Designing and mapping a generic attributes curriculum for science undergraduate students: a faculty-widecollaborative project

Despite much emphasis in the recent literature (including a special issue of Higher Education Research and Development in 2004), the implementation of generic attributes curricula have been patchy, both within and between universities worldwide (Barrie 2006; Jones 2002; Drummond, Nixon and Wiltshire 1998). However, the benefits of explicitly incorporating generic graduate attributes into the undergraduate curriculum are widely recognised (see reviews by Barrie 2006; Jones 2002): the identification of generic graduate attributes should focus the planning, implementation and evaluation of curricula by faculties and schools so that teaching and learning strategies and assessment activities reflect a commitment to supporting students to achieve generic skills and capabilities, as well as discipline-related knowledge and skills. As a result, students will be better prepared for the workplace, having developed a broad range of capabilities such as problemsolving, critical evaluation and teamwork in addition to discipline-related expertise (Candy 2000).