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Indigenous Education Strategies in Higher Education 2001-2003

Central Queensland University

• Objectives
• Consultative Mechanisms
• Current and Continuing Activities
• Planned New Activities
• Performance and Review
• Report on Expenditure
• Contact

Objectives

Whilst developing its national and international roles, Central Queensland University emphasises working in partnership with the culturally, economically and educationally diverse Central Queensland region. In recognition of the substantial Indigenous population within this diverse region, CQU's Vision Statement explicitly identifies the University’s commitment to Indigenous education.

Responding to Indigenous higher education needs through developing a more inclusive culture within the university is embedded in the following strategic priority contained in CQU's Statement of Strategic Intent 1999-2003.

CQU aims to improve higher education opportunities for Indigenous people and to improve the awareness and understanding of their educational needs and aspirations amongst the University community as a whole, and to promote and communicate Indigenous knowledge as a means of achieving both these aims. Its Indigenous Higher Education Centre, Nulloo Yumbah, has been re-oriented and re-developed as a place of Indigenous learning. Thus, Nulloo Yumbah has taken on a more inclusive role in supporting Indigenous participation in higher education and fostering learning within an appropriate cultural context.

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Consultative Mechanisms

Nulloo Yumbah highly values the importance of consulting with a broad range people to ensure that Indigenous Education at CQU meets the needs and aspirations of Indigenous people. Equally important is the need to consult with other stakeholders such as relevant university personnel, local industry, Government and non-Government agencies and other education providers.

Thus Nulloo Yumbah has a range of formal and informal consultation processes through which it consults with stakeholders. Consultation processes include:

• the Nulloo Yumbah Advisory Board
• annual Outreach activities such as recruitment and community workshops
• representation at Indigenous Community Interagency Meetings
• formal community reference groups, such as the Nulloo Yumbah Indigenous Research Reference Group
• representation on university committees
• representation on relevant education providers' boards and committees
• regular liaison with relevant industry.

The Nulloo Yumbah Advisory Board is the primary avenue by which a range of stakeholders is consulted and encouraged to give input. The Board comprises representatives from Indigenous communities that are located within CQU’s catchment area, CQU Senior Management and other relevant CQU personnel, Nulloo Yumbah Management, CQU’s Indigenous student organisation, Indigenous representatives from Government organisations and Indigenous people within education ministerial advisory bodies. The Board meets each academic term, thus four times a year. Meetings are structured in ways that facilitate communication between Indigenous communities and CQU. Cental to this dialogue is the consolidating of aspirations for Indigenous education within CQU.

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Current and Continuing Activities

Nulloo Yumbah has a range of operational activities that translate the Eight Broad Goals contained in the Nulloo Yumbah Profile Document. Each year operational strategies are planned to identify ways in which those Broad Goals can be achieved. While many strategies are ongoing, new strategies are often introduced because of the need to meet the ever-changing tertiary education and Indigenous social and political environments. The following is an indication of the performance of Nulloo Yumbah in 1999 and to date in 2000.

• Major achievements in 1999 and to date in 2000

• Nulloo Yumbah student service has been introduced at the Mackay Campus with a part time Student Support Officer available to work with Indigenous students studying at that campus.
• Nulloo Yumbah in conjunction with the CQU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Career Development Strategy recently engaged in a Staff Training Needs and Professional Development Analysis. Nulloo Yumbah will implement the recommendations of this report by developing a staff development plan and allocating funds to resource the plan.
• The Nulloo Yumbah Foundations program was been introduced in the Faculty of Education and Creative Arts 1999. This program consists of two courses: Foundations for Indigenous Learning and Indigenous Pedagogy. It is conditional upon entry through the Nulloo Yumbah Alternative Entry program that all Indigenous students commencing education studies enrol in this program. While originally these courses were available only to Indigenous students, they have been offered to all students in 2000 due to the demand for internal delivery of Indigenous-related courses.
• The Nulloo Yumbah Tertiary Entry Program was introduced in 2000. This year long program is specifically designed for Indigenous people with the aim of adequately preparing Indigenous people for tertiary study at CQU. Twenty-five students were counted as enrolled at Census Date.
• A Nulloo Yumbah staff member was granted an ARC Indigenous Research Development Grant in 1999.
• The Nulloo Yumbah Resource Centre is in full operation with a collection of over one thousand items available for loan to students and community members.

• A central filing system and accompanying database has been developed to record Indigenous student data ranging from first contact to graduation. This will allow Nulloo Yumbah to identify target groups for recruitment, adapt the student service according to the demographics, enable a longitudinal casestudy approach to servicing individual students and to assist in future planning.

• Changes to Planned Initiatives

  Since preparation of the 1999-2001 Indigenous Education Strategy, a number of changes to planned initiatives have proven necessary over the past twelve months. These changes have been responses either to resource constraints, or to changing circumstances that have required an alternative approach more appropriate or more relevant to the achievement of long term objectives. Recent changes either implemented or underway include the following.

  • The introduction of the new Tertiary Entry Program has made it possible to discontinue the Tertiary Skills program.
  • Both the Tertiary Entry Program and the Foundations program will be offered at the Mackay and Bundaberg campuses.
  • A series of workshops for students needing extra assistance has been implemented as a less costly alternative to establishment of a Student Learning Centre.
  • Further consultation will be undertaken to facilitate the resubmission of an Indigenous Research Code of Ethics to the CQU Research Board.
  • The Nulloo Yumbah Advisory Board has been restructured with a view to facilitating its more effective operation.

  • Funding constraints have meant a postponement of construction of the new Nulloo Yumbah building.

• Future goals

  Due to financial constraints, future goals will be to further develop the community and corporate sector of Nulloo Yumbah as well as continue development of teaching and training programs. These will assist Nulloo Yumbah to achieve sustainability, broaden Indigenous perspectives across mainstream curricula and finance the student support component of Nulloo Yumbah.

• Arrangements for future monitoring and evaluation

The Nulloo Yumbah Advisory Board meets four times a year to provide advice and guidance to Nulloo Yumbah and CQU in terms of future directions and to ensure that proposed goals and strategies are reviewed for achievement or adjustments.

Further to this process of monitoring, Nulloo Yumbah has yearly planning workshops. Annual plans are reviewed mid year with a final report generated at the end of year. The final report provides a basis from which the following year’s plans are developed.

In addition, regular student-staff forums assist Nulloo Yumbah management to receive ongoing input and advice about the service provided. Enhancements and adjustments are made accordingly.

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Planned New Activities

Whilst existing strategic priorities will essentially continue to be pursued into the next triennium, a number of specific new activities are planned to be initiated within some of those strategic priorities.

Significant new activities are outlined below. It is noted that whilst Nulloo Yumbah's corporate and community development initiatives have had to be postponed due to resource constraints they will be pursued over the triennium.

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Performance and Review

Indigenous students' overall performance across the four DETYA indicators has increased compared to the previous year. The following provides an overview the performance of Indigenous students against the Lin Martin indicators.

Access

Commencing student numbers have increased in 2000, reversing the trend over the past two years. There are notable increases in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences areas with increases as well in Health. Another factor contributing to the increase in commencing students is the introduction of the Tertiary Entry Program. Twenty-Five students enrolled in this course in February 2000. It is expected that Tertiary Entry Program enrolments will increase in forthcoming years consequently increasing the number of commencing students in undergraduate programs.

Participation

In line with the increase in commencing students, the participation indicator has also increased from 0.78 in 1999 to 0.81 in 2000. Again the major contributing factor in this increase is the introduction of the Tertiary Entry Program. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that Indigenous students are becoming more prepared for university studies and much more confident as to how they engage in university life, thus they are more inclined to continue with their studies.

Retention

Although Indigenous students' retention is still below that of Other Students, the Apparent Retention Rate of 0.66 is the highest it has been for several years. This reflects the fact that the rate of improvement in Indigenous student retention exceeds that of Other Students at CQU.

The success indicator of 0.65 continues to improve upon previous years' performances. While still relatively low in comparison to Other Student success rates, it can be noted that success rates for Indigenous students have increased while success rates for non-Indigenous students have remained static. It should be noted as well that anecdotal evidence indicates that those Indigenous students who succeed do exceptionally well in attaining high academic results. While this achievement cannot be reflected in the DETYA success indicator it points to the quality of academic support offered by Nulloo Yumbah to Indigenous students.

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Report on Expenditure

During 1999, Central Queesland University’s Indigenous education support unit, Nulloo Yumbah, received the whole of the $647 000 Indigenous Support Funding grant provided by DETYA. This was supplemented by $95 000 in operating grant funds provided by the University in order to ensure that Nulloo Yumbah received the full amount of $742 000 in Indigenous Support Funding as originally advised by DETYA in the Higher Education Funding Report for the 1998-2000 triennium.

Nulloo Yumbah expended the full $742 000 on Indigenous support, as well as approximately $444 000 in additional CQU funds used to assist the further implementation of Indigenous education support programs and initiatives during 1999. This amounts to a total CQU expenditure of some $1 186 000 for Indigenous support in 1999 (note: includes approximately $25 000 in funds carried over from 1998 plus approximately $11 000 in recouped 1998 expenditure).

The attached summary table outlines specific amounts in particular categories of expenditure.

Contact

Professor Glenice Hancock
Deputy Vice Chancellor
Tel: (07) 4930 9753
Fax: (07) 4930 6890
Email: g.hancock@cqu.edu.au

Lynette Anderson
A/Head of Department, Nulloo Yumbah
Tel: (07) 4930 9248
Fax: (07) 4930 9692
Email: l.anderson@cqu.edu.au

Bruce Zimmer
Manager, Analysis and Planning
Tel: (07) 4930 9513
Fax: (07) 4936 1691
Email: b.zimmer@cqu.edu.au

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