Facing up to the challenge: why is it so hard to develop graduate attributes?

Green, Wendy and Hammer, Sara and Star, Cassandra (2009) Facing up to the challenge: why is it so hard to develop graduate attributes? Higher Education Research and Development, 28 (1). pp. 17-29. ISSN 0729-4360

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Abstract

Debate continues regarding the nature and desirability of graduate attributes, driven partly by stakeholder expectations that universities will prepare employees for the knowledge economy, and partly by higher education academics and learning specialists. While universities appear to have accepted their new vocational role, there is considerable confusion over how these things – graduate skills, attributes or capabilities - should be defined and implemented. Conceptual confusion, combined with a range of external pressures and internal management issues have the potential to derail this important project. To date, stakeholders such as government and business, as well as universities have seriously underestimated the kind of cultural, institutional and policy changes required to implement the graduate skills agenda. This paper outlines the issues that will need to be addressed by the higher education sector if universities are to play a proactive rather than reactive role in shaping the graduate attributes agenda.

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Item Type:	Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	© 2009 HERDSA. Permanent restricted access to published version in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.
Faculty / Department / School:	Historic - Learning and Teaching Support Unit
Date Deposited:	16 Apr 2009 04:36
Last Modified:	02 Dec 2015 05:36
Uncontrolled Keywords:	employability; graduate attributes; graduate outcomes; generic skills; implementation; higher education research
Fields of Research :	16 Studies in Human Society > 1605 Policy and Administration > 160506 Education Policy 13 Education > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130303 Education Assessment and Evaluation 15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 1503 Business and Management > 150305 Human Resources Management
Socio-Economic Objective:	C Society > 93 Education and Training > 9301 Learner and Learning > 930103 Learner Development
Identification Number or DOI:	10.1080/07294360802444339
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/4824

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