Specific features of universal competences of higher education in Russia in the context of competence-based education: conceptual analysis

Abstract

Problem and goal. Amid the currently advancing (technological, social, techno-social) trends, prominent attention is drawn to skills and competences, which are universal for all spheres of activity – soft skills, key competences. They are known as universal competences in Russian higher education. The aim of the article is to pinpoint universal competences (UCs) and to analyze their specific features in the context of competence-based education. Materials and methods. The authors use methods of etymological, conceptual and comparative analysis combined with dialectical and diachronic approaches and discursive reflection. The study was based on competence-based education-related documents and projects of EU, OECD, UNESCO, the World Bank as well as on monographs and articles of top experts and research groups. Results. During the study, the term of universal competences was differentiated from the associated terms (soft skills, key competencies, generic competencies, and 21st century skills); the role of universal competences was identified as a balancer in higher education for equilibrating its two missions: Preparing students for successful career and helping them become well-rounded personalities. It has been found that the terminological confusion and the lack of consensus on many aspects of competence-based education have an ambivalent character. The idea of universal competences was identified as a Russian version of a tool (and the outcome) of the integration of two opposite intentions of the national educational policy: Blending in the mainstream of the competence-based approach and retaining its uniqueness. A contribution was made to expanding the conception of universalism as the foundation for competence-based education, including the one in Russia. Conclusion. We acknowledge that the concept of universal competences can make competence-based education more balanced in Russian environment or, on the contrary, it can aggravate its inherent imbalance.