Assessing Quality in Higher Education: criteria for evaluating programmes for allied health professionals

ABSTRACT

Community expectations of a university education are high. New graduates are expected to possess ‘generic’ skills in addition to skills specifically related to the workplace. While it is generally agreed that graduates should acquire generic skills common across disciplines and fields of study, it has also been recognised that generic attributes must be considered in the context of individual disciplines. Sixty‐seven workplace supervisors of new graduates of the University of Sydney from five allied health professions strongly endorsed a set of ‘generic’ skills and attributes proposed by the University of Sydney as appropriate for all of its graduates. Workplace supervisors also commented on the workplace skills required by new graduates, and a questionnaire for evaluating the success of undergraduate programmes for allied health professionals was developed from these responses. Eleven reliable factors emerged from analysis of graduate responses to the questionnaire. The factors largely reflected the criteria nominated by the University of Sydney for all of its graduates. The workplace‐specific skills, however, may prove more informative to educators than the set of abstract generic attributes in terms of providing direction in curriculum development.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lynne M. Harris

LYNNE HARRIS is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney

Barbara J. Adamson

BARBARA J. ADAMSON is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney

Adrienne E. Hunt

ADRIENNE HUNT is a Lecturer in Physiotherapy, School of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney