Humanities and Social Sciences
Developing Discipline-Specific Learning Outcomes from the
Graduate Attributes
Developing a coherent and justifiable Discipline-Specific Learning Outcomes statement for a major is
a critical aspect of the broad process of embedding Graduate Attributes in the curriculum. The
process uses the learning outcomes of the major (DSLOs) as the organising framework for the
constituent courses, rather than the aggregation of individually conceived and constructed courses
that constitute a major. This gives greater coherence to the student learning experience and is a
defensible and transparent expression of the curriculum.
The approach is to use the Indicators as a scaffold to generate rich statements which describe the
student outcomes of the major. These statements are then the basis for the development of courses
within the major, so that by undertaking the constituent courses students achieve the stated
outcomes of the major.
The Discipline Specific Learning Outcomes statements incorporate:
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relevant Australian Standards
University priorities
perspectives from stakeholders
appropriate aspects of international discipline/major outcomes statements
other useful resources such as statements from comparable universities
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
Developing Discipline-Specific Learning Outcomes
March 2014
University
priorities
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Australian Standards
Australian Discipline Standards
The Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) formerly the Australian Learning and Teaching Council
(ALTC) has commissioned a number of discipline Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs). Where the
TLOs exist for a discipline, these must be reflected in the curriculum.
Currently available TLOs relevant to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences include:
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History
Geography
Learning and Teaching Academic Standards: Geography and History
Sociology
Creative and Performing Arts (creative writing, music)
Other Standards
Where awards are accredited or linked to professional registration of graduates, the curriculum
must comply with these requirements.
University Priorities
In addition to Graduate Attributes, the University has identified a number of other priorities for
inclusion in the curriculum. These include:
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emphasis on research including Small Group Discovery Experiences
research skills
capstone courses
systematic teaching of academic literacies
inclusion of e-Experience
Stakeholder Perspectives
Stakeholder consultation is an important process for ensuring that university awards remain relevant
to external bodies, key groups and individuals who have a vested interest in characteristics of
graduates.
Stakeholders vary across the disciplines but may include:
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other schools and faculties of the University which have an interest in your major
academics from other universities with appropriate discipline expertise
professional associations
students
graduates
employers
community-based groups
funding bodies
Views of these groups may vary considerably and even be in conflict because they reflect highly
specific and sometimes unique interests. Determining whether ideas are incorporated into the
statement requires judgment which is defensible in the context of other contributions.
Developing Discipline-Specific Learning Outcomes
March 2014
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International Discipline/Major Outcomes Statements
A number of countries around the world are engaged in quality assurance processes similar to those
occurring in Australia. These include subject statements equivalent to the Australian Threshold
Learning Outcomes. Where the Australian TLOs do not exist, international statements can be a
particularly useful resource for developing the DSLOs. They also provide international benchmarks or
comparisons and can be used as an indicator of quality.
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The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the UK (QAA) has developed Subject
Benchmark Statements which can be found under honours degrees, the equivalent to
Australian undergraduate programs.
The European Quality Framework (EQF) has developed statements under its Tuning Process.
Quality agencies in other countries have also developed benchmarking statements which
also often using the term Tuning (ie Tuning USA, Tuning Latin America, Tuning Canada,
Tuning Africa, Tuning Russia, etc.)
Other Relevant Resources
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Many other resources are available to support development of majors, especially in devising
assessment and in supporting assessment through learning and teaching.
A particularly valuable resource is the Higher Education Academy in the UK which has many
discipline-based resources on line.
The Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) (formerly the Australian
Learning and Teaching Council and the Carrick Institute) have many projects and resources
specific to disciplines.
Developing Discipline-Specific Learning Outcomes
March 2014
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