The Structure of Higher Education: A World View. Occasional Paper Number 6.

Overview & Synopsis

This document contains an essay presented at the 2nd International Conference on Higher Education held at the University of Lancaster in England. The conference concentrated on the implications of mass higher education in the world. It is clear that many countries' education systems will have to change to undertake mass higher education successfully. This change will be implemented by the three main environmental forces acting on higher education: customer demand, manpower needs, and patron's influence. However, one of the most important characteristics of the system of mass higher education is that of offering opportunities for the intellect to be stretched to its capacities. The skill of working with people should be emphasized in mass higher education by giving lectures on noncognitive affective approaches to experience. Finally, there is a need in higher education to help people to learn the art of decisionmaking that includes scientific data, estimates of practicality, and a framework of ethical principles. To achieve this however, part-time teachers must be brought in from the world of decisionmaking to the world of the academic. (Author/PG)