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USING GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
TO DESIGN 21ST CENTURY
UNIVERSITY CURRICULA
Hong Kong Institute of Education
9 February 2010
A/Prof Simon Barrie
Institute for Teaching and Learning
Graduate attributes
Graduate attributes are an orientating statement of education outcomes used to inform curriculum design and engagement with teaching and learning experiences at a university (Barrie 2009).
They are descriptions of the core abilities and values a university community agrees all its graduates should develop as a result of successfully completing their university studies (adapted from Bowden et al 2000).
However….
Meaningful curriculum renewal has proved elusive and in Australia there remains a 'national gap' between the rhetoric of generic attributes and the reality of the student learning experience.
Last time I was here we discussed three reasons Why……..
1. As outcomes they are more complex than they seem
2. Universities’ activity systems aren’t supportive
3. Learners have been left behind
This time I want to discuss……How we might do this differently
1. Setting the right direction
Ensure the university community understands the complexity and makes a relevant commitment Foundation: Generic skills – ‘off-the shelf’, non-specialised skills for university learning and workTranslation: Explicit ways of doing and thinking, using and applying discipline knowledge… they are the disciplineEnabling: Implicit dispositions attitudes & values, they grow from, but transcend the discipline
What do you want for your graduates?Write one attribute for each level
One Enabling outcome:
One Translation outcome:
One Foundation skill (input):
Why keep these levels of outcome distinct in your mind and in your policy?
1. One sort of GA is an input not an output and if we look for ‘value-add’ from university in that group, both staff and students will be disappointed.
2. Some sorts of GA can be explicitly taught and assessed at university but one type probably can’t.
3. One type of GA is different in every discipline – the others might be more generic – but that still doesn’t meant they are the same.
4. One sort you develop with stand alone skills courses taught by skills experts and there is no real change to the rest of the curriculum
Some other reasons…..
5. One sort would be developed if all university teachers adopted ‘good teaching practices’ in their courses
6. Some types are not very appealing to some in the academic community
7. Some types are very appealing to bureaucrats and administrators – and some scare them
What commitment is required to achieve useful outcomes?
They are not a shopping list to be ticked off and they are not somebody else’s responsibility, it is a team effort.
Foundation generic skills: Ensure coverage and recognise limits
Translation graduate attributes: we may need to change the way we think about teaching the discipline.
Enabling graduate attributes: we need to find ways to better engage students in the broader integrative learning experiences of university – and we may need to provide better integrative learning experiences
2. Moving from commitment to action
All three are required: Foundation skills, Translation attributes, Enabling Attributes.
How can we act on these commitments in relation to each type of graduate attribute.
Foundation Skills: Effective coverage, efficient learning recognise limits
What do we agree all first year students need to know in order to learn effectively at university ……that they don’t get taught at school? How might we do this?
How can we ensure students learn this efficiently? Skills modules taught by experts, self-study modules, embedded FY assignments, work with 2# schools?
Limits? Not enough on its own – inputs to GA not outputs - connect to subsequent learning and GA development
Translation graduate attributes: We may need to change the way we think about teaching the discipline.
A lot is in place
Move from content-based to outcomes-based curriculum‘Discipline’ is not defined by content alone but content + (disciplinary)graduate attributeContent in actionProfessional accreditation does this
Translation graduate attributes: teaching the discipline continued……
Different outcomes suggest different teaching, learning & assessment processesActive learning & active teachingInquiry-learning, undergraduate research, work-integrated learning, case based learning, writing intensive courses, collaborative assignments etc.Different teaching and learning means different (aligned) assessment
Enabling graduate attributes: Better integrative learning experiences and better student engagement
Integrative learning – “Fostering students' abilities to intentionally integrate learning - over time, across courses, and between academic, personal, and community life” (Huber & Hutchings)
Enabling graduate attributes: integrative learning continued……
Integrative learning experiences (adapted from Kuh)
•First-Year Seminars•Study Groups•Common Intellectual Experiences•Learning Communities •Research•Experiencing Diversity•Service & Community-Based Learning•Internships•Capstone Courses and Projects•+Discipline learning that is like this
Enabling graduate attributes: integrative learning continued……
Engaging students in integrative learning Make time & space Value and recognise engagement•Encourage•rewarding •require •assess•give credit•integrate•participate
Enabling graduate attributes: integrative learning continued……
Assessing integrative student learning
We don’t have to assess everythingWe don’t always have to be the assessors•Portfolios•Self assessment•Subsequent application embedded in discipline assessment or capstone assessment
Putting it all together: Tertiary Integrated Graduate Attributes (TIGA?) curriculum
4: How do we engage the university community
Collective and collaborative task initially - not an individual one
Group is the broader university community not just the ‘GA’ converts
Collaborative group task……
How do we encourage students to work in groups?
What makes for effective student group work?
How do we manage student group work?
University staff working together (!)
•Allow sufficient time•Coordination and leadership•Acknowledge different roles and contributions•Effective internal team processes •Effective internal communication•Accountability for outputs•Reward for effective processes
Encouraging staff engagement
•Lessons from students (Encourage, rewarding, require, assess, give credit, integrate, participate)
Make time and make it manageableMake it intellectually rewarding and fun (intrinsic)Build on what is done and reward productive engagement (extrinsic)Participate – lead by example
Recognise engagement – Evaluation
Teacher measures
Course (discipline and integrative) audits of developments, teaching and assessment activities
Mapping is of limited benefit for engagement on its ownAudit could become inquiryWhat is done with the data after matters most
Evidence of effective curriculum development for GA as a KPI? (teacher measures cross tab with student outcome measures)
Recognise engagement – Evaluation
Indirect measures of outcomes - surveys and audits
Average # times per semester academics meet with students outside classFrequency and quality of intellectual engagement with staff outside of class# and % of students reporting helpful teacher feedback on GA development# and % of students reporting participation in (integrative learning experiences)# and % of courses emphasizing multicultural learning experiences # and % of students involved in faculty research # and % of degrees requiring practicum, internship, serviceFrequency and quality of intellectual engagement with other students not studying your courseSelf ratings on development of GADid the course / teaching / assessment help you develop these GA?Employer/Graduate/Peer perception surveys
Recognise engagement – Evaluation
Direct measures of student outcomes - assessments and audits
Course (discipline and integrative capstone) assignments, exams, projects
Perhaps not standardised generic skills tests – Why not?
Un-intended (unwanted and not insignificant) consequences….
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Graduate Attributes led curriculum development
1. OBE policy and curriculum design should start with the recognition that these graduate outcomes are multilayered.
2. Multilayered outcomes require a multilayered curricula. (TIGA)
3. The broader university community needs to choose to be meaningfully engaged.
What does this variation look like?
Global Citizens
Implicit disposition/stance: Graduates will aspire to contribute to society in a full and meaningful way through their roles as members of local, national and global communities they will respect multiple perspectives and recongise the potential limitations of their own world view
Explicit disciplinary way of doing/thinking: Apply ecologically responsible engineering techniques to promote sustainability
Foundation skill – Will be aware of cross cultural communication strategies
A Hong Kong example to reflect on
• To enable students to develop their capabilities in:
1. Pursuit of academic / professional excellence, critical intellectual enquiry and life-long learning
2. Tackling novel situations and ill-defined problems
3. Critical self-reflection, greater understanding of others, and upholding personal and professional ethics
4. Intercultural understanding and global citizenship
5. Communication and collaboration
6. Leadership and advocacy for the improvement of the human condition
In some more detail…
• Aim 4: Intercultural understanding and global citizenship
• Heighten awareness of own culture and other cultures• Develop cultural sensitivity and interpersonal skills for
engagement with people of diverse cultures• Perform social responsibilities as a member of the global
community
• Aim 6: Leadership and advocacy for the improvement of the human condition
• Play a leading role in improving the well-being of fellow citizens and humankind
• Uphold the core values of a democratic society: human rights, justice, equality and freedom of speech
• Participate actively in promoting the local and global social, economic and environmental sustainability
And one more…..
1. Have up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of an academic specialty, as well as a broad range of general knowledge;
2. Have bilingual communicative competence in English and Chinese (including Putonghua);
3. Be able to think logically, critically and creatively;
4. Have the necessary numerical skills to function effectively in work and everyday life;
5. Be an independent and self-directed learner, motivated by an inquiring spirit;
6. Be well-developed as a ‘whole person’ – intellectually, morally, spiritually, culturally, socially and physically;
7. Be a responsible citizen with an international outlook, and willing to serve and lead.
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Scholarship: An attitude or stance towards knowledge
• Graduates of the University will have a scholarly attitude to knowledge and understanding. As Scholars, the University’s graduates will be leaders in the production, application and communication of new knowledge and understanding through inquiry, critique and synthesis.
Research and Inquiry: Graduates of the University will be able to create new knowledge & understanding through the process of research & inquiry
• be able to identify, define and analyse problems and identify or create processes to solve them
• be able to exercise critical judgement and critical thinking in creating new understanding
• be creative and imaginative thinkers • have an informed respect for the principles, methods, standards,
values and boundaries of their discipline and the capacity to question these
• be able to critically evaluate existing understandings and recognise the limitations of their own knowledge
Research and Inquiry at the Conservatorium of Music:
• be able to identify, define and analyse problems in written work, composition, teaching and performance and identify or create processes to solve them
• be able to exercise critical judgement and critical thinking in creating new understandings in relation to music analysis, music composition, music education, music history, music technology, and music performance
• be creative, imaginative and independent thinkers in their musical endeavours
• have an informed respect for the principles, standards, values and boundaries of current music knowledge, pedagogy and performance practice.
• be able to question critically and to evaluate current music knowledge and compositional, pedagogical and performance practices, acknowledging global and historical diversity and recognising the limitations of their own knowledge
Sydney Model of Graduate Attributes
And one final local example…
Varied development strategies
• Multilayered teaching & learning strategies
1. Foundation skills - co curriculum
2. (multi)Discipline learning - curriculum
3. A learning community - extra curriculum
What might that look like at a Hong Kong University?
• Curriculum Renewal: PolyU elements
1. General University requirements, bridging courses
2. Strong professional curriculum, multidisciplinary studies, student centred pedagogies
3. Electives, freshman seminar, extra(co)-curricula activities……and what else?
• Curriculum Challenges: Align and integrate elements as a holistic curriculum ….Charting a learning pathway….creating a university community
Meaningful engagement by staff in curriculum renewal
How might we engage the university community in thinking and talking about these complex outcomes and complex development processes…. in a more complex way.
Why is meaningful engagement in curriculum renewal so hard to achieve?
A way of thinking about generic attributes curriculum renewal in (institutional) context
1. Conceptualisation 2. Stakeholders 3. Implementation4. Curriculum5. Assessment6. Staff Development 7. Quality Assurance8. Student Centred
http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/projects/nationalgap/introduction.htm
Curriculum
Curriculum structure & organisation can be limiting
Rather than a linear sequence of isolated content blocks need a whole degree approach – the Hong Kong 4 year structure delivers this
1. ‘Curriculum’ as the lived experience of students learning across/around the whole degree
1. Include new ‘elements’ (co/extra curriculum) PD theme, skills courses, WIL, internships, Freshman seminars)
2. Change and diversify the existing learning experiences (inquiry learning, CBL, GA focused teaching and assessment)
Change and diversify the existing learning experiences
High impact educational practices (Kuh, 2008)
First-Year Seminars and ExperiencesCommon Intellectual ExperiencesLearning Communities Writing-Intensive Courses Collaborative Assignments and Projects Undergraduate ResearchExperiencing Diversity/Global LearningService Learning, Community-Based Learning InternshipsCapstone Courses and Projects
Defining curriculum qualities
With your neighbor…..what are 3 things that might characterise a student’s learning experience at university if we wanted to foster the development of generic attributes like: global outlook, professional competence, leadership
A Sydney example….. To foster the generic attribute of scholarship …… the Sydney curriculum (student learning experience) should be characterized by active, inquiry based learning – learning in a research like way
With your neighbor…..what are 3 things that might characterise a student’s learning experience at university if we wanted to foster the development of generic attributes like: global outlook, professional competence, leadership
Please be ready to share some of your ideas with the group in 5 minutes…….
s
What are the defining features of some local university curricula?
Broad based curriculumStrong fundamentals in professional educationMultidisciplinaryFlexible admissionsFlexible curriculum design Articulation with NSS curriculumFreshman Year experienceIntegrated learningEnhanced communication skillsActive learningGlobal learning experienceWork Integrated EducationCapstone ExperienceOBE
What are the defining features of some local university curricula?
The following distinctive features will characterise the new curriculum:
(inter)disciplinary inquirymultidisciplinary collaborationpoly-contextual inquirydiverse learning experiencesmultiple forms of learning and assessmentengagement with local and global communitiesdevelopment of civic and moral values.
Engaging staff
A curriculum model is not enough when…
•Quality Assurance does not support or inform engaged curriculum enhancement
•Staff development does not support or encourage staff to engage intellectually in curriculum renewal
•Other stakeholders are marginalised
•Implementation is not planned, resourced and stratified (complex outcomes multi-layered strategy)
•Underlying conceptualisations remain unaddressed in policy or practice
Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance strategies which do not support engaged curriculum enhancement include:
1.QA measures are teacher focused
2.Curriculum mapping is used on its own
3.Rewards are based on indicators that are unrelated to intellectual engagement in curriculum renewal
4.Measures privilege a focus on only some GA
Challenge: Evidence of actual student learning is often missing (assessment)
A local insight on QA – evidence of student learning…….
The range of learning activities that comprise the student experience: students’ learning does not take place only through their academic program. In the areas of personal development, citizenship, cross-cultural sensitivity and so on, campus life and the co-curriculum are significant contributors to students’ development.
The range of sites where learning occurs: while students’ departments are the obvious location for an effort to evaluated overall achievement of “graduateness”, Schools, other departments, the Language Center, the Library, SAO, residential halls, and others all contribute to activities relevant to the achievement of desired outcomes.
The range of the potential sources of evidence for the achievement of outcomes, including: assessments embedded in courses; sample data of students’ achievement of generic outcomes in standardized tests; and students’ self-report of the achievement of outcomes through questionnaires, focus groups.
(HKUST)
Achieving student engagement for graduate attributes
Involve students as partners in the conversations about the learning potential of
university early on.
Provide engaging teaching learning and assessment experiences that make these
conversations real and help students come to understand what university learning can be.
Encourage students to create learning opportunities for themselves
