Inclusive Competences as a Natural Development Pattern of the

University 4.0 Model in the Post-analog Age of Education

Oksana Mineva

and Elina Polyanskaya

Astrakhan State University, Astrakhan, Russia

Keywords: University 4.0, Inclusive Competences, Digital Competences, Process Architecture Design, Humanisation of

Education, Higher Education, Competence-based Model.

Abstract: Digitalisation of society, significant changes in technology and transformation of labour markets are leading

to a change in the educational paradigm. The familiar University 3.0 model is being replaced by the University

4.0 model, which further depersonalises learners while deepening their professional personification. Existing

papers on the competence-based model called University 4.0 identify four types of competences needed to

train a skilled professional of the future: these are hard skills, soft skills, self skills, and systems thinking.

However, the peculiarity of digital reality with its “immaterial digital profile” of an individual is not

compensated in any way by the development of ethical skills, especially inclusive ones. People with mental

or physical disabilities account for about 10% of the world’s population and about 8% of the Russian

population. Without the development of social and professional communication skills, professionals of the

future provoke the development of significant discrimination in the labour market of the post-analog era.

These arguments were the starting point for the research, the results of which are presented in this article, and

the formation of the authors’ competence-based University 4.0 model, which encompasses inclusive

competences as universal competences. We give the authors’ interpretation of the definition of “inclusive

competence”, which is based on the principle of harmonisation of the future society and assumes that the area

of inclusive competences of all learners in educational institutions should be expanded.

1 INTRODUCTION

From the time of the first Platonic Academy (386 BC)

until the beginning of the 20th century, the entire

history of university education was based on the

principle of interactive communication between a

teacher and a student. The main type of competence

taught was professional, nowadays called hard skills,

and this was quite understandable. The length of the

Kondratieff technological wave was about 50 years.

This was well within the period of one generation’s

active working life.

The Humboldt University of Berlin was

established at the beginning of the 19th century, when

the traditional paradigm of university education was

supplemented by research work involving more

advanced communication soft skills.

A century later, by the beginning of the 20th

century, the Kondratieff wavelength shortened

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1830-784X

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6741-9979

considerably to an average of 25-30 years, which

implied several cycles of learning during working

life. The catalogue of educational programmes also

changed, with adult education programmes gaining

ground alongside basic education. In turn, this also

created a demand for fee-based education

programmes in new promising professions, the

outlines of which began to emerge with the

convergence of the university and business

communities. Small innovative enterprises at

universities such as start-ups and spin-offs were

actively developing. This actualised the introduction

of modules that develop entrepreneurial skills in the

educational programmes. These were the main trends

in analog education.

The post-analog or digital age of university

development expands the range of competences

required by specialists of the 21st century,

482

Mineva, O. and Polyanskaya, E.

Inclusive Competences as a Natural Development Pattern of the University 4.0 Model in the Post-analog Age of Education.

DOI: 10.5220/0010670600003223

In Proceedings of the 1st International Scientiﬁc Forum on Sustainable Development of Socio-economic Systems (WFSDS 2021), pages 482-486

ISBN: 978-989-758-597-5

introducing digital competences into the orbit of

central competences.

The digital age divides people significantly when

face-to-face communication is replaced by virtual

communication and, going out in real life, Generation

Z often has a very dim view of people with

disabilities. That is why, in our view, inclusive

competences should also be introduced into modern

educational programmes. This, in our view, is crucial,

because after Generation Z, who were raised in the

post-analog age, generations of the digital age will

come. They will grow with innate technological

literacy, but with an even more idealised paradigm of

perception of life.

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The hypothesis of our research was the idea that the

competence-based paradigm should be expanded in

the post-analog age of education towards its

digitalisation and humanisation. The rationale for this

approach was very clearly outlined by contemporary

philosopher Maria Manikovskaya. She sees

digitalisation as “one of the tests for the ontological

embeddedness of morality and ethics in society” and

points to “the increasing distance between the

obvious (digital reality) and adequate reasoning”

(Manikovskaya, 2019). The same scholar insists that

digital reality shifts the focus from a live perception

of the other person to a “disembodied digital profile”

without empathy, ethics or morality. Contemporary

scholars agree that digital reality deforms personal

identity, identifies others as a digital profile and leads

to a possible dehumanisation of society.

We are aware of a large number of works on

updating educational programmes and developing

digital competences (Rodríguez-García, 2018),

(Tomyuk, 2019), (Brash and Pfeil, 2007), (Lapteva,

Projoga, and Pakhmutova, 2019), however, we did

not encounter works on implementing inclusive

competences as cross-cutting for new professionals of

the digital age.

There are highly specialised programmes for

training professionals to accompany persons with

disabilities in adapting to real life and working life,

but we are not aware of considering inclusion as a

naturally developed competence for all graduates,

regardless of their professional field.

As a methodological framework, we used

literature review and sociological research methods in

the form of interviews with employers, learners and

representatives of the university community.

3 RESULTS OF THE STUDY

3.1 Digital Competence

The concept of digital literacy was initially

introduced in 1997 by Paul Gilster as “the ability to

understand and use information in multiple formats

from a wide range of sources when it is presented via

computers” (Gilster, 1997).

Paul Gilster highlighted the following skills as criteria

for achieving digital competence:

 Media competence which means the ability to

perceive information expressed in different

semiotic systems;

 Information competence which means skills

required to find the information you need and

tools to work with it as well as the ability to

learn these tools quickly;

 Communication competence which means

communication skills with other users.

Ten years later, Allan Martin and Dan Madigan

extended this definition to the following form:

“digital competence is the awareness, attitude and

ability of individuals to appropriately use digital tools

and media to identify, access, manage, integrate,

evaluate, analyse and synthesise digital resources, to

build new knowledge systems, and to communicate

with others” (Martin anf Madigan, 2007).

The work of Professor Soldatova stands out

among the works of Russian scholars, who

understands digital competence as “an individual’s

ability to confidently, effectively, critically and safely

choose and apply information and communication

technologies in different areas of life (information

environment, communication, consumption,

technosphere), based on the continuous acquisition of

competencies (knowledge, skills, motivation,

responsibility), as well as their readiness for such

activities” (Soldatova, 2015). This scholar identifies

four types of digital skills:

 Media competence which means knowledge,

skills, motivation and responsibility associated

with seeking, understanding, organising and

critically reflecting on digital information, and

creating information objects using digital

resources (text, image, audio and video);

 Communication competence which means

knowledge, skills, motivation and

responsibility required for different forms of

communication (email, chat rooms, blogs,

forums, social media, etc.) and with different

purposes;

 Technical competence which means

knowledge, skills, motivation and

Inclusive Competences as a Natural Development Pattern of the University 4.0 Model in the Post-analog Age of Education

483

responsibility to use technical and software

tools effectively for various tasks, including the

use of computer networks, cloud services, etc.;

 Consumer competence which means

knowledge, skills, motivation and

responsibility to solve various daily tasks

related to specific life situations involving

different needs using digital devices and the

Internet.

When applying the skills of digital competences

laid down by Gilster almost 25 years ago and skills

outlined in Soldatova’s work, one is struck by

consumer competence, which repeatedly actualises

the total penetration of digital competences into

everyday life.

The importance of the consumer competence

increased manifold during the 2020 lockdown caused

by the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were

forced to become users of developed digital solutions

overnight in order to solve current daily problems.

The following digital literacy skills were

highlighted at the 2017 G-20 Summit:

 Information literacy;

 Computer literacy;

 Communication literacy;

 Media literacy;

 Attitude towards technology or innovation.

It is the fifth skill that shapes digital competence

(attitude towards technology and innovation) and

demonstrates the relevance of the need to constantly

compensate for the “digital gap” arising in a situation

of progressive information technology and device

development and the group resistance to change

existing in society among generations X and Y.

Our hypothesis is that skills of process

architecture design should be highlighted within

digital competences. By these skills we mean an

awareness of the essence of the system and its key

properties which determine its behaviour,

composition and evolution and which influence the

appropriateness, usefulness and manageability of the

system. The design skills in this case will provide the

flexibility to modify key properties of the process to

achieve specified parameters.

These skills will be particularly important for

training engineers, as elementary programming skills

have been named as embedded soft skills in the Atlas

of New Professions.

3.2. Inclusive Competence

According to statistics, about 11.8 million people of

all disability groups are registered in Russia in 2020

(about 8% of the Russian population), which

significantly highlights the problem of professional

socialisation of this group of people. The problems of

people with disabilities have always been a focus of

the state, but there are persistent social patterns of

exclusion from barrier-free entry into the labour

market. In an age of total digitalisation, these groups

have every chance of becoming members of the

precariat class. The higher education system must

therefore pioneer the trend for establishing self-

learning socially oriented companies, created by the

cooperation of social and functional insourcing in the

implementation of training in accordance with the

latest digital trends. And for that, Generation Z and

their descendants need to have sustainable inclusive

competences.

When analysing existing educational and

professional standards, we found that there is almost

no training for students in inclusive competences.

Inclusive competences are found exclusively in

the educational standards for training specialists in

the field of medicine and education. All other training

areas do not ensure that the majority of graduates are

prepared to meet people with disabilities in their

everyday and working lives.

Ilmira Khafizullina gives the following definition

of inclusive competence. “Inclusive competence is an

integrative personal formation that determines the

ability to perform professional functions in the

process of inclusive education, taking into account

different educational needs of students and ensuring

the inclusion of children with disabilities in the

environment of a general education institution,

creating conditions for their development and self-

development”.

“Inclusive competence includes a set of

interrelated components, such as motivational,

cognitive, operational and reflective components”

(Khafizullina, 2008). Natalya Korneeva defines this

concept as “the ability to perform professional

functions, ensuring the inclusion of people with

disabilities in the environment of a professional

institution, creating conditions for their development

and self-development”. ( Korneeva, 2011).

Inclusive competence includes the following

skills:

 Cognition which means perception and

awareness of inclusive education as an object

of attitude, its conceptual idea, essence, the

factors determining its effectiveness;

 Communicativeness which means the ability to

organise interaction and communication with

those involved in inclusive educational

settings, and to find and master appropriate

means and techniques of communication;

WFSDS 2021 - INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

484

 Reflexivity which means analysis of the

effectiveness of the communication process

when working with people with disabilities.

According to the research carried out by scholars

Romanovskaya and Khafizullina, even experienced

educators’ level of inclusive competence was almost

equal to zero. However, after taking the competence

development programme “Inclusive Competence for

General Academic School Teachers”, there was an

increase in skills above the average level

(Romanovskaya and Khafizullina, 2014).

Table 1: Inclusive competence of educators, %

Demonstration of

residual skills

Demonstration of

develo

ed skills

zero

and low

medium

high

zero and

low

medium

high

97.5 2.5 0 5 55 40

Based on the results of this study, it can be

concluded that even if trained inclusion educators

show a pronounced tendency towards skill

obsolescence, those not trained to work and

communicate with such professionals of the future

will simply ignore them in their social and working

lives.

In the current context, we consider it necessary to

extend the reach of inclusive competences to all

learners in educational institutions. Fostering

tolerance and empathy with all members of society

can counteract to some extent the syndrome of the

“digital disembodied profile” of a modern human.

It will also reduce social tensions in society,

where potential employers and colleagues view

people with disabilities as some kind of burden, often

because they do not have a coherent understanding of

existing disabilities and the mechanisms available to

communicate with them.

To test our hypothesis, a sociological survey of

employers, students and representatives of the

university community from the cities of Astrakhan,

Tambov, Saratov, Maikop, Nalchik, Moscow, Atyrau

(Republic of Kazakhstan) and Baku (Republic of

Azerbaijan) was conducted, the results of which are

shown in Table 2.

In the survey, we asked the interviewers two

questions:

 Should the set of digital competences be

extended with the skill of process architecture

design;

 Should inclusive competences be introduced

into existing learning standards as universal

competences.

Table 2: Results of a sociological survey of employers,

learners and representatives of the university community on

the inclusion of digital and inclusive competences in the list

of mandatory competences for professionals of the future

Digital competences Inclusive

com

etences

1231 2 3

87 5 8 93 2 5

where, 1 is should be included; 2 is should not be included;

3 is difficult to answer

As the results of the sociological survey show,

almost 90% of respondents said it was important and

timely to expand the competence-based paradigm in

the post-analog age of education in the direction of its

digitalisation and humanisation.

3.3 Discussion of the Results

The transformation of education in the post-analog

age must meet the requirements of the University 4.0

concept, according to which universities will be the

driving force behind the use of all digital tools to

flexibly change communication between the main

actors of the educational process. University 4.0 aims

to provide not only knowledge, but also a new

paradigm of thinking that involves fine-tuning the

demands of learners and the educational organisation

to the requirements of the labour market.

At the strategic session on the formation of the

Big University in Tomsk in 2019, the University 4.0

model was presented, which substantiated that the use

of digital tools (artificial intelligence, data analysis,

big data management) allows synchronizing

educational programmes and demands of employers

who act as customers, promptly presenting adaptive

learning and individualization of educational

trajectories (Fadeev, Zmeev, and Gazizov, 2020).

The same authors define qualified graduates as

having the following competences:

 Hard skills (professional skills and abilities,

applied knowledge);

 Soft skills (soft skills, communication skills);

 Self skills (development of personal qualities);

 Systems thinking.

It should be noted that the University 4.0 model

does not consider humanisation of education.

Therefore, it seems necessary to complement the

model presented above with inclusive skills.

Inclusive Competences as a Natural Development Pattern of the University 4.0 Model in the Post-analog Age of Education

485

We define inclusive competence as “an

individual’s ability to carry out social and

professional functions in a harmonious way when

interacting with persons with disabilities, taking

maximum account of their physical and

psychological development, not discriminating

against them and creating comfortable conditions for

their adaptation at work and subsequent self-

development”.

Based on our reasoning, we propose the following

University 4.0 competence model.

Figure 1: University 4.0 competence model

Within the framework of our proposed addition to

the existing competence model, the digital and ethical

development of modern society will be harmonised.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The digitalisation of society and education system as

well as the emerging profile of a professional of the

future reveal personalised skills of working and

interacting in a team with people who are not

physically or psychologically disabled. Meanwhile,

the problem of socialisation of persons with physical

and psychological disabilities, given the significant

transformation of the labour market and the extinction

of their traditional professions, makes it urgent to

develop new educational programmes that shape

inclusive competences of Generation Z graduates and

their descendants to prevent social and professional

discrimination.

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