- higher education as a system that is a certain social institution with different
levels and profile of state and non-state educational institutions and establishments that
train future specialists;
- higher education as a process of socio-cultural reproduction of the individual as
a carrier of social and professional consciousness the main functions of which are the
transfer to the growing generation of future specialists of the accumulated knowledge
of humanity ensuring the continuity of social and professional experience, assimilating
the value of human culture, promoting the success of their socialization and acquiring
the necessary social mobility for the formation of the socio-professional structure of
society;
- higher education as a result assessed on the individual-personal and public-state
levels according to the criteria of achievements by the persons who are studying
established by the state of educational levels and approval of this relevant document;
- higher education as a component of culture ensuring the continuity and
restoration of socio-historical experience as well as the formation of a personality as a
“human culture” and carrier of general and professional competences.
As we see, the study of the works of foreign scholars testifies to the domination of
the idea of radical restructuring of the educational system according to new principles
since each direction distinguishes a complex of contradictions that are caused by the
process of globalization, transformational changes and features of the
postmodernization situation in culture and education. At the same time, the scientists
are united in the opinion that, in accordance with the requirements of the XXI century,
higher education requires the formation of future professionals with professional
competence and a range of relevant cultural competencies that can lead to their
successful activities under conditions of transformational change. Therefore, the
researchers conclude that in this aspect it is expedient to use a competent approach
which has a very high methodological and didactic significance for higher education.
They relate this to the fact that the competence approach is capable of more adequately
detecting the effectiveness of “retraction” of students as future specialists in the
educational process, as well as to carry out an operational assessment of their theoretical
training and the ability to apply acquired knowledge, skills and skills not only in
educational, but and in professional, social and life situations.
In particular, by proving the expediency of introducing competence approach to
the didactic system of the organization of the educational process of modern high
school, J. Raven [5] explains that competence implies, in addition to professional
knowledge and skills, a number of other components that act as a personality,
absolutely needed by any specialist today. These are the qualities of personality such
as the ability to make independent decisions, creative approach to professional activity,
the ability to learn and update their knowledge constantly. It is also the flexibility of
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