Education for Future International Conference October 2-4, 2008, Riga New Socio-economic Challenges of Development in Europe Dr. Juris Dzelme Head, Higher Education Quality Evaluation Centre Valnu 2, Riga, LV1050 Phone: , Mobile phone (+371) ; Fax: Home page:

Content 1. Aims of higher education 2. Attitudes in education 3. Art and Philosophy 4. Problems

Situation Knowledge changes in 5 – 10 years – update necessary Change of qualification (mobility) In service training Distance education

Future vision The main aim of this investigation is future vision (goal) The description of the current situation is important to find the way (means) Sustainable development as clear goal and basis for systems of values is essential for the definition of Knowledge Society (KS)

For sustainable development 1. Education for the needs of the labour market 2. Values (Christian) for the democratic society (restrictions, borders) 3. Personal development, motivation (attitudes) 4. Development and maintenance of a broad, advanced knowledge base, skills for LLL (context, languages)

Content of education Theory + Context (understanding, image) Language (mathematics) for description Examples (practical use of theory) Skills for LLL Attitudes (values (of society), motivation (personal))

Quality concept High Excellence I standards I Internal  Fitness-----I Consumer  External for purpose I satisfaction Basic I standards Low

Knowledge, skills, attitudes 3 components of education The system of education must pay more attention to attitudes, because: 1) Knowledge and skills are changing - updating is necessary approximately each 5 years. 2) Society (family) must receive qualified support to form system of values (attitudes, motivation) for sustainable development

ECTS ECTS (and similar systems) allows to use LO like a specific "currency“: to accumulate LO, to convert LO to Diploma, but inflation of LO also exists. (Attitudes are more stable.)

Open, self consistent system of values Christian values, holistic approach should converge to idea of sustainable development, based on natural sciences, art, philosophy. Formation of positive, active attitudes (protestant ethics) must be linked with acquisition of knowledge and skills. Art and philosophy, basic ideas of natural sciences are necessary part of any HE and LLL. HE and AE should include entertainment, enjoiment as essential part.

Understanding of the world - basis for practical ethics Intuition, based on emotions, permits to solve tasks using part of the necessary information (information theory of emotions of P.V.Simonov) System of emotions and skills for intellectual activities in uncertain situations can be developed by art. Education and science must create and disseminate understanding of the world.

Art and humanities Art and humanities should be used to change attitudes and to create motivation; "hard" and “soft " sciences support each other (creativity in engineering is linked with humanities and art). Motivation, value orientation, attitudes, emotional intelligence becomes more important than cognitive and practical skills, knowledge (including tacit knowledge)).

5 main features to recognise piece of art Information A piece of art must contain more information, than in case of random selection. Interpolation A piece of art must miss some part of links between fragments. The missing links should be created by the user of art in course of interaction.

5 main features to recognise piece of art (2) Extrapolation A piece of art must have similarities with world outside, must have many different links, joining with "real life". Symmetry (Invariance) A piece of art must have symmetry inside, which allows to find invariance.

5 main features to recognise piece of art (3) Humanism A piece of art must help society to overcome conflicts, to solve problems. It must not be aggressive, must not divide people, must not destroy the society.

Operations of psyche Interpolation, extrapolation, symmetry are linked with main 6 operations of psyche, which form 3 pairs: synthesis - analysis; induction - deduction; generalization - concrete definition.

Creation and applications For creation, innovations: synthesis, induction, generalization. For applications: analysis, deduction, concrete definition.

Model situations Art is the best way to develop creativity and to join all information in one system, which includes values, attitudes, motivation as necessary part. Piece of art must contain model situations to develop the necessary operations: synthesis, induction, generalization.

Education + entertainment = Edutainment Study programme = Theory + Model situations (> 2) Courses and activities undertaken mainly for leisure or entertainment purposes must be enlarged (acquisition of skills and knowledge using games and entertainment)

Personal influence (of adult educator) The most effective ways to form the system of values of student are: indirect illustration of values by art influence of environment indirect influence of teacher's system of values

Learner centred education Professors must be prepared to be Adult Educators and must receive support : 1) to use motivation of learners (andragogy (M.Knowles) learner centred education) 2) To develop necessary attitudes and skills using art in the process of studies (includindg distance education (DE)) 3) to prepare parts of study programmes (modules) for autonomous use (flexible learning, DE.

Problems Important problems to implement the code of professional ethics are: ideology used by educator; personal system of values of educator and possibility to control it; possibility to support (exclude) certain ideas by choice of staff members in education.

Qualifications frameworks (QF) for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) Competences must be integrated: by theory by context Practical skills must be: added and updated by employer together with educator based on theory (universal) put in context Attitudes more important for: stability of society (values) development (motivation for LLL)