Curriculum Renewal through
Embedding Graduate Attributes
Overview of Presentation
• Graduate Attributes at the University of Adelaide
• Overview of the Curriculum Renewal Project
• Faculty specific approaches
–
–
–
–
–
ECMS
Professions
Sciences
Health Science
Humanities and Social Sciences
• Conclusion
• Questions
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University of Adelaide Graduate 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.
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Graduate Attributes
• broadly based -- beyond content
– content: syllabus
– transferable skills: communication, teamwork, thinking,
information literacy
– contextual factors: personal, professional, internationalisation,
citizenship, employment
• outcomes oriented
– for the individual: personal improvement
– for society: fostering citizenship
– for the economy: employment related
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Graduate Attributes at
the University of Adelaide
• part of the University’s quality assurance framework
– outcomes for students
– validity of programs and courses
– stakeholder interests
• focus for TEQSA
• effective only if embedded in the curriculum
– given meaning by the discipline
– systematic and defensible (incorporate standards and
stakeholder views)
– intentional not aspirational (specified as learning outcomes)
– measured (through assessment)
– supported directly through teaching and learning
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Curriculum Renewal Project
• Dimensions of curriculum renewal:
– Graduate Attributes (learning outcomes, assessment, teaching and
learning), capstones, SGDE, research skills, academic literacies, eExperience
• 3 Curriculum Directors
– ECMS and Professions (Stephanie Eglinton-Warner)
– Science and Health Science (Suzy McKenna)
– Humanities and Social Sciences (Rigmor George)
• focus on 1 program in each Faculty
– ECMS: Bachelor of Engineering for the School of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering
– Professions: Bachelor of Commerce
– Science: Bachelor of Science
– Health Science: 3 clinical programs – Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
– HUMSS: Bachelor of Arts
• varying emphases and processes across the Faculties
– accreditation/registration requirements
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Curriculum Renewal Project
• outcomes and outputs
– curriculum renewal in one program for each Faculty
– frameworks, processes, templates, proformas to facilitate
renewal in other programs
– capacity building of staff
– identification of resources and examples from other universities
– recommendations for further development
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Process
• What have we got now?
– review of each course in the program/major
– review of the program/major
• What do we want?
– agreement on the preferred characteristics of the program/major
• How are we going to get it?
– identification of how these characteristics can be delivered
through the component courses
– renewal of component courses
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Professions (B Commerce) Project
Professional
Accreditation
Standards
University of Adelaide
Graduate Attributes
AQF
Program Learning
Outcomes
Course Learning
Outcomes
Learning Activities
Assessment
ECMS (B Engineering (Electrical and
Electronic Engineering) Project
Professional
Competencies
University of Adelaide
Graduate Attributes
AQF
Program Learning
Outcomes
Course Learning
Outcomes
Learning Activities
Assessment
ECMS Whole of program relationships
4th Yr
Capstone Application in and Experience of “real world”
SYSTEMS
3rd
Uses Tech ↓
Yr
2nd Yr
PROFESSIONAL
Applies Systems and
Tech ↔
Application/Reflection/Analysis in
increasingly less controlled and protected
contexts
TECH
Informs
Systems ↑
1st Yr
Foundation Concepts, Principles, Theory and Practice
University of Adelaide
11
ECMS Concepts and Themes
University of Adelaide
12
ECMS Documentation
Course Title & Course Code
Units (3, 6, 9)
Level (I, II, III, IV)
Core/Elective/Specialisation
Contact Hours (Av Total Hrs per Week)
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Assumed Knowledge
Exclusions
Descriptor (no more than 4 sentences describing the main themes and objectives of the Course)
Content (list of topics to be covered in the Course)
Learning
Outcomes
At the end of this course the
students should be able to:
Learning Activities
Assessment Tasks
Program
University
Learning
Engineers Graduate
Outcomes Australia Attributes
LO 1
LO 2
LO 3
University of Adelaide
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ECMS Advantages & Challenges
Advantages
• Whole of program relationships explicit and mapped
• Clear and articulated justifications for the final structure
• Capability building
• Consistent with Engineering and design principles
• Preparing graduates in line with GA from Day 1,
explicitly and consciously, in a whole of program
approach
Challenges
• Whole of Faculty capability building
• Impacts on ongoing practice and processes
University of Adelaide
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Science project
• Ensuring coherence of the graduate outcomes of the
Bachelor of Science
– Use the major as the unit of insurance against the Threshold
Learning Outcomes (TLO)
– Map TLO to graduate attributes
– Map learning and assessment material in the Course approval
documents to TLO (and graduate attributes)
• Identify gaps, good examples, improvements
• Develop mapping tools, templates and process models
• Bachelor of Science has 17 majors - and there are
countless ways a student can navigate the whole
program.
• Assist development of a curriculum renewal framework
for Science undergraduate programs.
University of Adelaide
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Science Curriculum Renewal Overview
Overview curriculum renewal framework – Science undergraduate degrees
University of Adelaide outcomes
University of Adelaide Graduate Attributes and strategic initiatives for
learning and teaching are embedded in the qualification – the University’s
unique proposition to students
Program outcomes
General


align with the TEQSA Threshold Standards (AQF), Threshold Learning
Outcomes for Science. Program design meets University policy for an
undergraduate degree
align with cognate threshold learning outcomes or professional
accreditation/competency indicators ( if they exist )
Major or final sequence outcomes
align with program outcomes and enable topic specific outcomes
Course aims and outcomes
contribute to program, sequence and topic outcomes/objectives
Year 1
Specific
University of Adelaide
Year 2
Year 3
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
align with cognate threshold learning outcomes or professional
accreditation/competency indicators ( if they exist )
Major or final sequence outcomes
align with program outcomes and enable topic specific outcomes
Course aims and outcomes
contribute to program, sequence and topic outcomes/objectives
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Specific
Course learning and teaching design
contribute to and enable program, sequence and topic outcomes to be
achieved
Assessment criteria and approach
confirm that the student has achieved, or is on the way to achieving, the
course and program learning outcomes
The Graduate has achieved the program learning
outcomes and University requirements and has had
the unique University of Adelaide experience.
University of Adelaide
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Science TLO Domains
Upon completion of a Bachelor Degree in Science graduates will:
• Understanding science
– Demonstrate a coherent understanding of science by:
• Science knowledge
– Exhibit depth and breadth of science knowledge by:
• Inquiry and problem solving
– Critically analyse and solve scientific problems by:
• Communication
– Be effective communicators of science by:
• Personal and professional responsibility
– Be accountable for their own learning and scientific work by:
• Chemistry TLOs have the same domains and have been mapped to
the Science TLOs
University of Adelaide
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Science Example
Threshold Learning Outcomes for Science
Threshold Learning Outcomes for Chemistry
University of Adelaide
Graduate Attributes
AQF
Program Learning
Outcomes
Course Learning
Outcomes
Learning Activities
University of Adelaide
Assessment
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Health Science project
• Situated within learning and teaching for the future new
clinical school
• Development of inter-professional understandings and
capabilities – LTICS committee
• Identify commonalities across 4 programs, Medicine,
Dentistry, Nursing, Oral Health, through mapping
programs against the TLO for Health
• All 4 programs are accredited against professional
standards – these have already been mapped to TLO
• Programs have different timeframes
• Develop tools, templates, approaches for replication
University of Adelaide
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Health TLO Domains
Upon completion of their program of study, healthcare
graduates at professional entry-level will be able to:
• Demonstrate professional behaviours
• Assess individual and/or population health status and, where
necessary, formulate, implement and monitor management
plans in consultation with patients/clients etc.
• Promote and optimise the health and welfare of individuals
and/or populations
• Retrieve, critically evaluate and apply evidence in the
performance of health related activities
• Deliver safe and effective collaborative healthcare
• Reflect on current skills , knowledge and attitudes and plan
ongoing personal and professional development.
University of Adelaide
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Health Science Example
Professional
Accreditation
Standards X 4
Threshold Learning Outcomes for Health
University of Adelaide
Graduate Attributes
AQF
Program Learning
Outcomes
Stream (course)
Learning
Outcomes
Learning Activities
University of Adelaide
Assessment
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Humanities and Social Sciences Project
University of Adelaide
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Characteristics of HUMSS Project
• 19 Majors (within the Faculty) and 350 courses
• Variations in the structure of majors
– history, politics have very little structure
– languages are highly structured
• No external professional requirements
• Timeframes tight--Review of BA requires curriculum
renewal to be completed by early 2014 for approval by
PAEC
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Mapping Progression
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Developing Indicators
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GAs and their Indicators
1. Knowledge and understanding
of the content and techniques
of a chosen discipline at
advanced levels that are
internationally recognised.
a. understanding of a broad and
coherent body of knowledge
including concepts, theories and
methodologies.
b. in-depth knowledge in one or
more disciplines including major
scholars, concepts, techniques,
theories, relevant approaches to
research, key resources, current
debates and research issues
c. understanding of the
interdisciplinary nature of
scholarship
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GAs and their Indicators
4. Skills of a high order in
interpersonal understanding,
teamwork and communication.
a. appreciation of social, cultural and
linguistic diversity and how this
impacts on interpersonal
transactions including
communication styles
b. ability to communicate
effectively within a discipline and
professional context
c. capacity to contribute productively
to team-based outcomes
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Developing Discipline-Specific
Learning Outcomes (DSLOs)
AQF Learning
Outcomes
U of A
Graduate
Attributes
Generic
Indicators
Australian
Standards
Discipline
Specific
Learning
Outcomes
stakeholder
perspectives
International
statements
other relevant
resources
EU SQF
Social
Science
EU SQF
Humanities
University
priorities
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GAs, Indicators and Discipline-Specific
Learning Outcomes
1. Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a
chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally
recognised
Indicator
a. understanding of a broad and
coherent body of knowledge
including concepts, theories and
methodologies
DRAFT DSLOs for English
understanding of a broad knowledge
of literary and other texts including
visual representations and other
forms of cultural production
understanding of the various genres
of literary and other texts and visual
representations including prose,
poetry, drama and film
understanding of key terms and
concepts in literary studies
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GAs, Indicators and Discipline-Specific
Learning Outcomes
4. Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork
and communication
Indicator
b. ability to communicate
effectively within a discipline and
professional context
DRAFT DSLOs for English
advanced literacy skills including
broad vocabulary, accurate spelling
and use of grammar, clarity of
expression, appropriate style
disciplined approach to the writing
process including the drafting and
redrafting of documents
ability to present sustained and
persuasive written and oral arguments
cogently and coherently and to engage
in critical debate
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Process of Mapping and Development
• What do we understand by the Graduate Attributes?
– development of Indicators
• What do these indicators mean within the disciplines?
– development of Discipline-Specific Learning Outcomes (DSLOs) for
each major
• What have we got now?
– review of each course in the major and development of course
summaries
– review of the major by collating the individual course summaries
• What do we want?
– agreement on the characteristics of the major
• How are we going to get it?
– identification of how these characteristics can be delivered through
the component courses
– changes to courses and course documentation.
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Advantages of the Approach
• ‘interprets’ the University’s GAs within disciplines
• facilitates consistent outcomes across majors
• major is a coherent and justifiable expression of the discipline (not just
an aggregation of courses)
• incorporates discipline standards, stakeholder concerns, international
benchmarking
• facilitates discussion and debate about strategic and operational issues
• students can track their own development of the GAs
• students can provide evidence of GA development to employers
• compliance with AQF level 7 and TEQSA
• validity--alignment between course learning outcomes and assessment
• incorporates other University priorities : academic literacies, eExperience, Small Group Discovery Experiences, capstones, and
research skills development.
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Challenges
• components involve overlapping frameworks which do
not always sit neatly together (GAs, research, SGDE,
capstones, e-Experience, academic literacies)
• University’s Graduate Attributes have limitations
• nature of the BA
• size of the task 19 majors and 350 courses
• timeframe for development very short
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