higher education and professional work josé-ginés mora technical university of valencia, spain
TRANSCRIPT
Higher education and work:the key questions
To what extent should HE focus on enhancement of knowledge and individual development without explicit regard of their professional roles?
To what extent should HE deliver the competences which seem to be on demand by employment system or should HE prepare graduates to become active agents of innovation and change?
Should study prepare graduates for a wide range of occupations or should it to be highly specialized?
Index
1. Higher education and work: The traditional relationship
2. What has changed in the workplace?
3. The answer of the educational system
4. Some experiences of new trends
The traditional workplace
Professions were “well-defined”
Basic knowledge required in jobs barely changed along working life
Skills were specific to each profession (even, position)
Few connections among professions
Low proportion of highly educated workers
The traditional educational model
Training for “well-defined” professions
Teaching “the whole state of the art” in each discipline
Training for specific skills
Not special need of flexibility/adaptability to new situations or problems
Teachers, the main actors of the process
Students came from the “elite”
Three traditional models of higher education
Humboldtian model (German) Objective: general knowledge
Napoleonic model (French) Objective: training professionals
British model Objective: more focused on individual
development
Emphasis made by the institution on...(Scale 0 to 10)
Theories, concepts or paradigms 8.1
Regular class attendance 6.1
Teacher as the main source of information 6.0
Freedom to choose courses 4.6
Independent learning 4.5
Facts and instrumental knowledge 4.0
Project and problem-based learning 3.9
Attitudes and socio-communicative skills 3.2
Direct acquisition of work experience 1.9
Rating of the study experience
Contacts w ith fellow students 7.3
Course content of major 5.5
Teaching quality 5.0
Design of degree program 4.1
Opportunity to choose courses 3.9
Practical emphasis of teaching and learning 3.4
Research emphasis of teaching and learning 2.3
Chances to participate in research projects 2.0
Provision of w ork placements 1.9
Competences The biggest deficit (Required - Acquired)
Computer skills -2.0
Working under pressure -1.4
Planning, co-ordinating and organising -1.4
Negotiating -1.3
Applying rules and regulations -1.1
Economic reasoning -0.9
Understanding complex organisational systems -0.9
Problem-solving ability -0.7
Field-specific know ledge of methods -0.7
Oral communication skills -0.7
Taking responsibilities, decisions -0.7
The global society
Blurring of national borders International economy Labour market
Increasing mobility Students and graduates Information and knowledge
The knowledge society
Knowledge is considered the first factor for increasing economic productivity
Knowledge is also the first factor for social development
KS stem from a combination of: Production of knowledge through research Transmission of knowledge through education Dissemination through ICT Application through technological innovation
The “universal university”
Higher education for all Increasing access to higher education
Higher education everywhere More institutions Distance and e-learning
Higher education as a network Joint programmes Mobility of students and teachers Fast dissemination of knowledge
The answer of the educational system
Change of goals
Change of paradigm
Change of timing
Change of assessment
What competence means
Specialized competence
Methodological competence
Social competence
Participatory competence
Knowledge Flexibility Sociability Participation
Skills Procedures Modes of behavior Structuring methods
Abilities
Occupation specific Variable working methods Willingness to achieve Coordinating skills
Enterprise-specific Problem-solving Willingness to work Organizational skills
Experience –related Independent thinking Willingness to cooperate Persuasion skills
Adaptability Honesty, fairness Decision-making sk.
Team spirit Leadership skills
Change of goals: Education based on competences I
Change of goals: Education based on competences II
Competences are a meeting point between education and labour market
Competences summarize academic and professional profiles
Competences define new objectives in the learning process
Competences enhance the new learning paradigm centred on the student
Opinions on competences
Graduates EmployersAcademicsRankingRankingRanking
1ro. General Knowledge
14mo. Interpersonal skill
12mo. General Knowledge 12mo. General Knowledge
4to. Interpersonal skill
6to. Interpersonal skills
Com
bine
d ra
nkin
g: F
irst
ten
com
pete
nces
2Capacity for applying knowledge in practice
Instrumental
Interpersonal
Systemic
3
3
Capacity to adapt to new situations
Concern for quality
44
Information management skills
Ability to work autonomously
ResultsComparing Graduates and Employers
1
1
1
Capacity for analysis and synthesis
Capacity to learn
Problem solving
5Teamwork
6 Capacity for organisation and planning
ResultsComparing Graduates and Employers
Howimportant
is...
Ethical commitment
Ability to work in interdisciplinary team
Initiative and entrepreneurial spirit
Teamwork
Ability to work autonomously
Elementary computing skills
Research skills
Capacity for organisation and planning
Higher foremployers
Higher forgraduates
Change of paradigm: From teaching to learning
From teacher to student
From lectures to a learning environment
From emphasizing inputs to outputs
From learning as accumulation of knowledge to learning as a permanent attitude towards knowledge
Change of timing: Towards Lifelong-learning
Traditionally, no special need for LLL
Knowledge society requires an open learning environment for all
Promoting flexible learning paths for all More flexible organization of study programmes Considering labour experience
Delivering education and training to adults A matter of labour marker effectiveness, but also an
matter of equity
Change of assessment: From processes to results
Quality assurance mechanisms: Assessment for internal improvement Assessment for accreditation
Traditional procedures Based on inputs and processes
New trend Assessment based on results (what
competences have graduates acquired?)
Some recent experiences in the EU
The Bologna process
The Joint Quality Initiative
The Education and Training Initiatives
Accreditation of HE programs
The Bologna process
An European Agreement for a Common Space of Higher Education (2010)
Goals: Comparability and compatibility Employability in a common labour market
Proposed solutions: Common structure of degrees Interchangeable courses “Accounting” of courses by the ECTS ECTS is based on learning activities and competences
The Joint Quality Initiative
Bachelor’s degrees are awarded to students who: have demonstrated knowledge and understanding in a field
of study that includes some aspects of the forefront of their field of study;
can apply their knowledge within their field of study;
have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data to inform judgements;
can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions;
have developed those learning skills that are necessary for them to continue to undertake further study.
The Joint Quality Initiative II
Master’s degrees are awarded to students who:
have demonstrated knowledge and understanding that provides a basis for originality in developing ideas;
can apply their knowledge and understanding, and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within multidisciplinary contexts;
have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity, and formulate judgements with incomplete or limited information;
have the learning skills to allow them to continue to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed or autonomous.
Education and training initiatives in the EU
Three strategic objectives for Education and Training System (ETS): Improving quality ad effectiveness of ETS Facilitating access of all to ETS Opening up ETS to the wider world
Objective 1.2: Developing skills for the knowledge society Identifying new basic skills Integrating skills in the curricula Making attainment of basic skill available to everyone Promoting official validation of basic skills
New trends in accreditation
Accreditation of programmes as a legal requirement for delivering degrees
Recently established in The Netherlands and Spain
Not focused on how these competences are acquired by graduates
Programme accreditation by checking to what extent offered competences are acquired
Education and work:Conclusions
(answering the key questions)
The new labour market requires people with a broad range of competences
The educational system should create a learning environment that enable students to acquire these competences
This broad range of competences allows both personal development and adaptation to the new labour market
Probably, the old contradiction (education by itself vs. education for the labour market) is over