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Australian universities, generic skills and lifelong learning

The concept of lifelong learning implies a cycle where the learner contributes prior learning into a new learning e ... Show more
The concept of lifelong learning implies a cycle where the learner contributes prior learning into a new learning environment and sees that learning upgraded. In recent years, a range of internal and external pressures have encouraged Australian universities to identify the meta or generic skills embedded in tertiary study. Using a content analysis of relevant university policy documents, this study assesses how the Australian higher education sector has presented this discussion through the notion of ‘graduate attributes’ and then analyses the implications of this conceptual transition. This article argues that the shift from a notion of generic skills to graduate attributes both reinforces and encourages universities to concentrate their participation in lifelong learning at one particular end of the cycle. This study suggests that, whilst informal experience is increasingly incorporated into university admission processes and even into credit for courses, progression towards a more equitable and accessible higher education sector remains patchy at best.
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Authors: Pitman, Tim; Broomhall, Susan

Date: 2009

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Article

Journal title: International journal of lifelong education

Subjects: Lifelong learning; Higher education; Pathways ... [+] Show more
Australian higher education equity ranking project: final report

This project was conducted by a team from Curtin University and the Australian Council for Educational Research and ... Show more
This project was conducted by a team from Curtin University and the Australian Council for Educational Research and funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment through the National Priorities Pool Program (NPPP). This report details the findings of a feasibility study for the Department of Education and Training (DET) into the development of a higher education student equity ranking index. The purpose of the study was to determine whether it was possible to measure higher education equity performance at the institutional level and convey each institution's relative performance through an 'equity rank'. The ranking was to be based on institutional performance in regard to equity-group students, including students from low socio-economic backgrounds; students from regional/remote areas of Australia; Indigenous students; students with disability; and students from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Edited excerpt from publisher's website. Show less

Authors: Pitman, Tim; Koshy, Paul; Edwards, Daniel; Zhang, Liang-Cheng ... [+] Show more

Date: 2019

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Providers of education and training; Higher education; Equity ... [+] Show more

Australian universities, generic skills and lifelong learning

Australian higher education equity ranking project: final report