04/08/23 1

Making transitions from academic literacy to

professional literacy: the nexus of the practical

and the theoretical.

04/08/23 2

PEPE INC 2008

Jan Millwater ( Dr.)

President, PEPE INC . Journal Editor.

Faculty of EducationQueensland University of TechnologyKELVIN GROVE  Q  4059

Brisbane ( temperature 29 degrees C) Australia.

04/08/23 3

Transitions Learning and Employability

I wish to acknowledge the work contributed by the QUT team- Professor Peter

Taylor-ED,

Dr Robyn Nash- Health,

Deidre Seeto - MD,

Melinda Service- Health,

Christy Collis &, Shaaron Boughen - Creative Industries.

04/08/23 4

Key words

Transitions

tertiary literacy

graduate attributes

graduate capabilities

employability skills

transferable skills

lifelong learning.

professional literacy

04/08/23 5

Methodology literature search into government and university

reports on university/employers needs with regard to employability

interviews with staff (especially course leaders and coordinators)

students in focus groups an analysis of reports from final year students in

capstone units (Internships and the Education Faculty Stepping Out Conference)

case studies of exemplary teaching and learning events and strategies

our own stories/experiences.

04/08/23 6

Conceptual framework

Department of Education Science and Training, 2006 ;

Business Industry and Higher Education Collaboration Council, 2007;

Watts, 2006; Yorke & Knight, 2006; Washer, 2007; Association of Graduate Careers

Advisory Services, 2005.

04/08/23 7

Transitions Learning

students’ sense of themselves, as individuals and as learners

the sense-of-self that students are challenged to re-construct in order to achieve transition

Commitment to change

04/08/23 8

Transition phases over time. Taylor, P. G., Millwater, J., & Nash, R. (2007).

Talking about transitions: the value of a conceptual approach (p. 3).

Figure 1: Transition phases over time

04/08/23 9

Employabilty

assumes the ability to effectively apply knowledge and a range of skills which workers need to enter and continue to use effectively within work environments.

is contained within graduate attributes of the individual

should not be confused with simply getting employment

04/08/23 10

Graduate Attributes

the qualities, skills and understandings a university community agrees its students would desirably develop during their time at the institutions (Bowden, Hart, King, Trigwell, & Watts, 2000)

shape the contribution they are able to make to their profession and as well as a citizen…

04/08/23 11

Graduate capabilities

equivalent to employability skills and are generic across the university

generic to a whole range of life and work contexts

04/08/23 12

Tertiary literacies v. Professional literacies

04/08/23 13

Professional Literacy

As work-ready preservice professionals make the transition out of university they look forward to being further professionally developed within a new environment by their employers

PL cannot be attained until a job is attained – extension of levels of attributes

Context variables shape new learning

04/08/23 14

Articulation of GA into PL.

In using a Learning Continuum concept an appreciation of the particular principles listed below generate the deep learning ability which forms integrated knowledge and understanding and attitudes

Acquisition Application Personalisation Actualisation

04/08/23 15

Institution embeddednesss In particular, the four recommendations of the

project, with reference to course curriculum design ,are these:

All courses draw on a shared QUT-wide understanding of and language for transitions

All courses systematically scaffold students’ understanding, confidence, and self-management of their transitions into new professional environments thorugh enlightened and engaging teaching and learning processes

All courses systematically scaffold the development of students’ employability

All three above be embedded in the core curriculum and must be monitored and evaluated through a university wide assessment scheme..

04/08/23 16

Thank you

Please email me on

j.millwater@qut.edu.au

For paper (incl. references.)