Seeking New Paradigms in Higher Education

1
Seeking New Paradigms in Higher Education

• Deane Neubauer
• Victor Ordonez
• East-West Center

2
Elements of the Dominant Paradigm--US

• Faculty domination of curriculum
• Status ranks of professoriate
• Disciplinary organization
• Status ranking of institutions the Carnegie
  Classifications
• Faculty presumed to know how to teach
• C.P. Snow, Two Cultures

3
American Universities Many Different Typesthe
Carnegie Classifications

• Total Institutions 3941 Public Private Private
• Not-for-profit For profit
• Doctoral/Research
• Universities 261 166 93 2
• Masters Colleges
• And Universities 611 272 331 8
• Baccalaureate Colleges 606 91 499 16
• Associates Colleges 1669 1025 159 485
• Specialized Institutions 766 67 593 106

4
Previous Paradigm Shifts

• The Stanford Classification
• Elite Institutions, complex doctoral universities
  and liberal arts colleges
• Mass Institutions largest state universities,
  especially the non-complex doctoral, e.g.
  California State University, 26 campuses, 350,000
  students
• Convenience Institutions--e.g. University of
  Phoenix
• Shared governance and proletarianization of
  faculty

5
Why New Paradigms?

• Lack of fit between graduates and work force
  needs
• Complex problems and social organizations (e.g.
  global interdependence, ecological issues,
  population, migration, urbanization, human
  security) do not fit into traditional academic
  disciplines (owe much to US professional
  organization in late 19th century)
• Shifting financial commitments to supporting
  higher education
• International education pressures
• Student (and parental) dissatisfaction
• Half-lives of professional education

6
New Paradigmatic Elements

• Reorganization of research and organizational
  structures (e.g. University of California,
  Medical School)
• Short-term multi-disciplinary research and
  teaching centers
• Student-centered learning
• Distance education
• Entrepreneurial Universities
• Life-long learning

7
New Paradigmatic Elements (cont)

• Intellectual Property Issues
• Schools within Universities
• New Curricula and requirements
• Experiential learning (internships, study abroad,
  etc.)
• Value based quality assessment
• The importance of problem-based learning and
  critical thinking (e.g. medical schools)

8
New and Old Paradigms in Thailand

• What are the basic elements of the old (dominant)
  paradigm?
• What is not working well? What are the
  disadvantages of the old paradigm?
• What might be new paradigmatic directions in Thai
  Higher Education?
• What exemplars exist?