Table of content
Introduction
Higher Education and the Achievement of Equity and Social Justice
The Purposes of Higher Education and the Changing Face Of Academia
Identity Capital, Social Capital and the Wider Benefits of Learning
The Benefits of Diversity in Education for Democratic Citizenship
Trends in Global Higher Education
Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society
Conclusion
References
Introduction
The number of people pursuing higher education has increased globally. In addition, the structure of university education curriculum has changed over the years. A number of the changes can be attributed to the changing social practices, globalization and the demand for talent related courses. The university environment affects a person’s behavior or perception about life. Although the impact may not be the same on every individual, university education has an impact on morality and a person’s problem solving skills. As a result, university education should ensure morality, nature talents and enhance the problem solving skills of students.
Higher Education and the Achievement of Equity and Social Justice
Higher education plays a major role in the achievement of equity and social justice. The persuit for equity involves all activities, initiatives and inputs towards the creation of an equitable, respectiful and just society for all. Brennan and Naidoo, (2008) conducted an empirical theoretical examination of the impact of university education on social equity and justice. In their study the two researchers examined the role of education in the achievement or prevention of equity and social justice. Among the aspects examined are citizenship, social justice, meritocracy and social cohesion [3]. From the study the researchers also included the educative and the research aspects of higher education as some of the tools that help enhance equity and social justice.
According to the researcher, there are beneficiaries and losers with regard to the acquisition of university education. The study clearly presents the benefits of university education and gives an insight on some of the negative repercussions. From a general perspective, the article contains information on the role of education in the society. In particular the article examines the role of education towards the creation of a just and fair society. To achieve their objective, the researchers studied a number of variables. These include: the need to widen participation, social reproduction, social inequality among university students and university and public good. One of the aspects that make this article a reliable source is the exceptional use of language and cohesiveness between the study results and conclusions.
The Purposes of Higher Education and the Changing Face Of Academia
In a study by Ronald Barnett, discusses the purpose of higher education and the changing face of academia. The researcher addresses the university education from two perspectives namely; conservative and post modern persuasion. As the study indicates, the two groups have very different views concerning university education. To begin with the researcher highlights the lack of a recognized sub-discipline of ‘the philosophy of higher education’ due to lack of infrastructure.
In addition, there are no research centers whose primary target is ‘the philosophy of higher education’. The writer note that the face of university education has changed by a great extent. Some of the factors that have contributed to the change include globalization, use of digital technology, marketing of higher education, competition between institutions of higher learning and development of state-sponsored quality evaluation [2]. Also, there are multiple disciplines which have helped in diversifying university education.
On the other hand, the changes in the structure of higher education have raised questions on the role of university education to different members of the society. According to the writer, the current mode of university education, does not match the perspective of liberal education. Generally, the article contains rich information on how university education has changed with time. An interesting part of the article is the writer’s application of philosophical thinking in analyzing and explaining different theories. One of the articles strengths is the writer’s ability to write clearly using simple but rich language.
Identity Capital, Social Capital and the Wider Benefits of Learning
University education influences a number of aspects including, identity capital, social capital and the wider benefits of learning. In this article, the writer concentrates on the resources that facilitate social cohesion. Ideally, the writer’s intention is to establish a link between the acquisition of social capital and identity capital in the dynamic nature of learning in the modern society. The writer seeks to create a deeper understanding of the changing nature of higher education. One important aspect that the writer introduced was the ability of modern education to offer individualized life courses[4]. Rather than offering academic knowledge alone, the modern education system is capable of impacting a number of skills that are important in life but not book-related.
From a general perspective, the research addresses the need of establishing an education curriculum that caters for the interests of students. This not only diversifies university education, but also ensures that the curriculum is capable of accommodating a wider range of students. The article contains very insightful information on the intergeneration social capital building.
The Benefits of Diversity in Education for Democratic Citizenship
The benefits of diversity in education for democratic citizenship is an article by a group of three scholars; Patricia Gurin, Biren Nagda and Gretchne Lopez. In their research, the scholars gathered significant information pertaining to the benefits of having diversified university education. According to the researcher, diversification of the curriculum creates an education structure that reaches a large portion of the population globally [5]. Particularly, their interest was mainly on how diversification would benefit both the African American and white youth population. One important finding documented by the three scholars is the fact that integration is better than desegregation.
According to the researchers, the benefits of diversity are dependent on the curricular and non-curricular experiences that students share. University life has seized to be an issue of mare coexistence, but a place where people with diverse mindsets, ideas and interests interact and impact on each other. As a result, a diversified university education curriculum is better fit in the modern learning environment. It would be rather restraining to have a limited education system while the mind sets of scholars all over the world are highly diversified.
Trends in Global Higher Education
Over the years university education has changing in structure, scope and availability. Various researchers have invested their time in studying academic revolution. In an article by the researchers Altbach, Reisberg and Rumbley, (2009) one can find rich information of the academic revolution that has taken place in the last half century. Much of the information contained in the article is on how the modern university education is equipped to deal with massification. This includes issues such as identifying new funding for higher education given the increasing number of qualified applicants.
According to the researchers, the structure of university education has undergone voluminous transformation both in scope and diversity. Understanding the changes and revising the curriculum to fit these changes is perhaps one the hardest tasks. The task is particularly harder when there is inadequate information on the trends in the education system. Understanding the changes taking place in the education system is significant in understanding the benefits of university education on the current generation. The article clearly sites the impact of the current trends impact on young people who are mainly the target for university education. This information is crucial in comparing the benefits of university education in the past and today.
Those against the university education argue that individuals end up spending a lot of time in the university, and with the massive unemployment rates, chances are that they do not secure a job. Such youths become frustrated which affects the way they view their government. It is true that the issue of unemployment is a great challenge in many countries. The supply of labor in the market is greater than what the economy can take in. However, it should be realized that failing to attend university does not mean that individuals will get a job [7]. The fact is that university education gives individuals greater chances of being hired. Secondly, university graduates can create their own business ventures and hire people instead of waiting to be hired. As such, university education cannot be ignored just because there is unemployment in the society.
For some individuals, universities lack appropriate regulations that are important in ensuring that the behaviours of individuals are shaped. Many young people engage in immoral activities and learn bad behaviours from their peers. It is agreeable that many youths learn behaviours that are not desired by the parents. However, majority of the university students are adult who cannot be easily duped to engage in acts that they belief are wrong. Many of them uphold their values and are religious. They also learn goods things from their peers which helps in shaping their lives [7]. The few individuals who are mislead as they study in universities cannot scare other interested students from persueing the important level of education.
There are also arguments that the number of university students have increased in the recent years to a great extent such that the quality of the university education is in doubt. The idea is that when there are many university students in the same class, the quality of learning is affected. It is true that the number of students attending the university has increased, but it is misleading to argue that the quality of education has decreased. The number of universities have also increased and the facilities in the universities have also improved. The number of instructors have also been increased by various universities. In such a situation, the quality of education is not likely to have reduced except in a few universities where appropriate measures have not been undertaken.
Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society
The article ‘tertiary education for the knowledge society’ was written under the instructions of the Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD). The main reason for the study was to conduct a review on tertiary education policy so as to boost economic growth[6]. Through the study, OECD aimed at devising method that could help economies all over the world boost their economies through innovativeness and successful initiatives. Through the study, the organization would come up with policy options that would maximize the contribution of tertiary education to the economic development.
The study benefited from the participation students representatives, tertiary institutions, researchers and corporate investors. As a result, the article contains comprehensive and accurate information on the contribution of tertiary education to the economy and the society at large. In the article, university graduates are viewed as valuable assets to a country. Their knowledge and skills can be channeled towards coming up with innovative solutions to problem. However, lack of equity is becoming an issue of concern in many countries. In most of these countries tertiary education has been used to ensure equity within the population[6]. The article contains reliable information on how tertiary education can be used to ensure equity and promote economic growth.
Conclusion
Various writers have written highly resourceful articles on the topic of higher education. University education can be utilized by various economies to enhance economic growth through innovativeness and successful initiatives. With more disciplines being offered in the university today, the role of university education is also more dynamic. The current study will seek to investigate the role of education in shaping morality, maturing talents and enhancing the problem solving skills of students.
References
[1]Altbach,.G.P.,Reisberg,.L. & Rumbley,.E.L. Trends in global higher education: tracking an academic revolution. 2009. Retrieved on 6th March, 2016 from: http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.
[2]Barnett, R. The purposes of higher education and the changing face of academia. London Review of Education, 2(1), 61-73. 2004.
[3]Brennan, J. & Naidoo, R. Higher education and the achievement (and/or prevention) of equity and social justice. Higher Education, 56, 287-302. 2008.
[4]Cote, J. E. Identity capital, social capital and the wider benefits of learning: Generating resources facilitative of social cohesion. London Review of Education, 3(3), 221-237. 2005.
[5]Gurin, P., Nagda, B. R. A., & Lopez, G. E. The benefits of diversity in education for democratic citizenship. Journal of social issues, 60(1), 17-34. 2004.
[6]Santiago,.P., Basri.,E. & Arnal,.E. Tertiary Education for the Knowledge society. 2008. Retrieved on 6th March, 2016 from: http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/41266759.pdf
[7]Samuels, R. Why Public Higher Education Should Be Free: How to Decrease Cost and Increase Quality at American Universities. , 2013.