Identifying characteristics of a competence-based agricultural higher education system: a literature review

ABSTRACT

Purpose

This study attempts to determine a set of characteristics for each educational component in the competence-based agricultural education system.

Design

This study reviewed 95 articles published in four relevant scientific journals to determine the characteristics of a competence-based higher agricultural education system. These characteristics were determined based on competence-based education principles.

Findings: The results of this review indicated that, based on the CBE principles, the competencies for agricultural educational components identified in the reviewed articles could be summarized in 22 categories.

Practical implications: The main practical implication is that the universities can consider the results of this study as a set of guidelines in the admission of qualified learners and educators, revising curriculum and organizing dynamic learning environment in line with the CBE characteristics.

Theoretical implications: The results of this study could take CBE principles one step further in that, determining characteristics of a competence-based higher agricultural education system can be a guideline on how these principles could be implemented in an education system.

Originality/value: This study is original because it tries to bring CBE principles as a valuable theory into practice by the agricultural education systems.

KEYWORDS:

• competence-based education
• agricultural higher education system
• learner
• educator
• curriculum
• learning environment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 http://www.jae-online.org/index.php/philosophy, https://www.echocommunity.org/resources/89adb8fa-5c5e-4052-9778-d71ca9536949, https://www.aiaee.org/attachments/article/267/Vol-9.3.pdf, https://www.nactateachers.org/index.php/contact-us.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mahsa Saadvandi

Mahsa Saadvandi is a Ph.D. graduated in agricultural extension and education from Tarbiat Modares University, Iran. Her dissertation title was ‘Designing Competency- based Model in Agricultural Higher Education’. Her research interests include ‘agricultural education and competence’ and ‘professional development’.

Enayat Abbasi

Enayat Abbasi is an Associate Professor at the Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran. He teaches ‘lifelong education’, ‘agricultural education’ and ‘research method’ for graduate students. His research interests include ‘agriculture and environment education’, ‘teaching and learning in agricultural higher education system’.

Harm Biemans

Harm Biemans is an Associate Professor at the Department of Education and Learning Science at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. His research interests include ‘teaching and learning’, ‘pedagogy and education’, ‘professional development’ and ‘collaborative learning’.

Kiumars Zarafshani

Kiumars Zarafshani is a Professor at the Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Razi University, Iran. He teaches ‘lifelong education’, ‘agricultural education’, ‘agricultural entrepreneurship’ and ‘research method’. His research interests include ‘agricultural education’ and ‘agricultural entrepreneurship in higher education’. He established agricultural student cooperative in five agricultural faculties and now he is the advisor for most of agricultural student cooperative in Iran.

Homayoun Farhadian

Homayou Farhadian is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran. He teaches ‘agricultural extension’ and ‘research method’. His research interests include ‘agricultural extension’ and ‘agricultural innovation system’.