Navigating the Academia-Profession Dichotomy.

The paper identifies issues that continue to impact higher education courses that are directly linked to professional qualifications. The review explores the notation of a dichotomous relationship between education and profession (vocation), resulting in an on-going tension between both. This paper further explores approaches that have been employed within higher education and/or within the profession to reduce this tension. The literature illustrates a two-fold challenge to contemporary universities in regards to offering effective and relevant education to the satisfaction of their stakeholders. These include designing and delivering educational programmes that balance specific work preparation (vocational training) with traditional higher education theoretical values; and also balance knowledge and competencies that are more generic with those that are specialist. The view that universities serve to train individuals for practical and technical work (Solbrekke & Karseth, 2006) finds little support among proponents of traditional values. There is a recognition that the role of universities is to find ways by which education is 'married' with vocational skills development, or break down the separation of education and the 'world of work (Assiter, 1995). It will be more effective if higher education to cater to a variety of needs, some of which are discipline-specific and others more generic. This could be done by using strategies should have contextual relevance. The lack of consensus as to what educational model will work best is indicative of distinctive features of the various professions and the importance of context. The review has highlighted that although studies have been done in higher education curriculum and pedagogies, there remains much to be understood about how particular disciplinary fields navigate professional and educational demands for the best outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]