Purposes of Higher Education: Contemporary and Perennial Emphases

Abstract

To position a consideration of the development of occupational-specific capacities and the use and integration of practice-based experiences within higher education, it is necessary to review what constitutes the purposes of higher education, both contemporaneously and also perennially. This chapter seeks to set out something of the premises through which the purposes of higher education can be considered. Overall, it argues that, against what many might propose, the focus on preparation for occupations is a perennial purpose for higher education and its current manifestations are largely a continuity of that purpose. In particular, it proposes that given this purpose, the emphasis on providing integrating practice-based experiences is a step which reflects both perennial concerns and a response to contemporary realisations that the learning of all kinds of knowledge cannot be achieved through the experiences provided through higher education institutions alone. Indeed, rather than seeking to marginalise, minimise or compromise what constitutes higher education provisions, the provision of practice-based experiences is central to its project. However, what is required is a clear understanding of how these purposes can be identified and realised through contemporary higher education provisions.