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Politicians said it was worth considering shortening study programs. However, members of the academic community were skeptical of the idea, calling it commercial interest.
J. Šiugždinienė: 3-year bachelor studies – aspiration
At the meeting of the Union of the Homeland – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Jurgita Šiugždinienė, raised the idea that it would be convenient for Lithuania to shorten higher education.
“It just came to our knowledge then <...> the one I tried to install is a three-year bachelor’s degree and a two-and-a-half-year master’s degree. At this level, we have to move forward with Europe. And it is very difficult for us to have a four-year bachelor’s degree and a two-year master’s degree, ”said the minister.
J. Šiugždinienė stated that the idea could be implemented: “In higher education, we could really do that.”
Sergejus Jovaiša, another member of the TS-LKD faction, welcomed the minister’s proposal. He commented to the portal tv3.lt: “Such a shortening is planned in the high school stage <...>. The baccalaureate is an introductory period to the entrance hall of a future specialty. I very much support this initiative at the undergraduate level ”.
Not all study programs can be shortened
A member of the Seimas, the education expert, Professor Vilija Targamadze, tends to support reducing the duration of higher education, but only with a serious condition.
It is important that general education schools adequately prepare students for their studies and that students do not have to fill in the learning gaps later, the teacher emphasized.
“If those skills and future students were really achieved in general education schools <...> they would be ready to study, they would not need compensation mechanisms, one could think of three years of undergraduate studies ”, said V. Targamadze.
He mentioned that it is also worth reviewing the levels of higher studies: “It is also possible to think of integrated studies – a fusion of 5 years of bachelor’s and master’s degrees, <...> and about 1 year of master’s studies. “
However, according to V. Targamadze, not all study programs should be shortened. “It is possible to rethink this higher education system, taking into account the various study programs and what their objectives are. You cannot, for example, talk about a three-year bachelor’s degree in health, ”said the education expert.
When asked if shortened studies would affect the quality of higher education, V. Targamadze replied: “I do not think that the quality of some study programs can deteriorate due to duration alone.”
According to the professor, the quality of the studies depends on many factors: the established study goals, the desired results, the structure of the program, the preparation of the students and the professionalism of the teachers.
“The study programs are diverse, <...> therefore, you have to think in terms of individual fields, directions, and branches of science, ”he noted.
Students themselves do not want shorter studies
Vytautas Kučinskas, president of the Lithuanian Student Union (LSS), said that shortening undergraduate study programs would make university education look too much like university education.
“There are already doubts about the differences between studies in universities and colleges. By shortening the duration of university studies, we will naturally face an even greater similarity, although we should clearly separate the missions of universities and colleges in the higher education system from the country ”, commented V. Kučinskas on the portal tv3.lt.
When asked if the students themselves had ever hinted that they wanted shorter studies, the interviewee replied that the quality of the studies was more relevant to the students.
“If it is possible to absorb the study material in a shorter period of time and achieve the expected results, it can be a positive change. However, shortening studies just because it would be possible to obtain a higher education diploma faster, regardless of qualitative indicators, would be a reckless decision, ”noted V. Kučinskas.
The Minister of Education mentioned that Lithuania should match foreign countries in terms of length of studies. However, the president of the VMS is of the contrary opinion: “Duration is certainly not a key indicator that we should use when analyzing foreign practices. The issues of study quality, accessibility, funding and other issues that are most important to achieve breakthrough in higher education in Lithuania should be more relevant. “
The poster of studio quality should remain high
Professor Vilma Žydžiūnaitė, Director of the Educational Research Institute of the Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) Academy of Education, did not support the reduction of higher education programs in Lithuania. She argued why it would not be worth “cutting” her undergraduate studies to 3 years.
“When we talk about change fundamentally in education, higher education, processes related to education, we need to see in the body – Not one, but several components ”, emphasized the education expert from Vytautas Magnus University.
According to her, when the idea of shortening higher education is launched in public, the burden of responsibility must be borne. “During the shortened study period, exactly the same content must be presented with exactly the same number of credits,” mentioned the interviewee.
The portal tv3.lt clarifies that the scope of the study program and the workload of the students are measured in credits: 1 credit is equivalent to 25 to 30 hours of study of the student. The three-year bachelor’s studies consist of 180 credits and the four-year bachelor’s studies of 240. The higher master’s studies cover 90 to 120 credits.
“If we take the year as a number and a fact, by itself it does not tell us anything. <...> Regarding higher education and the year, the amount of credits and the content of the studies support it, <...> the high school’s commitment to quality “, – taught the idea of Prof. V. Žydžiūnaitė.
Abroad, this is called “accelerated study.”
The professor mentioned that abbreviated study abroad is called an English term. accelerated studies. “It just came to our attention then. These programs are not being implemented on a massive scale, both in Europe and outside of Europe. They are being scrutinized very carefully,” said V. Žydžiūnaitė.
But nevertheless accelerated Study programs are offered by foreign countries in a small number of higher education institutions. “There are about 3-4 dozen universities in the United States,” he added.
Belgium, France, Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Israel, China, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea also offer accelerated study programs.
In such accelerated study programs, the number of subjects studied during the semester increases significantly, as well as the workload of the students.
UK and US 2020-2021 Survey data shows that shorter study programs do not receive the highest positive evaluation, shared the director of the VMU Educational Research Institute.
“It is believed that there is a mismatch between the study of general and specialized education subjects. The parts of general education are affected more often. And the employers themselves say:” So there is no more higher education, there is vocational training. ” Furthermore, then it is difficult to talk about the overall quality of higher education. Employers emphasize that the quality of passed exams is low, “V. Žydžiūnaitė shared his views.
Shorter studies have a higher cost
The Doctor of Social Sciences saw that the desire to shorten undergraduate studies could be commercial in nature.
“While the three-year study programs are undoubtedly a very attractive proposition, the commercial area [pranc. mercantile – prekybinis] the opinion that three-year studies are cheaper. But they are not cheaper. Three-year studies, during which a four-year program course is presented, become more expensive and this needs to be evaluated, ”noted V. Žydžiūnaitė.
Accelerated studies in foreign countries cost about 30 percent more than usual. “I am paying attention to this because it can form a distorted image. It often seems to us: less years, less credit, less funds. No. Less years, but not fewer credits, so the studies are more expensive, “he explained.
According to the professor, to shorten higher education programs, the following questions must be answered very clearly: “If we are only talking about the number of years, what is our goal? What are we aiming for: vocational training or university education? “
She argued that vocational education and higher intellectual education are two different poles. “Professional mastery is not a high school issue. <...> Higher education does not talk about crafts, ”emphasized V. Žydžiūnaitė.
2020 Surveys in foreign countries have revealed that university graduates as well as teachers and employers’ associations agree that abbreviated sciences are commercially oriented.
The same said V. Žydžiūnaitė: “The abbreviated studies are only a commercial interest, because a person, although the studies are more expensive, acquires the same title more quickly. But it is much more difficult to study. “
Not everyone bears the burden of accelerated studies
As mentioned by prof. V. Žydžiūnaitė, it is recommended to admit graduates who have graduated with particularly high marks from accelerated study programs. “If we talk about our Lithuanian system, all the passed exams, from 1 to 10, should be 10, at least 9. So we are talking about centenarians,” he thought.
When they come to study at a fast pace, students must handle time, stresses and emotions especially well, be able to learn and reflect independently, said V. Žydžiūnaitė. Institutions of higher education must be prepared to implement accelerated study programs; It is necessary to create study systems, social and psychological support for students.
“The institution of higher education must have a very clear support system. There should be study tutors, study mentors, consultants, etc. <...> Accelerated programs are particularly fast-paced: study time increases during the day and Saturday weekends are devoted to study. More independent, teamwork and reporting during the semester. These are studies that require special concentration and self-management. <...> Motivation alone is not enough to study. The students of these studies must have fundamental intellectual, time management, self-learning and emotional management skills ”, concluded the interviewee.
2020-2021 The results of surveys in foreign countries show that the former are especially difficult for students. accelerated years of study. Many students hire tutors outside of the institution on their own resources.
“It just came to our knowledge then. It is a great responsibility to maintain quality, the same amount of credits, good content. Also to help the student meet the goals of the study programs, to stay healthy both physically, psychologically and intellectually. ”Said Prof. V. Žydžiūnaitė.
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