Expanding the concept of ‘threshold concepts’: threshold concepts for life
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi31.1312Keywords:
threshold concepts, resilience, moral education, equality, inclusion, sustainability, artAbstract
News and media reports indicate that the perceived value of university education is declining amongst students – one of the indicators being an increase in apprenticeships. As educators, we need to identify the reasons for this and ask ourselves whether we provide holistic education to students. Based on this rationale, this forward-looking and solution-focussed opinion article invites the educators to think beyond the subject-specific threshold concepts and teach students the ‘threshold concepts for life’. This proposed term implies, includes, and collates teaching-learning of multiple concepts that are often outside the discipline/subject-specific boundaries of several curricula, but can help develop life-skills and thought-processes that promote mental, physical, and societal well-being. To enable such teachings, six domains of education can be embedded within the curricula of ALL disciplines. These domains include education on sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion, arts, resilience, moral science/personal integrity, and physical activity. To support the inclusion of these domains, this article discusses the significance of each domain and provides evidence of the positive impact of its application on students. Logistics of embedding these within the curricula of ALL students have been suggested and the core benefits of including these domains in university education are mentioned.
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