Unit Standards and the University

This study examines a policy change in New Zealand higher education through the late 1990s. This change attempted to bring a competency standards- based approach to the unviersity sector - something that was resisted strongly by higher education arguing that it marginalised the core values of its learning including critical and reflective thought. This thesis traces that debate and focuses on the philsophical arguments around the goals of higher education. It draws on the work of Martin Buber and Paulo Freire to defend academia''s argument, but also suggests that higher education itself and critical pedagogy have not been embraced across the sector to the point that the university has prided itself on historically. Finally the thesis, using the work of Ronald Barnett develops and defends a concept of higher learning that the author argues should shape our future policy direction.