Informing principles

Internal environment in USQ: existing and future policies on Graduate Qualities, Program Revitalisation Project (PRP) and LTSU Support for Faculties framework
Forces operating externally:
- Stakeholder interest in the desirable qualities, Qualities and skills required for by graduates in the ‘knowledge society’(Candy 2003)
- The development of graduate Qualities and employability skills is now an important evaluative criterion for both the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund (LTPF) and the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA)
Guided by the current consensus in the higher education literature that graduate Qualities are the qualities, Qualities and skills, which students develop as part of their disciplinary learning journey (Kirpatrick & Mulligan 2002; Schapper & Mayson 2004; Barrie 2004; Moore 2004; James et al 2004; Philips & Bond 2004; Bath, Smith, Stein & Swann 2004) to prepare them as able graduates and citizens for an unknown future.

Goals

To develop resources, recommended professional development support and implementation processes which:
Support academic staff and program teams to customise, map and embed graduate Qualities at both the program and course level
Identify and implement the most effective and efficient professional development model(s) for faculties, in-line with both PRP and LTSU Support for Faculties frameworks
Identify and communicate implementation processes for customisation, mapping and embedding of graduate Qualities systematically as part of designated Realising our Potential (ROP) and PRP processes.

Strategic alignment

USQ Learning and Teaching Operational Plan

Curriculum project
- Program Revitalisation Project
Course and Program Mapping
- Graduate Qualities Project

Tasks, timelines & budgets

Tasks	Timeline	Resource
1. Communicate new policy and any related changes to key faculty staff	February - July 2008
2. Develop Graduate Qualities resource package (online and hardcopy): Embedding graduate Qualities at course level Embedding graduate Qualities at program level Bank of assessment exemplars for development of USQ employability skills drawn from Assessment Project exemplars where possible	February - Dec 2008	IT support for development of on-line resource
3. Identify and implement most effective and efficient professional development model Develop professional development sessions for LTSU staff Develop conceptual framework for professional development of key faculty learning and teaching staff based on PRP evaluation processes Develop conceptual, policy and procedural framework for incorporation of professional development processes into PRP course review processes Develop conceptual and procedural framework for incorporation of professional development processes into course accreditation and re-accreditation processes.	January – Dec 2008
4. Identify and communicate implementation processes for interpretation, mapping and embedding of graduate Qualities systematically as part of designated Realising our Potential (ROP) and PRP processes.	July 2008 – July 2009
5. Evaluate impact of graduate Qualities resources and professional development processes	January – July 2009
6. Report by July 2009	1 staff, Jan 2009 – July 2009/ an evaluator

Total resources/ budget required

1 staff/ academic - for items 1, 2, 3

1.00 staff/ IT - for item 2

1.00 staff/ - as evaluator item 7

Required documentation and policy rewriting

Changes to graduate Qualities policy and recommended implementation processes http://www1.usq.edu.au/resources/425.pdf
Changes to graduate Qualities webpage on LTSU website to reflect new policy http://www1.usq.edu.au/ltsu/teach/keystrat/gradatt.htm
Changes to graduate Qualities flyer to reflect new policy http://www.usq.edu.au/resources/flygradatts.finaldoc.pdf
Rewriting, in consultation with Planning Quality Office (PQO), of any existing documents relating to course or program review processes associated with Program Revitalisation Project (PRP).

Professional development requirements

Professional development for LTSU faculty representatives
Information sessions
LTSU co-facilitation (with program co-ordinators) of graduate Qualities component in accreditation/re-accreditation processes
Co-facilitated (with discipline or course leaders) faculty workshops for discipline and course teams
On-line and hard copy resources for program/course teams
In consultation with Planning and Quality Office (PQO), build quality assurance guidelines into University-wide course and program evaluation systems.

Scholarship opportunities

Staff - Individual research and scholarship of learning and teaching in graduate Qualities and employability skills, networking, collaborative projects and exchange programs
University as a whole – collaborative international projects, more research and grants, external reporting purposes, strategic marketing and decision making.

Communication plan

designated monthly communiqués with faculty
changes to USQ policy on graduate Qualities, and program accreditation/re-accreditation
inclusion of graduate Qualities in course review documentation
LTD and ALS staff to their faculty LTEC
Internal information sessions, professional development packages
Student Services, careers section materials
external USQ marketing communications platform if necessary – printed, electronic, web.

Evaluation strategies

Industry - AUQA review feedback in 2009; Indicator – USQ graduate Qualities policy, processes and resources receive a commendation and be asked to contribute to Good Practice Database – from AUQA cycle 2 2009
Academic staff – seek feedback on professional development processes and resources
Students - track performance on graduate Qualities based on CEQ data; include graduate Qualities question in University evaluation question banks
Quality assurance
- Course review processes as part of PRP
- Program accreditation/re-accreditation processes as part of PRP
- Three-yearly benchmarking against sector ‘best practice’ institutions.

References

Barrie, S. 2004, ‘A research-based approach to generic graduate Qualities policy’, Higher Education Research and Development, 23(3), 261-275.

Bath, D., Smith, C. Stein, S. & Swann, R. 2004, ‘Beyond mapping and embedding graduate Qualities: bringing together quality assurance and action learning to create a validated and living curriculum’, Higher Education Research and Development, 23(3), 313-328.

Candy, PC 2000, ‘Knowledge Navigators and Lifelong Learners: producing graduates for the information society’, Higher Education Research and Development, 19(3), 261–277.

Kirkpatrick, A., & Mulligan, D. 2002, ‘Cultures of learning: Critical reading in the social and applied sciences’, Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 25(2), 73-99.

James B., Lefoe, G. & Hadi, M. 2004, ‘Working ‘through’ graduate Qualities: A bottom-up approach’, in: F. Sheehy & B. Stauble (eds.) Transforming Knowledge into Wisdom: Holistic Approaches to Teaching and Learning - Proceedings of the HERDSA 2004 International Conference, Miri, Sarawak, Milperra, NSW, HERDSA.

Moore, T. 2004, ‘The critical thinking debate: how general are general thinking skills?’, Higher Education Research and Development Journal, 23(1), 3-18.

Phillips, V. & Bond, C. 2004, ‘Undergraduates’ experiences of critical thinking’, Higher Education Research and Development Journal, 23(3), 277-294.

Schapper, J. M., & Mayson, S. E. 2004, ‘Internationalisation of curricula: An alternative to the taylorisation of academic work’, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 26(2), 189-205.

A2 - Graduate qualities and skills