Graduate attributes as a focus for institution-wide curriculum renewal: innovations and challenges

Curtin University's Curriculum 2010 (C2010) initiative aimed at ensuring degree programs were excellent and sustainable. Before C2010, graduate attributes were not universally emphasised and indicators showed room for improvement in generic skills. C2010 focused on embedding graduate attributes through three strategies. The first was embedding graduate attributes in degree programs and mapping for constructive alignment of outcomes and assessments. The second strategy was related: programs were reviewed drawing on evidence including perspectives of graduates, employers and program teams on the relative importance of graduate attributes and the extent to which they were generally demonstrated or developed. The third strategy was a university-wide eportfolio system enabling students' self- and peer-assessment of graduate attributes. Since completion of C2010, proxy indicators show improvement. However, this paper highlights the challenges associated with graduate attributes and renewal. These include: academic staff engagement, the time needed for innovations to come to fruition and evidencing achievement of graduate attributes.

Predicting the acceptance of unit guide information systems

Information Systems can play an important role in ensuring and improving the quality of education provided. However, lack of acceptance of these information systems and resistance of technology innovations by the end users limit the expected benefits of the system. This research attempts to identify the key determinants for the acceptance of the Unit Guide Information Systems (UGIS) in the Australian higher education sector. The technology acceptance model (TAM), social cognitive theory (SCT) and model of PC utilization (MPCU) are combined to provide a new framework for this analysis. Results of the study are consistent with the technology acceptance factors for explaining the behavioural intention of the academics. The study also shows the effects of application specific self-efficacy, application specific anxiety and social influence on the acceptance of UGIS. Implications of the results are discussed within the context of unit guides and curriculum mapping.

Mapping drug calculation skills in an undergraduate nursing curriculum

The ability to calculate drug dosages correctly is an essential skill for registered nurses to possess. Performing drug calculations accurately is not a skill that new graduates have the luxury of developing over time. Drug errors are in many instances directly related to either the administration of an incorrect dose or incorrect infusion rate (Gladstone, 1995) caused by calculation errors. A strategy for implementing drug calculation skills into our new under graduate nursing curriculum was initiated to assist students in developing proficiency in drug calculations. The aim of this program is to promote the development of calculation skills in undergraduate nursing students, rather than simply assessing their skills.

Mapping WIL activities in the curriculum to develop graduate capabilities : a case study in accounting

Big business continues to request universities to produce graduates who possess both technical and generic skills. Although work-integrated learning (WIL) programs can be used to develop these skills, WIL placements in Australia are undertaken by a minority of students. Perceiving a gap, one Australian university undertook a major WIL revamp to expand WIL offerings embedded within its courses. This required major organizational change that impacted significantly on curriculum design. From a quality assurance perspective, this paper provides an overview of a revised WIL program in the accounting discipline, and discusses the issues and challenges associated with the revised WIL program four years after its implementation. The findings demonstrate that the discipline area has not yet fully met the revamped WIL program as defined by university policy. Recommendations are provided that form a valuable learning tool for educational institutions considering embedding broadly defined WIL within their courses.

A primary numeracy : a mapping review and analysis of Australian research in numeracy learning at the primary school level : report

The outcome from this project produces a database of over 185 projects and 726 publications relating to numeracy research to systematically ‘mapped’ Australian research on primary school numeracy over the last decade. The database incorporates research summaries and findings that are easily accessible to teachers and teacher educators, and act as a valuable tool for determining further research directions. The project report examines the available research and organises the discussion of the research findings under a set of themes and sub-themes.

Some summarised examples from the report reveals that:

* Effective teachers of numeracy:
- have high expectations of their students;
- focus on children’s mathematical learning, rather than on providing pleasant classroom experiences;
- provide a challenging curriculum;
- use higher-order questioning;
- make connections both within mathematics and between mathematics in different contexts; and
- use highly interactive teaching involvement with students in class discussion.

* Effective professional development programmes:
- provide teachers with the time and appropriate resources to enable them to reflect on their teaching;
- provide continuing support and encouragement while teachers explore possibilities and trial new strategies in their classrooms;
- involve teachers in school-based and wider networks;
- are of sufficient duration to allow significant changes to habitual beliefs and practices; and
- create opportunities for the exploration of theory-practice relationships.

Navigating teacher education: mapping the terrain, surveying the landscape

While there are many small-scale case studies that investigate specific teacher education practices, large scale longitudinal studies designed to provide rich and comprehensive data about the effectiveness of teacher education, are limited (Cochran-Smith & Zeichner, 2005). The Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education (SETE) project aims to address this gap by investigating the effectiveness of teacher education programs in preparing teachers for the variety of school settings in which they begin their careers. This three-year study utilises large-scale surveys and case studies, and includes a comprehensive mapping of teacher education programs across Australia. It tracks all 2010/2011 teacher education graduates in Queensland and Victoria to investigate the effectiveness of particular characteristics of their teacher education programs in equipping them with the capacity to meet the learning needs of young people in a diverse range of Australian school settings.

This paper presents the findings from the mapping exercise and the surveys of teachers and principals, and the problematics and possibilities of reading across the data sets. The SETE mapping exercise used publicly available online information to examine the characteristics of initial teacher education programs accredited by the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) and the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT). Preliminary results address, inter alia, the length, content and delivery of programs and critical issues of the development of pedagogical and assessment expertise and preparation to teach in diverse contexts. The paper also presents findings from the first of a series of online surveys completed by teacher education graduates in Queensland and Victoria. Beginning teachers’ responses are mapped against key characteristics of participants' pre-service programs and framed in relation to the key themes of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, behaviour management, and engagement with school stakeholders and local community.