This course involves a high degree of independent study in consultation with the Course Coordinator. Only three on-campus class meetings are involved.

This is typically the final course for the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education and the final or penultimate course for the Master of Higher Education. It constitutes a capstone course, providing the opportunity to integrate what has been learned from each previous course in the program, and build on this to provide holistic learning outcomes for the GradCert HE or MHE as a whole program. In the MHE this may be followed by an extended action research project, building on the course learning outcomes.

There are three main elements to the course:

1. an integrated review of participants' learning and development during the GradCert HE or the MHE so far;
2. the diagnosis of developmental priorities for participants' future professional practice; and
3. a professional inquiry into their practice.
   

Ideally these strands are seamlessly woven together in any given participants' study plan.

The integrated review requires participants to integrate and synthesise the outcomes of the various assessment portfolios compiled during each of the previous elective courses undertaken in the program. The review should draw together the learning that came about during past courses, and link this to specific arguments or items presented in each of the course portfolios previously compiled. Relevant components of past course portfolios should be appended, as required.

The diagnosis of developmental priorities should emerge out of the integrated review, but look to the future rather than the past. Participants should highlight emerging issues and priorities for their own professional practice and ongoing professional development. One of these issues should then be selected for further investigation through the professional inquiry activity.

The professional inquiry requires participants to engage in a systematic inquiry into an aspect of their own practice, with the aim of furthering their professional learning and development in line with the key issues and priorities that they have identified for themselves. Typically, participants would select a particular situation in their own practice where there is sufficient time available prior to completion of this final course for them to review their current approach, plan a new or modified approach, try it out and acquire some feedback, then appraise the results in terms of their original intent. Situations could include, for example: the preparation and presentation of a specific lecture or lecture sequence; redesign and trial of a novel piece of assessment, a change in a specific management approach with a School; the development of a new management structure or process (eg, workload model), a modification to interaction with research students, etc.

Course Website

The capstone course should complete participants' progress towards achieving the intended outcomes of the Grad Cert Program as a whole, i.e., to have developed the knowledge, skills and commitment to:

• engage in the ongoing diagnosis of their own individual professional learning and development priorities (informed by literature, practice and their own professional context);

• develop, implement and evaluate outcomes of plans and actions in pursuit of these priorities; and

• feel prepared to undertake an educational leadership and mentoring role in their professional workplace.

Assessment is by a professional practice portfolio, due at the end of semester, comprising outcomes of the integrated review and any supporting materials, the diagnosis of participants' professional development issues and priorities, and a report on the conduct of a professional inquiry into participants' practice. It should provide a negotiated selection of the following:

• a review of participants' professional learning during the Graduate Program to date (or equivalent experience), together with a selection of highlights via identification of critical incidents leading to any insights or new understandings into participants' practice (eg, with respect to undergraduate teaching, graduate supervision and/or academic leadership and management, etc);
• a selection of the key ideas and new understandings gleaned from a range of educational literature;
• participants' application of these new understandings to the continuous diagnosis of their own individual professional learning and development needs;
• an account of a systematic inquiry into participants' own practice;
• an interpretation of the outcomes of this inquiry, especially in terms of the implications for participants' future practice, and possibilities for further such inquiries;
• or as negotiated with the Course Coordinator.

Customised approaches to the integrated review, diagnosis and professional inquiry will be negotiated and agreed with each participant. At the same time, advice can be sought about relevant literature that could be consulted.

Assessment links to learning outcomes

This assessment supports and evaluates participants' achievement of the desired learning outcomes through:

1. benchmarking of participants' learning against the program goals and objectives as part of the Integrated Review;
2. clarification of participants' future professional development priorities as part of the Professional Development Diagnosis;
   
3. and the conduct of a professional inquiry into participants' practice.

Assessment of this course will be determined as satisfactory/unsatisfactory, based on the portfolio as a whole. Drafts of components of the portfolio should be prepared and reviewed with the Course Coordinator progressively throughout the duration of enrolment. Participants should allow time for at least one or two final drafts of the professional practice portfolio (or components of the portfolio) to be submitted for feedback prior to the end of the course.

This course involves 3 intensive class meetings of up to 6 hours each, and individual consultations as required. Individual consultations will be negotiated with the Course Coordinator. As a 6 unit course, the total workload shouold approximate 120 hours, mostly spent in independent study.

Participants in this course should have completed three of the elective courses required for the GradCertHE or equivalent (in the case of participants transferring into the ANU graduate program in higher education from elsewhere).

Readings will be tailored to individual needs and interests, and will thus vary from participant to participant.

Staff Development Scholarship Scheme

The Vice Chancellor is encouraging eligible staff to undertake the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education or the Master of Higher Education, by making this course (and the total program) available at no cost to eligible applicants through the Staff Development Scholarship Scheme (i.e. HECS/tuition fees are waived) http://www.anu.edu.au/sas/admission/sds/index.php