Abstract

VILLALOBOS, Fernando. THE ROLE OF PROSPECTIVE ACTION IN VENEZUELAN POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION: RISKS AND CHALLENGES TO THINKING THE UNIVERSITY OF TOMORROW. Investigación y Postgrado [online]. 2003, vol.18, n.2, pp.97-115. ISSN 1316-0087.

From a prospective point of view, the intention of this paper is to evaluate the principle of anticipation-action as a re-adapting formula when facing the risks and challenges present in contemporary university life. The analysis focuses on three areas: first, the aspects and factors related to conceptions of the future; second, the conscious participation of actors when producing a "possible"; and third, the implications of those feasible and desirables scenarios as functions of university life transformation. The theoretical background relies on prospectivist authors like Godet, Berger, Mojica and Medina, among others. The idea is to confront their hypothesis for defining those characteristics and scenarios associated with the renovation of the university and its environment. Finally, the paper proposes various possibilities for the future of the country’s post-secondary education.

Keywords : prospective; education; desirable scenarios; future; anticipation-action.