Graduate Qualities at Flinders:Embedding Graduate Qualities in

topics

Academic Development TeamSDTU

Common pitfalls• ‘Tick box’ approach• No buy-in from academic staff• Focusing on course mapping & forgetting

implementation• Failure to adapt generic descriptions to

relevant field of study• Working with staff or students in isolation

from each other

Why supported implementation is important

• Consistency - interpretation across faculties, across degrees, across teaching teams

• Complementary – to avoid duplication of effort and confusion for staff & students

• Connected – to other university policies and priorities (eg WIL, internationalisation etc)

Recommended process

• Identify how GQs fit into the discipline specific context• Identify where inclusion of GQs is appropriate across the

course• Write GQs into the topics• Ensure GQs are included as part of assessment• Ensure teaching of GQs is explicit so students are aware

which GQs they are being taught and being assessed for• Include GQs in curriculum and assessment statements• Monitor CEQ and SET data to determine effectiveness of

approach

Recommended processIdentify how GQs fit into the discipline specific

context

What more precisely does it mean to:

be knowledgeablebe able to apply knowledge communicate effectivelywork independentlybe collaborativevalue ethical behaviourconnect across boundaries

as a graduate/practitioner in your discipline?

Recommended processIdentify where inclusion of GQs is appropriate across the course

Course CD Sequence Topic CD

frames frames

informsinforms

All GQsAll GQs All/most GQsAll/most GQs All/most/some?All/most/some?

Recommended processIdentify where & how does your topic fit within the structure of the course and the development of GQs through the course

Course CD Sequence Your Topic(s)

frames frames

informsinforms

Recommended processWrite GQs into the topics

Staff & students

content

assessment

learning interactions

What GQs should be learned/developed?

How to promote learning about

GQs?

How to gauge learning about GQs?

Recommended processWhere are GQs in your topics now?

Staff & students

content

assessment

learning interactions

What GQs are being taught/developed?

How is learning about GQs promoted through

learning and teaching?

How is learning about GQs assessed?

Recommended processHow can you bridge the gap between what is and what should be??

Make the implicit/taken for granted more explicit and visible to students. GQs in many cases are already incorporated into topics

Build GQs explicitly into assessment tasks (eg. Group projects to develop collaboration) and criteria (eg. Effectiveness of group processes rather than just assessment of the project output/outcome/report).

Talk to colleagues to ensure that what you do is consistent, complementary and connected with the overall course approach to explicitly developing GQs.