I just attended a workshop on Human development and capabilities and the possible value it holds for Graduate Attributes (GA). This was an open lecture by Melanie Walker and Vivienne Bozalek. Anyway, in plain language, it was looking at the attributes of graduates and how we can track back what we are doing i.t.o. our everyday work at campus. The possibilities exist to investigate the gaps in our curriculum. The major thinking though was i.t.o. policy academics feel that they are caught up between what the department expects of them and the quality that they wish to impart or obtain from the students. Admittedly there are challenges but my thinking is that curriculum does not necessarily interfere with what happens in the classroom. Academics also cite the time factor which they also attribute to curriculum design. Furthermore, it was pointed out that students lack the necessary attributes as professional in their respective fields.

Thinking about this I am of the opinion that the attributes mentioned in this presentation are essentially values that we are trying to instill or transfer. These attributes/values/ethics may differ from one field to the next, and as such it would be difficult to measure if we are effective in achieving our goals moreover, whether or not individuals are applying this knowledge in the real world. Moreover it seems that some might view the incorporation of the development of such attributes as an extra curricular activity rather than something that should be part and parcel of the development of the professionals we produce as a tertiary education institution. Concerns were raised that should one adopt such an approach to teaching and learning how others would view such an institution and whether GA are high on their priority list.