Swinburne University of Technology Included in the Swinburne University Act 1992 are the following objectives:
Swinburne's Values Statement in the 1996-2000 Strategic Plan says that the University values 'Quality, integrity, equity and continuous improvement in all our activities. The Strategic Plan Context goes on to state that "the University values diversity and implements inclusive practices in all its operations". To facilitate the implementation of this statement Swinburne has reviewed its previous equity initiatives and has decided on a new and more strategic and mainstreamed approach. Strategies and Performance The University has recognised that the monitoring of equity policies needs to be made more rigorous. Consequently a number of Key Performance Indicators have been developed. Starting in 1999, the University will set equity targets in relation to these indicators for both the Higher Education Division and Swinburne at Lilydale. Targets will be set at Divisional Office level. The Key Performance Indicators and targets have largely been taken from the Lin Martin indicators and include those monitoring female academic staff and weighted publications per (effective full-time) female staff member, as well as indicators of student access, participation, retention and success in the areas of Indigenous, non English speaking background, low socio economic status, and students with a disability. In the Higher Education Division, the new equity strategy has been implemented in the following way:
An academic staff member has been appointed to a 0.4 position to work with equity staff to develop this strategy. Expected Outcomes The strategy will clearly identify equity groups and indicators which need to be addressed at a School or Divisional level. Clear measurable outcomes will be identified, particularly for retention and success. This strategy will address equity groups as appropriate to meet Divisional targets. Previous performance will be used as a measure of progress, and Victorian averages will be used as a benchmark. This is a three year strategy and progress will be reported on progressively from 1999. Women in Non-Traditional Areas The retention and success of women in non-traditional areas have consistently remained above 1 (Lin Martin indicator) for the past three years. Access has been the major focus of Swinburne’s strategies in this area. Product Design Engineering Project In 1997 a new course in Product Design Engineering was introduced, offered cooperatively by the Schools of Engineering and Science, and Design. It was argued that this course would be more attractive to students than single engineering or industrial design programs. The Product Design Engineering Project was designed to gather data on student course experiences in order to increase the retention and success of female students, and provide opportunities for student input into course modification. One of the major issues identified was that the entry requirements did not take into account the fact that students would need to participate in engineering and maths as taught to first year engineering students. This caused difficulties for a number of students, particularly females, and to some withdrawals, despite extra support being offered. This is now being addressed through a review of entry requirements and course delivery. Gender balance, retention and success of females in the course will be analysed and interviews conducted to track the progress of the 1st and 2nd year cohort of female students. National Centre for Women Recruitment and Retention Of Women In Engineering During 1996, 1997 and 1998 the National Centre for Women at Swinburne has developed a network of schools speakers to encourage young women to study engineering. During 1997, twenty-seven student speakers visited twenty-four secondary schools reaching an audience of more than three hundred girls. Access in the Bachelor of Engineering was 10.77% in 1996, 16.41% in 1997 and 12.60% in 1998 (The Victorian average is listed as 16.37%, but as this includes post-graduate access it is not a useful comparison) Access to the non-traditional bachelor degrees for women has increased over the three years of the program from 8.55% in 1996, to 12.36% in 1998. The training program for speakers going to schools, developed by the National Centre for Women, has been adopted by the Corporate Marketing Department and students are being trained to speak on other Swinburne courses. The next step will be the effective mainstreaming of this program. Access figures will continue to be monitored. The National Centre for Women has established an annual national event to select the "Women of the Year in a Non-Traditional Area". This award attracts high level media support and although it is difficult to measure the affects for Swinburne itself, it provides media coverage on successful women working and studying in non-traditional areas, presenting effective role models to young women. Women in Postgraduate Research Women in post-graduate research, particularly in engineering, still only have a participation rate of 11.76%. Increases in undergraduate numbers will provide a pool of qualified applicants for research positions. The role of postgraduate supervisors is currently being examined and training is being developed that will include segments on supervising women and students who have a first language other than English. Mentoring Retention and success are above 1 for women in non-traditional areas at Swinburne, with success measured at 1.04 in 1997. The main focus of activities has become the study-to-work transition. Qualitative data collected through interviews with participating students has indicated the need for pre-placement programs and one-to-one support during placement. The coordinator of Industry Based Learning in the Higher Education Division is developing a program to provide mentoring for female students on placement in male-dominated workplaces. A survey will be developed to gather qualitative data on the student placement experiences. The destination of graduating students who took part in this program will be monitored. School of Design The School of Design is continuing its efforts to increase the number of women in industrial design. Initiatives such as staff training, modification of curriculum and the interviewing of all female applicants have increased the first year intake to 50%, from 10% in 1996. Strategies such as increased integration of industrial design with graphic design and the active recruitment of female academics will contribute to the retention of these female students. Retention and success will be monitored at course level. Low Socio-Economic Status (Low SES) Retention and success for low socio-economic status (low SES) students is above 1 (Lin Martin) for students under and over 25, standing at 1.037 and 1.009 respectively. Identification of low SES by postcode has been difficult for Swinburne, because no postcodes in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, where the largest campuses are sited, are identified as low SES. Therefore access figures are well below the urban average for Victoria, particularly for the under 25 age group where Swinburne recorded 10.44% compared with a 19.47% average. For students over the age of 25 Swinburne recorded 10.77%, compared with an average of 13.82%. A project is underway in the Higher Education Divisions with the following objectives:
Results will be fed into the Divisional processes for developing equity targets, and strategies will be developed in identified Schools and Divisions as part of equity plans. Applications for Equity Scholarships from low SES students, and applications for bond exemptions at the Student Residences were lower in 1998. Equity staff are working with the Corporate Marketing department to develop a method of better collecting this data. People from Rural and Isolated Areas Swinburne has an above average retention rate for rural students at 1.122, with a Victorian average of 1. The small numbers of isolated students have a slightly lower than average retention rate at 0.946 compared with a State average of 0.969. Success for these groups stands at 1.04 and 1.11 respectively. The Student Residences were opened in 1997 with the aim of providing accommodation for rural and international students. Selection processes are not resulting in the expected increase in numbers of rural students, so these procedures will be reviewed in consultation with the residency management. During 1998, and beyond, the numbers of rural students accessing the student accommodation will be monitored. Media students are developing an interactive web site to facilitate communication for rural students wishing to access Swinburne courses. Final study destinations of these students will be monitored. The Student Union will continue its Mentoring Scheme for students from rural areas. The number of students participating, and their response to the scheme, will be monitored by conducting a survey of participants. A project will be carried out in the Higher Education Division to:
People from Non-English Speaking Backgrounds (NESB) Swinburne has a lower than State average access for this group. This is exacerbated by the growth of Swinburne at Lilydale, which is situated in the mainly Anglo-Celtic outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Retention is also below average at 0.934, against a Victorian average of 1.046. Success, at 0.98, is slightly better than the Victorian average. Support strategies such as support from the Access, Community and Language Programs, and other special tutoring will continue. These strategies have been monitored over the past two years to measure the success of participating students, and it has been demonstrated that these services have indeed increased success for this group. The practice of negotiating extra time for students in exams will also continue while the University seeks to put in place a policy on this matter. During 1998/99 an analysis of the participation of NESB students on all of Swinburne's three campuses will be carried out, in order to identify the local population and the participation of students from different language groups. A project to develop recruitment and retention strategies will be implemented. This project will be linked to the school-based data analysis carried out in the Higher Education Divisions, which identified preferred courses for NESB students. A longitudinal study of a sample of students will be carried out to identify appropriate support strategies. People with Disabilities Statistical measurement of this group has some inherent problems, in that students with disabilities are not compelled to identify despite the fact that they may seek high levels of support. The statistics indicate that access has increased from 0.42% in 1996 to 0.96% in 1998. Retention is 1.147 but success is measured at 0.89, suggesting that some review of this area is required. Swinburne has, over the past five years, used a system of ‘Integration Committees’ to identify student support needs. Qualitative data gathered over this period has indicated that students and staff find this process cumbersome and time consuming. In response a number of new procedures have been developed and are being trialed and monitored during 1998-1999. For example, the Disability Action Plan (adopted by Council April 1998) will form the basis for monitoring the provision of services to students with disabilities for the next 3 years. The merger with Eastern TAFE will bring together the combined resources of the two institutions and will provide an opportunity to document best practice for students with disabilities. All new students with disabilities who register with the Equity Unit will be assessed for support needs so that a support plan can be put in place while they are studying at Swinburne. This could include alternative assessment procedures. This support plan will form the basis of an agreement between the student and the Equity Unit documenting rights and responsibilities. The support plan will be distributed to appropriate people so that all concerned parties are aware of the agreements made. Support plans will be reviewed each semester and adjusted as appropriate. Integration meetings will continue to be made available to those students who request them. Swinburne will work towards ensuring that students with hidden disabilities are not ignored in its quality assessment of its service provision. Awareness training regarding students with hidden disabilities will be made available to staff. Swinburne will work towards the establishment of a designated disability liaison staff member in each School or Division. This person will be the contact person in the first instance for those with disabilities in that School or Division, and will liaise with equity staff as appropriate. Merit Based Equity Scholarships Swinburne University was awarded thirty Equity Scholarships in 1998. At the start of the year nineteen scholarships were awarded, with the remainder to be awarded at the start of Semester 2. This is in line with the strategies devised for the scholarships, including the marketing strategy. Swinburne Corporate Marketing requested that Equity Scholarships be included in the general advertising of scholarships, with a closing date of 30th September. The advertisements highlighting the scholarships were circulated to all secondary schools in Victoria. A large number of (52) applications were received, including a few late applications. In December 1997 a directive was received from DEETYA indicating that all recipients had to demonstrate educational and financial disadvantage. A letter was sent out to all applicants other than low SES category requesting them to furnish evidence of this. Only applicants who provided this information were then considered for a scholarship. In late January 1998 a letter was sent out to all applicants requesting notification of their enrolment at Swinburne. At this stage eligible applicants had reduced to 23, of whom four accepted places at other universities through second round offers. The late inclusion of additional criteria made it hard to obtain the required information from students. A number of applicants, particularly in the Women in Non-Traditional Areas, became ineligible for scholarships. The scholarship process was extremely time consuming and non-effective. A significant change for the 1999 round will be separating Equity Scholarships from other Swinburne scholarships. Instead, information will be circulated to all schools by the Corporate Marketing department, inviting applications by the end of December. A letter will be sent to applicants advising them that to be considered further they must notify the Equity Unit of their acceptance of a place at Swinburne. The possibility of sending an attachment to letters of offer will be examined, as this strategy is effectively used by some small universities. Information will continue to be sent to applicants under the Special Admissions Scheme. At the start of Semester 2, 1998 information on scholarships will be circulated through Student Services and the Student Union. In 1998 scholarships were awarded as follows:
CONTACT Liz Shave |