Skip to main content
UNSW Sydney Logo
Teaching
Mobile search
mobile nav menu button
  • About
  • Teaching
    • New to teaching
    • Educational design
    • Assessment and feedback
    • Evaluating education
    • More...
  • Educational Technology
    • Support
    • Training
    • TELT Administrator
  • Events & News
    • Upcoming events
    • Recent news
    • Event recordings & resources
    • Subscribe to education news
  • Awards
    • Awards
    • Fellowships
    • Gathering evidence of your teaching practice
  • Professional Development
    • Beginning to Teach (BTT)
    • Teaching Accelerator Program
    • Foundations of L&T (FULT)
    • Course Design Institute (CDI)
    • Self-paced learning
    • Academic Mentoring
    • More...
  • Contact & Support
  • About
  • Teaching
      1. New to teaching
      2. Educational design
      3. Assessment and feedback
      4. Evaluating education
      5. More...
  • Educational Technology
      1. Support
      2. Training
      3. TELT Administrator
  • Events & News
      1. Upcoming events
      2. Recent news
      3. Event recordings & resources
      4. Subscribe to education news
  • Awards
      1. Awards
      2. Fellowships
      3. Gathering evidence of your teaching practice
  • Professional Development
      1. Beginning to Teach (BTT)
      2. Teaching Accelerator Program
      3. Foundations of L&T (FULT)
      4. Course Design Institute (CDI)
      5. Self-paced learning
      6. Academic Mentoring
      7. More...
  • Contact & Support

Breadcrumb

  1. Teaching
  2. Teaching practice
  3. Teaching for learning
  4. Blended and online
  5. Planning & Designing Courses

Building Graduate Capabilities

Kevin Forde (Medicine) talks about embedding graduate capabilities development in a course.

Developing graduate capabilities - Kevin Forde

Why graduate capabilities are important

UNSW promotes particular Graduate Capabilities and most faculties have developed a similar set of graduate capabilities that are more discipline-specific. When you are designing curriculum, it is important for you to incorporate these capabilities into the learning outcomes.

Coursework should include learning activities and assessments that specifically address the relevant skills. Obviously not all courses can cultivate all graduate capabilities, but the achievement of graduate capabilities should be coordinated across a program. Online learning can be very helpful in supporting the development of some graduate capabilities, so consider this in your course design.

Students need to know that learning outcomes which are not subject-specific will be useful to them in their professional life. Keep them informed about which capabilities are being developed or assessed by each online activity and assessment task, and why.

LMS (Moodle) tools to support graduate capabilities

Many of the communication, collaboration and group work tools in the UNSW Moodle learning management systems can be used to engage students in the kind of learning activity that will develop relevant graduate attributes.

Example:

Teaching Strategy
Problem-based learning
Learning Activities
  • Conduct independent research on topic.
  • Work in groups to collate and analyse research.
  • Critically analyse information to develop problem solutions.
  • Work in groups to design best solution.
  • Reflect on problem-solving process.
LMS Tools Used
External links, discussions, group tool, self and peer assessment/workshop, blogs, journals.
Graduate Attributes Addressed
Effectively designed, these activities could support all of the UNSW Graduate Capabilities.

Here are a few more examples that match LMS tools with learning activities that can support the development of graduate capabilities.

Teaching strategy

Learning activity

Pedagogical rationale

LMS tools

Graduate capability supported

Prepare students for class work

Online reading/activity with quiz

Face-to-face classes provide an opportunity for interactive learning and feedback. If students are prepared by accessing material and working with it prior to class, less class time needs to be spent on delivering information, and both you and students are aware of which areas need more focus.

Content areas

Discussion

Test/quiz

"capable of independent and collaborative enquiry", "information literate"

Collaborative learning

Use a peer review activity to write a report on a field trip and associated laboratory activity

To effectively assimilate and apply new knowledge, students need to be actively engaged in learning, to reflect on what they have learned and be able to communicate it in an appropriate academic context. Reviewing the work of their peers helps them to be able to critically review their own work.

Collaboration and group tools

Self and peer assessment/workshop

Assignment submission

"understanding of their discipline in its interdisciplinary context", "capable of independent and collaborative enquiry", "rigorous in their analysis, critique and reflection", "collaborative and effective team workers", "capable of effective communication"

Research project

Locate, evaluate and use information to develop understanding around a topic.

It is not possible to learn all the information relevant to a subject area, so it is important that students develop information literacy and independent study skills.

External links

Discussion

Blog/journal

"capable of independent, self-directed practice", "understanding of their discipline in its interdisciplinary context", "rigorous in their analysis, critique and reflection", "capable of independent and collaborative enquiry", "information literate"

Problem-based,
case-based, scenario-based and project-based learning

  • Conduct independent research on a topic
  • Work in groups to collate and analyse research
  • Critically analyse information to develop problem solutions
  • Work in groups to design best solution
  • Reflect on problem-solving process

Authentic and ill-structured problems require students to develop the skills to research knowledge and apply it in a broad real-world context. Working in groups to do this also supports development of communication and teamwork skills.

Discussion

Collaborative tools

All

 

  • New staff
  • Teaching for learning
    • Active learning spaces
    • Blended and online
      • Examples from UNSW
      • Aim & Vision
      • Teaching Online
      • Selecting Technologies
      • Planning & Designing Courses
        • Preparing Students
        • Communicate with Students
        • Providing Feedback
        • Your Workload
        • Analyse Student Needs
        • Learning Outcomes
        • Graduate Capabilities
        • Course Schedule
        • Student Workload
        • Group Tasks
        • Learning Activities
        • Assessing Participation
        • Menu Structure
        • Accessibility
        • Course Materials & Copyright
        • Design Checklist
      • Evaluating Courses
      • Evaluating TELT
      • Using Digital Media
    • Brainstorming
    • Case studies
    • Debates
    • Discussion
    • Flipped classroom
    • Questioning
    • Simulations
    • Teaching diverse groups
    • Helping Students Reflect
  • Assessment
  • Teaching Settings

Events & news

Grades, Risk and Psychopathy: Students’ Willingness to Pay for Essays
Finding a teaching space just got much easier!
More
Back to top
  • Print
  • Share
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google
    • Email
  • Home
  • About
  • Educational Technology
  • Events & news
  • Awards
  • Contacts

Authorised by Pro Vice-Chancellor Education
UNSW CRICOS Provider Code: 00098G, TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12055, ABN: 57 195 873 179
Teaching at UNSW, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia Telephone 9385 5989

Footer menu

  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright & Disclaimer
  • Accessibility
  • Report an incident
  • Complaints
  • Site Map
  • Site Feedback
Page last updated: Wednesday 15 June 2022