Mapping graduate attributes and interdisciplinarity: evidence from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Since the Higher Education Quality Council (1996b) first introduced and defined the concept of graduateness, there has been a proliferation of studies on graduateness linked to curricular mapping, employability, and the diversity of mindsets and generic skill sets that university graduates are deemed to possess (Spencer et al, 2012; Steur et al. 2012; Oliver & Jorre de St Jorre, 2018). Few studies however have examined the active and formative role of universities in cultivating a range of skills including interdisciplinarity (Nissani, 1995), critical thinking, adaptability, etc. in terms of mapping the entire university experience. There is also limited study on the attributes of graduates of transitional higher education institutions. This study thus reports the findings of a case study conducted at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, the first Sino-foreign higher education institution, to pinpoint how graduate attributes are cultivated in practice throughout micro, meso and macro university experiences according to graduates themselves. This exploratory study mobilises both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to localise locations of learning (Veecock & Zhang, 2023) of graduate skills/ graduateness within the entire university experience, that is, across curricular and extracurricular experiences. Graduateness relates to interdisciplinarity as both concepts have increasing currency in the promises and engagements universities publicise. How graduateness and interdisciplinarity relate to each other is discussed as well as future directions and suggestions for universities to cultivate a rich institutional and campus experience.