What are the main tasks of universities: to offer students knowledge and skills essential tor their future career, or to provide students with access to knowledge itself What do you think university education should contain
Universities around the world are now facing the problem of how to efficiently use their resources to serve a larger population of students that are more culturally and socially diversified. To solve the problemuniversities should be perfectly aware of their main tasks: providing students with easy access to knowledge andat the same time encouraging them to make active contribution to the advancement of human knowledge.
Universities should first of all be learning communities where knowledge is not only disseminated but also advanced. As full-fledged members of this communitystudents should not be information recipients who learn the knowledge in a passive way. Insteadthey should be challenged to achieve their potential andindeedto excel. Thereforerather than focus merely on knowledge dissemination and transferuniversities should contrive to provide learning conditions that encourage students to remain curiousto value diversity in opinions and perspectivesand to think critically and communicate effectively. In this waystudents can gain problem-solving experience and confidence.
Furthermoreuniversities will never attain their goals if they tailor all their courses or programs to meet the needs of specific employers or occupational sectors. Today's social environment is more dynamic and turbulent than ever before. Only those graduates who possess certain personality traits and can do well in diversified situations can distifnguish themselves from other job applicants.
In order to fulfill the main tasks of universitiesuniversity education should contain amply opportunities for independen learning which can cultivate students who are more likely to adapt to the changing society.Students can also learn to exercise their autonomy more effectivelyand they may clarify their own professional interests while learning in an independent way.