USW 2030 Curriculum Design Principles

Develops Professionalism and Learner Autonomy

The USW 2030 curriculum develops the skills, knowledge and attributes to support learners’ ability and confidence to adapt to the changing nature of employment and act as ethical citizens and the change-makers of the future.

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The curriculum develops and supports a sense of belonging, professional identity and the development of USW Graduate Attributes. Scaffolded design will enable learners to develop self-direction as critically reflective lifelong learners, agile and confident in changing employment and global contexts.

In embedding this principle, USW course teams reflect on questions such as:

  • How does the course enable learners to develop and apply the USW Graduate Attributes?
  • What is in place to ensure the course meets current and future industry/employment demands?

Where this principle is fully embedded, these reflections will evidence a curriculum:

  • That actively promotes adaptability and flexibility by building in increasingly complex (employment/community-led) challenges that demand critical thinking and networking, promoting the capability to live with uncertainty and ambiguity, and building confidence in decision making.
  • Where employability skills and opportunities to develop USW Graduate Attributes are fully embedded within the course.
  • Where the course promotes choice in both learning and assessment, providing students with scaffolded opportunities for autonomy.

A wheel with different headings relating to the curriculum design principles. Autonomy is highlighted in blue.

A Short Guide, with a Checklist

To help you implement the 'Develops Professionalism and Learner Autonomy' USW Curriculum Design Principle, we have produced a short guide providing you with its role in curriculum design and assessment; the USW context which applies to it; information about literature supporting this principle; links to further reading; and a checklist to help you identify how well the principle is embedded in your modules.

Download our guide to 'Develops Professionalism and Learner Autonomy'
For further reading, literature informing our thinking around developing professionalism and learner autonomy includes, but is not limited to:

Bridgstock, R., 2009. The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: Enhancing graduate employability through career management skills. Higher education research & development, 28(1), pp.31-44.
Clarke, M., 2018. Rethinking graduate employability: The role of capital, individual attributes and context. Studies in higher education, 43(11), pp.1923-1937.
Clifford, V.A., 1999. The development of autonomous learners in a university setting. Higher Education Research & Development, 18(1), pp.115-128.
Inouye, K., Lee, S. and Oldac, Y.I., 2023. A systematic review of student agency in international higher education. Higher Education, 86(4), pp.891-911.
Tomlinson, M. and Jackson, D., 2021. Professional identity formation in contemporary higher education students. Studies in Higher Education, 46(4), pp.885-900.

Want to know more about our Curriculum Design Principles? Select an icon below to find out more:

USW 2030 Curriculum Design Principles

About the principles
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Develops professionalism and learner autonomy.

Autonomy

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Presents unsolved problems and challenges as central to learning.

Challenge

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Is co-designed with all stakeholders.

Co-design

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Encourages active, collaborative and interdisciplinary learning.

Collaboration

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Enables digital fluency within the academic discipline.

Digital

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Designed for inclusivity

Inclusivity

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Is informed by cutting edge research and practice.

Research-led

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Instigates a positive impact and transformation on society.

Sustainability