Graduate Attribute Framework
Education for a complex world
For a 21st century facing cascading crises including global pandemics, climate change impacts and inequalities and social and economic disruption sustainability education is more critical than ever. We need to develop students (and a curriculum) that have sustainability capabilities - the skills, knowledge and mindsets that allow graduates to become deeply committed to building a more sustainable future. They cut across disciplines at Western in both our undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum.
Western's new dedicated 'Sustainability' Graduate Attribute addresses this need and is committed to developing graduates who can "contribute to a sustainable, diverse, and socially-just world." Find out more about how to incorporate sustainability capabilities (opens in a new window) into your learning and teaching.
Western Graduate Attribute and Sustainability Capabilities
(PDF, 245.99 KB)
Our Approach
Our approach to our ‘Sustainability’ Graduate Attribute is to incorporate sustainability capabilities that focus on what a graduate can do as much as what they learn, and to develop students and graduates who can critically envision better futures and take action towards it.
We have themed these capabilities as Think (cognitive), Care (socio-emotional) and Do (praxis) with suggested teaching content for our academics that can be used to support collaborative, participatory and action orientated learning. It is important to recognise that these must be situated within larger knowledge and values systems of caring for Country, scientific Earth systems boundaries and a commitment to social justice and cultural diversity. These can be taught a different levels:
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