NSW ACEN Forum - Work Integrated Learning and Graduate Attributes
Monday 2 May, University of Technology Sydney
Keynote Speaker
Educating students in a worthwhile way: Graduate attributes, curriculum renewal and community engaged learning and teaching
Associate Professor Simon Barrie, Director Institute for Teaching and
Learning, The University of Sydney
This session considered some of the possibilities afforded by Australian universities’ current efforts to renew university education to achieve relevant outcomes for graduates and the ever increasing desire by government and universities to ‘measure’ the quality of our students’ education. It suggests a need for the various stakeholders involved in such work to recognise the inherent complexity and hence the limitations of simple statements of graduate outcomes in this work; and the potential benefits for learners, teachers and society, offered by a more meaningful engagement with approaches to teaching and learning such as community engaged learning and teaching.
Presentation (PowerPoint file)
Evidencing standards of achievement of the capabilities that count for early professional success
Professor Beverley Oliver, Director of Teaching and Learning, Curtin University
Beverley has undertaken significant research on assuring graduate capabilities and evidencing levels of achievement for graduate employability and has developed a model which can be found at http://tiny.cc/boliver
The Shopfront Program - engaging the community and developing graduate attributes around social & community engagement
Pauline O’Loughlin, Program Manager, Shopfront, UTS
Lisa Andersen, Community Engagement Coordinator, Shopfront, UTS
This presentation focussed on the Shopfront model of integrating community engagement activities in curricular. This approach allows the underlying pedagogical principles of the University to remain intact and provides for engaged research and projects that are academically rigorous and socially relevant. The presentation has two main components. The first is outlining the many factors and dynamics involved in encouraging student and academic engagement with community organisations. A Shopfront priority is to strengthen an educational program that will produce University graduates with knowledge of socially responsible professional practice.
The second is to identify graduate attributes that are potentially developed through this type of engagement with real clients. The outcome of research concerning Visual Communications alumni who had undertaken a ‘real’ community project during their studies will be presented. The students identified skills development in project and client management, problem solving, leadership, working in a team and presenting. In addition, community projects allowed student to experience different cultural contexts and explore new dimensions to their design practice, developing an understanding of cultures and perspectives other than their own.
Preparation for professional practice attributes: enhancing learning in clinical placements: self assessment, rubrics and scaffolding
Professor Ieva Stupans, Professor of Pharmacy, University of New England
Professional preparatory health programs generally involve clinical placements with a focus on integration of theory into real life practice. Reflective writing is often included in the assessment requirements for clinical placement courses. However enabling students to engage in deeper levels of reflective writing in action, on action and for action requires careful scaffolding and assessment task design. The purpose of this case study was to explore iterative refinement of assessment exercises within clinical placement handbook activities. Specifically, the study examined students’ reflective responses to counselling experiences in pharmacy practice, with comparative analysis undertaken for the various versions of the assessment task. The results provide insight into how the design of these types of assessment exercises can be improved.
Presentation (PowerPoint file)
Career Development Learning: linking graduate attributes, WiL and lifelong learning
Martin Smith, Head, Careers Central, University of Wollongong
In a higher education environment where individual aspiration and attainment are assuming increasing importance (Bradley Review, 2010), the related key transition points around the first year experience and graduate outcomes rely upon a coherent approach to underpin the practices which positively influence motivation, retention, completion rates and employability.
Graduate Attributes (GA) and Work integrated Learning (WiL) provide effective enabling strategies (and pedagogies) to support these transitions - however it is Career Development Learning (CDL) which ‘puts students at the heart of the learning process’ (Watts, 2008) as they strategically manage their curricular, co-curricular and workplace experiences - ideally as self aware ‘agentic’ learners (Billett, 2006). CDL contributes to a self determined future (Patton & McMahon, 2006) of the individual through lifelong and life wide contexts. As a consequence of the above, whilst Australia currently lags behind the UK and North America, we are witnessing an emerging pedagogy supporting the embedding of CDL in teaching and learning contexts - congruent with adult learning theories around andragogy (Knowles, Holton & Swanson, 2005).
This session explored Career Development theories and practices - linking to Graduate Attributes and WiL strategies taking place nationally. An exploration of University of Wollongong initiatives which link CDL to GA’s and WiL will conclude the session.
Presentation (PowerPoint file)
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