Graduate attributes in curriculum development through personal development planning

1. Graduate attributes in curriculum development through personal development planning Janet Strivens Senior Associate Director Centre for Recording Achievement

2. Outline: • What are graduate attributes? Some international examples • (How) can GAs be developed through the formal curriculum? • What is the link between GAs and personal development planning processes? • What is appropriate technology to support the development of GAs?

3. Simon Barrie, University of SydneyAt the Scottish QAA Enhancement Themes Conference Graduates for the 21st Century, Heriot-Watt University, 2009 Graduate attributes: • (should) describe the important things students (should) learn during their time at university; • are the learning outcomes that are the hallmark of a university education; • shape the ways university graduates contribute to society – through their roles as citizens and workers; • are the qualities that prepare graduates as agents of social good in an unknown future (present)… “….meaningful solutions have proved elusive and there remains a 'national gap' between the rhetoric of graduate attributes and the reality of the student learning experience.”

4. GAs: A brief UK history….. 1990s: HEQC ‘Graduateness’ project; some ‘new universities’ (e.g. DMU, Lincoln & Humberside) developed institutional graduate skills frameworks 2000s: Subject Benchmarks; increasing emphasis on Employability Skills Today: • Employability Statements requested by HEFCE (Circular 12/2010). • All 20 Scottish HEIs currently working on the Graduates for the 21st Century Enhancement Theme: what should be the attributes of a graduate from Scottish Higher Education in the 21st century and how can the achievement of these attributes best be supported? • The Cambridge University Skills Portal now details which skills are developed on a subject by subject basis • The University of Leeds promotes ‘Leeds for Life’, focusing on attributes and skills developed across the institution as a whole. NB Leeds for Life rejects explicitly any connection with PDP! • Many HEIs offer an award e.g. The Sheffield Graduate, The York Award • Wolverhampton has chosen 3 institutional GAs: Global Citizenship, Enterprise and Digital Literacy • …..

5. So, are Graduate Attributes… • Institutional USPs And/Or • Another name for what employers say they want And/Or • Outcomes of a ‘transformational’ HE experience?

6. Some international examples

7. University of Adelaide Graduate Attributeshttp://www.adelaide.edu.au/dvca/gradattributes/“a research-intensive university which seeks to develop graduates of international distinction …an environment where students are encouraged to take responsibility for developing the following attributes: • Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. • The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. • An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. • Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. • A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. • A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. • A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. • An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.

8. University of South Queensland:http://www.usq.edu.au/qualgrad5 Graduate Qualities and 10 Graduate Skills 1. Discipline Expertise: Evidence of analytical engagement with the theoretical knowledge of students’ chosen disciplines 2. Professionalism: Evidence of the skills required for effective participation in students’ chosen working environment. 3. Global Citizenship: Evidence of students’ ability to connect discipline-based theory and practice to the sustainability of communities, economies and environments in a global context 4. Scholarship: Evidence of students’ capabilities to make a scholarly contribution in their workplaces and wider communities 5. Lifelong Learning: Evidence of students’ academic and lifelong independent learning skills • Ethical research and inquiry 2. Problem solving 3. Academic, professional and digital literacy 4. Written and oral communication 5. Interpersonal skills 6. Teamwork 7. Cultural literacy 8. Management, planning and organisational skills 9. Creativity, initiative and enterprise 10. Sustainable practice

9. Graduate qualities at the University of South Australia http://www.unisa.edu.au/gradquals/ A graduate: • operates effectively with and upon a body of knowledge of sufficient depth to begin professional practice • is prepared forlifelong learning in pursuit of personal development and excellence in professional practice • is an effective problem solver, capable of applying logical, critical, and creative thinking to a range of problems • can work both autonomously and collaboratively as a professional • is committed to ethical action and social responsibility as a professional and citizen • communicates effectively in professional practice and as a member of the community • demonstrates international perspectives as a professional and as a citizen.

10. Curtin University of Technology:http://otl.curtin.edu.au/teaching_learning/attributes.cfm9 graduate attributes plus the Triple-i curriculum • Apply discipline knowledge, principles and concepts • Think critically, creatively and reflectively • Access, evaluate and synthesise information • Communicate effectively • Use technologies appropriately • Utilise lifelong learning skills • Recognise and apply international perspectives • Demonstrate cultural awareness and understanding • Applying professional skills “In addition to student achievement of Curtin’s nine graduate attributes, there are three main aspects of the curriculum which we wish to emphasise”: • Industry(graduate employability) • IndigenousIntercultural International (global citizenship) • Interdisciplinary(rich educational choices)

11. IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) http://faa.iupui.edu/pul/Principles of Undergraduate Learning • a set of higher order abilities and skills that all undergraduates are expected to master • a common framework for assessing and evaluating academic programs • the foundation for a concept of general education built upon common cognitive experiences and deliberately sequenced intellectual development PUL 1: Core Communication and Quantitative Skills PUL 2: Critical Thinking PUL 3: Integration and Application of Knowledge PUL 4: Intellectual Depth, Breadth, and Adaptiveness PUL 5: Understanding Society and Culture PUL 6: Values and Ethics

12. La Trobe Universityhttp://www.latrobe.edu.au/ctlc/dfl/research/grad-capabilities.html • Participant • Contributor • Leader

13. La Trobe University, AU

14. Some common themes • Global citizenship/international perspectives/cultural awareness • Professionalism, ethics, values • Social responsibility/service to the community • Lifelong learning • Technological literacy • Initiative, problem-solving skills • Leadership

15. Problematic aspects of GAs? Many go beyond skills to values, attitudes, commitments - – which can only be demonstrated through choices made by the individual and his/her behaviour over time - and need to be assessed/demonstrated by diverse forms of evidence, collected, selected and presented by the learner Typical features: personalised targets (which might incorporate personally chosen challenges), willingness to take risks, self-assessment and/or ipsative assessment. How important are these?:

16. How, and how far, can these aspects be incorporated into formal programmes? • Through curricular learning in less-controlled campus environments (especially study teams and problem-focussed groups); • Through curricular learning in less tutor-controlled environments off-campus - almost any form of work experience, in community settings, volunteering (“service learning”) year abroad); • Through opportunities to review and integrate on and off-campus learning and development.

17. What is the link between GAs and personal development planning processes? PDP is: “a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual • to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and • to plan for their personal, educational and career development” (QAA: Progress Files for Higher Education: 2009) Typical PDP activities are auditing skills, planning and reviewing goals, reflecting on experiences to understand the learning and skills development gained from them.

18. How PDP processes help to develop graduate attributes: • Through structured and supported reflection, learners learn to articulate the skills they have gained; • Through explicit attention to personal, educational and career development, learners are encouraged to recognise their achievement in both curricular and extra-curricular contexts; • Through experience of goal-setting, learners learn to plan for experiences that enhance their personal qualities and range of experience. Can the relationship with the PDP tutor encourage and support personal commitment and clarification of values?

19. What is appropriate technology to support the development of GAs? • Personal digital repositories • Social networking tools to facilitate collaborative learning • Wikis for collaborative tasks • A means of collecting, selecting, connecting and presenting diverse evidence in a personalised way – website builder or e-portfolio

20. The University of Michigan-Dearborn • http://www.soe.umd.umich.edu/687138/ • The Integrative ePortfolio • “…an integrative learning pedagogy and an accompanying set of open-source portfolio tools both for a student-centered “self-expressive” ePortfolio, and to gather and aggregate data for assessment purposes.” • Understand, retrieve, and articulate different types of knowledge • Identify, reflect on, and synthesize learning that has occurred both within and beyond the classroom (e.g. in clinical contexts, internships and paid work) • Develop the kinds of knowledge, skills and awareness needed for professional competence and leadership • Connect learning with personal values, a sense of purpose and goals for the future • Students develop meta-cognitive skills by learning to ask, “Who am I becoming? What and how am I learning? What are my strengths, values and capacities? How do I intend to make a difference?”

21. The University of Michigan-Dearborn http://www.soe.umd.umich.edu/687138/ The Integrative ePortfolio contd. • “…process of creating an ePortfoliodesigned to help students retrieve and document different types of knowledge over time…engaging in the process and creating the product enhance students’ meta-cognitive capacities by fostering a deep sense of what they have learned and how they can use their knowledge.” • - analysis, reflection, feedback and dialogue; • different type of knowledge and insights from academic and other kinds of experiences; • guided to make connections between the tacit and explicit knowledge; • - document their learning through the creation of web pages: • Welcome • Philosophy Statement • Goals • Work Showcase • Supporting Links • - illustrates (primarily through text, images and supporting materials) student’s knowledge and skills, as well as the values, goals and commitments that underlie their work.