and retrieval and communication technologies in new ways. While such systems demand new tools for capturing, organizing, searching, ranking, and visualizing knowledge, such systems also offer new opportunities for education and for better, shared, research. This article reviews the status of computational technologies in university education in, and since, Jean-François Lyotard's The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge and then offers recommendations on bridging the divide between networked and critical thinking through the reorganization of the university and some of its functions.