Round table discussion

Title: Graduate attributes: The challenges for curricula in Arts degrees

Kate Chanock

Abstract

In the context of the current movement to develop “Graduate Attributes” in students, this discussion will focus on the challenges it poses for Arts Faculties. These include issues surrounding what attributes we wish to “own”; and how to make their development explicit and demonstrable to students and the community. Many Australian universities have developed lists of graduate attributes or generic skills. Participants in this discussion will be invited to examine a sample of these, and to consider various problems with implementing them in B.A. courses. They will compare the merits of integrating the fostering of desired attributes into subject curricula with the option of addressing them in add-on subjects. Participants will be asked to share their institutions’ experiences with developing and demonstrating graduate attributes, and to consider which methods are likely to boost students’ confidence in their course and enhance their learning. It is expected that different institutions will at be at quite different stages in this process, so people should attend on the basis of interest rather than (necessarily) expertise.