Click to edit Master title styleDr Barrie CooperUniversity of Exeter

Challenges of promoting graduate attributes

Two approaches to mapping the curriculum

Activity

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• Many academic staff don’t feel it is their job to develop GAs

• Academic staff are often atypical both as role models and former students

• Many academic staff don’t feel well-enough equipped to teach, assess or promote GAs

Challenges with respect to academic staff

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• Many students are unaware of the GAs being developed

• Many students don’t feel that “employability training” is what they signed up for

• Students may not see a direct benefit until their graduating year

Challenges with respect to students

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• Make the implicit explicit, both for staff and students

• Embed the development of GAs across the curriculum

• Skills experts and discipline experts should work together to scaffold development of GAs and design appropriate assessments

What can be done?

Click to edit Master title styleGetting assessment right is key

“Changing teaching without due attention to assessment is not sufficient ...

“The types of questions that we set show students what we value and how we expect them to direct their time.”

Smith and Wood (2000)

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At Oxford Brookes, Mary Deane has been working with staff to map five identified GAs:

• academic literacy;• research literacy;• critical self awareness and personal literacy;• digital and information literacy;• global citizenship.

Mapping the curriculum – Oxford Brookes

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Module teaching teams work with skills developers to determine the extent to which each attribute is

• taught,• practised,• assessed.

Mapping the curriculum – Oxford Brookes

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At Exeter, I have been working with students to map twelve identified GAs:

communication; numeracy; team working; problem solving; project management; research skills; self management; commercial awareness; creative thinking; positive attitude to work; IT skills; career management skills.

Mapping the curriculum – Exeter

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Students determined the extent to which each attribute was

• taught,• practised,• assessedand made recommendations regarding the

curriculum.www.creativestem.co.uk

Mapping the curriculum – Exeter

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Identify an example of academic staff and skills experts working together to promote GAs and complete the following grid:

Activity

Benefits to academic staff member

Benefits to skills expert

Benefits to students Challenges