Home – Home – Jornals – "Philosophy of Education" 2022 number 2

Introduction. The implemented competency-based approach raises many questions, including: what skills should be included in the portfolio of basic literacy in the 21st century? Regardless of one position or another, critical thinking is one of the universal competencies in higher education. The purpose of the study is the explication and comparison of the concepts of critical thinking proposed by philosophers, experts and practitioners of educational activities. Methodology. The object of research is the concept of critical thinking in engineering education. The subject of the study is the place and meaning of critical thinking in the standards of higher education in Russia (considered on the material of the Transport University). A critical, constructivist and competence-based approach is used as a priority methodology. Discussion. In the FSES HE 3++, the list of universal competencies includes the position of the formation of “critical thinking” (UK-1). This competence should be formed in all students of the transport university. The conflict between experts (teachers, managers, philosophers) is associated with a different understanding of the content of competence, its place in the educational program and its impact on professionalism. It substantiates the idea that a sharp reduction in the volume and range of courses in the soft skills segment, misinterpretation of the concept and methodology of critical thinking by managers (who rely on strict adherence to the standard), leads to an increase in dilettantism in teaching, demonstrates the gap between philosophical scientific research and the practice of teaching philosophy in a transport university. Conclusion. The practice of developing critical thinking among engineering students reveals a contradiction between understanding the profession as a system of qualification requirements (where critical thinking does not matter) and the model of the profession as a dynamic portfolio of competencies (where it is impossible to build a successful career trajectory without it).