engleski

Position of university and higher education in the context of technologically conditioned social environment

As a driver of development and progress, education has been at the centre of everyone’s interest at all times. Issues and problems of education, reforms aimed at modernizing the education that need to be introduced as soon as possible are in the focus of contemporary discussions. However, modernization of education system requires deep and thorough analysis of reforms applied in the past, as well as the analysis of present situation and it's social, cultural and scientific characteristics. As a society and as civilization in general we seem to have left behind the Humboldtian idea of university and education after the first taste of ICT benefits. Unable to precede them, the education must go hand in hand with changes that fuel the development. Today these changes are much faster and the classical education system is not able to keep up with them. The purpose of this paper is to offer an analysis of previous targets of the education system and detect the essential characteristics of the present situation, preparing that way the foundation for mapping of the path we should follow in the future. By means of qualitative analysis of past and present educational policies, authors will offer possible answer to the question where we want to arrive so that we could be able to choose the path we want to take. If “Historia est magistra vitae”, then history also offers us a glimpse of the future. Any relevant prognosis based on qualitative research of internal logic of the development of specific scientific discipline, education science in general and all manifestations of that logic necessarily addresses three time periods: past, present and future. In that context this work will show that the element of technology played a key role in the organization of Universities and educational policies from the emergence of writing to Gutenberg and up to modern ICT. We are not sceptical in our approach to technology. Quite the contrary! We will highlight its importance, especially due to the fact that science and education always imply understanding and use of information, which makes the ICT an essential component in rethinking of educational policies in all existing segments. At the same time, however, work emphasizes the need for serious consideration of the element of anthropocentricity and the necessity to actively include it into educational policies. In accordance with that, work provides an analysis of continuity and representation of Humanities and Social sciences in creation of educational policies and shows the undoubtable importance of those segments in predicting and forming the educational systems of the future. Results of the research confirm the conclusion that science follows the experience of tradition and of accepting and confirming changes. It reflects contemporary views and needs, but also contains inherited ideas and methods that can help it discover new possibilities for the future. Finally, work emphasizes the thesis which hasn't been appropriately articulated in scientific literature, namely the need for balancing and communicative connection of two very important components – STEM area of science and disciplines from Humanities and Social sciences. In synergy based on well- structured strategies of interdisciplinary research, these two poles can and should play a decisive role in shaping of educational policies of the future.

Education development strategy ; higher education ; Humboldt ; ICT ; university

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