Higher education and professional work

José-Ginés Mora

Technical University of Valencia, Spain

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