Preparing for the 2028 Program Review: Calling on Our Graduates to Stay Connected

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By Bernard Yegiora

The Bachelor of Arts in PNG and International Studies began implementing its current Program Specification Document in the 2023 academic year. The present five-year curriculum cycle therefore runs from 2023 to 2027, with the next formal program review due in 2028 under Divine Word University’s five-year program review process. The current PSD also shows that graduate tracer data and alumni feedback have previously contributed to curriculum review and improvement.

Screenshot from the current Bachelor of Arts in Papua New Guinea and International Studies Program Specification Document (PSD), implemented from 2023 and due for formal review in 2028 after the five-year cycle.

We are therefore beginning preparations early so that the 2028 review can be based on evidence rather than assumptions.

We need to hear from graduates

One important part of the review will be to understand where our recent graduates are working, what they are doing, and how relevant the program has been to their employment, further study and professional development.

We particularly want to reconnect with graduates from 2023 onwards.

Before any formal data collection begins, we will first seek the necessary ethical clearance. Subject to approval, our intention is to use a mixed-methods approach.

The first stage will involve a survey of graduates to gather quantitative information about employment, further study, the relevance of the curriculum, skills developed through the program, and areas that may require improvement.

The survey findings will then be followed by focus group discussions with selected alumni so that we can better understand their experiences and recommendations. We also intend to consult relevant employers and other stakeholders to obtain their views about the knowledge, skills and attributes expected of our graduates.

This combination of quantitative and qualitative evidence should give us a much stronger foundation for the 2028 program review.

Why begin now?

Waiting until 2028 would make it much more difficult to locate graduates and collect reliable information. Phone numbers change, people move between organisations and provinces, and contact with former classmates and lecturers can gradually decline.

Beginning in 2026 and continuing through 2027 will allow us to build a stronger database of graduates and maintain contact before the formal review begins.

The review will also consider major developments that have occurred since the present curriculum was introduced, including changes in government policy, employment expectations and PNG’s domestic and international environment.

For the International Relations component of the program, the Papua New Guinea Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 will be one important national policy reference when we eventually assess the relevance of the seven IR units.

An early notice to our alumni

This article is therefore an early notice to all graduates from 2023 onwards.

We encourage you to remain connected with the Department and with your former classmates. In the coming months, subject to ethical approval, we may invite you to participate in the graduate survey and later in focus group discussions.

Your experience after leaving university is important evidence.

By sharing where you are working, what you have learned since graduation, what aspects of the program helped you, and what you believe should be improved, you can contribute directly to the next generation of the Bachelor of Arts in Papua New Guinea and International Studies.

Our aim is simple: collect the evidence in 2026 and 2027 so that the 2028 program review is informed by the experiences of our graduates, students, employers and other stakeholders.

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