1. Graduate Attributes and Employability in Curriculum and Assessment Design Presentation at the Council of Higher Education 12 September 2012
Presented by
Prof Melinde Coetzee
Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology
College of Economic and Management Sciences
University of South Africa
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2. OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION
Introduction
Graduateness and Employability from a Higher Education Perspective
Embedding graduate attributes and employability in curriculum and assessment design
Challenges and Opportunities

3. Introduction: Journey Map of an ODL Graduate
Graduateness
Work ready
Employable
Process of Higher Education (ODL)
Quality of Personal Growth and Intellectual Development
Employer
Adult student
Generic skills and attributes contributing to the competitiveness, flexibility , adaptability and economic growth of the business
Profile
Background factors
Professional Identity
Learning and Development Professionals
Occupational relevant on-the-job training
Work-based training
Academics/Educators
Curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment design
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4. Introduction Knowledge-driven and technology-driven business society
Knowledge, skills, relevant experience and continuing professional development are at the top of the 21st century human resource agenda
Employers have growing concerns about the scarcity of suitably qualified and competent staff (high calibre knowledge-workers) in a highly competitive, uncertain, turbulent business environment
Need for work ready and employable graduates: discipline-specific intellectual capabilities and generic transferable skills that can be taken into the workplace
Transferable graduate employability skills and attributes are most significant for employment
Educational systems produce prospective or potential workforce for companies
University education should lay the foundations for a lifelong commitment by graduates to learning and professional development
Employers and learning and development professionals should build on the university education foundations and engage employees in work-based, occupational relevant training (knowledge, skills and experience)
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5. Key Concepts Graduateness
The quality of the personal growth and intellectual development of the graduates produced by a higher education institution, and the relevance of the skills and attributes they bring to the workplace
Employability
Employability is regarded as a sub-element of students’ graduateness. A sense of self-directedness or personal agency in retaining or securing a job or form of employment and move self-sufficiently within an uncertain and unpredictable labour market.
Graduate skills and attributes enable/promote employability
University education has a formative function, cultivating a specific set of transferable graduateness skills and attributes that constitute a graduate’s graduateness and employability in three wholistic, overarching attitudinal domains of personal and intellectual development
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6. Bridging the Gap: Academic vs Employer
Individual (Employee)
Sustained Employability
Business (Employer)
Higher Education (Academic)
Sustained competitiveness,
flexibility, adaptability,
innovation
Sustained Graduateness
Degree- specific knowledge
Levels of cognitive development (HEQF/NQF
Application of knowledge in real-world context
Professional practice
Technical skills
Occupational learning & development (OFO)
Occupational work-based knowledge, skills and experience
On-the-job learning and development
Level of skill development
Occupational,
critical and scarce skills
capacity development
Intellectual
capacity development
Continuing human and social
capacity (professional) development

7. Developing a CEMS-specific graduate skills and attributes framework
Research Literature
Employer Surveys
SAQA critical
cross-field outcomes
NQF/HEQF/HESA applied
competence level
descriptors
UNISA Graduateness
statement
UNISA Curriculum Policy
Inputs from each CEMS
department on
required graduate
skills and attributes
CEMS Graduateness
statement
CEMS unique lens/framework on
graduate skills and attributes

8. and tools for working and living in the world
Overarching enabling transdisciplinary outcomes of university education
CEMS Graduate skills & attributes
Link with the SAQA
critical-cross-field outcomes
Scholarship
Stance toward knowledge
Ways of thinking
Problem-solving/decision making skills
Enterprising skills
Analytical thinking skills
Co1 : Solving problems/critical & creative thinking
Co7: Systems thinking
Co12: Entrepreneurial
Co4: Information
Global and moral citizenship
Stance toward world and others
Ways of,
and tools for working and living in the world
Interactive skills
Presenting and applying information skills
Ethical & responsible behaviour
Co2: Team work
Co5: Communication
Co6: Science & technology
Co9: Responsible citizen
Co10: Culturally & aesthetic sensitive
Life-long learning
Stance toward self
Continuous learning orientation
Goal-directed behaviour
Co8: Learning
Co3: Self-management
Co11: Education & career
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9. Introduction RARE GRADUATENESS EMPLOYABILITY WORK READINESS
CURRICULUM, TEACHING, LEARNING & ASSESSMENT DESIGN
GRADUATENESS
STUDENT CENTERED
Scholarship
Lifelong Learning
Global Citizen
Interactive
Problem-solving
& Decision-making
Presenting & Applying Information
SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES
Continuous Learning Orientation
Enterprising
Goal-directed
Ethical & Responsible
Analytical Thinking Skills
EMPLOYABILITY
WORK READINESS
RARE
Responsible
Accountable
Responsive
Ethical

10. Embedding graduate attributes and employability in curriculum and assessment design EIGHT PRINCIPLES
CEMS graduateness statement & skills and attributes framework reflect the values of the College culture and its commitment toward student graduateness.
Must be visible to students- communicated in tutorial letters (Tut 301) 1

11. Discipline specific interpretation and learning
Embedding graduate attributes and employability in curriculum and assessment design EIGHT PRINCIPLES
Discipline specific interpretation and learning
Teach students how these skills and attributes apply to context of different disciplines/modules/subject (body of knowledge) at different levels of complexity (HESA/NQF/HEQF levels)
Progressive development as a person over time (consistency, increasing level of complexity and sophistication) 2 3

12. Discipline specific interpretation and learning
Moving from………
DEGREE EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES
Module outcomes
Module outcomes
Module outcomes
Specific outcome
Study unit
CRITICAL CROSS FIELD OUTCOMES

13. Discipline specific interpretation and learning
To… Embedded progressive development over time…..
DEGREE EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES
Student graduateness
Module outcomes
Module outcomes
Module outcomes
Specific outcome
Study unit
HEQF 10
HEQF 9
HEQF 8
HESA APPLIED COMPETENCY
LEVEL DESCRIPTORS
HEQF 7
HEQF 6
HEQF 5
CEMS GRADUATE SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

14. Embedding graduate attributes and employability in curriculum and assessment design EIGHT PRINCIPLES
Commitment by course team to embed graduateness in the curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment design
Pedagogic principles- student centredness/active student engagement/VLE/active learning
Work-simulated learning
Opportunities for student self-reflection, evaluation, learning and assessment
Teaching, learning & assessment of learning outcomes provides students with opportunity to provide evidence of achievement of outcomes and graduate skills and attributes & awareness of their employability
Phased-in implementation process 4 5 6 7 8

15. Phased-in implementation process
Advanced
Phased-in implementation process 8
Compliance with the minimum and intermediate requirements and in addition:
E-portfolios for students to collect evidence of and demonstrate achievement of the graduateness skills and attributes- monitor self-development from undergraduate level, graduate and post-graduate level.
Use of e-learning technology to expose students to authentic learning and assessment experiences to develop graduate skills and attributes.
All modules/courses show evidence of teaching, learning and assessment designs that embed the graduate skills and attributes.
WIL and SWE (simulated work experiences) to reflect demonstrated evidence of applied competence in graduate skills and capstone outcomes
Intermediate
Compliance with the minimum requirements and in addition:
Tutorial letters 101 and revised study guides for new PQM include templates that show alignment between module/course specific learning outcomes, assessment criteria, learning activities and assessment tasks.
Learning activities and assessment tasks address explicitly development of the graduate skills and attributes.
Assessment frameworks/rubrics include assessment of the development of the graduate skills and attributes.
Feedback tutorials address the development of the graduate skills and attributes.
Minimum
Unisa and CEMS graduateness statements are reflected in Tutorial letters 301
Identify pilot modules/courses in each Department – study guide revisions/new designs as examples of embedding graduateness.
Self-assessment and reflection on the development of the graduateskills and attributes as part of assignment tasks
DCLD design teams to be informed and assist.
Quality management tool to include review of the extent graduatenes skills and attributes embedded in course design.
Academic staff attend awareness seminars on CEMS graduate skills and attributes framework

16. CEMS GRADUATENESS: Operationalisation *EXAMPLES ONLY
HOW
Student-centered: Social-constructivist-connectivist pedagogy
Active learning in ODL
Learning how to learn/develop intellectual openness to lifelong learning
Develop reasoning & critical self-reflection abilities
(meta-cognition)
Develop communication, inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking abilities for new knowledge building
(multiple perspectives)
Anchor our teaching & learning & assessment in realistic, meaningful contexts/develop problem-solving ability for finding solutions for real-life challenges/problems
“Unpack” the three domains (eight sets) of CEMS
Graduate Skills & Attributes and
develop practical guidelines for embedding in
curriculum teaching,
learning and assessment design

17. CEMS GRADUATENESS: Operationalisation *EXAMPLES ONLY
HOW
Student-centered: Social-constructivist-connectivist pedagogy
Active learning in ODL
Learning how to learn/develop intellectual openness to lifelong learning
Enable students to determine what they need to learn through questioning and goal-setting:
Reflection activities with supportive feedback
Journal writing and “self-authoring” (Why am I doing this?)
Self-assessment opportunities in text and on-line self-assessment
Ways of dealing with errors & correction (formative feedback on assignments-rubrics)
Shared learning via blogs of drafts, commented on by students, lecturers
Examples of draft and marked assignments & interpretations
Portfolio activities & projects with built-in reflection on own learning
Students reflect on time management, pacing throughout course (e.g. schedule announcement on myUnisa, reminders by sms)
Self-evaluation questions (as part of each assignment) as reflection on graduate skills and attributes developed (valuable in assessing module effectiveness in terms mastering of graduateness learning outcomes)
Students to report on their own experiences
Post examples of other students’ comments and critiques

18. EXAMPLES OF SELF-EVALUATION QUESTIONS NOTE: These questions must be completed at the end of each assignment and the practical/portfolio and be submitted with the assignment and practical/portfolio.
How relevant are the sources provided for this assignment to the realities of, for example, personnel and career psychology in the South African work context?
What were the key learning points from the previous feedback or block weeks that you have applied to this assignment (if relevant)?
What have you done differently as a result of these key learning points?
Which competencies, areas of knowledge, skills and attributes did you need to complete this assignment? (Refer also to the graduate skills and attributes you developed by completing this assignment. Use the graduate skills and attributes framework.
Did completing this assignment and consulting the relevant sources improve your competence as a human resources professional and aspiring industrial psychologist? Name a few competencies that you think should be developed further to enhance your graduateness and employability.
Did the assignment tasks add value to the application of your knowledge and skills in the workplace?
Do the assessment criteria and assessment rubrics for the assignment provide you with an adequate framework in which to evaluate your performance in your assignment? If not, what other criteria and guidance should be added
How do you feel you have personally developed as a result of this reflection (completing these self-evaluation questions)?

19. EXAMPLE OF ENCOURAGING INTELLECTUAL OPENNESS TO LIFE LONG LEARNING
We strongly recommend that you develop a Personal Development Journal to keep record of your self-evaluation answers in each of the assignments you complete in each module that you are enrolled for. You can use the Blogger e-tool for this purpose. In answering the self-evaluation questions for each module’s assignments you need to consider how you have used the feedback, independent learning/study, interactive learning opportunities and discussion forums to help you develop your graduateness, and knowledge, skill and confidence (or general competence) as an aspiring Industrial Psychologist.
As you progress through the learning opportunities provided by the assignments, on-line activities, block weeks and self-assessment activities of each module, we encourage you to reflect on your personal development and your continued professional development and personal growth as a post-graduate student in the field of industrial and organisational psychology. This is a useful skill to develop because as a human resource practitioner, or an aspiring Industrial Psychologist you will need to reflect on your practice and continued professional development and employability. Use the personal development file provided in the IOPALLM tutorial letter to guide you on identifying your priority development areas and the actions you can take to further develop the identified graduateness skills and attributes or relevant competencies.

20. CEMS GRADUATENESS: Operationalisation *EXAMPLES ONLY
HOW
Engaging students in exploratory learning and experimentation
Provide many examples from real life to explore (in text, audio, video, VLE, etc)- students provide own examples
Real-life (work-based and academic) case studies and scenarios in materials (textbooks, news, media, etc)- real data and facts
Own narratives in reflective activities (blog, wiki, discussion forums etc)
Problem-based curriculum (not designed around topics- provide threshold projects:
Well-structured problems- key areas of interest as trigger for exploration
Complex, ill-structured problems built in- integrate theory and practice (balance factual-practical and abstract-theoretical info)
Work-integrated learning (as part of assignment task)
Service learning (work within communities)
Real-life research problems
Relate study/assessment tasks to profession/career- meaningfulness of tasks
Student-centered: Social-constructivist-connectivist pedagogy
Active learning in ODL
Anchor our teaching & learning & assessment in realistic, meaningful contexts/develop problem-solving ability for finding solutions for real-life challenges/problems

21. CEMS GRADUATENESS: Operationalisation *EXAMPLES ONLY
HOW
Assist students in developing reasoning abilities through “argumentation”, structured controversy so that students are willing to take on complex problems (assessing development of reasoning ability, group work skills through self-assessment evidence rubrics)
Assigned group tasks- peer feedback on “pieces” of student work- analysing strengths and limitations of reasoning
On-line discussion forums/study guide activities/assignment activities with structured and unstructured tasks
Interviews with employers/professionals/people in workplace, community, family
Essay and research-based assignments
Students to reflect on the development of the graduate skills and attributes (self-evaluation at end of each of assignment/task; peer evaluation/assessment- using assessment rubrics)
Argue advantages of various methods
Post examples of other students’ comments and critiques
Student-centered: Social-constructivist-connectivist pedagogy
Active learning in ODL
Develop reasoning & critical self-reflection abilities (meta-cognition)

22. CEMS GRADUATENESS: Operationalisation *EXAMPLES ONLY
HOW
Student-centered: Social-constructivist-connectivist pedagogy
Active learning in ODL
Develop communication, inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking abilities for new knowledge building
Encourage students to revisit content and problems from different perspectives, given a variety of different constraints, while promoting student articulation and presentation of ideas, perspectives, strategies
Purposefully adding reading and writing syllabus in module
Reader (collection of recent articles) rather than only a prescribed book
Finding articles online through Additional Resources
Critiquing articles and presentation of peers on selected topics; do book reviews
Assessment around argumentative discussion rather than regurgitated content
Course specific glossaries, dictionaries – created by students (online with wiki, etc)
Write mini-reviews, create posters, write literature summaries (strengths and limitations)

23. Summary
Focus is on transferable “employability” skills and attributes that are required for a wide variety of roles regardless of the organisation and industry in which graduates are being employed. These skills need to be continually developed to sustain employability.
Creating awareness of and cultivating graduates’ employability skills and attributes is a joint effort between employers, academics, employees (students), and other stakeholders such as professional bodies.
Skill-building is a lifelong effort in which professionals are required to demonstrate that they keep on top of their knowledge and skills through a wide range of CPD measures (professional bodies), and that they apply any newly acquired knowledge and skills into their daily routines in the workplace (performance management and training and development measures)

24. Summary
Education must prepare students for the world of work and cultivate the intellectual mindsets (scholarship, global and moral citizenship and life-long learning) and the underpinning skills and attributes needed for sustained employability. These graduate skills and attributes are a pre-requisite for a graduate’s employability.
The national twelve critical cross-field outcomes form a valuable generic framework for the transferable skills and attributes required by employers- these can be translated into unique profession/discipline-specific frameworks.
Embedding transferable “employability” skills and attributes in curricula, learning and assessment design is a phased process at different levels of student development (e.g. HEQF/HESA levels) in a specific disciplinary and pedagogical context and require the awareness, willingness and competence of all stakeholders involved
Assessment should incorporate the development of the graduate skills and attributes- drives student learning in these transferable (generic) skills and attributes (e.g. Student-centered e-portfolios)- students should reflect on and report on the development and application of the graduate skills and attributes

25. Challenges and Opportunities
Inclusion and developing of graduate skills and attributes have received little attention in SA context and implementation world- wide has been inconsistent
Guidelines for embedding these skills and attributes are often unclear and lack specifications – there is a need for frameworks for embedding the skills and attributes in curricula, learning and assessment design at the different HEQF/HESA levels.
Quality assurance evaluation criteria should include the development and assessment of the graduate skills and attributes at various levels of student development.
Critical forms of pedagogy needed: recognise student as adult learners, student-centeredness, active participants, co-constructors of knowledge to enhance meaningfulness of learning, reasoning and argumentation and multiple viewpoints = enable development of the transferable graduate skills and attributes
Providing experiential learning opportunities for students- real life problems and challenges (meaningfulness)
New technologies of digital era provide opportunities for creating rich learning environments
Skills development initiatives and focus on work-based training and development to support the development of the transferable “employability” skills and attributes

26. Thank you! ?
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