Beyond Placements: Using Curriculum Mapping to Embed WIL Across a Chemistry Major

Abstract

The University of New England (UNE) is located in regional NSW, and approximately 50% of our science students study off-campus. Improving graduate employability through WIL activities at UNE is a challenge because work placement and industry interaction are more difficult than for large city-based universities with primarily on-campus students. The Chemistry major at UNE is accredited by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. However, previous mapping exercises have not provided information on where and when core competencies are taught, practiced and assessed, nor included certain WIL skills that are not explicitly captured by the Chemistry Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLO). To guarantee the employability of our graduates, we need to ensure the primary foci of our program are development of the core skills that enable an individual to walk into a position and adapt to that role and that WIL skills are embedded throughout.