Philosophy Of Higher Education Research Articles

Can we please stop talking about 'Bildung'—and for that matter, too, 'the Humboldtian university'?

Two terms to be seen especially in the philosophy of higher education, but also more broadly, are those of Bildung and the ‘Humboldtian university’. They have taken on a sacred aura, and have become a form of bewitchment, generating a large intellectual industry. Their sacredness is secured much in the way the two terms have been positioned as markers of educational purity, in response to phenomena such as entrepreneurialism, instrumentalism, learning outcomes, and a separation of research and teaching—phenomena that in turn are positioned as profane. Resort to these two terms has appeared successively over the past one hundred years, in the wake of world wars, the emergence of mass higher education, strong state steering, and the intellectual movements of postmodernism and posthumanism. We may understand such intellectual ploys, in returning to ideas of northern Europe with a two-hundred-year history, as defensive gestures possessing a conservative function. The sacredness of Bildung and ‘the Humboldtian university’ constitutes an ideology that protects certain academic interests. In turn, this sacred aura forecloses on efforts to understand seriously the character of the twenty-first century and to create imaginative educational concepts that are adequate to the complexities that the present century presents. As an example of a more contemporary conceptualisation of higher education, an ecological imaginary is suggested.

In defence of African philosophy

The aim of this article is to defend African philosophy in its singularity, as opposed to African philosophies in its plurality. African philosophy argues that there are recognisable common traits among Africans, whereas African philosophies as a concept counters this notion, claiming that Africans hold different philosophies, hence generalising about them is impossible. The existence of African philosophy is a contested terrain sparked by colonialism. Failure to defend African philosophy is a recipe for perpetuating the thinking that African indigenes do not have a philosophy. There is also a risk that their worldview could be lost in globalisation and internationalisation. My reaction is mainly inspired by Davison (Davison, Z. 2022. African philosophy: A nebulous label for demeaning indigenous philosophies of people of Africa. Journal of Philosophy and Culture 10(1): 1–9), who refutes the notion of African philosophy but supports African philosophies. In this article, I draw from the existing literature on African philosophy mainly contributed by higher-education-based scholars, including those in the Diaspora. The concepts of philosophy and African are critical; I describe them to advance my argument. I then tackle critical issues surrounding African philosophy, such as the nebulousness of the concept, the historical-political and spatial-cultural connotations, and modernist and postmodernist lenses applied to Africans. Most importantly, I provide examples of common traits among Africans to support my defence of the concept. My conclusion is that African philosophy does exist and is defendable. The article contributes to the African philosophy versus African philosophies debate; this is also important for learning and conducting research about African philosophy in higher education. African scholars should not be blind to the commonalities identifiable in African worldviews that can be used to defend African philosophy.

EL PENSAMIENTO CRÍTICO COMO REQUISITO PARA LA ALFABETIZACIÓN DIGITAL EN EL CONTEXTO SOCIOCULTURAL ACTUAL

The article deals with contemporary problems of critical thinking formation in the current socio-cultural situation from the perspective of philosophical practice and philosophy teaching in higher education institutions. The authors explore the communicative component of the current socio-cultural situation, describe the characteristics of the modern socio-cultural process, and point out how and why critical thinking has become an urgent component of the digital literacy of a modern person. The practical experience of teaching philosophy in higher education with a focus on the development of critical thinking skills is described in detail

FORMATION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARATION OF FUTURE SOCIAL PROFESSIONALS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract: the article emphasizes the importance of the role of education as one of the main components of supporting the transition period of Ukraine on the way to the EU and NATO; it has been proven that the formation of a new philosophy of higher education is simultaneously connected with emotional intelligence, which is of great importance in the training of future specialists in the social sphere in institutions of higher education. It was determined that the state and development of the modern Ukrainian economy depends on the quality of personnel training provided by universities. It was found that the lack of management culture, the insufficient level of moral and ethical training of specialists in the social sphere and qualified specialists in the field of professional ethics is an obstacle to the creation of an emotional and ethical infrastructure in Ukraine. The opinion is substantiated that the wide application of active learning methods with the analysis of real and educational business situations and the regular professional practice of future specialists in the social sphere at enterprises, firms, state authorities and local governments will ensure the effectiveness of the training of specialists in the social sphere, will contribute to the formation and development of ethical norms and emotional intelligence.

Teaching for Global Citizenship Education Online: An African Philosophical Approach

Global citizenship education (GCE) has been in vogue for the last decade. The term has been used mostly to espouse and rearticulate some of the democratic, responsible and activist aspirations linked to forms of transformative higher education (HE) in the world today. Southern African HE is no exception, particularly invoking some of the (post)critical and decolonial virtues within matrices of HE for change. In this article, it is described how reflections on a massive open online course brought to the fore several poignant moments in the pursuit of cultivating a (post)critical and decolonial notion of GCE. Such reflections focused on enacting an African philosophy of HE, particularly showing how, first, ukama (iterative action) can be used to engage humans in perspicuous and deliberative ways; second, ubuntu (critical and dissonant action) is drawn upon to show how agreement and dissent about educational and societal matters can be resolved; and third, the notion of umsibenzi (activism) is couched in moderate terms to emphasise the potentiality and impotentiality of action that could subvert societal dystopias on the African continent and elsewhere. In this way, the cultivation of an African philosophy of HE could broaden the notion of a (post)critical and decolonial understanding of GCE.

CHAT GPT Explore the Relevance with Higher Education Classroom

Chat GPT As the most representative achievement of today's artificial intelligence, it has attracted high attention from the society since its inception, which has not only caused a great shock in the science and technology community, but also caused a strong response in the academic community. Its great influence on colleges and universities solved Jobs' question and highlights the shortcomings of Chinese universities. Chat GPT The series of questions on universities has aroused the reflection on the philosophy of higher education: can the status of knowledge center of universities be maintained? Has the nature of college teachers' profession changed? Will there be new types of universities? These questions not only touch the pain points of China's higher education, but also involve the root of university survival. Where is the future of the university? Universities must make clear decisions: should they adhere to the traditional university development path or organically integrate it with artificial intelligence? No matter what choice they make, it is inevitable that artificial intelligence technology will enter universities. Only by uniting with the society can universities maintain their dominant position of knowledge and further play their functions.

Assessment as a matter of being and becoming: theorising student formation in assessment

ABSTRACT When students enter higher education, they not only start learning and studying but begin a journey of becoming someone new in relation to themselves and to society. Scholarly research has increasingly emphasised this transformative element of higher education yet, to date, the role of assessment has received little attention in the processes of being and becoming. This is a crucial limitation given how profoundly assessment – exams, self- and peer-assessment, grades, rankings, metrics – characterises contemporary higher education. In this conceptual study, we propose a novel way of rethinking assessment as a matter of being and becoming. We bring together the separate fields of research on assessment and the philosophy of higher education by theorising other-formation and self-formation in and through assessment encounters. First, we discuss how assessment shapes students in ‘the measured university’ (other-formation). We then reconceptualise assessment from the viewpoint of how it promotes student agency and self-reflexivity (self-formation). Finally, we discuss some frequently used assessment practices in light of student self/other-formation. Our study sets the agenda of understanding student formation in and through assessment by laying the philosophical foundation for future studies.

University as a City and University as a State: Methodological Tools of William Clark

William Clark’s methodological tools applied to the study of the history and philosophy of higher education are presented in a series of articles 1996-2003 and especially in his book “Academic Charisma and the Origins of the Research University” (2006). The last was a result of Clark’s long and accurate work in many areas of research, most of which have yet formed as academic fields. The author sets an ambitious task to examine evolution of academic practice (mainly German) as a process of bureaucratization and capitalization of education through the prism of academic charisma. Considering it as one of the types of legitimate dominance in the scientific world, W. Clark describes a scholar not in three spatial coordinates (of which he talks in the introduction), but in four: religion, politics, economics, and state/city. The last allows Clark to mark universities that accept or reject certain methods of transferring academic charisma on the educational landscape of the city. Another issue that is a key to the search of the basics of research university, is the question of the gradual suppression of oral culture by writing. In other words, how “say and be” (the phrase invented by the authors of this review) turned into “print or disappear” (aphorism cited many times by the author of the book). This question includes a number of others, which we point out analyzing the academic space, which, in the author’s mind, is broken up, collected and rebroken up into fragments of tables, catalogues, lists, statutes, tables, graphs, reports, questionnaires, dossiers, etc. Despite the fact that the translation of William Clark’s book into Russian was carried out in 2017, the methodology proposed is undeservedly little known to the researchers of higher education and, in general, has not received fundamental review in the scientific tradition. Its main provisions will be outlined in the framework of this article.

Implementation of US Higher Educational Institutions Experience in Formation of Students’ Civic Consciousness in Ukraine

Problem of formation Ukrainian students` civic consciousness is in the focus of research in philosophical and psychological and pedagogical sciences of Ukraine. United States of America is an example of the formation of civic consciousness in a democratic society. Education of citizenship of students on the basis of respect for the rights of every person, the recognition of the rule of law, conscious voluntary citizens to perform their duties and care for the common good is a key concept in US philosophy of higher education. This concept provides the priority of training students as responsible members of the democratic society to conscious activity for the benefit of the community. It is established that education Citizenship of student youth in the United States has a universal public nature. The state, higher education and social institutions are involved in this process environment (public organizations, mass media, institutions of the sphere culture, etc.). Students of higher educational institutions have been considered a resource for future social development in the United States of America that make a significant contribution to social transformation in society. Formation of students’ civic consciousness upbrings certain personal qualities, skills and attitudes necessary for a citizen of a democratic society.

On studious philosopohy of (higher) education?

Over a decade my reading of Giorgio Agamben’s writings on philosophy in relation to politics, aesthetics, and religion revolved around how notions of infancy, (im)potentiality, becoming, community, rhythmic and kairotic action can guide an understanding of higher education. Although Agamben has not written specifically about education the above concepts can be recognised as significant to a theory of higher education particularly because his ideas invariably radicalise any understanding of higher education. Such a radicalisation of higher education involves thinking anew about higher education that remains unfinished or what Igor Jasinki (2018) refers to as “education without ends”. In this article, I offer a way of how to think differently about a philosophy of higher education concerning the notion of “education without ends” and in reference to Agamben’s (1985) idea of studious play.

Book review: The Philosophy of Higher Education: A critical introduction, by Ronald Barnett

Book review: The Philosophy of Higher Education: A critical introduction, by Ronald Barnett

Flipping the Classroom

The new Coronavirus Pandemic has revealed the need for a methodological redefinition of teaching and learning attitude of teachers and students, through the pedagogical use of digital technologies. Therefore, this article aims to present reflections on the use of the Flipped Classroom methodology as a re-signifying possibility for the teaching of Philosophy in Higher Education, considering the context of remote emergency teaching. Assuming that there is a concern with the didactic-pedagogical and sociopolitical process of teaching and learning that constitutes teaching practice in the teaching of Philosophy in Brazilian Academies, the question is: what are the advantages and challenges of using the flipped classroom methodology in the process of teaching and learning Philosophy in Higher Education? For this, two fundamental aspects of the formal educational process are discussed: the first refers to the didactic-pedagogical and sociopolitical aspects of the teaching and learning process that constitute the teaching practice, as the content and didactics are emphasized. that is, the “what” and the “how to teach” and the second, it is about the need for re-signification/updating of traditional teaching in face of active methodologies. Based on the current context of remote teaching and/or hybrid teaching in Higher Education in Brazil, it is concluded that is necessary to reframe pedagogical practice in terms of the production of academic knowledge, without losing sight of the conditions in which it is produced.

University Philosophy Course: Reboot is Required

The philosophical training of tertiary-level students is designed to perform a number of functions assigned to it by society and the state. However, in recent years, it is no longer in demand by the majority of the educational process participants, since the university philosophy does not respond well to modern challenges from education, primarily to the need of digitalization and competence approach implementation. To preserve the disciplinary status of philosophy, the lecturers have to modernize the content, methods and forms of implementation of the discipline in order to increase its attractiveness in students’ minds, as well as the demand by society and the state. One of the possible ways to update the training course of philosophy is seen in its reorientation towards the development of students’ universal competencies prescribed in the state educational standards. In this case, the philosophical content becomes a tool to achieve this goal, and the philosophical heritage is used as a theoretical basis for mastering the technologies of mental action. The article presents the experience of Kazan University, where the philosophy course has recently become a tool for “system and critical thinking” competence training. Although a digital format of philosophical training has a number of cognitive advantages, nevertheless it is fraught with the risk that the philosophical value potential will not be fully realized. This risk can be minimized through a mixed format of teaching philosophy. Тo increase the demand for philosophy in higher education, the author offers a number of ways to enhance the role and importance of philosophy in students’ minds.

Philosophy of education in a new key: Reflection on higher education in Iran

This collective article discusses the philosophy of modern higher education in Iran, which in this case, optimistically, its history dates back to the founding of Dār al-fonūn (1851)—if we consider Dār al-fonūn as a university. Otherwise, its origin can be traced back to the University of Tehran (established in 1934). Central to this article is the emphasis on the lack of philosophy of higher education in Iran. Therefore, most of the criticisms in front of us are related to the internal inconsistency in the Iranian higher education system due to the lack of a national-indigenized-official philosophy of higher education in Iran. Furthermore, The Islamic Revolution of 1979 brought about fundamental changes in higher education. Accordingly, several controversial issues including the rapid growth of higher education, the Islamization of universities, cultural narratives in higher education, the increase in students, especially women and the low-income class of the country were also explored. Therefore, in this collection, the political, economic, social, cultural, moral, technological and historical dimensions of Iranian higher education were examined.

Programmatic Foci of Women in Academic Leadership Positions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Intersectionality and Institutional Mission.

The present studies compare, between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs; n=102) and a non-HBCU cohort matched for location, religious and vocational mission, and student enrollment (comparator CUs; n=102), the programmatic foci of women in institutional leadership positions. They demonstrate that, at HBCUs, women are more prevalent in leadership roles with male-dominated foci (e.g., finance), and less prevalent in roles with female-dominated foci (e.g., public relations) than at comparator CUs (p < 0.01). A survey of academic leaders (n=1,053 invited; 111 viewed survey; 83 completed survey) at these institutions indicates that women leaders at HBCUs more frequently fill institutional programmatic gaps than their counterparts at comparator CUs (p < 0.001) or men in any academic setting (p < 0.005). Reasons may include the social purpose of HBCUs; the stereotype threat of the traditional "service" role of women and the unique intersectionality encountered by Black women faculty; and the importance of race over gender in homosociability at HBCUs. This suggests that emphasis on the socioeconomic mission and philosophy of higher education may enhance faculty recruitment diversification efforts in higher education. It also raises the question of whether seeing women in atypical leadership roles influences the career aspirations and attitudes towards women leaders of the students, both men and women, at HBCUs.

МІСЦЕ КУРСУ «СУЧАСНІ ОСВІТНІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ» В СИСТЕМІ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ПІДГОТОВКИ ДОКТОРІВ ФІЛОСОФІЇ ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО ПРОФІЛЮ

The article substantiates the importance of proper organization of professional and pedagogical training of candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in particular, economic profile) as future scientific and pedagogical workers of high qualification; it is also determined the role and place of the course “Modern educational technologies” in the system of professional training of doctors of philosophy of economic profile. In order to understand the peculiarities of scientific and pedagogical activities in the educational program of PhD students it should be normatively provided educational components aimed at providing theoretical and practical training of future scientific and pedagogical workers (by the way, as required by the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education). Analysis of postgraduate curricula suggests that in most of the analyzed institutions, educational programs for doctors of philosophy contain educational components of both theoretical and practical orientation, which is also confirmed by the availability of educational and methodological literature aimed at organizing pedagogical training of future teachers. In general, an integral part of the training of future doctors of philosophy in higher education is the formation of their professional and pedagogical competence, as well as methodological culture, which involves the possession of methodological knowledge (theoretical, methodological, subject methodology, methodology of knowledge of the relevant field of science). Thus, the system of professional and pedagogical training of future teachers of economic disciplines should include the use of modern forms, methods and teaching aids, as well as the latest pedagogical technologies, differentiation and individualization of professional training of future doctors of philosophy, implementation of innovative programs into pedagogical training of potential teachers.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY: THE PROBLEM OF MATCHING THE DISCIPLINE SPECIFICS TO THE STATE STANDARD REQUIREMENTS

In this paper authors relies on the statement that the main and most important function of philosophy in society is the worldview function. However, the latest version of the state standard of higher education replaced the requirements for the formation of a worldview and civic position with the development of the ability to systematic and critical thinking. According to authors, this significantly reduces the potential of philosophy as an academic discipline, since thinking is an integral element of the established personality, and not vice versa. The paper shows that the target attitude in teaching philosophy, focused on the development of personal qualities of students, corresponds to the main problems of philosophical knowledge. At the same time, the anthropological aspect, supplemented by the onto-epistemological theme, contributes to the formation of the methodological culture of the future specialist. The authors note that such features of philosophical knowledge as rationalism, logical evidence based on empirical data of natural Sciences, and critical interaction between philosophical concepts in the space-time continuum will help to solve the problem of developing the student's thinking, which is not the primary goal of teaching philosophy in higher education, but a subordinate task.

‘Being at the university is a retreat!’: a Black female student teacher’s views on the role of the university

ABSTRACT This article sets out to understand what the views of Ruvimbo, a Black female student teacher, are on the role of the university, and how and why these views emerged. The social philosophy of higher education of Ronald Barnett was used as a theoretical framework, and arts-informed methods such as drawings and photovoice, were used for data construction. The student teacher recognised the university–knowledge relationship but foregrounded her appreciation of having a safe and pleasant environment, developing cultural tolerance, and developing herself as a human being. Her view contradicts the predominant concern about the transformation and decolonisation of the curriculum in South Africa as a way of attaining epistemic justice, and claim for a more ecological approach to university education.

Завдання для філософії освіти в Україні у світлі теорії поколінь

The article analyzes the development of the education system of Ukraine from the point of view of the theory of generations by American researchers William Strauss and Neil Howe. Theoretical substantiation of the hypothesis concerning the transitional character of the whole Ukrainian society from the Soviet cycle of generational change to the national cycle of generational change is given. The subjects of education providing are the middle and older generations, while the subjects of education are mostly the younger generation – the sociological and historical definition of these generations, specifying their characteristics as stable social groups in a society should be the next step. The tasks of the philosophy of education, which for some time were devoted to reflecting on the development of the national education system in general, must now should be specified now as tasks for a certain generation of Ukrainian (and not Soviet or post-Soviet) society. In this context, it is time for both the Institute of Higher Education and the philosophy of education to summarize, revise the initial vision of institutional tasks, clarify them, expand, supplement with new tasks and in general – create a new vision of the philosophy of education and philosophy of higher education in Ukraine. Overcoming the current crisis of the education system of Ukraine is possible through a clear definition of the goals and basic values of education for specific participants of the educational process – only in this way, systemic goals and values become the values and goals of individual educational communities. Teachers, professors and other subjects of education appear then as specific pedagogical teams, united by explicit educational values and goals, which are clearly correlated, on the one hand, with the tasks of development of the national educational system, and on the other – with the motivation of educational activities of specific teachers. The inevitable competition in education, which is particularly dramatic in overcoming its systemic crisis, has positive consequences if it is carried out as a competition for the best embodiment of virtues, for excellence in the providing and gaining of education.

哲学教育ワークショップ「高等教育における哲学教育の意義と方法―一般教育・教養教育に焦点を当てて」報告

哲学教育ワークショップ「高等教育における哲学教育の意義と方法―一般教育・教養教育に焦点を当てて」報告