ODETTE GABAUDAN

Lecturer in French,

BA International Business and French (Co-Chair),

BA French and International Tourism (Erasmus coordinator),

School of Languages, Law and Society

GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES:

PRACTICES & PERSPECTIVES

1. Two exploratory studies at programme level

2. Conclusions

3. Recommendations

AGENDA

A working definition for graduate attributes

“Graduate attributes are the qualities, skills and understandings a

university community agrees its students should develop during their

time with the institution and consequently shape the contribution they

are able to make to their profession and society (...) They are

qualities that also prepare graduates as agents of social good in an

unknown future.”

(Bowden, Hart, King, Trigwell and Watts, 2000)

EX

PLO

RA

TOR

Y STUD

IES Exploratory study 1 – BA International Business and Languages, 2014

• Year 4 students, lecturers and employers engaged together in identifying and prioritising programme graduate attributes

• Tool: Diamond 9

• Mapping

BA (Hons)

International Business & Languages

BA

INT

ER

NA

TIO

NA

L B

US

INE

SS

& L

AN

GU

AG

ES

Identify set of key graduate attributes for BA International

Business and Languages

Understanding meaning participants give to their selected

attributes

Identify misalignment between key

graduate attributes and curriculum

through a mapping exercise

Exploratory study objectives

DIA

MO

ND 9

AC

TIVITY FO

R IBL P

RO

GR

AM

ME

Diamond 9 is a useful tool to start process of discussion, negotiation

and understanding of each other’s viewpoint, particularly when

representatives of each group engage in activity at same time and place

Lecturers Students Employers

TH

REE D

IAM

ON

D 9S IN

A TAB

LE (IBL P

RO

GR

AM

ME)

STUDENTS EMPLOYERS LECTURERS

Top

ro

w

Enquiry based –

Problem solvers

Engaged –

Motivated self- starters

Expert in chosen discipline –

Disciplinary knowledge

Seco

nd

ro

w

Expert (in chosen discipline) –

Work related learning

Effective –

Excellent communicators

Expert in chosen discipline –

Actively involved with external

communities

Effective –

Excellent communicators

Engaged –

Global citizens

Effective –

Excellent communicators

Thir

d r

ow

Engaged –

Active team players

Effective –

Information literate

Expert (in chosen discipline) –

Leaders

Engaged –

Active team players

Expert in chosen discipline –

Ethical

Enquiry based –

Critical thinkers

Enterprising –

Creative

Expert in chosen discipline –

Ethical

Enquiry based –

Critical thinkers

Fou

rth

ro

w

Engaged –

socially responsible

Enterprising –

Career educated

Enterprising –

Well organized

Effective –

Reflective practitioners

Enquiry based –

Digitally literate

Effective –

Information literate

Fift

h

row

Enterprising –

Entrepreneurs

Effective –

Resilient

Expert in chosen discipline –

Experiential learners

IDEN

TIFYIN

G M

ISALIG

NM

ENTS (IB

L) MAPPING THE CURRICULUM

• With programme aims, objectives and learning outcomes

At programme documentation

level

• As per experience of a year 4 student

At module level

• Business versus languages At discipline

level

MA

PP

ING

OF G

RA

DU

ATE A

TTRIB

UTES IN

PR

OG

RA

MM

E Graduate attributes in business and languages, as per one

student’s perception of one language

0102030405060708090

100

Pe

rce

nta

ge o

f m

od

ule

s

Graduate attributes

year 1 year 2 year 4

EX

PLO

RA

TOR

Y STUD

IES Exploratory study 2, BA Tourism Mgmt, BA Languages & Tourism. 2016

• Focus on final year students’ perspective returning from placement

• Role of placement in developing graduate attributes

• Progressive adaptation

• N.B. Graduate attributes not yet integrated in either programme

- BA (Hons) Languages & International

Tourism

- BA Tourism Management

BA

Fre

nch

an

d T

ou

rism

/ B

A T

ou

rism

Mg

mt

Evaluate students’ awareness of

graduate attributes

Evaluate importance of placement in

delivering programme related graduate attributes

Reveal issues of curriculum design for

development of programme related graduate attributes

in a progressive manner, both prior to

and during placement

Exploratory study objectives

BA

LA

NG

UA

GES &

TOU

RISM

/ BA

TOU

RISM

MG

MT

Students well able to make explicit connections between their learning

and graduate attributes despite them not yet being explicitly embedded

in their programme

BA

LA

NG

UA

GES &

TOU

RISM

/ BA

TOU

RISM

MG

MT

Students’ perception of the importance of placement in delivering

graduate attributes

College

based

learning

environment

(9%)

Both learning

environments

(31%)

Workbased

learning

evironment

(60%)

Where did the learning take place?

Embedding graduate attributes in curriculum design, in a progressive

manner when relevant

Consultation and mapping to

underpin programme review

Explicit articulation of graduate attributes in programme

documentation

Ongoing communication

between staff and students

CO

NC

LUSIO

NS

CO

NC

LUSIO

NS

Departmental involvement

Programmatic level

Key stakeholders

• Department: key enabling factor (e.g. through School or Programmatic review)

• Programme aims

• Modules

• Learning outcomes

• Students

• Lecturers

• Employers

REC

OM

MEN

DA

TION

S

• Select most relevant institutional

graduate attributes for programme or

module under consideration

• Involve all key stakeholders (lecturers,

students, employers)

• Map graduate attributes into curriculum

and consider progressive adaptation

• Secure departmental involvement for the

embedding of graduate attributes at

programmatic level

Publications

Bellew, L.). and Gabaudan, O. (2017). An investigation into the development and

progressive adaptation of graduate attributes in tourism programmes. Journal of

Teaching in Travel & Tourism. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2017.1318104

Gabaudan, O., Simileanu, D. (2014). “Bringing to Life Institutional Graduate Attributes

Within an International Business and Languages Undergraduate Programme”, in 7th

International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Sevilla, Spain. ICERI

2014 Proceedings.