Rethinking Higher Education

Demands for the Maritime Sector

Abstract

In the last few decades, Higher Education has revealed significant changes, both in what concerns curricular development, and the restructuring of pedagogical frameworks, as well as the way the relationship between students and educators is conceived. Within the European context, the implementation of the Bologna Process has brought significant theoretical and practical consequences. We are now witnessing a challenging coexistence between the globalization inherent to the concept of “Europe”, and a significant emphasis given to the learning individual. Such value given to individuality takes various forms, namely intellectual autonomy, and several particular competencies and skills, such as creativity and the ability to develop and sustain collaborative work.

The dichotomy “I” versus “the Other” dilutes itself, as a clear need to stimulate a sense of belonging to different contexts emerges during academic life and is maintained within the professional career, with an expected transference of skills and competencies.

We intend to look at some key stages in this clear development of a paradigm shift within Higher Education, from a diachronic point of view, in order to contextualize new possibilities to conceive the academic training of future professionals in the maritime sector.

As such, we shall demonstrate the validity of experiential learning, namely through the methodological experimenting with living labs, as well as a strengthening link between academia and the corporate world.

Simultaneously, we intend to consider new possibilities for curricular and pedagogical innovation, geared towards the current demands in the job market: autonomy, adaptability, leadership, conflict resolution, a sense of collective belonging coexisting with a strong awareness of the self and the individual role played by each actor in the educational process.