A Whole-of-program Approach to the Development of Generic and Professional Skills in a University Accounting Program

Abstract

This paper describes a strategy for conducting a whole-of-program review of the teaching of generic skills in a university Accounting program. Importantly, the strategy also builds the longer-term capacity of accounting staff to maintain the relevance and coherence of their program. In a systematic process, Accounting staff first map the courses they teach, ensuring alignment between generic skills and objectives, and objectives and teaching and assessment activities. On the basis of the individual course maps, an Accounting program map is then developed. The information contained in the program map is subsequently analysed to provide data about the depth to which generic skills are being taught. This analysis underpins a review of the teaching of generic skills by all academic staff teaching on the Accounting program and, as discussed, can lead to changes in objectives, teaching activities and teaching methods. The strategy thus builds in academic staff an awareness of and the capacity to apply effective course design principles while at the same time improving generic skill learning outcomes for students.

Keywords:

• Generic skills
• professional skills
• graduate attributes
• competencies
• teaching development

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to Associate Professor Chris Lambert who suggested development of this article and provided feedback on its first draft.

Notes

The term ‘course’ refers to a subject or unit that forms part of a degree program.

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Throughout this paper the term ‘assessment’ will be used to refer to strategies for evaluating students' performance or achievement; ‘evaluation’ will be used to refer to strategies related to assurance of learning or feedback on course or program efficacy in terms of specified learning outcomes.

As indicated in the second section of this paper, the terms ‘professional skills’ and ‘generic skills’ are often used synonymously. Here, they essentially both refer to generic skills, but the term ‘professional skills’ is used to denote the generic skills specifically related to professional body or workplace requirements.