This document discusses transitions from academic to professional literacy and the nexus between practical and theoretical aspects. It acknowledges contributions from a QUT team working on transitions, learning, and employability. It presents a literature review on government and university reports and interviews with staff and students. A conceptual framework is discussed based on several references. The document outlines phases of transition over time and defines employability and graduate attributes/capabilities. It distinguishes between tertiary and professional literacies and defines professional literacy. It discusses articulating graduate attributes into professional literacy using a learning continuum concept. Four recommendations are presented for course curriculum design regarding systematically scaffolding students' understanding and development of transitions, employability, and embedding these in core curriculum.

1. Making transitions from academic literacy to professional literacy: the nexus of the practical and the theoretical.

2. PEPE INC 2008 Jan Millwater ( Dr.) President, PEPE INC . Journal Editor. Faculty of Education Queensland University of Technology KELVIN GROVE Q 4059 Brisbane ( temperature 29 degrees C) Australia.

3. Transitions Learning and Employability I wish to acknowledge the work contributed by the QUT team- Professor Peter Taylor-ED, Dr Robyn Nash- Health, Deidre Seeto - MD, Melinda Service- Health, Christy Collis &, Shaaron Boughen - Creative Industries.

4. Key words Transitions tertiary literacy graduate attributes graduate capabilities employability skills transferable skills lifelong learning. professional literacy

5. Methodology literature search into government and university reports on university/employers needs with regard to employability interviews with staff (especially course leaders and coordinators) students in focus groups an analysis of reports from final year students in capstone units (Internships and the Education Faculty Stepping Out Conference) case studies of exemplary teaching and learning events and strategies our own stories/experiences.

6. Conceptual framework Department of Education Science and Training, 2006 ; Business Industry and Higher Education Collaboration Council, 2007; Watts, 2006; Yorke & Knight, 2006; Washer, 2007; Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, 2005.

7. Transitions Learning students’ sense of themselves, as individuals and as learners the sense-of-self that students are challenged to re-construct in order to achieve transition Commitment to change

8. Transition phases over time. Taylor, P. G., Millwater, J., & Nash, R. (2007). Talking about transitions: the value of a conceptual approach (p. 3).

9. Employabilty assumes the ability to effectively apply knowledge and a range of skills which workers need to enter and continue to use effectively within work environments. is contained within graduate attributes of the individual should not be confused with simply getting employment

10. Graduate Attributes the qualities, skills and understandings a university community agrees its students would desirably develop during their time at the institutions (Bowden, Hart, King, Trigwell, & Watts, 2000) shape the contribution they are able to make to their profession and as well as a citizen…

11. Graduate capabilities equivalent to employability skills and are generic across the university generic to a whole range of life and work contexts

12. Tertiary literacies v. Professional literacies

13. Professional Literacy As work-ready preservice professionals make the transition out of university they look forward to being further professionally developed within a new environment by their employers PL cannot be attained until a job is attained – extension of levels of attributes Context variables shape new learning

14. Articulation of GA into PL. In using a Learning Continuum concept an appreciation of the particular principles listed below generate the deep learning ability which forms integrated knowledge and understanding and attitudes Acquisition Application Personalisation Actualisation

15. Institution embeddednesss In particular, the four recommendations of the project, with reference to course curriculum design ,are these: All courses draw on a shared QUT-wide understanding of and language for transitions All courses systematically scaffold students’ understanding, confidence, and self-management of their transitions into new professional environments thorugh enlightened and engaging teaching and learning processes All courses systematically scaffold the development of students’ employability All three above be embedded in the core curriculum and must be monitored and evaluated through a university wide assessment scheme..

16. Thank you Please email me on j.millwater@qut.edu.au For paper (incl. references.)