Rethinking the Smart University: Purdue Professor Lindsay Weinberg on surveillance technologies in Higher Education

As a clinical associate professor and director of the Tech Justice Lab in the John Martinson Honors College, Lindsay Weinberg explores the evolving role of technology in higher education and its implications for students, faculty and institutions. In her book Smart University: Student Surveillance in the Digital Age, Weinberg investigates how tools like exam proctoring software and predictive analytics raise issues of privacy, discrimination and exploitation. Her research encourages thoughtful dialogue about the opportunities and challenges these technologies present.

“The rise of the ‘smart university’ isn’t just about integrating advanced technology into education. We need to question who designs and benefits from these tools, and whether they align with the best interests of students and faculty,” Weinberg explains.

In her book, Weinberg analyzes how digital surveillance tools—from student mental health self-tracking apps, to campus security technology, to eAdvisor nudges–—reshape power dynamics on campus.

During a recent panel discussion, Weinberg discussed these topics alongside experts in education technology and ethics. Attendees explored the challenges of digital surveillance and the opportunities for cultivating more transparency and participation in decision-making regarding whether and how these tools are used across the academic landscape.

Weinberg’s research has already begun to inspire change. “I hope this work equips people with the skills to initiate critical conversations across the academy so that people can transform their campuses,” she says.

As Weinberg looks to the future, her next project aims to extend these conversations to the faculty experience. “I’d like to write a similar book focusing on faculty and how these technologies affect their working conditions and rights within the academy,” she shares.

Smart University: Student Surveillance in the Digital Age encourages readers to rethink the relationship between technology and education. Weinberg’s work serves as a call to action, urging students, faculty and administrators alike to engage with the technologies shaping their academic environments critically.

Learn more about Weinberg’s work on the JMHC website, or check out her latest op-ed for Inside Higher Ed.

Shree Balasubramaniyan

Communication Assistant for Teaching and Learning, tlcoms@purdue.edu