An Online Student Portfolio for the

Development and Assessment of

Engineering Graduate Attributes
Stuart Palmer
Institute of Teaching and Learning
Deakin University, Australia

1
The STALGS project team
Dr Dale Holt – Institute of
Teaching and Learning

Dr Wayne Hall – School of

Engineering, University of
Plymouth

Dr Clive Ferguson – School of

Engineering and IT

2
Introduction
Internationally, engineering education
accrediting bodies have moved toward
outcomes-based assessment of graduate
competency

This is typically realised in the form of a list of

graduate attributes that students should
exhibit by the completion of their studies

3
Graduate attributes
Arising from the push in higher education for
quality assurance, accountability for outcomes
and capability of graduates, specifying a list of
qualities or capabilities that graduates will attain
provides a benchmark against which the
performance of a higher education institution
can be measured

4
Graduate attributes – Deakin Uni
Knowledge and understanding
 understanding of, and the ability to work with, a systematic body of knowledge, appropriate to the focus and
level of the qualification based on the highest standards of scholarship and research
and where research is undertaken:
 ability to initiate and formulate viable and relevant research questions
 contribution to new knowledge, or an original interpretation and application of existing knowledge
 understanding of the social, economic and cultural impact and application of their research, and its academic relevance
and value
 understanding of the professional, social, economic and cultural contexts of the discipline and related fields
 awareness of ethical issues, social responsibility and cultural diversity
 understanding and appreciation of international perspectives in a global environment.

Skills
 critical analysis, problem solving, and creative thinking
 Identifying, gathering, evaluating and using information
 communicating effectively and appropriately in a range of contexts
 developing, planning and managing independent work
 working effectively as part of a team
 effectively using information and communication technologies
 applying knowledge learned in the program to new situations.

5
Graduate attributes - Eng Aust

6
Eng Aust - Competency standard

7
Graduate attributes – a caveat
It is important to make the distinction between
processes which ensure that a program will
contain opportunities for student to learn and
practice desired attributes, and, processes
which seek to certify actual student
attainment of graduate attributes

8
2005 AUQA audit of Deakin
“…that Deakin University communicate to
students more effectively the nature and aims of
the Deakin Advantage [the then current name of
the suite of Deakin’s graduate attributes] and
assist them to document the discipline-specific
and generic skills they are developing
throughout their course.”
(Australian Universities Quality Agency, 2005, p. 19)

9
Engineering online portfolio trial aims
1. Translate both Deakin’s and Engineers Australia’s
graduate attributes into discipline-contextualised
attributes for engineering
2. Develop an on-line student portfolio system based
on WebCT Vista
3. Using a sub-set of these graduate attributes, embed
the use of the on-line student portfolio into the
assessment of that unit
4. Conduct a trial and evaluation of the portfolio

10
Graduate attributes selected
1. Proficiency in engineering design
2. Ability to communicate effectively, with the
engineering team and with the community at large
3. Manage own time and processes effectively,
prioritising competing demands to achieve personal
and team goals and objectives
4. Fluency in current computer-based word-processing
and graphics packages
5. Capacity for creativity and innovation

11
The assessable task
1. Evidence – Tangible evidence, in an
electronic form that demonstrates attainment
of the specified attribute

2. Reflection – (at least) 200 words that

demonstrates understanding of the
importance and relevance of the attribute

12
 Portfolio – engineering design

The design shown above was a design I drew up in CAD2 for university. This project was a pedal box for the Deakin Formulae SAE car,
the project was a group one, but I lead the team and also drew up the cad model. The model was to start out to be a very simple and easy
to manufacture pedal box, but once all the design specifications started to be checked off the list, the system become somewhat more
complex.
The car itself was tiny, there was not much room to mount anything, the pedals could be mounted from the top or the bottom, but pedals
mounted from the bottom would not leave enough room for legs etc. Using this constraint, a base was designed that would fit into the cars
nose that could be bolted on, then the pedals started to be designed. The biggest problem was designing the leverage required in the
design brief for the accelerator, this system needed extra linkages to accomplish this ratio. There were kill switches added into the design
on the brake pedal, and adjustable mount was made so the pedal could be moved for shorter drivers, however the design was a little too
heavy, so the base was modified to dramatically reduce weight.
I found the whole CAD2 unit to be fantastic, not only did I really enjoy the subject, it improved my problem solving and design
knowledge. This project made students start from scratch with a design problem, very similar to what would be given in an engineering
firm, then we were required to return with a design, an oral presentation to describe our progress and a full report showing the work
carried out, the research, costing, bill of materials etc. These are vital elements required by engineers and will be important to me in my
career, this knowledge will be dearly useful for my future as an engineer, as lateral thinking is required to solve problems in a simple but
effective way.

13
 Portfolio – engineering design *********************************************************************
My example of proficiency in engineering design is the "pontoon" code I have written *pontoon.asm
*15/8/05
for the Motorola 68HC11 microprocessor. To develop this program required *********************************************************************
CODE EQU $0100
considerable knowledge of the workings of this chip and the machine language required EOT EQU $04
to achieve these results. It required writing the code in a basic language, debugging it, VAR
STACK
EQU
EQU
$0000
$47
converting the language into machine code and finally downloading the machine code INCHAR EQU $FFCD
OUTA EQU $FFB8
onto the microcontroller so it could run the code and provide the desired result. These OUTSTRG EQU $FFC7
results came from studying a number of texts and the coursework presented in SEE 215. OUT1BYT EQU
STRINGS EQU
$FFBB
$B600

*********************************************************************
Engineering Design Proficiency - the problem presented is solved comprehensively ORG VAR
and efficiently in a maintainable format with minimal resources. CARD1
RESULT
RMB 4
RMB 1
CRESULT RMB 1
To write good proficient code a programmer is required to fulfil OPT l
several steps (methodology). The first step is to develop requirements that will ensure ORG CODE BEGIN THE GAME
the objective is reached, then to construct a flowchart around these requirements, LDY #$0 INITIALISE Y REGISTER FOR COUNTER
LDS #STACK INITIALISE STACK
ensuring logical flow and preventing repetition, and finally for the program code to be LDX #PLAYMSG ASK PERSON IF THEY WANT TO PLAY
written. JSR
PLAYON JSR
OUTSTRG
INCHAR DETERMINE THEIR ANSWER
CMPA #'Q PLAYER WILL NOT PLAY ON
BEQ SHUTDOWN
Proficiency in writing this code is paramount because the chip has minimal resources CMPA #'C PLAYER WILL PLAY ON
especially in reference to memory. Therefore in order to meet the projects objectives the BNE WRONG1 INVALID CHARACTER ENTERED
BEQ ANOTHA GO TO GAME SUBROUTINE
code needed to be concise. This required a comprehensive knowledge of the coding TCARD STAA CARD1,Y STORE PLAYER'S FIRST CARD
INY
language to help reveal the simplest and smallest solution. JMP ANOTHA GET ANOTHER CARD
Unfortunately I was not able to find the flowchart I constructed for STAA CARD1,Y STORE PLAYER'S 2ND CARD
INY
this particular program to demonstrate the way it was developed to ensure proficiency. JMP COMPUTER GET THE COMPUTER'S CARDS
CALC JMP SUM SUM PLAYER'S CARDS TOGETHER
However it is evident from its structured layout Its comprehensive comments (ensuring END JMP $E000 END PROGRAM
the program code can be followed easily and updated if needed), and its compact format
also show that this program was built with optimisation and accessibility in mind. ******************************************************************************************
SHUTDOWN
Having fulfilled this criterion, it can be seen that proficiency in engineering design has LDX #CLOSE DISPLAY CLOSING MESSAGE
been achieved. JSR OUTSTRG
JMP $E000 RETURN TO BUFFALO MONITOR

******************************************************************************************
WRONG1
LDX #STRING2 INFORM USER OF INCORRECT INPUT
14
 Portfolio – communicate effectively
During the summer break 2005/2006 I participated in a vacation employment program with Qenos, website
http://www.qenos.com/. Qenos is Australia’s largest manufacturer of polyethylene and petrochemicals.
During my three months there I was involved in two projects: Opportunity
• Project planning for the removal of a polyethylene extruder and installation of a new larger extruder. Greece – Cancelled
Extruder held in storage petrochemical project mid
• Design of an adaptor sleeve for an agitator that fits to a mixing vessel since cancelled project 1980’s

This document will discuss my role in the project and how I effectively communicated with other team
members and management. The project involved the removal of a 15 inch polyethylene extruder and the
installation of a new 18 inch extruder. My role was to plan how the project would be executed and produce
a Gantt chart that shows all the tasks and in what order they will be done in. My previous experience as a
fitter and tuner gave me a good understanding of the durations needed to perform some of the tasks. My role
involved a lot of communication with civil and mechanical contractors who were to perform the installation
as well as the other Qenos engineering team members involved with the project. Meetings were held at
regular intervals to keep every team member up to date of the project status and at these team meetings I
would take notes and arrange to catch up with other team members such as Electrical & Instrumentation to
get there task duration estimates which were out of my area of expertise. I would also detail progress of the Purchased at reduced price from
project plan at these meetings. Towards the end of my vacation employment and the week previous to the Texas & shipped to Melbourne
installation of the new extruder I did a presentation of the project and what my role was to Qenos
management and engineering staff. The presentation was for approximately 15 minutes and was conducted
using a Power Point Presentation. Following the presentation questions were taken and answered or referred
to someone else. It was important for me to make the presentation as visual as possible so that the audience
could understand the project better as a lot of people in the audience were not involved in the project. To
make it as visual as possible photos were used. The presentation was conducted successfully and I received
a lot of good feedback afterwards and was also offered a graduate position with the company. Attached is
the Power Point Presentation that I put together. Also attached is my poster presentation for my final year
project. I have also attached a Word document that I had to write for the HR department who wanted to
know what we were doing during our vacation employment so they could publish it in the company
newsletter.

15
 Portfolio – communicate effectively
Nahavandi and Ferguson (2000) define communication as the flow of energy between people resulting in a mutual understanding. In this report I’ll be reflecting on my past
experiences with oral and written presentations.
My spoken English communication skills and experiences began when I attended a coarse run by Toastmasters International. Toastmasters is movement that, through its
member clubs, is dedicated to helping people improve their communication skills so they become better speakers and leaders (Toastmasters International 2006).
Through my undergraduate course at Deakin University, I’ve been involved in numerous oral and written presentations. For example in SEE325 – Robotics and Applications I
submitted a paper called “Electrical Safety Considerations when Designing Robot Systems”. In addition, I performed an oral presentation on the key elements of the paper.
The presentation, with electronic visual aids, was filmed and submitted to Deakin University. For SEJ343 – Design and Project Methodology, I participated in a project to
design and develop a personal computer ‘Monitor Lifting Stand’ with a group of six engineering students from different streams. The project included an oral presentation of
the design, with each member presenting his/her contribution to fellow students and lecturers. Each member developed their own visual aid slides for their segment and then
collated them towards the final draft.
At work I have been involved in presenting various product training courses to fellow employees and engineering clients. In particular, I run a course for industrial electrical
maintenance staff on faultfinding proprietary motion controllers. Visual aids such as electronic slides and demonstration units assist trainees understand the course content.
Toastmasters has taught me the basics of public speaking and thinking clearly in awkward situations. The paper taught me the fundamentals of writing, especially the
structure and referencing. My experience with oral presentations has shown me to strive towards presenting clearly with minimum use of hand notes and adhering to the
time constraints. The group work enhanced the notion of communicating effectively with other engineers to achieve a common objective. Presenting training courses in
the workplace has driven my skills into the professional realm. Even though daunting at first, the thrill of the listener grasping your topic or idea is very rewarding.

16
 Portfolio – personal management
Time management is planning the usage of our time with activities. This is to ensure that activities that require less attention do not supersede important ones. This in turn
brings peace of mind at the end of the day. The time management is important for engineers as it plans their workload at the start to the end of their work and pursued to other
duties. Last minutes work and not following the schedule planned are never good strategies as it could lead to a persons goals not being achieved on time or not at all.

The time management contributes a lot of importance to our work, and our daily life as well. The time management can abolish the expenditure of excess time by assigning
appropriate time to mission and this will ensure project are will not deserted at the end. The time management will also make a person independent as he is in control his own
life and activities. For every activity listed, an approximation of how much time needed is compared to its value.

The time management helps me to develop a time table since the

day I enrolled to Deakin University. The time that I have
allocated for the assignments and my oral presentations has
facilitated the on time submission without any delay. I have also
allocated some time to concentrate on my final year project. As
the supervisor has instructed earlier, a Gantt chart was
constructed with a list of all my activities proposed to complete
the project. As of now, through following the Gantt chart, I have
already completed a portion of my final year project according
to schedule.

This proves that time management is very extremely crucial in

order to complete my project on time without any hassle.

17
 Portfolio – personal management
Effective university study and managing a professional career demand good time management, especially to maximise results and strike a balance with family/social life. I
have learnt that developing a clear plan that identifies tasks to be completed with associated completion times and then recording and measuring against this initial plan is an
effective time management aid.
For example, for my university studies I combine each unit’s assignment work activity and due dates along with the normal week to week study on to one Excel spread sheet
(added as evidence). I then regularly update the sheet, which calculates approximately how far behind or in front I am at that point. A quick glance at the sheet also shows what
areas I should place a higher priority on in the shorter term – or indeed when I need to allocate additional study time to get through a busier period.
Using my simple time management tool does require a little additional work to set up and maintain; however, its return is well worth the over head in terms of being better
organised and less stressed. Progressing large projects at work certainly requires a higher level of management. Typically this management includes task identification,
estimation of work required for each task, and since major milestones are often set, working back from these events by identifying activity predecessors is often useful. I use
Microsoft Project to help schedule project activities, I have submitted an example schedule from last year as an example.
As a Tactical Coordinator on the AP-3C Orion long range maritime
patrol aircraft, I am very familiar with defining team goals and
managing a crew of twelve to fourteen people to achieve them. My
pre-flight briefing always outlines what objectives are set for the
crew both as a whole and for each crew position. During flight I
normally provide updates to the whole crew every 15 minutes or so
to ensure the whole team understands the current situation and
priorities. In this way the whole team feels they understand the task
enough to contribute their ideas, often increasing the effectiveness
of the team as a whole.
I have learnt through my engineering studies and professional work
that time management is essential in achieving and maintaining
high productivity. I have also found that setting team goals and
continually updating them allows the team to be much more
effective as a whole.

18
 Portfolio – computer competence
Since I have joined the Deakin University study program, I have gained so much knowledge. This consists in the theoretical and
practical. To me, both of it is equally important as they are the required skill which essential in the next chapter of my working life
next time.
On the account of this, the computing skill has to be exceptionally good in order to survive in this competitive world. Computing
does not only consist of software alone. It includes some hardware as well. It means that the hardware have to be able to interface
with the data signaling which has been provided by the data base at the computer.
It is important that the program have to be able to cope with the simulation which required in order testing the functionality of any
project before hardware is build. The computing skill has to be understood in depth as the project progress. Schematic Diagram and
the Circuit Layout shown above prove that the ability of understanding of the computing skill is crucial in order to build a project.
Besides that, computing skill includes the implementation of the paper work and preparing the presentation slides as well. The
Progress Report (Microsoft Words) and the Gantt Chart (Microsoft Project) can be used to throw up a thesis. Not to forget, the
Microsoft Power Point and Corel Draw is important as well. These 2 software are use for making slides which can be used for the
Project Presentation and Poster as well.
It is well know that the communication and information sharing is very important in order to complete a certain project efficient and
preserve valuable time. That is why the email and Messenger is provided in order to provide this functionality. There are many
providers. For example, they can be Yahoo Inc., Microsoft MSN, and Google and so on.
The following are my skills that I have gained in Computing;
 Software programming (Basic Programming, C++)
 Microsoft Visual Basic
 Microsoft Project
 Microsoft Power Point
 CorelDraw Graphic Suite X3
 Protel 99 SE
 Matlab Student 5.3
 Eagle Layout Editor, And so on.....

19
 Portfolio – computer competence
For an engineer, the fluency in current computer based word processing is vital for documentation and also good in graphic design helps them to present the idea to the
audience both technical and non technical in a clearer view. For me, I have a fluency in word based processing such as Microsoft Words (Shown in Figure 2) for
documentation, Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (shown in Figure 1) and also Microsoft Power Point Presentation (Shown in Figure 3). All of the stated above enhance me to
make my oral presentation to my supervisor and fellow students (MS PowerPoint), present a graph figure to prove a theory found (MS Excel) and documentation of my
thesis during undergraduate studies (MS Words).
As we all know pictures and graphics speaks a thousand words. Therefore for an engineer to present an idea, all they need to do is present them in graphic form. There are a
few graphic software that I’ve learned and able to deliver some model by using them. They are namely 3D Drawing using Google Sketch Up (Figure 4), PCB Layout and
schematic design using Protel 99 (Figure 5), Circuit Simulation using MultiSIM 7(Figure 6), and simulation of source code using 8051IDE Simulator (Figure 7).
The 3D-Drawing using Google Sketch Up enhances me to present my idea in a 3D view where I present my idea of my final year project in dept to my audiences. The layout
of my project is drawn by this software as referred to Figure 4. I’ve used the Protel 99 software to model my PCB Layout and schematic. Figure 5 shows the PCB Layout of
my circuit name Control Panel. In this software all I need is to draw the schematic and the entire program can route the PCB layout for me. This will then ease my workload
and result obtained is up to the requirement.
MultiSIM 7 is used to simulate my result of the stepper motor as shown in Figure 6. From this simulation I can verify my results obtained from the experiment with the result
obtain from the simulation. Circuit needs to be drawn in order to simulate the result using MultiSIM 7. 8051 IDE Simulator is used to simulate the Pentium Assembly
Language and if the error in the source code that I’ve written the appropriate error will be flagged in that particular register. I’ve used this simulator to track the error during
designing the software for the 8051 microcontroller as shown in Figure 7.

20
 Portfolio – creativity and innovation
Creativity is “the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new
solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form”, while an innovation is
“the successful exploitation of [the] new idea.” (ukIDEA, 2006). Thus it is clear to see that innovation
doesn’t exist without creativity. In this reflective piece I will take an example of a group project I was
involved in to illustrate my abilities to use creativity to produce an innovative product.
In my first year of my engineering degree a team of six people including myself were given the chance
to design a method to harvest olives. At the time, research found that there were only two main methods
to harvest olives firstly to use a mechanical harvester or using secondly to use a handheld rake. Both
methods showed large undesirable characteristics, because the mechanical harvester was found to
damage the olive trees and the fruit and also required level ground to operate, while the rake required
large amounts of manual labor and once the olives had been picked they had to be collected in some
way.
To come up with a creative idea, the team created a survey to send out to olive growers to identify the
information about their crop including their preferred method of harvest, they amount of trees they have
and the amount of fruit they expect to pick each season. After correlating the results and undergoing our
own research, the team was able to brainstorm on the survey results gathered and the olive harvesting
methods already available to come up with the final design direction The final design direction using a
‘rake-like’ approach and each member of the group was sent away to design and come up with their
own creative ideas. After meeting again with the team and each of us presenting our creative ideas, one
of my ideas was voted the highest design and with slight modifications a final design was produced.
The evidence included in this report shows the original sketches of my creative and innovative design,
which used a rake-and-suction collection system to harvest the olives. This method still involved raking
the trees but time and effort was reduced when it came to collecting the olives as the suction system
(that used the PTO on the back of a tractor) collected the olives immediately and didn’t damage the
trees nor olives as much as the mechanical harvester. Hence the team was able to create an affordable
and practical solution to olive picking.

21
Portfolio – creativity and innovation
 Hydraulic
 Electric
Lifting Mechanism


Pneumatic
Screw Auger Power Source  Petrol Engine In a recent project I used several creative thinking techniques to
 Lever  Manual stimulate my thoughts and aid in the solution generation process.
 Pulley
The attached evidence includes a brainstorming activity I did while
designing a premixer. This exercise was surprisingly useful and gave
me many good ideas and highlighted which aspects of the design
Cost were of the most importance. The benefit of creative thinking
 Low sales cost
exercises is that even when I seem to be suffering from ‘writers
 Low Manufacturing block’, it stimulates the thought process and can produce some clever
 Materials
ideas that may not have been thought of previously because the focus
remained on existing concepts. The application of these exercises in
the work place would be crucial to exploring all avenues and
producing a superior solution.
Premixer Specifications

Another interesting problem solving technique is TRIZ. It is defined

as the theory of inventive problem solving and can be thought of
Materials more as an enhancement technique. My group and I used this
method to improve certain aspects of a car hoist, to simplify the
 Carbon Fibre
o Lightweight
design and produce alternative solutions. This system can be applied
o High strength to almost any machine, process or problem and works by suggesting
o Expensive
 Mild Steel
Structure/Stability
ways for solving technical contradictions. I am not yet proficient in
o Strong
o Easily manufactured
this method but I can certainly see the benefits from the application to
o Heavy  Tripod legs engineering industry.
o Low cost  Attachment to mixer
 Aluminium  Guy ropes
o Strong Safety
 Strong construction
o Lightweight  Low centre of gravity
o Low cost  Low loading height
 Warning labels
 Stable construction
 Pinch points
 Easily lifted and dumped

22
 Start of semester details
Number of valid responses Total class enrolment Response rate
48 79 60.8 percent
Mean age Standard deviation Age range Median Age
26.3 years 7.94 years 20 to 50 years 23 years
Characteristic Respondent sample Class population Significance test
Female 6.4 percent 5.1 percent Small sample Binomial
Male 93.6 percent 94.9 percent p > 0.43
On-campus 68.8 percent 65.8 percent Chi square test

Off-campus 31.2 percent 34.2 percent χ21 = 0.12, p > 0.73

23
 Previously used hardcopy portfolio?
100%

80%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
Post-test

40%
14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

24
 Previously used electronic portfolio?
100%

80%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
Post-test

40%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

25
 Aware of graduate attributes?
100%

80%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
Post-test
45.8%
40%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

26
 Engineers Aust. has graduate attributes?
100%

80%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8%
40%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

27
 Deakin has graduate attributes?
100%

80%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

28
 Study, assessment & graduate attributes?
100%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

29
2005 AUQA audit of Deakin
“…that Deakin University communicate to
students more effectively the nature and aims of
the Deakin Advantage [the then current name of
the suite of Deakin’s graduate attributes] and
assist them to document the discipline-specific
and generic skills they are developing
throughout their course.”
(Australian Universities Quality Agency, 2005, p. 19)

30
 Study, assessment & graduate attributes?
100%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

31
 Understand purpose of student portfolio?
100%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8% 43.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

32
 End of semester details
Number of valid responses Total class enrolment Response rate
50 70 71.4 percent
Mean age Standard deviation Age range Median Age
25.3 years 7.24 years 20 to 50 years 22 years
Characteristic Respondent sample Class population Significance test
Female 6.0 percent 5.7 percent Small sample Binomial
Male 94.0 percent 94.3 percent p > 0.54
On-campus 78.0 percent 72.9 percent Chi square test

Off-campus 22.0 percent 27.1 percent χ21 = 0.41, p > 0.52

33
 Understand purpose of student portfolio?
100%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8% 43.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

34
 Aware of graduate attributes?
100%
100.0%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8% 43.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

35
 Engineers Aust. has graduate attributes?
100%
100.0% 96.0%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8% 43.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

36
 Deakin has graduate attributes?
100%
100.0% 96.0% 94.0%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8% 43.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

37
 Study, assessment & graduate attributes?
100%
100.0% 96.0% 94.0% 94.0%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8% 43.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

38
 Understand purpose of student portfolio?
100%
100.0% 96.0% 94.0% 94.0% 96.0%

80%
66.7%
% Agreement

60% Pre-test
52.1%
Post-test
45.8% 43.8%
40% 33.3%
14.6% 14.6%
20%

0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Previously used hardcopy portfolio? 5. Aware that Deakin University has a list of graduate attributes?
2. Previously used electronic portfolio? 6. Link between study & assessment, and development of GAs?
3. Aware of the concept of graduate attributes? 7. Understand the purpose of a student professional portfolio?
4. Aware that Engineers Australia has a list of graduate attributes?

39
E-portfolio – frequency of usage

40
E-portfolio – ease of use

41
A couple of student comments
“I…thought the portfolio was an excellent idea,
as I hadn’t realised how much I have achieved
until I did it. It will help me immensely in putting
together a resume.”

“Made me feel like I am working towards

something, and haven’t been wasting time.”

42
Conclusions
A trial of an online student portfolio as a means
of engaging undergraduate engineering
students with the concept of graduate attributes
was undertaken

The awareness of issues relating to graduate

attributes rose dramatically from the beginning
of the semester

43
Conclusions
The online portfolio system has helped some
students better appreciate the entirety of their
work during their studies, and how it relates to
tangible outcomes like employability

These results suggest one strategy that can be

used to raise awareness and student
engagement with graduate attributes

44
Thank you for your time

45