Key Skills: comments archive

Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 12:39:16 +0100 (BST)
From: Camillus D. N. Kassala <cdnkassala2002@yahoo.co.uk>

Your paper on 'graduateness' is quite intriguing for a doctoral thesis student whose mother tongue is not English! I wonder: what impact does English as a medium of "education" have on the African students in their struggle to develop cognitive/crtical 'graduate qualities'?  Your paper assumes two things which are very fundamental in the whole concept of 'graduateness'. The assumptions are: (1) that higher "education" is culture neutral; and (2) international students in UK universities have been brought up in a Western philosophical system.

With the advent of globalization, the idea or concept of graduateness needs to be further investigated beyond the confines of rational, logical and critical philosophy that characterises Western "education".

You must have realized that every time I have used the word 'education' I have put it in quotation marks! The reason is simple: Education is different from schooling! The word education is too wide and inclusive to be used to denote what is usually called 'formal education'.

Perhaps what is higher 'education' in Western countries should be called higher 'schooling'. Education goes beyond the confines of academic walls and boundaries. Why should 'graduateness' be confined to what the "academic" community expects of a graduate? What of graduating from a non-academic type of education? Unless one attributes gradautaness to matters academic only!

Back too the first sentence of my comments: the use of English as a medium of education - or schooling - in the universities, or (for that matter) for international students as well puts such students at a disadvantage of not being able to meet the ecpectations of the academic community! If international students have to graduate in UK, then the impact of of a non-native language of instruction on developing 'graduateness' should be considered as well in terms of the development of cognitive/crtical attributes.

Camillus.

Subject: Graduate standards
Date: Wed, 13 May 1998
From: Terri Sharpe <sharpet@planet.curtin.edu.au>

I have read the 'latest' (not so recent now!) developments in the graduate standards programme and found it very interesting.

What are the latest developments in the 'graduateness' issue? I would be interested in talking to someone in a hands-on role in this project.

I am particularly interested in any ideas related to the measurement of the 'attributes' once a student has graduated. For example, in the workplace an employer could rate the degree to which the graduate displays evidence of possessing the attributes, and the degree to which these attributes were valued by the employer (seen to be important).

Has anyone done anything on this in particular? I would appreciate a nudge in the right direction as there is a lot of research being done but as yet I've found nothing on this exactly.

Regards,
Terri Sharpe

Subject: Honoursness
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996
From: w.p.race@unn.ac.uk (Phil Race)

There's quite a lot of talk about 'graduateness'. I'd be interested if anyone would like to take the debate one stage further into 'honoursness'?

Since in most degree programmes, decisions are made about what class of degree graduates deserve, it may prove interesting (and valuable for students) if we try to be more explicit about what we actually mean by 'honours'.

I hope it doesn't just boil down to 'I know a first class student when I see one'.