Graduate Attribute 5: Lifelong Learning

An example of how lifelong learning is embedded in teaching practice is found in two units of a progressive post graduate course, Master of Osteopathic Medicine. The units cover a double weighted research project (6000 words). The focus of the project varies according the nature of the study where students are required to develop the ability to devise a topic, understand ethics, to develop a proposal and carry out the research. Students are encouraged to aim for publication in a relevant scholarly journal. The units require students to be able to search, read the literature and develop the discernment of quality and validity, along with critical judgement. All of these skills are features of the lifelong learner.

Lifelong learning is defined as "the ability to be responsive to change, to be inquiring and reflective in practice, through information literacy and autonomous, self-managed learning (SCU Graduate Attribute 5)."

The skill of being a lifelong learner means a graduate is open, curious, willing to investigate, and consider new knowledge and ways of thinking. This flexibility of mind means they are always amenable to new ideas and actively seek out new ways of learning or understanding the world. Lifelong learning can mean ongoing professional development, as well as personal growth and enhancement.