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Graduate Attributes Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This Policy lists the skills and attributes the University of Canberra (University) expects its graduates to develop during their course of study.

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Section 2 - Scope

(2) Graduate attributes 10 to 12 apply to coursework courses approved by Academic Board prior to 3 June 2020.

(3) Graduate attributes 10 to 13 apply to new or revised coursework courses approved by Academic Board with effect from 3 June 2020.

(4) Graduate attributes 10 to 13 apply to all coursework courses with effect from 5 June 2023.

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Section 3 - Principles

(5) Students in University courses acquire a body of professional and disciplinary knowledge, technical and information literacy skills, and a set of appropriate professional attitudes. At the heart of these learning outcomes are the generic attributes we have identified as essential for our graduates.

(6) Effective professional practice requires the ability to integrate course-specific skills and knowledge, and generic skills and knowledge.

(7) Development of the graduate attributes takes place in all courses in ways that reflect the qualification level and type, and the character of the particular discipline and professional field.

(8) Students' develop graduate attributes through curriculum design, including assessment design.

Graduate Attributes

(9) The University provides a high-quality, innovative educational experience. Our courses are designed to equip our graduates to be leaders of their profession, to be outward-looking global citizens and to value lifelong learning.

(10) University graduates are professional. University graduates can:

  1. employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills;
  2. communicate effectively;
  3. use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems;
  4. work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict;
  5. display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload;
  6. take pride in their professional and personal integrity.

(11) University graduates are global citizens. University graduates can:

  1. think globally about issues in their profession;
  2. adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries;
  3. understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures;
  4. communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings;
  5. make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives;
  6. behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives. 

(12) University graduates are lifelong learners. University graduates can:

  1. reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development;
  2. be self-aware;
  3. adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas;
  4. evaluate and adopt new technology.

(13) University graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing. University graduates can:

  1. use local Indigenous histories and traditional ecological knowledge to develop and augment understanding of their discipline;
  2. communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways;
  3. apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways.