The teaching and assessment of graduate attributes are being trialled in 18 courses at CQUniversity in this current term.

Course coordinators have been asked to nominate courses where they already teach and assess at least one of the eight graduate attributes.

LINK HERE for Most desirable graduate attributes identified

While CQUniversity's courses have traditionally developed skills such as teamwork, cross-cultural competence, ethical practice and critical thinking, the development of these skills is now being made more visible.

Professor Rob Reed, our Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) notes that: "In today's workplace it is important to be able to solve problems and to successfully work in a team, alongside any discipline-specific skills, so developing these broader attributes in our students will provide our graduates with essential skills for work and for life."

Academic staff in the pilot will be providing students with feedback on one of the graduate attributes.

In turn, the staff in the pilot will then share their experiences with the wider academic community through seminars and other opportunities, and through the Graduate Attributes Project Implementation Group.

Carol McPherson, one of CQUniversity course coordinators involved in the pilot said: "To be a Registered Nurse, graduates need to provide evidence that they have developed culturally competent skills in caring for people with diverse backgrounds. Similarly in the workplace, nurses are required to work in teams so we have designed our courses with this in mind."