Open AccessThe Missing Pieces in the Puzzle of Iranian Undergraduate General Education: Quantitative Findings
Author(s) -
Hamid Mahmoudi,
Keith Walker,
Abdolrahim Navehebrahim,
Hamidreza Arasteh,
Hossein Abbasian
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
comparative and international education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2369-2634
DOI - 10.5206/cie-eci.v49i1.13431
Subject(s) - extant taxon , curriculum , government (linguistics) , politics , lifelong learning , investment (military) , general education , pedagogy , mathematics education , critical thinking , political science , sociology , psychology , law , linguistics , philosophy , evolutionary biology , biology
The general education (GE) literature suggests that there is a mismatch of courses offered to students in Iranian higher education institutions such that the needs of 21st-century students are unmet by these curricula. This article points to the missing pieces in terms of learning and content gaps in many of the undergraduate GE programs designed under the influence of policy, values, and politics which originate from both religious and government interests. The article explores undergraduate students’ general 21st-century skill requirements and examines the extant curricula for possible gaps. The gap analysis points to the need for up-to-date general skills such as thinking skills, decision-making, research, awareness of international issues, lifelong learning, problem-solving, critical thinking, and it offers that these remedies might be a precious investment in Iran’s higher education for the future of that society.