Teaching and evaluating graduate attributes in science based disciplines

Graduate attributes, other than professional knowledge and skills, are now important outcomes for tertiary education. In science, anecdotal observations indicated minimal focus on: innovation; independent learning; communication; and societal involvement. Therefore, how graduate attributes were introduced, developed, taught and assessed into first and second year science units were investigated. Which graduate attributes were contextualized into learning objectives and activities together with how outcomes were measured and assessed were investigated. Results showed ~70% of teaching, development and assessment centred on disciplinary knowledge and most of the rest on professional skills. Oral presentations, portfolios, extended writing, and field trips comprised ~15% of assessment. Hence, a structured overview is needed to address the full scope of graduate attributes at the course level. There is an urgent need for the modern needs of tertiary education to be embraced by staff to ensure graduate attributes are attained commensurate with the expectations of the wider community.