The Graduate AttributesProject: a perspective on early stakeholder engagement

Dr Caroline Walker

Queen Mary, University of London

A Brief Scenario Exercise

You are responsible for the open day for prospective students in your department. During the final session a student asks you, ‘what is the key purpose of studying at this institution? In what ways will I develop my employability here?’

What would you say?

Curriculum Element

Subject knowledge (for example the key concepts, theories and methods of a discipline)

Skills specific to a discipline (for example specific analytical or technical skills)

Transferable skills(for example communication, team working, information technology,

problem solving, numeracy)

Career management skills (for example understanding yourself, exploring career options, setting

career objectives)

Personal and professional attributes (for example, capacity to influence and lead, intellectual integrity and ethical

action, respect and tolerance of others opinions)

Second language skills(i.e. opportunities to develop or improve capability in a second language)

What if anything would we say is distinctive about the experience

offered!

Based on those Australian Universities that appeared in Top 100 of THES-QS World Rankings

Capturing Distinctiveness?

A QM Statement of Graduate Attributes

Consultation Process

StudentsAcademic

AlumniEmployers

ServiceSector

StudentAffairs

Committee

FacultyBoards

AcademicBoard

FeedbackMeeting

GAV1

GAV2

GAV3

A E&MS M&D

NS L&SS

LearningTeaching

AssessmentCommittee

WG 1

Drafting Group

WG 2

WG 3

WritingDevelopment

Group

• MS Leadership Foundation Fellowship• Pedagogic review

Research

Student Consultation

BUILDING THE CURRICULUMCAPTURING THE

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

PURPOSE OF STUDYING

Building the Curriculum

Capturing the Student Experience

Purpose of Studying

Senior Academics, Alumni and Employers

CONNECTING CURRICULUM AND WORKBASED

TASKS TO THE GRADUATEATTRIBUTES STATEMENT

CHALLENGING CURRICULUM AND WORK-BASED

TASKS

Communication

Information Expertise

Research & Scholarship

Critical Engagement With Knowledge

Rounded Intellectual Development

Learning for a Changing World

International Perspective

1 1

34 103

417 separatelinks

Attribute DescriptorsChallenging Tasks

Connections

Faculty Board and Committee Level Consultation

We aim to produce graduates with high levels of

subject and professional expertise and a

sophisticated understanding of their employability.

What are we aiming for?

Generating & sustaining momentum – how do we best

engage our key stakeholders in curriculum enhancement?

The Queen Mary approach

• Developing local model of implementation consistent with departmental priorities & resources

• Qualitative curriculum mapping activities• Working with staff to identify suitable curriculum

development opportunities• Leadership Interventions programme• Integrating Graduate Attributes into existing PDP

practice• Development of reference writing resource

Queen Mary Model of Engagement

• Establishing a range of individually small changes, all delivering a consistent message

• Identification of all modules that include well constructed learning outcomes aligned to the GA descriptors

• Develop new high impact modules• Increasing the scaffolding for existing learning• Identifying opportunities for a series of conversations to be

held individually with students• Integrated also for co- and extra-curricular provision

Example of a Graduate Attributes aligned module

GEG5103 Geographical Research in

Practice

Learning outcomesunderstanding community organising and real experience of such activity in Londonknowledge of how to conduct questionnaire surveys, interviews and focus groupsunderstanding the value of research and experience of working with local communities in conducting research.the research planning, methodological, analytical and writing skills necessary to complete an IGSthe ability to work as part of a teamthe ability to deal with the challenges of research in practiceexcellent presentation skills

‘I really enjoyed taking part in the interview, being able to see how the participant’s life haschanged just by making a few minor adjustments to the working terms and conditions has reallyinspired me to be more active in terms of community based organising’

telcocitizens

Professor Jane Wills

Take Home Message

• Graduate Attributes provides a logical, internally consistent, framework for Employability & curriculum enhancement that is representative of QM

• Students supportive of initiative and strongly believe key purpose of studying = individual development

• Initiative needs to be strategically aligned to ensure staff buy-in at all levels

• Implementation is challenging but achievable• Will take time

The Graduate Attributes ProjectA learning and teaching initiative of Queen Mary University of London

THANK YOU