La formación en valores en el ámbito de la Educación Superior

Abstract

The need to incorporate values in the education of people at different stages of life is recognized by most social institutions (GUNI, 2008). The role of the university is predominantly one of professionalization; however, it is not impossible to simultaneously contribute to a broader personal preparation. The university must not only provide training in the professional field to satisfy the economic needs of a production model based on knowledge and technology, but it must also incorporate human, social, ethical and philosophical knowledge. In this manner, education is not limited to instructing or transmitting knowledge or skills, but develops the person for their individual progress and their social development. Higher education in the twenty-first century must take ownership of this challenge and integrate it as one of the functions of its institutional mission. In our view, the university is an excellent venue for the development of capacities to achieve meaningful learning in ethics training, citizenship training and personal development of future professionals as participants of a democratic society. In this manner, universities and researchers as well as teachers and their students can exert, formally or informally, significant influence in the consideration of ethical and social values, the social climate, empathy, etc., in order to build a more cultured and dignified society