What are Graduate Attributes?
‘Graduate attributes are the qualities, skills and understandings a university community agrees its students should develop during their time with the institution.’
‘Graduate attributes are the academic abilities, personal qualities and transferable skills which all students will have the opportunity to develop as part of their university experience.’
‘Graduate attributes are the skills, personal qualities and understanding to be developed through your university experience that will prepare for life and work in the 21st century.’
‘Graduate attributes are skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that are distinguished from the disciplinary expertise associated more traditionally with higher education, but which make a contribution to the profession.’
What are Graduate Attributes for?
Graduate attributes describe and prescribe what it means to be a graduate of USJ, your skills, abilities, values, attitudes and approaches, and how you learn. They develop your attitudes to knowledge, yourself, people and the world around you, and what kind of person you are. Graduate attributes develop through all your experiences at USJ and your reflection on them. They are unique to every student.
The Graduate Attributes at USJ
Graduate Attribute 1: Intellectual Rigour
Excellence in all scholars, having clarity in thinking when faced with new knowledge and arguments, and higher order thinking.
| SKILLS | DESCRIPTION |
| Critical thinking | Analyses information objectively and makes a reasoned judgment, through evaluation and discrimination of sources (data, facts, observable phenomenon, and research findings) in order to draw conclusions, make a decision or solve a problem. |
| Creative thinking | Perceives the world in new ways without cognitive bias, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, to find multiple and multidimensional answers for the same question and to generate original ideas that have value. |
| Problem-solving | Solves problems through the process of defining the problem, generating alternatives, evaluating and selecting alternatives, implementing and testing solutions in an effective and timely manner without any impediments. Approach this process in an iterative way, repeating as many times as necessary to converge to an optimal solution. |
| Judgement | Evaluates sources, data, facts, observable phenomenon and research findings to reach an effective decision, sensible conclusions, or making critical distinctions in matters that affect action through assessment, comparison, and/or deliberation. Uses higher order thinking and has learnt how to learn. |
Graduate Attribute 2: Personal Development
Broad knowledge, understanding, respect, commitment and practice about moral, religious, ethical and social values at the personal, social and professional levels.
| SKILLS | DESCRIPTION |
| Sustainability | Has acquired and sustains a balanced approach to ecological responsibility, social equity, and economic activity not only of contemporary populations but also the wellbeing and enhanced opportunities of future generations. |
| Social justice principles | Maintains and develops the highest honour, dignity, well-being, self-worth, integrity standards to contribute to the advancement of an equitable and just society by consistently anticipating ethical conflicts and acting in accordance with moral values. |
| Professional ethical practice | Has developed and embodies the characteristics of responsibility, and acts with integrity, honesty, respect, competence and fairness in the professional and personal life. |
| Academic integrity | Abides by rules and principles applied in personal and professional practices, as moral norms and ethical standards through honesty, behaviour, and work. |
| Moral attitudes | Has acquired a set of beliefs and values relating to what is right and wrong which guide intentions, attitudes and behaviour towards self, other people, society and others, and the environment; and has developed the deposition to act in accordance with such beliefs and values. |
Graduate Attribute 3: Disciplinary Expertise
In-depth knowledge and skills in the chosen discipline and able to complete tasks and create new concepts through systematic and rigorous investigation.
| SKILLS | DESCRIPTION |
| Academic literacy | Has acquired disciplinary and professional knowledge and skills, understanding the epistemology and ‘landscape’ of the discipline; communicates complex ideas and applies the knowledge in the work context. |
| Effective communication | Conveys information by speaking, writing, body language or behaviour and/or expresses ideas, feelings and thoughts effectively and efficiently to someone else and listens, understands, and takes action on what other people say. |
| Intercultural communication | Communicates across, within, between and across cultures and social groups responsibly, effectively, sensitively, respectfully and positively. Understands different cultural norms and values and uses such understanding in effective communication. |
| Cross-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary perspectives | Draws on and combines cross-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary perspectives, where appropriate, in identifying and addressing issues, generating and solving problems. |
| Multilingualism | Employs two or more languages and language processing in interaction in various domains and communities of practice and draws on all linguistic resources, using one or more languages in the same discourse, or even in the same utterance. |
| Cultural expression | Expresses own ideas, experiences and emotions with empathy, has developed a clear understanding of, and respect for, how ideas and meaning are communicated and creatively expressed in different cultures and through different media forms and of the need to preserve it, together with the importance of aesthetic factors in daily life. |
| Entrepreneurial spirit | Has acquired the skills of self-discipline, integrity, persistence, clear sense of direction, decisive and action oriented necessary for an entrepreneur to venture into an enterprise. Adopts an entrepreneurial stance to practice-based learning and performance. |
| Information expertise | Recognises when and why information is needed, where to find it, how to evaluate, manage and apply it, synthesise, use and communicate it ethically and legally. |
Graduate Attribute 4: Lifelong Learning
Engages in autonomous self-learning to enhance knowledge and skills to match self-sustainability, active service to society and change by effectively creating new thoughts through the process of research and inquiry.
| SKILLS | DESCRIPTION |
| Self-managed learning literacy | Takes active, personal responsibility and commitment to sustain ongoing personal and career-related learning to adapt learning approaches to suit different tasks. |
| Critical self-awareness | Understands how one learns; assesses the work of oneself and others, and identifies one’s strengths and weaknesses. |
| Open-minded | Changes existing beliefs and integrates new information according to the strength of evidence that supports them. |
| Curiosity | Explores and seeks new experiences and possibilities to gain knowledge to adapt and be more effective in the constantly changing environment. |
| Global citizen | Has the necessary knowledge, skills and values to understand the wider world and consider issues from a global perspective to engage and work with others in the realisation of common goals. |
Graduate Attribute 5: Principles of Ethics and Service to Others
Commitment to engage in community service to affect social and environmental change in local and global communities by taking up roles and responsibilities to society and nature. Being a socially responsible and caring member of, and for, the community, with global awareness and participation. Being a service advocate.
| SKILLS | DESCRIPTION |
| Global sensitivity | Has a positive attitude towards other cultures and provides value to different societies by using knowledge acquired across and in different cultural contexts. |
| Society responsiveness | Has developed knowledge, attitude, skills, attitudes and actions aiming to contribute fully to the community and the world community through teamwork, communication engagement and reflection. |
| Moral and ethical practice | Demonstrates respect, empathy and compassion, participates in, and advocates, social justice, equity, respect for life, gender sensitivity, sustainability and environmental stewardship. |
| Culturally reflective | Demonstrates awareness and tolerance of diverse perspectives, cultures and values and the confidence to question own perspectives and those of others. |
| Leadership consciousness | Leads through persuasion, motivation, self-awareness and serving people. Leads with, through and for people. Achieves outcomes through ethical and effective leadership. |
Graduate Attribute 6: Research & Human Literacy, and Understanding
Uses ICT skills effectively to obtain information resources relevant to an information need, in order to create new knowledge and understanding through the process of research and enquiry. Enhances human capabilities in using technologies, literacies and humanities to research, and explains ideas from digital devices. Reads, interprets and questions texts, using higher order thinking.
| SKILLS | DESCRIPTION |
| Digital and sensory literacy | Has acquired and applied competencies required for full participation in a knowledge society, including knowledge, skills, and behaviours, using a range of digital media and devices, creating, understanding and interpreting knowledge resorting to all sensory modalities, including, visual, sonic and tangible/tactile formats. |
| Information researching | Has the skills and practices necessary to become a confident, agile adopter of a range of contemporary technologies to access and manage information for personal or professional use. |
| Understanding and improving society | Understands the economic, legal, social and cultural issues in the use of information as a tool to promote and campaign to improve the quality of human life and to engage productively in relevant online communities. |
| Academic practice | Uses digital resources and learning materials to study and learn effectively in independent, formal and informal technology-rich environments to achieve goals. |
| Ethical scholarship | Participates in academic and professional practices that depend on digital systems, while demonstrating awareness of issues regarding content discovery, authority, reliability, provenance, license restrictions, adaption and purposes of sources. |
| Research awareness | Has clear awareness of current research within the discipline, and the ability to critically evaluate it. |
| Scientific research | Designs and undertakes research projects in the discipline for the advancement of knowledge. |
| Academic research | Seeks truth and new knowledge, which enhances social development. |
