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in the areas of creativity and flair, oral business communications and problem solving,
interpersonal skills, and understanding of business practice. Steven and Fallows (1998)
explored “[t]he strategic decision to embed employability skills into each level of the
undergraduate curriculum …” to ensure that “… every student is fully equipped, at
graduation, with the skills necessary for the very important transition into the world of
employment.” UniSA has adopted the approach to embed the graduate qualities into its
courses rather than teach them separately.
After consultation with business, UniSA (2000a) identified that a graduate:
1.
Operates effectively with and upon a
body of knowledge
of sufficient depth to begin
professional practice
2.
Is prepared for
lifelong learning
in pursuit of personal development and excellence in
professional practice
3.
Is an
effective problem solver
, capable of applying logical, critical, and creative thinking
to a range of problems
4.
Can work
autonomously and collaboratively
as a professional
5.
Is committed to
ethical action and social responsibility
as a professional and citizen
6.
Communicates effectively
in professional practice and as a member of the community
7.
Demonstrates
international perspectives
as a professional and as a citizen
UniSA (2000b) requires that all programs within the university should be structured to
include a plan for the development of Graduate Qualities (GQs) throughout the duration of
the program.
Taylor (1997) stated that “assessment has become a potent tool in dictating institutional
and professional goals” and that universities are “being assessed and publicly compared on
the basis of student results, and professions being required to introduce specific learning
outcomes.” UniSA (2000b) views assessment as “the key to the development of Graduate
Qualities” and requires academic staff to match appropriate assessment methods to the
graduate qualities.
This chapter explores a case-study and role-play approach to embedding the graduate
qualities in an undergraduate business course (Data Management for Administrators) and
the methods identified for successful assessment of these qualities. During the course
design, careful consideration was given to how the assessment related to the development
of graduate qualities.
DESIGN OF THE COURSE
The course (subject), Data Management for Administrators (DMA), was designed and
introduced in 1999 in response to feedback from past and present students, local businesses,
Table 1. Allocation of course units across graduate qualities
Graduate
Quality
1
Body of
Knowledge
2
Lifelong
Learning
3
Effective
Problem
Solving
4
Work
Autonomously
and
Collaboratively
5
Ethical Action
and Social
Responsibility
6
Communicates
Effectively
7
International
Perspectives
Unit
weighting
1.2
0.5
1.0
0.5
0.2
1.0
0.1
