national standards for psychological literacy and global citizenship

The amount of logistical planning involved to accommodate the diverse needs of the
Fellowship, and of its associated local, national, and international stakeholder groups,
coupled with the effort required to design, develop, implement and evaluate
Fellowship programs, activities, and resources, made the establishment of an
organizational infrastructure comprising a part-time Project Officer and two part-time
research assistants essential. The funding provided by the ALTC to support both the
activities of the Fellowship and the establishment and maintenance of this
organisational and administrative infrastructure was therefore essential to the
success of the Fellowship.
5.3.2 Factors that have Hindered Achievement of the Outcomes
Four factors have been identified by the Fellow as having hindered achievement of
the outcomes of this Fellowship:
The pace at which National Bodies can respond to change
Due to the widespread range of issues and interests to which national disciplinary
bodies must attend, the pace of change associated with such bodies is often slow.
While having agreed to the need to restructure to support the creation of a National
Psychology Student Body, the Australian Psychological Society (APS) has been slow
to effect this change, and one of the critical elements/levers necessary to develop,
support and maintain a National Psychology Student Body has not been realized,
thus limiting the opportunity for this Fellowship to fully realize this particular outcome.
The level of administrative support available particularly in the final
months of the Fellowship
The final months of any major undertaking like a Fellowship are often very
challenging as it is at these times that the final outcomes of a project are being
realized, summative evaluation and reporting of these outcomes and achievements
are undertaken and disseminated, and the organizational and administrative
infrastructures established to facilitate such projects are dismantled or integrated into
existing institutional structures and processes. These are often times when the level
of support required to complete such tasks is higher. In the case of this Fellowship,
the lack of opportunity to expand the level of support available to the Fellowship has
meant that not all outcomes have been able to be completed to the degree/extent
that the Fellow desired.
The Contested nature of “standards”
The fact that the nature of “standards” as they apply to higher education learning and
teaching is currently a highly contested concept has, to some extent, slowed down
the progress of this Fellowship. Indeed, throughout the period of the Fellowship, as
the Fellowship has aimed to engage the psychology community in a reconsideration
of the aims and desired learning outcomes for UG Psychology education, the
question of what approach the Australian higher education sector will take to the
definition and assessment of standards for learning and teaching has raged. Lack of
clarity on this issue, has to some extent slowed down the process, but undoubtedly
the time and consideration given to this wider debate, has informed the debate more
directly associated with the aims of this Fellowship.
Unexpected Personal Commitments
Fellowships like any other human endeavor are susceptible to interruption by
NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL LITERACY AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP 73