The Currency and Relevancy of Confucian Pedagogy in Doctoral Supervision

[Extract]
Nowadays, the proverb of ‘moving with the times’ resonates among various circles in society. It is important for individuals, entities, and governments to keep abreast of the times because insistence on traditional practices, refusal to make necessary changes, or absorption in the past is not conducive to personal, organizational, or societal advancement. In the field of education, this forward-looking attitude has been translated into the concept of ‘innovation’. To innovate higher education, university administrators and academics formulate and revise policies, strategies, and measures to enhance student learning experience and to move ahead in an increasingly competitive environment. Three examples of innovation in various areas are the introduction of micro-credentials for people who want to attain the necessary qualifications in a shorter period of time (curriculum design),the imparting of knowledge to students through multimodal delivery and blended learning (pedagogical method), and the exploration of means other than a summative examination to measure the performance of students (assessment approach). Even so, there are enduring educational principles and practices that stand the test of time. For instance, knowledge acquisition and character education are the fundamental objectives of education, while teaching and learning, whether it is of knowledge or ethical values, should be achieved gradually (scaffolding education). Hence, it is sensible to discern what should be abandoned and what should be continued among the trend of innovation.