Deakin University is committed to ensuring that members and potential members of the University have the opportunity to participate fully in the University in the pursuit of their academic and career aspirations. The University will strive to achieve the following specific objectives:

• to increase the access, participation, retention and success of students from educationally disadvantaged groups;

• to ensure that admission and selection criteria and procedures are consistent with equal opportunity principles;

• to support curriculum development aimed at making the University curriculum inclusive of the experience and aspirations of disadvantaged groups;

• to ensure that all necessary campus facilities and services are accessible to all students;

• to provide child care assistance on an equitable basis across campuses to meet the needs of members of the University;

• to ensure that non-discriminatory, inclusive language is used in all University publications and official documents, and encourage its use in classrooms, meetings and other formal settings.

The Deakin University Plan highlights the University's respect for equal opportunity and equity with the following statement.

Through its caring approach to teaching, its stress on flexible learning and its inclusion of regional campuses, Deakin University has made an outstanding national contribution to equity and access in higher education. The University has also been highly successful in targeting the needs of specific disadvantaged groups.

Deakin University will continue to target improvements in equity and access, stressing the needs of its students, by maintaining its flexible-learning approach, by its retention of regional campuses and by its continued concern for educationally underrepresented groups.
(Source: Deakin University Plan 1998-2000 Life-Long Professional Learning, p.5)

Deakin University’s policy on Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action recognises that the University has a significant position in the field of education and that officers of the University have a responsibility to take specific steps towards overcoming inequality of opportunity in education on a variety of levels.

STRATEGIES FOR THE 1999-2001 TRIENNIUM

SECTION 1. OVERARCHING OBJECTIVE

OBJECTIVE

To increase the access, participation, retention and success rates at Deakin of students in all of the equity groups.

STRATEGIES

1. Continue to facilitate access to technology for students from low socio-economic backgrounds and ensure that students' training needs for computer skills are met. Training courses on basic computer skills are to be offered to all first-year students with an emphasis on tutors being from equity groups.

2. Encourage equitable selection of students into on-campus activities such as Australian Business Week and Healthier Nations Symposium to ensure representation of male and female students from government and independent schools, and metropolitan and rural schools.
3. Implement a monitoring system to report on the needs of Student Services Group’s clients from various equity groups. This information is to be used to inform future strategies to continue to improve the support services necessary for these students to succeed and be retained in their courses.
4. Conduct information sessions and targeted special events for schools and prospective student groups, and targeted mailing of information to secondary school students.
5. Pursue actively links with TAFE in order to maximise credit transfers and ease of articulation wherever possible.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The access, participation, retention and success rates of students from all equity groups.

While access and retention for rural students have risen gradually since 1996, overall participation has fallen since 1995. Retention has gradually risen, with success remaining fairly steady. Access, participation and retention for isolated students has risen gradually since 1995, while success has gradually fallen from 1995 to 1997. Deakin has a higher proportion of rural and isolated students, for both access and participation, than some other Victorian Universities which also offer off-campus studies. While success and retention rates remain reasonably high for rural and isolated students at Deakin University, with success for isolated students at 0.92, there is some room for improvement, especially when compared with the national average in 1996 of 0.95.

An earlier initiative, to monitor the first year experience issues for rural and isolated students, has resulted in the development and trialing of a statistics system which will enable Student Services Group to monitor the use of their support services by students in equity categories. Follow-up surveys on the first year orientation program for distance education students from rural and isolated areas show that the students who participated in these gained valuable knowledge and information to assist them in their studies.

OBJECTIVES

1. To increase the number of rural and isolated students enrolling at Deakin University.

2. To ensure that students from rural and isolated areas, especially those who are off-campus students, have access to the administrative and academic support that they need to be successful and to be retained in their courses.

STRATEGIES

1. To continue to offer and coordinate orientation and study skills information programs and offer resources in a range of modes and formats to provide distance education students with information about the range of support services available to them.

2. Advertise Deakin University’s flexible delivery of courses, especially its off-campus provision and support services, in rural and metropolitan newspapers. Targeted mailing of information to rural secondary school students.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

1. Number of students from rural and isolated backgrounds who enrol in the year 2000.
2. Percentage of students enrolling at Deakin University who are from rural and isolated backgrounds.
3. Number of students attending information sessions.
4. Number of enquiries and requests for course information from prospective students in rural areas.
5. Number of students from rural and isolated areas who attend orientation by teleconferencing or other specialist/targeted orientation programs.
6. Percentage of positive responses by students from rural and isolated areas to alternative formats of orientation.
7. Success and retention rates of students who attend these programs.
8. Success and retention rates of students from rural and isolated backgrounds generally.

SECTION 3. STUDENTS WHO HAVE A DISABILITY

Access, participation, success and retention rates for students who have a disability have continued to rise since DEETYA began monitoring this equity group in 1996, with high retention rates reflecting the positive work of the Disability Resource Centre in meeting the needs of students who have a disability. With figures still below the national averages, however, strategies must continue to address all issues for this equity group.

Reports on some of the previous strategies have shown the following: information sessions for secondary school students who have a disability have had positive feedback from the students, with some students enrolling at Deakin University as a result; inclusive practices education sessions with Faculties and Divisions have resulted in some beneficial changes in practice; and Academic Administrative Services Division has employed an officer to coordinate examination arrangements for students who have special requirements.

OBJECTIVES

1. To increase the enrolment at Deakin University of students who have a disability.

2. To ensure equitable access to Deakin University buildings, facilities and programs for students who have a disability.

STRATEGIES

1. Continue to develop and improve inclusive practices from pre-enrolment and orientation through to graduation, career and further education advice.

2. Attendance by Deakin representatives at information sessions for prospective students who have a disability.

3. Conduct inclusive practices programs for academic staff in all Faculties.

4. Monitor and refine standards of services to students who utilise alternative format materials by ensuring that all course material is available in appropriate alternative format.

5. Ensure that existing academic curriculum is reviewed and that future curriculum development addresses the special needs of students who have disabilities.

6. Ensure that administrative processes, services and programs are inclusive and address the special needs of students with disabilities.
7. Act on the recommendations of the Access Unit on issues of access to facilities.
8. Establish a network of campus users, with and without disabilities, to have input into the improvement of campus facilities to assure the quality of access to on-campus facilities and amenities, benchmarked to national standards.

9. Develop and implement a Disability Discrimination Act Action Plan with specified actions and time-lines, to be lodged with the Human Rights Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) early in 1999.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

1. Percentage of students who enrol in courses at Deakin who have a disability.

2. Retention and success rates for students who have a disability.

Access and participation have increased in architecture/building, and decreased in business/administration/economics. Access has decreased in engineering and science, while participation has increased in these two areas. Retention has decreased slightly, while success has increased in business/administration/economics and science, decreased in engineering and remained the same for architecture/building. All rates have fluctuated since 1995, and with participation and access for all areas but science being below the national figures in 1997, strategies must continue to address these areas.

The Faculty of Science and Technology has developed new, specific strategies in 1998, targeting access and participation by women. Promotional material for this area using images of women to promote the courses has already received positive feedback from schools.

OBJECTIVE

1. To increase the number of female students in courses in non-traditional areas of study at Deakin University.
2. To increase the success and retention rates for women in non-traditional areas of study.

STRATEGIES

1. Develop activities specifically for women interested in non-traditional areas such as engineering and building, including running women-only, hands-on activities in non-traditional areas of study for school leavers, community groups and women in isolated areas in 1999.

2. Offer a scholarship in 1999 for women interested in studying in a non-traditional area at either undergraduate or postgraduate level.

3. Ensure that undergraduate recruitment activities identify opportunities for female secondary students and mature-age entry students to pursue non-traditional areas of study, and that there is equal use of graduate profiles of males and females in recruitment publications at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

1. Percentage of female enrolments in courses in non-traditional areas of study.

2. Success and retention rates of women in non-traditional areas of study.

SECTION 5. STUDENTS FROM A NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING BACKGROUND (NESB)

After falling steadily from 1995 to 1997, access and participation have increased significantly in this area in 1998. While the retention rate gradually increased until 1997, it has decreased slightly in 1998, with success decreasing since 1995. Strategies will target the success and retention of these students.

OBJECTIVES

1. To increase the number of students from non-English speaking backgrounds who are studying at Deakin University.

2. To increase the success and retention rates of students from non-English speaking backgrounds who are studying at Deakin University.

STRATEGIES

1. Campus and Student Services Division will offer, and evaluate the effectiveness of, language programs for NESB students, with programs accessible to students on all campuses.

2. Campus and Student Services Division will develop a campus overview of the problems experienced by NESB students through a forum of ‘key’ staff on the Warrnambool campus; this may provide a model for other campuses and will guide program development.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

1. Percentage of students enrolling at Deakin University who are from non-English speaking backgrounds.
2. Success and retention rates for students from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Figures for students from a low socio-economic background have increased in all areas except for retention of students over 25 which, after rising from 1995-1997, has decreased slightly. Access and participation decreased from 1995 to 1997, but rose again in 1998, as did retention for students under 25. After a slight drop in 1996, success has been fairly constant. With access for these students and participation for students over 25 at less than the national figures in 1997, this group still needs to be targeted in terms of access and participation.

Computer skills workshops for students in this category were successful. The workshops were run by students selected on the basis of their equity status, especially low socio-economic background. Positive comments were received from the students who participated and the program will be further developed in the coming triennium.

OBJECTIVES

1. To increase number of students from a low socio-economic background who are studying at Deakin.

2. To increase success and retention rates for students from a low socio-economic background who are studying at Deakin.

STRATEGIES

1. Encourage secondary students from low socio-economic backgrounds to undertake courses at Deakin University.

2. Monitor computer ownership and computer knowledge of students from a low socio-economic background in order to identify their needs for future training programs.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

1. Percentage of students enrolling at Deakin University who are from a low socio-economic background.

2. Success and retention of students from a low socio-economic background at Deakin University.

SELECTION PROCEDURES AND OUTCOMES FOR MERIT-BASED EQUITY SCHOLARSHIPS

In 1997, Merit-Based Equity Scholarships were advertised to prospective students in a number of ways.

1. The Community Liaison Office advertised in all secondary schools in Victoria and border areas.

2. All students were provided with an application form in their enrolment package.

3. The Institute of Koorie Education advised appropriate applicants of the scholarships.

The applications were ranked according to the following criteria:

1. The extent of students’ financial and educational disadvantage reflected by their equity status and supporting statements.
2. Any other educational disadvantage.

3. The students’ academic merit, taking into account their TER or supporting statements.

Deakin University's commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students was reflected in the reservation of 25% of the scholarships specifically for these students.

In 1998, scholarships were awarded to 61 students, 14 of whom were enrolled part time. Below is a summary of the numbers of successful applicants from the different equity groups. All successful applicants were low SES (demonstrated by possession of a Health Care Card) and all successful applicants were in at least one equity category, with some being in a number of categories.

(Students in receipt of a Merit-Based Equity Scholarship as of 31 May 1998)

Equity and Equal Opportunity Unit

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