Approaches to the Implementation of Generic Graduate Attributes in Australian ICT Undergraduate Education

Abstract

Over the past few years Australian universities have sought to establish generic graduate attributes statements to meet the demands of external stakeholders. Within the area of information and communication technology (ICT), for example, professional organizations and employers want new ICT graduates to be able to talk with clients, create persuasive arguments and present work confidently. To meet such requirements, Australian ICT educators have explored a variety of methods to implement graduate attributes. The selection and content of delivery models, however, vary according to university policies and departmental cultures. In this paper we critically examine the dedicated, infused, and embedded approaches to the delivery of generic graduate attributes. To do this, we first trace the development of graduate attributes. Secondly, we present three diverse approaches by two ICT departments within the same university and discuss factors that lead to sustainable generic graduate attribute programmes. We conclude our paper with issues to consider when adopting implementation models and map out suggestions for further research.

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“…If they perceive that there is a close connection between these types of skills, GS that have been selected based on the adopted GS implementation concept will be integrated and mapped across subjects of a curriculum and delivered to students within the context of a discipline by disciplinary teachers. This GS curriculum design is often referred to as an embedded curriculum or integrated curriculum [3,4]. The advantage of this curriculum design is students can link GS with discipline-specific skills; however, it may make the implementation less visible and thus may cause people to gradually disengage.…”

“…The concept that a university adopts for GS implementation can shape its 'content'. Based on the concept adopted, HE institutions would select GS and develop these skills for students in line with the concept [3,4,23]. At the institutional level, HE institutions often adopted a concept with a due attention to characteristics of disciplines, institutional situation and national context [23].…”

“…Some studies have attempted to identify curriculum designs that universities used to impart GS to students [3][4][5]. Generally, universities appear to design GS curriculum based on their viewpoint about the nexus between GS and discipline-specific skills.…”

“…Therefore, many initiatives that promote teaching and assessing GS in higher education (HE) have been recently launched [4,[8][9][10] The literature, however, indicates that GS are inconsistently implemented with different approaches, curriculum types and pedagogical practices across HE systems and institutions. Such differences were found to be associated with differences in the national context, institutional visions and missions, and the underlying perception towards GS of stakeholders [3,11]. In addition, the literature suggests that most of the initiatives for GS development have been executed in Western societies where English is spoken as the first language.…”

“…As a response, universities paid more attention to developing generic skills (GS) for students, in addition to academic abilities [3][4][5]. Generic skills are defined as non-discipline specific skills that may be achieved through learning and can be applied in study, work, and life contexts [6].…”