Learner-Centered Approach: The Historical and Ideological Boundaries of the Past, Present, and Future in Higher Education

Introduction

William Ferris wrote an introduction to part one in the book of Vermilye (1975), in which he states that the idea behind the learner-centered approach has been originated from tailoring education to fit the learner rather than so do the learners to education. This idea is a kind of resistance towards the old traditional norms in education. Ferris explains this resistance as people went to college in the old tradition; however, in the new tradition college goes to people. The new tradition occurs as follows: “external degrees, contract- and competency-based learning and personalized instruction” (p. 2). On the other hand, McCombs and Whisler (1997) clarifies the current wave of educational reforms and transformations as:

In conclusion, Ferris argues that this contrast between old and new traditions has tended to polarize the thinking about the responsibilities and roles of teachers and learners.

The main purpose of this chapter is to analyze the historically and ideological boundaries of the learner-centered approaches in higher education and discuss the current status of learner-centeredness in higher education. For this purpose, this chapter will begin to picture universities based on the historical times, advancements, and backgrounds.

Background

The idea of university goes back to centuries and consists of various ideals from age to age, centered around different stages. The idealized missions of university have been changed over time according to its changing time requirements and conditions. Such changes (e.g. social disorder, war, agriculture, industry, knowledge etc.) have altered the characteristics, roles, and concepts of the academes from time to time in history.

Overviewing the national and international literature, there are various classifications and determined stages for the development of university in history as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Four Classifications for the Developmental Stages of the University

In this study, the researchers utilize a categorization constructed on four-pillar in dealing with the historical and ideological boundaries of learner-centered education in higher education. The four-pillar are expected to help to make the chronological analysis of learner-centered education a less formidable undertaking as follows:

• 1.

  The Pillar of Classicism

• 2.

  The Pillar of Pre-Modernism

• 3.

  The Pillar of Modernism

• 4.

  The Pillar of Post-Modernism

Main Focus Of The Chapter

From past to present and to the future, learning is and will be the existential necessity for human beings. The conceptual definitions and theoretical explorations for human learning and about learner vary from time to time till the scientific studies and methods on human learning. This difference seems to be shaped by the history and its own time. The historical foundations of it date back to the antiquity period when higher education (namely higher-thinking order) notwithstanding the nexus between learner-centered approach and higher education emerging in the wake of WWII. For this reason, the philosophical stance of this chapter towards learner-centered education is to understand and elaborate the learner-centeredness in-depth in terms of historical and ideological foundations, which requests a comprehensive depiction of how human learning and the learner has evolved throughout educational history. Thus, clarifying the definitions establishes what the chapter will focus on and how it defines the boundaries between the old and current education.