It is enriching to know which are the main pedagogical models and the innovative didactic trends that are being implemented in the field of higher education.
Higher education is the name given to the last phase of the academic path contemplated by the educational system of each nation. It is the kind of teaching available to those who have completed secondary school . It should be noted that exceptionally, in certain circumstances, access to higher education is allowed for individuals over 25 years of age who, despite not having completed secondary school, prove suitability, knowledge or sufficient work experience to have good performance during the course.
What is also called professional or tertiary education is taught in institutes specialized in professional training , university colleges , universities and higher education academies , to point out the most common possibilities.
Unlike the initial, primary and secondary level , in certain countries (such as Argentina , to cite an example), the aforementioned higher education is not mandatory. On Argentine soil, where Law 24521 focused on higher education has been passed decades ago, the population must be provided with equal conditions and opportunities to be able to access and complete this student stage. The State has the obligation to distribute scholarships equitably, encourage the most vulnerable students through different resources and implement educational inclusion policies in order to stimulate studies in the higher education segment.
Purposes of higher education
Higher education aims, among other objectives, to provide professional training , technical education and both humanistic and scientific instruction of the best possible educational quality.
It also aims to offer a wide variety of options to satisfy, from an academic level, the needs of the productive sector, the community and the cultural system in terms of higher studies . For this purpose, a specialization in teaching has been designed, and is in force in faculties and universities , in view of this educational level that is also positioned as an area where tools are provided that stimulate and enhance the capacity for expression and the skills of each person. student. The idea is even pursued of contributing from higher education classes to the preservation of national culture.
The generation and expansion of knowledge or knowledge in all its dimensions, as well as giving impetus to research and innovation are other purposes of higher education .
It cannot be overlooked that, ultimately, higher-level technical-professional education guarantees training continuity and is ideal for concentrating on a specific occupational area through which a trade, task or work activity can be developed.
The higher education sector is constantly evolving. It adapts to dynamic realities and changing requirements of the labor market and of the students themselves, who have their own rhythms, expectations and needs in which economic, educational and labor factors are combined.
Structure and types of institutions
Higher education is made possible through the operation of both university and non-university institutions. The structure on which this level is established is characterized by its flexibility and its inclination towards the implementation of modalities and resources for didactic evolution and the comfort of students with respect to the study plan and the course alternatives (in relation to the latter point, it is necessary to highlight that there are face-to-face classes, others that are virtual and mixed formats).
It is desirable to have completed the previous educational levels to begin higher education . There are agreements between various entities to recognize students' approved careers or subjects taken prior to the start of further training or higher-level training.
It is also important to know that certifications and titles linked to teacher training and educational progress issued by official institutions (whether state or private) of higher education have national validity.
It is also interesting to note that a university institution may have a social council , which assumes collaborative functions regarding the link between the educational entity and the community.
There are educators who, to access a teaching position at a university, complete a doctorate in higher education.
Organization of higher education
The contemporary academic and institutional organization of higher education entities usually combines in-person classes with distance classes under the virtual format ( online education ).
Those who wish to be in charge of university classes must validate their training by presenting, among other documentation, a university degree equivalent to the level (or higher than it) of the career in which they seek to work. Exceptionally, personnel who have not processed or achieved the degree but have outstanding merits may be admitted, while students in training have the possibility of adding experience from the role of teaching assistants .
For postgraduate students, meanwhile, it is important to have a non-university higher-level university degree (a degree of at least four years in duration) or an academic degree and adapt to the criteria imposed by the authorities or the academic committee. corresponding.