Cloud-Based Knowledge and Glocal Dilemmas in Higher Education

Abstract

The potential of cloud computing systems as a support tool for novel and meaningful knowledge creation, storage, and distribution within the context of higher education is recognised and so is the impact to which the global dimension imposes inherent ethical issues and social impacts within local contexts (glocality). Hitherto, mainstream literature debates on ethical issues like equity or cultural sensitivity, disregarding existent social dilemmas related to organizational innovation. This paper aims to promote a philosophical and empirical argument within contextual determinants; therefore, it reflects upon the key ethical issues and social dilemmas that cloud-based systems pose to distributed knowledge systems in the dialectic process of higher education diversity (global versus local). In this regard, an e-University strategic implementation framework interacting with ethics and culture (developed by the first co-author) will help two research objectives: to understand current e-learning practices in higher education and to suggest potential future guidelines for the dialectical process between the global and local.