What sort of person is a graduate of UNE?

The University of New England's goal is to ensure that its graduates will be able to demonstrate a command of a significant body of knowledge of sufficient depth, to demonstrate an understanding of one or many disciplines or professional areas; to apply that knowledge in a range of circumstances; and to recognize the social and historical context of that knowledge within those disciplines or professional areas. However, when you graduate you will move into a world of constant change with strong competition for employment. This world will require you to adapt personally and professionally, to grow, to change and to contribute to the development of a better future for yourself, your profession and your community. These may even be the reasons some of you decided to study externally. The University of New England takes seriously its commitment to prepare you for this world of change. In the context of the learning experiences at UNE, graduates will be expected to have developed a range of attributes that will enable you to meet the challenges that come your way. The Attributes of a UNE Graduate is a statement of what UNE considers important for its students.

The official attributes outlined in the Graduate Attributes Procedures document are:

  1. Knowledge of a discipline: Graduates will have knowledge of their discipline including a global perspective
  2. Communication skills: Graduates will convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences
  3. Problem solving: Graduates will apply logical, critical, and creative thinking to solve a range of problems
  4. Information literacy: Graduates will recognise when information is needed, and identify, evaluate, and effectively use information as required
  5. Ethical conduct and social responsibility: Graduates will be able to recognise, reflect on, and respond appropriately to social, cultural, and ethical issues
  6. Lifelong learning: Graduates will be prepared for lifelong learning in pursuit of personal and professional development
  7. Independence and collaboration: Graduates ill work independently and collaboratively to achieve individual and common goals

Different disciplines will emphasise different skills and may introduce additional attributes.

Why are they important to me?

Reports of what employers require of graduates emphasize the need for well-developed generic skills as well as discipline-specific content. Employers look to a university degree as the basic requirement but then distinguish the most employable graduates by their generic skills—such as communication, independence and collaboration, and problem solving.

Graduate attributes provide you with a useful framework for describing the knowledge, skills, abilities and personal qualities that you develop through your course and from your other life experiences. This framework can be used to produce a portfolio that will be invaluable when you apply for jobs. In it you can set out your academic achievements in terms of knowledge, and also the other qualities that you, as a graduate of the University of New England, bring to a workplace. These qualities will also be important in other parts of your life, e.g. as a citizen and family member.

How will I acquire these attributes?

In the context of the learning experiences within your course you will be exposed to opportunities to learn certain skills (e.g. information literacy and communication skills) and to practice these skills in relevant situations. You will be provided with criteria to judge how you are going and you will be formally assessed on your abilities. Keep a record of progress in your reflection guide or portfolio. This will assist you to make your own assessment of your abilities, and perhaps to take some extra action of your own to help you acquire the attributes that are important to you. Skills and attributes developed in extra-curricula activities, as well as any courses you take in addition to your UNE study, can be included too.

Each course is likely to have its own particular criteria or standard of achievement for attributes. Professional competencies for your field of study will also be included. Not all attributes will appear in all units, but over your entire course you will be exposed to all attributes and have an opportunity to demonstrate your level of ability through assessment.

Assessment

Assessment of your attainment of graduate attributes will usually be part of formal assessment tasks, depending upon the particular objectives of the unit. Some units will allow you opportunities to develop and practice your skills. In other units where an attribute is an important part of the unit's learning outcomes, your assessment will include a part for the skill (e.g. Ethical conduct and social responsibility). The marking criteria for assessment tasks will indicate exactly what is being assessed and to what standard.

How do I record this information?

An electronic template allows you to record a range of information, including graduate attributes, for later use when you apply for a job. For example, you may have participated in the New England Award or worked part-time while at UNE. This information can be recorded along with official assessment results of your formal study. You may want to file examples of work that demonstrate the quality of your skill (e.g. a team project report, awards, etc).