Indigenous Higher Education Student Equity: Focusing on What Works

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia Devlin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Higher Education Access ◽  
Education Access ◽  
Indigenous Student ◽  
Student Equity ◽  
What Works ◽  
Independent Evaluation ◽  
Systemic Problems

AbstractThe rates of higher education access, participation and completion for Indigenous students are much lower than those for non-Indigenous students in Australia. This paper argues for a research-led focus on what works in terms of Indigenous student equity in higher education. Undertaking independent evaluation of existing initiatives and leveraging the experience of hundreds of successful Indigenous graduates, it may be possible to articulate some of the ways in which success has been, and can be, achieved, despite the challenges that face Indigenous students. In other words, it may be possible to articulate some aspects of what works for some Indigenous people in relation to higher education. A focus on articulating strategies that Indigenous individuals and communities might adopt in relation to higher education should be developed alongside the management of systemic problems through a range of means. The “success-focused” approach would provide one of a suite of approaches that may be helpful in addressing Indigenous student equity.

scholarly journals “A Stepping Stone That Just Pushed Me Further Into Wanting to Go to University”: Student Perspectives on ‘What Works’ for Effective Outreach Strategies for Indigenous Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
Katelyn Barney ◽  
Hayley Williams
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
University Student ◽  
School Students ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Student Equity ◽  
What Works ◽  
National Centre

In Australia, there are numerous outreach initiatives run by universities for Indigenous high school students that attempt to elevate aspirations of Indigenous students to go to university. The theoretical case for these initiatives is strong as much data exists surrounding the barriers Indigenous students face in entering university. However, the research and evidence base for these equity programs remains largely underdeveloped and limited (Bennett et al., 2015). Drawing on findings from interviews with Indigenous university students as part of a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) Equity Fellowship, this paper identifies what works and what areas to strengthen in Indigenous specific outreach programs. The paper concludes by discussing the development of strategies and resources to build the evidence base of effective outreach activities for Indigenous students.

Indigenous Australian Students' Participation Rates in Higher Education: Exploring the Role of Universities

2011 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Pechenkina ◽  
Emma Kowal ◽  
Yin Paradies
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Support ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Indigenous Student ◽  
Education Participation ◽  
Australian Universities

Indigenous Australians are underrepresented and considerably disadvantaged within the Australian system of higher education. The various measures taken by Australian universities over the past decades have produced varying levels of success in increasing Indigenous participation and completion rates. In order to continue improving Indigenous Australian participation in higher education, it is important to understand the current patterns of participation and factors within universities that are associated with participation and success. In this article we analyse higher education student and staff statistics available from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) and information sourced from the web sites of 40 Australian universities to examine correlations between various Indigenous student support mechanisms and Indigenous students' higher education participation rates. Our results indicate that there is a dual system of Indigenous higher education, with one group of universities excelling at attracting Indigenous students, and a different group of universities demonstrating high Indigenous student completion rates. We argue that challenges remain in determining how to increase commencements at universities with high Indigenous completion rates without compromising entrance requirements or further diluting the level of student support, and how to increase completion rates at universities with higher numbers of Indigenous students.

Non-Burdensome Process: An Argument in Support of Reframing What Constitutes Necessary Disability Documentation

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Axelrod ◽  
Adam Meyer ◽  
Julie Alexander ◽  
Enjie Hall ◽  
Kristie Orr
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
First Language ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Higher Education Access ◽  
Education Access ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Disability Accommodation ◽  
Disability Documentation

Institutions of higher education and their respective disability offices have been challenged with determining how to apply the 2008 Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) in our present-day work settings. Prior to the amendments, third-party documentation was considered essential almost to the point of being non-negotiable in need for most disability offices to facilitate accommodations for disabled students (The authors have made an intentional choice to utilize identity-first language to challenge negative connotations associated with the term disability and highlight the role that inaccessible systems and environments play in disabling people). The ADAAA questioned this mindset. Students with disabilities often found (and still find) themselves burdened financially and procedurally by disability offices requiring documentation to the point where students may not receive the access they truly need. Furthermore, college campuses are increasingly focusing on the limitations of the environment and not the person. As a result of this evolution, the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) offered a new framework in 2012 describing how to define documentation. For professionals in the higher education disability field and for those invested in this work, it is critical to grasp the evolving understanding of what constitutes documentation and necessary information to make disability accommodation decisions. Otherwise, disabiled students may be further excluded from higher education access.

scholarly journals Desafios e perspectivas do estudante com deficiência visual na educação superior: análise da produção científica

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (esp. 2) ◽  
pp. 1118-1136
Author(s):  
José Aparecido da Costa ◽  
Rosely dos Santos Madruga ◽  
Alexandra Ayach Anache ◽  
Eladio Sebastian-Heredero
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Educational Assistance ◽  
Higher Education Access ◽  
Education Access ◽  
The Government ◽  
New Policies

The inclusion of students with visual impairments in higher education has still been challenging for managers and teachers to ensure academic success. Despite the investment initiatives by the government, but they are still insufficient in the face of the difficulties of access and permanence of these students. Therefore, the objective of this work is to analyze research on access and permanence with an emphasis on Specialized Educational Assistance for students with visual impairments in the productions of the Special Education Journal of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) in the period from 2014 to 2019. We used a quantitative-qualitative analysis of the nature of reviewing scientific production in the journal in question, for this we work with the indicators of disability, visual impairment, higher education, access, permanence, specialized educational assistance and their combinations. The search resulted in 519 articles, of which only 39 address inclusion in higher education. 14 were selected for analysis, dealing with visual impairment, higher education, inclusion and permanence. We conclude that the number of visually impaired students in Higher Education has increased by more than 50% (fifty percent), that there is a set of legislation that favors inclusion, but the conditions, whether of resources/technologies or teacher formation, do not yet appear for its effectiveness, according to research. Specialized educational assistance, guaranteed by law, is not yet perceived as materialized. Publications are relevant for the creation of new policies, actions and strategies for the permanence of students with disabilities in higher education and specialized educational assistance according to their specificities, but it still need further study.

scholarly journals Access to and Experiences of Higher Education Across Europe: The Impact of Social Characteristics

2020 ◽  
pp. 197-209
Author(s):  
Rachel Brooks ◽  
Jessie Abrahams ◽  
Predrag Lažetić ◽  
Achala Gupta ◽  
Sazana Jayadeva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Research Question ◽  
National Level ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Higher Education Access ◽  
Education Access ◽  
Individual Interviews

Abstract Policymakers across Europe have increasingly emphasised the importance of paying close attention to the social dimension of higher education and taking further steps to ensure that the composition of Europe’s universities more adequately reflects the diversity of the wider population. While there have been a number of studies that have explored this through analyses of European- and national-level policy and others that have assessed a range of quantitative indicators related to student diversity, this chapter assumes, in contrast, an interpretivist stance; it is interested in the perspectives of those studying and working ‘on the ground’ within the European Higher Education Area. Specifically, we seek to answer this research question: To what extent do students and staff, across Europe, believe that higher education access and experiences are differentiated by social characteristics (such as class/family background, race/ethnicity/migration background, gender and age)? In doing so, we draw on data from a large European Research Council-funded project, including 54 focus groups with undergraduate students (a total of 295 individuals) and 72 in-depth individual interviews with members of higher education staff (both academic and non-academic). Fieldwork was conducted in three higher education institutions in each of the following countries: Denmark, UK-England, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Spain—nations chosen to provide diversity with respect to welfare regime, relationship to the European Union and mechanisms for funding higher education. We explore commonalities and differences between staff and students and between different countries, before identifying some implications for policymakers keen to promote further social inclusion within Europe’s higher education institutions (HEIs).

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