The National Graduate Attributes Project

Third National GAP Symposium
10 August 2009, Melbourne

This symposium built on the two Graduate Attributes Project network (GAP) events conducted last year to support the dissemination of the GAP discussion papers and initiate further collaborative work on this topic. Examples of practice from each participating university were showcased through invited presentations and posters. The program also included an exploration of the ‘missing student voice’ in GAs through presentations from local student organisations in each state, as well as from leaders of international student organisations in Europe, Scotland and Hong Kong. Discussions centred on the possible role of GAs in future institutional quality assurance strategies supported by a presentation from AUQA.

Participants connected with a similar network of colleagues (representing each of the 20 HE institutions) currently working on the Scottish Quality Enhancement Theme 'Graduates for the 21st Century', a sector-wide initiative that will see the Scottish Higher Education sector consider over the next 2/3 years the nature of higher education and the development of graduates for the 21st century within the context of overarching questions: what should be the attributes of a graduate from Scottish Higher Education in the 21st century and how can the achievement of these attributes best be supported? This provides a unique opportunity for international exchange and comparison of practices around graduate attributes.

A highlight of the symposia for me was the way students were able to articulate a range of experiences about and responses to a range of issues drawn from the student experience directly effecting the development and implementation of GAs. I was joined at this symposia by Jane Mummery. We were the only University of Ballarat representatives participating although this symposia series has received wide coverage over the last 18 months via HERDSA, the ALTC and Campus Review.