Skills Audit & Mapping Tools
Guidelines for Completion
Introduction
The Skills Audit and Mapping Tools should be viewed in the context of the University's Skills Policy
(http://www.qub.ac.uk/teach/s_skills.htm), which identifies key, employability and subject-specific
skills and emphasises that students must have the opportunity to develop these as an integral part
of their degree programme.
Skills Audit Tool
The purpose of the skills audit tool is to help a module co-ordinator to identify:
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the skills included in a module,
whether these skills are explicitly supported, practised and/or assessed,
the standard of proficiency aimed at for each skill.
The skills audit tool consists of two parts: (i) the skills audit pro forma, and (ii) descriptors for
standards of proficiency.
The Skills Audit Pro Forma comprises the following key elements:
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Skill; presents the skills emphasised in QUB’s Student Skills Policy and helps define two of the
three main skills categories highlighted in the latter (i.e. key skills and career management skills)
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Elements contributing to the skill; in some cases, the skills have been further sub-divided
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Explicit learner support provided; whether or not the tutor assumes some responsibility for
providing information on the skills (e.g. lecture/tutorial, handout, online materials, direction to
internet and/or library resources)
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Skills practised; whether or not opportunities to practise the activity are an integral and explicit
part of the module and are included in the module description
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Skill assessed; whether or not the skill is formally and explicitly assessed (e.g. do your
assessment criteria include explicit reference to the skill?)
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Standard of proficiency; for each skill, select the number that best represents the standard of
proficiency aimed at (see ‘Descriptors for Standards of Proficiency’)
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Elaboration of task(s); for each skill provide details of specific tasks within the module that
enable students to develop/practise that particular skill, with brief details of the support and
assessment strategies where appropriate
The Descriptors for Standards of Proficiency (SPs) are general descriptions about what a
student is expected to know/do at a particular stage (learning outcomes) and will help staff identify
progression and potential assessment criteria in each skill. The descriptions are indicators of the
complexity of the task and the degree of learner autonomy (expressed along a scale of dependency
to independency). It is assumed that as a student moves from SP 1 through to SP 3, there is an
increase in learner autonomy and task/activity complexity. It is also assumed that a descriptor for a
higher SP incorporates the competencies of SPs at a lower level.
For career management skills, the emphasis is on the opportunity to develop rather than on
standards of proficiency and therefore the latter have not been provided.
Completing the Audit tool
1. The module team should identify which of the skills presented in the proforma are included in
their module. Documentation the team might find useful when completing this audit includes:
module handbook/outline, module pro forma, learning outcomes and the assessment criteria.
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2. For each skill, indicate (by ticking the appropriate boxes) whether the skills are explicitly
supported, practised and/or assessed.
3. For each skill, identify the standard of proficiency aimed at, with reference to the descriptors
provided in the Descriptors for Standard of Proficiency document.
4. For each skill, provide details of specific tasks within the module that enable students to
develop/practise that particular skill with brief details of the support and assessment strategies
where appropriate.
NOTE: It is not expected that all skills and standards of proficiency must be present in a particular
module.
Skills Mapping Tool
The purpose of the Skills Mapping Tool is to help the Pathway Review Team to map skills across a
degree pathway.
To complete the Mapping Tool, the Pathway Review Team will need to:
1. Gather together the completed Skills Audit Pro Formas for all the modules in the degree
pathway.
2. For each module insert the module code, title and level. Then, under each skill present the result
of the audit using the following abbreviations:
1,2,3 = Standard of proficiency aimed at.
P = Opportunity for skill to be practised
S = Explicit learner support provided,
A = Skill is explicitly assessed
For example, 1PA for Problem Solving would indicate that the module addresses problem
solving at standard of proficiency 1 and that there was an opportunity to practise and assess
the skill.
NOTE: It is expected that graduates will have had the opportunity within their degree pathway to
develop all skills. The subject area should define the standards of proficiency to be achieved in
individual skills.
Copyright  Queen’s University Belfast 2003