University of St Andrews wins Jisc-sponsored award for innovation
The Graduate Attributes platform, designed by the university to place skills development firmly in the hands of students, triumphed at The Herald HE awards
The University of St Andrews is the winner of the Jisc-sponsored innovative use of technology category at this year’s Herald HE Awards for its skills-focused Graduate Attributes platform.
Developed in collaboration with staff and students, the platform tracks and records the value of activities both inside and outside the classroom.
Judges commended its ability to record progress and identify development opportunities against the university’s list of 20 key attributes which include inclusivity, entrepreneurship, digital skills, sustainability and leadership.
The bespoke Graduate Attributes platform was developed with accessibility in mind, allowing students to record their progress in real time on their phones or laptops. The university states that over 1000 students (10% of the student body) are currently using the platform to log their activities, with further roll-out across the university to follow soon.
By collecting data from the platform, staff at the university are also able to make informed decisions around what to teach, when, and to whom, putting them in a better position to intervene if support is needed.
Jason Miles-Campbell, director of Scotland and NI at Jisc said:
“Congratulations to the University of St Andrews on winning the 2024 Jisc sponsored Herald HE award for the innovative use of technology.
“Their Graduate Attributes platform is a fantastic tool that will create a mindset of lifelong learning for its users.
“It helps students develop a richer understanding of the wide variety of learning on offer during their time in education, not just what is achieved through academia, and supports them to gain essential human skills such as empathy and leadership which are highly sought after in the workplace.
“Being able to use the tool to track the development of skills whilst at the university, and then as a digital passport of achievements for potential employers, is inspired.
“Well done also to the other four finalists in the category who further demonstrate the wide variety of digital enhancements we’re seeing across Scottish colleges and universities today.”
Further information
We have sponsored The Herald HE Awards since 2016.