This resource explains the purpose of ACU’s graduate capabilities and describes what they are and how they can be assessed.
Overview
The ACU Graduate Attributes are embedded across ACU curricula through two key components: A course-level graduate statement and graduate capabilities. The graduate statement and the graduate capabilities work together to enable students to achieve the aspirational graduate attributes.
The twelve graduate capabilities are the skills that underpin the development of the graduate attributes and they are embedded implicitly and explicitly within ACU’s graduate attributes.
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Description |
A graduate who has discipline knowledge is able to demonstrate discipline-based concepts, principles, and understandings appropriate to the field of study. |
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Activities that could be used to assess discipline knowledge include:
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Description |
A graduate who has the skill of applied knowledge is able to competently use their disciplinary knowledge in relevant fields of study and/or professional practice. |
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Activities that could be used to assess applied knowledge include:
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Description |
A graduate who has the skill of autonomous learning is able to learn and perform independently and as a reflective, effective, self-aware learner. |
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Activities that could be used to assess learning autonomy include:
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Description |
A graduate who has collaborative skills is able to collaborate respectfully and effectively with diverse peoples and groups in local and global contexts. |
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Activities that could be used to assess collaborative skills include:
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Description |
A graduate who has cultural capability is able to understand and learn from Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, histories and experiences, and their impacts, and apply critical reflective practice to influence social change and work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. |
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Assessments and learning should focus on improving the development of and growing cultural capability of students. Cultural capability can vary depending upon context and is therefore difficult to measure or assess. Cultural capability is not a competency for students to achieve or attain, rather it is ongoing learning journey which requires continuous learning as a student and a future professional. Activities that could be used to assess development and growth of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples cultural capability include:
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| Curriculum and Teaching |
Curriculum and teaching practices and processes that can support integrating the Graduate Attributes and the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples cultural capability include:
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Description |
A graduate who has the skill of community mindedness is able to engage critically with social issues and work with community in ways that recognise the dignity of the human person and advance the common good. |
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Activities that could be used to assess discipline knowledge include:
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Description |
A graduate who has the skill of critical thinking is able to critically analyse and evaluate their own ideas and those of others and to synthesise information to formulate clear and well-reasoned, evidence-based positions. |
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Activities that could be used to assess critical thinking include:
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Description |
A graduate who has problem-solving skills is able to use critical thinking to address practical problems with appropriate evidence, and support decision making. |
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Activities that could be used to assess problem-solving skills include:
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Description |
A graduate who has the skill of information literacy is able to locate and assess the authority and relevance of information from a range of sources, including scholarly, research-based evidence and the media, and reference them appropriately. |
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Activities that could be used to assess information literacy include:
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Description |
A graduate who has the skill of digital literacy is able to use a range of information communication technologies effectively in personal, academic, and professional contexts. |
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Activities that could be used to assess digital literacy include:
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Description |
A graduate with written communication skills has the ability to present information and ideas effectively in a variety of written genres to diverse audiences. |
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Activities that could be used to assess written communication skills include:
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Description |
A graduate with oral communication skills has the ability to present information and ideas effectively in a variety of spoken genres to diverse audiences. |
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Activities that could be used to assess written communication skills include:
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Achievement of the graduate capabilities should be spread across a course. It is not expected that one unit will cover all, or even most of the graduate capabilities.
When aligning the graduate capabilities and unit learning outcomes, it is also useful to consider how the unit learning outcome, and therefore the graduate capability, is assessed. Consider the relationship between the assessment tasks aligned to the learning outcome and the graduate capability..
Consider the wording of the learning outcome and how it relates to the graduate capability. If the wording of the unit learning outcome has been revised as part of any unit review process, then the alignment may also have changed. Consider the verb and the content of the learning outcome. Learning outcomes that “Define” or “Outline” do not generally reflect alignment with critical thinking or problem-solving.
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