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The Queen Mary Statement of Graduate Attributes
Summer 2010
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Queen Mary, University of London has a well-established reputation for the quality of its research, teaching and community involvement. Our student body is diverse and cosmopolitan, and many of our alumni hold leadership positions in their chosen fields. We believe this success is shaped by the quality of the educational, cultural and social experience Queen Mary, University of London provides. Indeed, it underpins many of our outstanding achievements in recent years. Maintaining the pre-eminence of our graduates in the current environment is challenging; and we remain committed to ensuring they progress successfully to the world of work and contribute effectively to their social and professional communities. To meet this commitment we aim to recruit the best students and to ensure they experience the highest quality of learning throughout their time here. Synergy between these factors produces outstanding graduates. At Queen Mary we are conscious of our distinctive features and through our Graduate Attributes framework we make explicit the behaviours, values, attributes, skills and knowledge we expect all our students to develop. We aim to produce graduates with both high levels of subject and professional expertise and the capabilities to exploit the distinctive attributes they develop while studying with us. By means of the Graduate
Attributes initiative these complementary dimensions will be manifested increasingly in all our graduates. This is an opportune time to launch an updated and contemporary view of what it is to be a graduate. We believe this approach will add value to our graduates and enable them to compete in an unpredictable market place. For external organisations we believe there is real merit in stating clearly the characteristics of Queen Mary graduates at the point where they enter the world beyond higher education. Clarity of this kind benefits all parties with a stake in the pool of talent our graduates represent.
Professor Simon Gaskell, Principal of Queen Mary
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The Queen Mary Statement of Graduate Attributes Queen Mary is a leading research-intensive institution that draws its students from a culturally diverse set of communities and that is committed to preparing its students for the complexities of the twenty-first century. But what should a 21st century Queen Mary student be capable of? Both government and employer groups are clear about their expectation: all higher education institutions should make the employability of their students central to their mission. To meet this challenge Queen Mary staff, students, recent alumni and selected employers have through a process of consultation produced this statement of graduate attributes. The purpose is to capture the distinctive features of our learning environment so that we can share it more explicitly with our students and their parents, all our staff and all those who wish to engage with the university and its graduates. The statement identifies seven attribute themes with detailed descriptors that are grouped into the categories of Vision and Realisation. The Vision descriptors embody the core attributes at the heart of the College’s framework for teaching and learning across the institution as a whole. The Realisation descriptors express ways in which our degree programmes are designed to develop in our students an understanding of their own unique capabilities. All seven attribute themes, taken together, reflect the most significant elements of the learning experience achievable through study and engagement in the wider Queen Mary student experience. By developing this statement we aim to foster a shared commitment to developing student opportunities for learning that are consistent with the mission and vision of Queen Mary, but are also focused on preparing our graduates for their future places in the modern world. Thus the intended use of the statement is to inform the review and enhancement of curriculum provision, provide a framework for students’ personal development planning, and provide support for student learning achieved through extra-curricular activities. The statement as set out in this document has been endorsed by the Academic Board and Queen Mary Senior Executive and is aligned with the Teaching and Learning Strategy 2010-2015. Resources to support the implementation of the statement are being made available to staff and details can be obtained from the Graduate Attributes Project web page (www.qmul.ac.uk/gacep).
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Our Commitment to Q Vision Engage critically with knowledge
Have a global perspective
Queen Mary is committed to developing graduates who: • acquire and apply knowledge in a rigorous way
Queen Mary is committed to developing graduates who: • accept the responsibilities that come from taking a global perspective
• connect information and ideas within their field of study
• recognise the value of operating in more than one language
• use writing for learning and reflection
• work effectively in diverse communities
• adapt their understanding to new and unfamiliar settings
• engage with the professional world
Realisation Rounded Intellectual Development
Clarity of Communication
While at Queen Mary, we expect our students to develop: • good judgement • curiosity and openness to change
While at Queen Mary, we expect our students to: • develop effective spoken and written English
• initiative and resilience in meeting challenges
• explain and argue clearly and concisely
• respect for the opinions of others and a readiness to act inclusively
• apply different forms of communication in various social, professional and cultural settings
• the ability to reflect upon and assess their own progress • transferable key skills to help them with their career goals and their continuing education As a result, Queen Mary graduates will be self-aware and responsible learners
• use communication technologies competently As a result, Queen Mary graduates will communicate effectively with a range of audiences
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Queen Mary Students Learn continuously in a changing world Queen Mary is committed to developing graduates who: • acquire new learning in a range of ways, both individually and collaboratively • possess the skills to influence, negotiate and lead • respond appropriately to criticism • use quantitative data confidently and competently
Research Capacity
Information Expertise
While at Queen Mary, we expect our students to: • grasp the principles and practices of their field of study
While at Queen Mary, we expect our students to: • identify information needs appropriate to different situations
• produce analyses which are grounded in evidence
• use technologies to access and interpret information effectively
• apply their analytical skills to investigate unfamiliar problems
• critically evaluate the reliability of different sources of information
• work individually and in collaboration with others
• use information for evidence-based decision-making and creative thinking
• develop a strong sense of intellectual integrity • acquire substantial bodies of new knowledge As a result, Queen Mary graduates will be able to extend their understanding through academic enquiry
As a result, Queen Mary graduates will be able to use information constructively and critically
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Find Out More About Queen Mary Queen Mary, University of London is one of London and the UK's leading higher education institutions. You can find out more about us by visiting: www.qmul.ac.uk
The Graduate Attributes Curriculum Enhancement Project A key purpose of the Graduate Attributes Statement is to inform curriculum development and enhancement and to promote innovative teaching practice and assessment across all degree programmes at Queen Mary. In developing the statement, consultations have been carried out with Queen Mary students, academic and non-academic staff, recent alumni and selected employers. The statement was endorsed by Queen Mary’s Academic Board on the 10th December 2009. A curriculum enhancement project has now started and you can follow progress with the project by visiting: www.qmul.ac.uk/gacep
Key contact
www.esd.qmul.ac.uk
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If you would like further information please contact: Dr Caroline Walker Employability Development Adviser Educational and Staff Development Francis Bancroft Building, 3rd Floor Queen Mary, University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS email: c.e.walker@qmul.ac.uk Tel: +44 20 7882 2820