Higher education strategies for the 21st century: philosophical foundations and the humanist approach

Abstract

The paper is dedicated to a philosophical consideration of the transformation strategies for higher education, particularly those revealed by the current Covid-19 pandemic. The situation of the latter is presented as a particular form of the general VUCA characteristics of the today’s world of uncertainty, unpredictability and qualitative complexity (‘supercomplexity’). It is argued that the main result of our acknowledgement of the VUCA situation in the world for higher education is the image of the developed human personality becoming the main value and at the same time the main goal of higher education. Under the conditions of volatility and ambiguity, any existing ‘ready-made’ knowledge, as well as any instructions for effective rational behavior, turns to be inadequate. Because of that, it is no longer sufficient to have a set of ‘competences’ as a final result of the educational process at today’s university. Higher education has to turn to developing in its graduates certain multidisciplinary qualities, like critical independent thinking and ability to create one’s own knowledge, up to aiming at an all-round development of cultured personality. The paper argues that the education of critical and creative thinking is closely related to the transition to student-centered learning, as each individual student is to become a full-powered subject of the educational process according to one’s own interests, abilities and curricula, with the role of a teacher starting to resemble that of a moderator, the one who is to help his or her undergraduates to navigate through the vast ocean of available information in order for them to choose and to create their own, personal knowledge. The latter task is especially enforced by the distant and online learning having become popular during the Covid-19 pandemic: that form of learning puts especially high demands on self-discipline and self-responsibility of a student’s personality, while presenting itself as rather a supplement than a replacement to more traditional forms of higher education with personal communication between student and teacher.

Evaluation of Humanistic Curriculum Within “Accepted” Movie

“…We know many positive and negative sides of traditional curriculum because we live in this educational process, however, we should know which perspective is better for learners (Rubin, 1974). Learner's perspective and psychology have also become more important after the COVID lockdowns according to Mielkov et al (2021). Mielkov et al (2021) discuss that locdowns, online educations and sudden changes in the educational settings cause ambiguity and stress on students.…”

“…Recently the concept of education has been changing because of the technological development. For example, online or multimedia education is very common recently (Mielkov et al, 2021). The new economic system also wants “soft learners” therefore people may be educated/trained according to system's needs during their professional lives (Mielkov et al, 2021; Meriem, 2016; Okur-Berberoglu, 2022b).…”

“…In terms of education, there are a variety of individual outputs because of individual differences, backgrounds, and experiences. (Mielkov et al, 2021; Okur-Berberoglu, 2022b; Ringness, 1975) American education system has been criticized in terms of having these individual outputs since 1970s (Esler & Armstrong, 1973; Holt, 2005; Kruger, 1973; Pratt, 1987; Smilie, 2012; Walter, 2009). I, as a researcher, especially consider American literature because the movie is an American production and critizise the American education system.…”

The use of digital games in the professional training of social pedagogues: realities and perspectives

“…Makarevich (2015), Y. Mielkov (2021), V. Zhukovsky, V. Kudin, N. Mukan (2011), A. Sbrueva (2004, L. Sergeeva (2014), J. Gee (2005a;2005b;2008), P. Gray, B.…”

Project-based learning in initial teacher education: contributions for the professional development of elementary school teachers

“…It is in ITE that future teachers come into contact with diverse teaching methods, such as Project-Based Learning (PjBL), which contrast with the essentially teacher-centred type of methods they have experienced in their school paths. Mielkov et al (2021) suggest the implementation of active teaching methods in ITE by professors, so that students can build their own knowledge, developing critical and reflexive skills, and realizing the potential of student-centred teaching methods.…”