Paradigm shift in RI higher education

Paradigm shift in RI higher education

Setiono, Lecturer , Atmajaya Catholic University,
Jakarta

It is not enough to keep abreast with advances in science and
technology -- higher learning institutions should also be
pioneers.

Universities, especially, must make an effort to enhance their
roles as institutions at the center of intellectual discourse,
putting an emphasis not only on teaching but also on research.

The idea universities are places for research owes much to the
views of Wilhelm von Humbolt. Humbolt, the founder of the
University of Berlin in 1809, argued that university professors
should be scholars and researchers, as well as teachers. His idea
has had an enormous impact on academia.

His model of higher education first gained popularity among
quickly growing universities in America and then spread to
Europe.

So influential has become the role of the universities in
research that many now claim they are the source of most new
knowledge.

However, research activities in this country are presently
undergoing a sharp decline, with universities churning out
graduates more concerned about their teaching careers than
discovery.

Worst still, the "publish or perish" syndrome, which once
dominated academia, has diminished.

Attention has turned away from research to teaching. Many
claim the pursuit of research has gone too far. They are of the
opinion teaching should be prioritized because striving for
excellence in teaching, they believe, guarantees a rewarding and
successful career.

Consequently, universities and colleges have declared higher
education is about teaching rather than the number of papers they
publish.

Many of our higher education institutions, including the
famous ones, are now devaluing the original purposes of their
predecessors. Teaching has become the primary concern.

Seminars are conducted everywhere to train teachers to improve
their teaching. Workshops show lecturers how to adopt new
"innovative techniques".

Sadly, the drive to demystify unresolved phenomena through
research is no longer appreciated, and is even ignored. This
suggests Humboldt's arguments for emphasizing research are no
longer valid to many academics in this country.

Our education system is no longer stressing the importance of
research. This is evident from the limited number of research
articles published both nationally and internationally.

And while there is no doubt some research is being carried
out, it is quantity, rather than quality, which now counts most.

Consequently, this published "research" contributes something
that is of little or even of no significance.

The publication of research papers that do not meet recognized
standards has become a common practice in most universities in
the country. Large numbers of research papers are published
primarily to obtain points needed for promotion rather than being
motivated by any inquisitiveness.

The more papers the teachers write, the more points they will
obtain. The more points they accumulate, the sooner they will
become a professor. No wonder many universities in the country
are overloaded with teaching rather than research professors.

The major obstacles impeding our efforts to keep abreast of
new developments, it seems, come from ourselves. We are simply
ignorant of -- and insensitive to -- new phenomena. Our minds are
no longer full of inquisitiveness.

Further, we regard ourselves as simply transmitters of
knowledge, who are responsible for teaching and nothing else. It
is often said that teachers do their own business as teachers,
and researchers do theirs as researchers -- a claim that clearly
marks the demarcation between the two.

The above statement raises a fundamental question: Should
university teachers become researchers at the same time? The
answer is a big yes if we are willing to swing back the pendulum,
revive Humboldt's original idea and preserve the "publish or
perish" syndrome.

By instilling in teachers the "publish or perish" habit,
universities can maintain their distinctly scientific
orientation, which has been their benchmark for centuries.