PhD in Education, Lavrysh Yu.
National Technical
University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
Globalization
and Transformative Learning in Engineering Education
Nowadays we are witnessing as educational paradigm
shift has affected the demands to the modern vocational training concept as
well as an increased awareness of the vital importance employer’s role in the
global world educational process. The
economic and industrial needs of
society enforce education toward technically oriented graduates who are more directed to the labor market
requirements. Future specialists should
be better mastered in their field and
operate greater volume of practical experience, construct their own
conception of advantages and assessment criteria, reflect it through the
personal professional competencies and personal characteristics such as critical thinking, awareness of modern professional trends, mastering in
research projects.
The Europe
2020 strategy emphasizes that objective for engineering education is to enhance
graduate competencies in combining scientific innovations and business
undertakings. It implies the implementation of the global educational trends
towards student-centered learning, life-long learning and formulating learning
outcomes.
The framework of our review deals with new benchmarks
in engineering education. To set the stage for our discussion of emergent
teaching approaches in engineering education, we briefly comment here on some
highly relevant ones: trend to globalization and transformative learning as an
integral part life-long learning.
A large volume of scientific literature is available on the theory of
transformative learning, and a number of studies explore the practical
applications of the theory. The theoretical background of
the research comprises scientific papers of American and Canadian authors. We have studied and thoroughly understand the documents on
Engineering Education:
“Educating Engineers: Preparing 21st Century Leaders in the Context
of New Modes of Learning” published by US National Academy Engineers; “Engineering for a Changing World: a road map
to the future of Engineering practice, research and education” published by the
University of Michigan. The suggestions
on engineering reforming are presented in the article of Charles Vest
“Educating Engineers for 2020 and Beyond”(Vest, 2004).
With this in
mind, we can state that the process of knowledge acquiring is considered as a
continuous, global and multicultural process. It requires the transformation of
the education in order to develop not
only professional skills but the high mental skills as
well as communication skills , entrepreneurial skills and implement the cross disciplinary
approach.
So, the main challenge for a teacher is to provide
students with complex, interdisciplinary and collaborative knowledge. It leads
to the shifts in teaching strategies and approaches from simply acquisition or
transformation of knowledge to creation of knowledge. Universities have to provide the society with highly educated and
innovative workforce, capable to generate and utilize new attainments.In order
to fulfill this community demand, we should understand that the key to success
is the engineering researches as a basis for knowledge generation. The modern
system of research and advanced education is able to provide this key by means
of life-long learning which depends on close collaboration among a person,
authorities, labor market representatives and universities.
At this point, engineers worldwide clear understand
that in order to maintain career sustainability it is not enough just to be
graduated from a university. Their competitiveness through all professional
life is based on the ability to study any time, any place and any subject at
any depth. And to acquire this ability is the modern engineers’ life-long goal
which calls for a personal and professional undertaking. The accepting of this
time requirement leads to the transformation of primary universities objective
from providing with information to formation of skills how to learn, receive
and process the information. It will be resulted in new created knowledge
obtained while discoveries and innovations, made not only inside the university
but in the working environment as well. During the professional career
engineers acquire new skills, implement and analyze previous experience and
they have more opportunities to broad the professional knowledge, which make
them more competitive on the global labor market.
One of the way to promote the professional career and
sustain the personal competiveness is the transformative learning as an
integral part of life-long learning. The Transformative Learning Theory was
first introduced by Jack Mezirow, sociologist and a professor of Columbia
University. J.Mezirow
explained transformative learning as a process of effecting change in a frame
of reference (Mezirow, 1997).
Adult education connects different personal traits:
from the basic education to personal resources which we develop throughout our
lives. The main focus of transformative learning is adults’ abilities and
personal features such as social activity, creativity and critical thinking.
The way individuals can learn depends on their basic life concepts, values,
responses that make up our life experience but the process of learning is based
on person’s ability for critical
thinking, self-direction, inquisitiveness (Cranton, 2006). J. Mezirow
explained the transformative learning as a theory of comprehension and
experience altering (Mezirow, 1997). The process of learning helps to
understand our experiences through two dimensions: habits of mind and points of
view which are different from our personal ones. Educators and researchers of transformative learning consider
transformation as a natural phase of the personal development which occurs
while every transition from one educational level to the other: from school to
college, from university to working career. Meaningful shifts evolve in
response to life experience, especially if it induces powerful emotional
responses in the individual. These transitions are often complex and traumatic
so timely attention and assistance from educational establishments will
contribute to the successful transformation.
The objective of transformative learning is to revise
old assumptions and ways of interpreting experience through critical reflection
and self-reflection (Cranton, 2006). It means to empower individuals to change
their perspectives and habit of minds (understanding of what is “right” or
“wrong”). The activation of new
cognitive concepts occurrence is forced by fast social shifts, multi
professional labor market and net interaction of national and international
employers.
Central to transformative learning is the process of
making meaning from life and professional experience, conscious altering of
basic assumptions and values whereas process of cognitive transformations is
bounded with the life experience.
Transformative learning fosters us to identify, assess and reformulate
key assumptions through critical reflection.
As a consequence, individuals are able to act in accordance with their
believes and values but do not just rely on others opinions and interferences. For this to
be achieved it is essential to have graduates prepared to explicate high-level
critical thinking skills, to develop the capacity for multiple views and
interpretations of past life issues (Cooper, 2009). Susan Cooper defines the
conscious engagement in reflective learning as the core of transformative
learning. It enables students to
construct critical mind habits and refine their own life objectives. Through
conscious reflection learning can become
References:
1. Cranton, P. (2006). Understanding
and Promoting Transformative Learning: A Guide for Educators of Adults. San
Francisco : Jossey-Bass, 228
p.
2. Drucker, P. (1999) Beyond the
Information Revolution. Retrieved from
www.theatlantic.com/ issues/99oct/9910drucker.htm
3. Goldberg, D.E. (2010). The missing basics and other philosophical
reflections for the transformation of engineering education. In D. Grasso &
M.B. Burkins (Eds.), Holistic Engineering Education (pp. 145-158). New York, NY
: Springer Science.
4. Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative
Learning: Theory to Practice. New
Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, Issue 74, pp. 5–12.
5. National Academy of Engineering. Educating Engineers: Preparing 21st Century Leaders in the Context of
New Modes of Learning (2013). Retrieved
March 14, 2015 from: http://www.nae.edu/Publications/Reports/25677.aspx