Why Graduate Capabilities?

Our students will enter a globalising world of major environmental change and resource constraints, of scientific and technological advance and ethical challenge, of continuing political instability and possible international conflicts, of unlimited creativity and increasing social surveillance.

To ensure a student focused outcome, we explored what the future in which our graduates will be living and working might look like. What would be some of the key changes?  We considered the capabilities the University's graduates would need to develop to address the challenges, and to be effective, engaged participants in their world (Review of Academic Programs, White Paper, 17 October 2008 [DOC- 643k]). 

As part of the curriculum renewal process, a capability approach was taken to refocus the curriculum to developing graduates who have the ability to integrate knowledge, skills, personal qualities and understanding in their personal and professional lives.

Macquarie's Graduate Capabilities Framework

An integrative framework which differentiates our curriculum has been prepared by the Learning and Teaching Centre's Graduate Capabilities and Curriculum Mapping Working Parties. It is based on and links the university's key directions and defining values with the specific foci of People Planet and Participation proposed for the curriculum, and the graduate capabilities intended to be developed through the curriculum. It is set out below.

For a more detailed description of the capability statements refer to the Review of Academic Programs, White Paper, 17 October 2008 [DOC- 643k]. 

What is Curriculum Mapping?

Curriculum mapping is a systematic documentation of what the student experiences in the course of their studies. This process is useful to view various aspects of the curriculum such as the development of Graduate Capabilities, generic and/or discipline specific skills, accreditation requirements etc. It can also be used to check for alignment between curriculum elements such as learning outcomes, teaching/learning activities and assessment tasks.
Curriculum Mapping has two interrelated elements:

• Mapping the alignment within units, e.g. learning outcomes, teaching approaches and learning activities, and assessment tasks etc. Undertaking this process allows staff and students to understand the relationship between these elements.
• Mapping an entire program in terms of how individual units contribute to the overall goals of the degree.  A whole program map allows a clearer sense of where gaps, overlaps or over-concentrations exist in terms of developing, practising and assessing capabilities.

A curriculum mapping process can reveal opportunities for better alignment between aspects of curriculum design, for the introduction of new teaching and learning or assessment activities, or for a more effective articulation of aims, outcomes and activities within units and across programs.