Develop programs with generic capabilities

Developing Programmes with Generic Capabilities

The following section has been designed as a resource for university staff who are considering developing a program of study, which includes, as part of the curriculum, a range of generic capabilities. It builds on (and makes frequent reference to) the earlier section on Generic capabilities: A framework for action, and a series of case studies from Australian universities written by academic staff who have attempted to design programs of this sort. A very brief summary of the case studies is appended. Some of the reasons why these academic staff have engaged in program review of this sort are discussed in the first section of this report Graduate attributes and generic capabilities.

The major part of the following content is designed around four phases of the development and introduction of a university-wide teaching and learning initiative: policy development; dissemination and achievement of commitment; implementation; and monitoring and evaluation. In order to ensure a coherent focus on generic capabilities across a variety of discipline areas and courses the process also demands input at university, faculty, course, teaching/subject and student levels. The final section of this package uses these levels to present a summary perspective on the activities associated with programs that focus on generic capabilities.

Policy development

Many Australian universities have already identified a core set of generic capabilities that reflect the distinct nature of that particular institution but are comprehensive and general enough to have relevance for every graduate regardless of the discipline of study. Examples of comprehensive and general capabilities are the ability to communicate effectively with others, provide leadership, demonstrate creative problem solving and make ethical decisions. A regional university may wish to emphasise an understanding of, and commitment to, community issues; a large metropolitan university may adopt more of a focus on internationalisation. It is usually the case that this core set of generic capabilities has the endorsement and support of the University Academic Board or equivalent committee.

1
Are you familiar with the generic capabilities, graduate attributes or graduate qualities profile developed by your university?

2
Locate a copy of the relevant documents and briefly describe how these capabilities are seen or described in the courses you offer in your own faculty or discipline area.

3
What aspects of the university position on generic capabilities seem very sound to you?

4
What aspects do you think should be different?

5 What mechanisms are available in your university for you or your colleagues to influence changes?

Dissemination and commitment

1
What aspects of the relation between the university graduate attributes (or generic capabilities) and your course objectives are obvious?

2
What aspects of the relationship are less clear?

Please read the section Generic capabilities: A framework for action to the end of the discussion of principle 1.

3
Does your program involve the integration of the generic capabilities into the course or is it more like a list of attributes 'built on' to the curriculum content, without any alteration to the learning environment?

4 What kind of commitment to the integration of generic capabilities do you have from teachers of other subjects in this course?

If you do not have an adapted core set of generic capabilities that are relevant to your discipline area, that have the commitment of teaching staff and which are an integral part of the curriculum, you may feel it is appropriate to debate this issue widely to ensure this consensus and commitment. This outcome can be achieved through a workshop for course teams/key teachers. A staff development person and/or a faculty champion and/or a member of the working party that established the university-wide capabilities could assist by facilitating the workshop. Case studies of approaches used to select relevant generic capabilities include:

UniSA Nursing: (Theme 1)
QUT Social Science: (Theme 1)
UTS Engineering: (Theme A)

5
Are there any aspects of what you just read that stand out for you as being very useful?

6 How do you think the commitment of teachers in your particular course to the integration of generic capabilities could be enhanced? What should be done?

Implementation
Read the section on principle 2 in Generic capabilities: A framework for action.

1 Describe the types of activities your students will be asked to engage in as they develop their generic capabilities (you might focus on one particular attribute or capability). Briefly explain why these activities were chosen.

Read the section on principle 3 in Generic capabilities: A framework for action.

2 2 How will the activities you have selected be likely to help students experience the variation needed to learn to use that capability in new contexts?

Read the following case studies:
RMIT Engineering: (Sections B and C)
RMIT Sculpture: (Sections B and C)
QUT Science: (all)

3 Now look at the nature of how your graduates might understand the generic capabilities for which you have designed learning experiences. Select one area of capability, and describe the ways in which that capability will be of use to the student once they graduate.

Read the section on qualitative differences in the attainment of a generic capability in Generic capabilities: A framework for action.

4 In what ways are the objectives and learning experiences for generic capabilities in your course designed to achieve relational level outcomes?

Now look at the assessment items you have designed to assess those outcomes.

5 How do they encourage/assess relational level outcomes?

Read Principle 4 in Generic capabilities: A framework for action.

6
Are your assessment items consistent with your objectives and planned learning experiences?

7 What are the purposes of this assessment?

Read Principle 5 in Generic capabilities: A framework for action.

8
Which of the five purposes does your assessment package include?

9
To what extent does it constitute a coherent assessment package (CAP)?

10 What do you need to do to your package to achieve the outcomes described in Generic capabilities: A framework for action?

Read the following case studies:
UniSA Engineering: (section 1.2)
UTS Engineering: (Theme D)
RMIT Social Science: (B) and Appendix 2

In summary, your responses to the questions above may result in the beginnings of a matrix that covers the students' complete course of study. Reaching this point will require a review of learning objectives to make explicit the focus on generic capabilities. It will also require a thoughtful review of teaching and learning approaches and assessment processes. If you have reflected on the program in the ways described above, you will most probably have addressed these key points. But the development of generic capabilities also demands an explicit awareness of the needs of the learner. Students must have time to reflect on their learning experiences and those opportunities for reflection also need to be incorporated within the curriculum. This is the subject of the next section.

Monitoring and evaluation

1
Your assessment package will most likely allow you to determine whether your students have acquired the desired generic capabilities, but how will students doing your course know if they have attained them?

2
If you have a coherent assessment package this will have been accommodated. Given that students know this information, how will they be able to select activities to develop those capabilities which they believe are still inadequate?

3
How will they demonstrate to future employers that they have, on graduation, adequately acquired those capabilities?

Read Principle 6 and Student Profiles in Generic capabilities: A framework for action

Relevant case studies are:
Curtin Business
QUT Engineering: [not yet on the web]
RMIT Social Science: (B) and Appendix 1

Multi-level collaborative process of mapping generic capability development

The final section of this package contains a checklist of activities and associated responsibilities that are part of the development of an integrated generic capabilities program. Most of the information in the following table has been introduced above; however, the checklist may be of use as an aid to implementation.

Responsibility Activity

University Administration
Provide appropriate, individual, confidential, qualitative development records. Maintain a qualitative record of each student's development in various generic capabilities and keep the individual records confidential to the student and their relevant teachers during enrolment and to only the graduate after completion.

University Academic Board
Specify a set of intended outcomes in terms of generic capability. Describe the profile of a graduate from the university indicating the abilities and qualities that define the 'value-added' aspects of their education and highlight the unique orientation of the institution.

Course Team
Develop a course profile of learning opportunities Refine the university-wide generic capabilities to reflect the impact/contribution of a discipline based educational context.
Indicate how the capabilities are developed and linked over the course of the study to foster relevant awareness.
Develop a matrix of generic capability development indicating where capabilities are introduced, practised and assessed.
Ensure that such generic capabilities are incorporated in the curriculum, learning experience and assessment and that responsibility for such aspects of the course are assumed by appropriately informed teaching staff.

Subject Team
Contribute to a portfolio of student achievement. Identify procedural, conceptual and meta-cognitive functions that are assumed, introduced, developed and/or assessed through engagement with the learning processes and content of the unit.
Outline how the learning opportunities offered in the subject will build on tacit knowledge and learning from previous subjects, complement concurrent subjects and prepare students for higher level subjects.
Devise learning experiences and complementary teaching approaches that will illustrate variation and foster the development of requisite capabilities to a relational level.
Identify appropriate strategies to assess student learning. These strategies should be integrated with learning opportunities and linked to learning objectives.
Make explicit to students the learning process as well as the learning objectives and indicate appropriate strategies for providing students with progressive feedback in relation to both.

Student
Develop a portfolio of student experience. Student
Develop a portfolio of student experience. Select appropriate subjects and learning experiences to ensure the development of appropriate capabilities.
Participate in relevant reflective learning opportunities in order to (a) contribute to the development of the capabilities (b) to record qualitatively the progress to date and (c) to plan future learning experience to enhance the capabilities.
Document learning opportunities and reflection on learning experiences using the systems developed by the university.

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Responsibility	Activity
University Administration *Provide appropriate, individual, confidential, qualitative development records.*	Maintain a qualitative record of each student's development in various generic capabilities and keep the individual records confidential to the student and their relevant teachers during enrolment and to only the graduate after completion.
University Academic Board *Specify a set of intended outcomes in terms of generic capability.*	Describe the profile of a graduate from the university indicating the abilities and qualities that define the 'value-added' aspects of their education and highlight the unique orientation of the institution.
Course Team *Develop a course profile of learning opportunities*	Refine the university-wide generic capabilities to reflect the impact/contribution of a discipline based educational context. Indicate how the capabilities are developed and linked over the course of the study to foster relevant awareness. Develop a matrix of generic capability development indicating where capabilities are introduced, practised and assessed. Ensure that such generic capabilities are incorporated in the curriculum, learning experience and assessment and that responsibility for such aspects of the course are assumed by appropriately informed teaching staff.
Subject Team *Contribute to a portfolio of student achievement.*	Identify procedural, conceptual and meta-cognitive functions that are assumed, introduced, developed and/or assessed through engagement with the learning processes and content of the unit. Outline how the learning opportunities offered in the subject will build on tacit knowledge and learning from previous subjects, complement concurrent subjects and prepare students for higher level subjects. Devise learning experiences and complementary teaching approaches that will illustrate variation and foster the development of requisite capabilities to a relational level. Identify appropriate strategies to assess student learning. These strategies should be integrated with learning opportunities and linked to learning objectives. Make explicit to students the learning process as well as the learning objectives and indicate appropriate strategies for providing students with progressive feedback in relation to both.
Student *Develop a portfolio of student experience.*	Student *Develop a portfolio of student experience.* Select appropriate subjects and learning experiences to ensure the development of appropriate capabilities. Participate in relevant reflective learning opportunities in order to (a) contribute to the development of the capabilities (b) to record qualitatively the progress to date and (c) to plan future learning experience to enhance the capabilities. Document learning opportunities and reflection on learning experiences using the systems developed by the university.