Skip to main content

Reconceptualizing Liberal Education in the 21st Century

The Role of Emerging Technologies and STEAM Fields in Liberal Education

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Emerging Technologies for STEAM Education

Abstract

This chapter reviews the essential learning outcomes that students develop through a 21st century liberal education, along with principal themes in the literature about higher education in the 21st century. This chapter shows examples of high impact liberal education practices in both European and American colleges and universities. This chapter also discusses the role of emerging technologies and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) fields in liberal education. Questions to be addressed include the following: What kind of liberal education curriculum and learning environment can better prepare university students for success in the 21st century workplace? Why is liberal education necessary? What is the role of emerging technologies to meet the liberal education learning outcomes? Principle themes in the literature and implications of liberal education are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • AAC&U. (2002). Greater expectations: A new vision for learning as a nation goes to college. Washington, D. C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC & U).

    Google Scholar 

  • AAC&U. (2007). College learning for the new global century. Washington, D. C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC & U).

    Google Scholar 

  • AAC&U. (2011). LEAP vision for learning: Outcomes, practices, impact, and employers’ views. Washington, D. C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC & U).

    Google Scholar 

  • Adler, M. (1988). Reforming education: The opening of the American mind. Edited by Geraldine Van Doren. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahrache, El. S. I., Badir, H., Tabaa, Y., & Medouri, A. (2013). Massive open online courses: A new dawn for higher education? International Journal on Computer Science and Engineering, 5(5), 323–327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arcilla, R. V. (2007). The question of liberal education. Liberal Education, Spring 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arum, R., & Roksa, J. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaich, C., & Wise, K. (2011). From gathering to using assessment results. NILOA Occasional. Paper, 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, J. A. (2012). Teaching naked: How moving technology out of your college classroom will improve student learning. San Francisco: A Wiley Imprint.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bridges, D. (2000). Back to the future: the higher education curriculum in the 21st century. Cambridge Journal of Education, 30(1)

    Google Scholar 

  • BU (2013). Brown University (BU) liberal learning goals. http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Registrar/concentrationforms/LiberalLearningGoals.pdf. Accessed 14 March 2014.

  • Burns, G. (2002). Liberal education at Franklin Pierce. Fall: Franklin Pierce University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Domínguez, J. I. (2004). Liberal education at Harvard in this new century. http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic733185.files/Dominguez.pdf. Accessed 14 March 2014.

  • EQF. (2006). The European qualifications framework (EQF): A new way to understand qualifications across Europe. European Commission. – IP/06/1148 05/09/2006.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fong, B. (2004). Liberal education in the 21st century. Liberal Education, Winter 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gore, H. (2013). Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and their impact on academic library services: Exploring the issues and challenges. Bucks: The Open University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guerra, M. (2013). The place of liberal education in contemporary higher education. Symposium: Higher Education and The Challenges of Reform. Soc, 50, 251–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, R. (2010). On the purpose of a liberal arts education. http://www.virtualsalt.com/libarted.htm. Accessed 14 March 2014.

  • Hart Research Associates. (2013). It takes more than a major: Employer priorities for college learning and student success. Washington, D. C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC & U).

    Google Scholar 

  • Madden, M. E., Baxter, M., Beauchamp, H., Bouchard, K., Habermas, D., Huff, M., Ladd, B., Pearon, J., & Plague, G. (2013). Rethinking STEM education: An interdisciplinary STEAM curriculum. Procedia Computer Science, 20, 541–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehaffy, G. L. (2012). Challenge and change. Educause Review, 45(5).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nussbaum, M. (2004). Liberal education and global community. Liberal Education, Winter 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  • QAA. (2008). The framework for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ). The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education 2008, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riordan, T. (2005). Education for the 21st century: Teaching, learning, and assessment. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 37(1), 52–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rossing, J. P. (2012). Mobile technology and liberal education. Liberal Education, Winter 2012, p. 70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roth, M. (2013). An anti-traditional tradition: The American idea of liberal education. Social Sciences in China, 34(2), 96–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shinn, L. D. (2012). Liberal education in the age of the unthinkable. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 44(4), 15–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skolnik, M. L. (1998). Higher Education in the 21st century. Perspectives on an emerging body of literature. Futures, 30(7), 635–650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stearns, P. (2010). Global education and liberal education. Liberal Education, Summer 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Summit, J. (2013). Global citizenship demands new approaches to teaching and learning: AASCU’s global challenges initiative. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 45(6), 51–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • VT. (2013). Curriculum for liberal education: A guide for students, advisors & faculty. Virginia Tech (VT), 2013–2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. A., Zdravkovich, V., & Engleberg, I. (2002). Liberal education. Why now? Why for all? (pp. 34–41). Fall: Liberal Education.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aytac Gogus .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Gogus, A. (2015). Reconceptualizing Liberal Education in the 21st Century. In: Ge, X., Ifenthaler, D., Spector, J. (eds) Emerging Technologies for STEAM Education. Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02573-5_15

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics