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Indigenous Education Strategies in Higher Education 2001-2003

Griffith University

• Introduction
• Objectives
• Strategies
• Analysis of Performance: Access and Participation
• Goals: Success and Retention
• Report on Expenditure
• Contact

Introduction

Griffith University is committed to attaining excellence through diversity. Its Indigenous education strategy is focused on access through award courses from bachelor’s degree to research higher degrees, rather than through enabling courses. To complement the education strategy, Griffith also has an Indigenous employment strategy. The Commonwealth funding for this five year employment strategy ceased in March 2000. A formal evaluation of the strategy has been completed. A new strategy is being planned by Griffith to continue this work. In 2000, 1.2 percent of Griffith staff are Indigenous Australians.

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Objectives

The key objectives for the Indigenous education strategy are:

• to encourage levels of access and participation by Indigenous Australians that are consistent with the overall representation of Indigenous Australians in the state and the nation;
• to ensure levels of success and retention that are congruent with a high quality learning environment;
• to develop and disseminate curricula that gives expression to Indigenous Australian perspectives;
• to promote and maintain Indigenous Australian cultural identity and heritage;
• to ensure graduate outcomes in employment and full-time study that are consistent with overall outcomes for graduates.

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Strategies

• to encourage aspiration to university studies;
• to increase access to university study.

Recruitment Program: In collaboration with other Queensland universities, communities and schools across Queensland are visited by Gumurrii staff to encourage Indigenous Australians to consider tertiary study. School liaison is emphasised through hosting visits to the university by primary and secondary school students. Seminars are also held for Indigenous Australians in state and Commonwealth government departments and in community organisations to increase awareness of mature age people of tertiary study.

Unireach Program: The program targets students in disadvantaged schools and offers a program of study skills peer mentoring and university familiarisation. Overall the program catered for 186 Year 12 students in 10 identified low SES schools in Brisbane south, Logan and Gold Coast regions. A number of these students were Indigenous Australians. Of the total number of students 127 went on to higher education, and some 87 were made offers at Griffith. Over 85% of participants found the program useful or very useful in making choices about further education.

Alternative Entry Program: This is jointly undertaken across Queensland universities. For Griffith there were 184 Indigenous Australian students interviewed and set a written test. 87 were made an offer at Griffith.

Equity scholarships: Two of Griffith’s 15 new equity scholarships were targeted to Indigenous Australian students. These were named the Neville Bonner scholarships to commemorate the first Chair of Griffith’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council. The number of EFTSU of Indigenous Australian students on the previous federal government funded merit equity scholarships was 15.5 EFTSU in 1999 ­ the last year of scholarship offer.

Honours and postgraduate scholarships for Indigenous Australians: Three such scholarships have been awarded annually since 1996. Griffith’s first Indigenous PhD graduate was a recipient of one of these scholarships.

Indigenous Pre-Law course and Support Program: This program is provided before entry to academic year.

Monitoring and evaluation:

• student survey of Unireach program annually;
• examination of numbers of Indigenous Australian students making application to Griffith.

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Analysis of Performance: Access and Participation

Over the period, access for Indigenous Australian students has increased. However in 1999 and again in 2000, access declined and is now slightly below representation in the catchment area.* Following strategies for recruitment and entry outlined above, Griffith anticipates improving levels of access into its degree courses at levels consistent with the representation of Indigenous Australians in the nation and working to increase these levels to reflect state levels of representation.

Indigenous students at Griffith are spread across a wide range of fields of study. Compared to the total Griffith student population, Indigenous students have a higher representation in arts, humanities and social sciences, education, and law. In 2000 Indigenous students are much more heavily represented in law than the average student population. Lower levels of representation than that of the general student population are found in business, engineering, health and science.

Indigenous students are more heavily concentrated in undergraduate courses than the total student population, although over the past four years their representation in postgraduate degrees has steadily increased in both research higher degrees and postgraduate coursework.

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Goals: Success and Retention

• to ensure successful completion of university subjects attempted;
• that success levels to rise to match level of general student population;
• to ensure retention of students through to completion of degree;
• that retention increases to match retention levels of all students;
• to facilitate good graduate outcomes in full-time employment and further study.

Orientation and familiarisation program: This provides a mechanism for assessing support needs as well as assisting with integration to university environment.

Academic support: This occurs through a program of small group and individual assistance across a range of subject areas. Approximately 80 student consultations per week are provided.

Masterkey program: This program provides support through first semester of study by peer mentors, specific study skills programs and other resources. In 1999 Masterkey provided support to 160 students across all 6 campuses of the University. A number of these students were Indigenous. Over 75% of students in the Masterkey program passed 100% of their subjects in 1999.

Culturally sensitive curricula: The Bachelor of Visual Arts in Contemporary Indigenous Australian Art graduated its first cohort of students in 1998. The Indigenous studies major in Bachelor of Arts is to be extended to the Gold Coast campus. The first graduates of this major completed their Bachelor of Arts degrees at Nathan campus in 1999. Specialist subjects covering Indigenous experience in education, environmental studies, justice administration and law are offered on all campuses.

Career awareness support program: This is organised by Gumurrii Centre and Indigenous employment strategy staff.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• student survey of Masterkey program;
• evaluation of curriculum;
• student focus groups on academic support;
• student statistics on outcomes.

Success and retention rates for Indigenous Australian students declined in 1996 and improved again in 1997. In 1998, retention fell dramatically but there was also a major improvement in success rates for Indigenous students. In 1999 retention improved again and is above the national average. Success continued to improve in 1999 and success rates are also above the national average. The fluctuation in retention rates year to year proves difficult to predict and manage. Further intensive research with Indigenous Australian students is needed to determine whether there are program changes that would further assist.

* Griffith Catchment area is defined as the statistical districts of Moreton, Brisbane and Richmond-Tweed.

Graph 3: Success and Retention - Indigenous Students

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Report on Expenditure

The table below outlines both the budgeted commitments of Indigenous support funding for 1999 to 2001, but also the actual spending in 1999. There are no overheads charged in relation to Indigenous support funding at Griffith University. The Indigenous support funding supplied by the Commonwealth is directed exclusively to the Gumurrii Centre which is the Indigenous support unit for the University.

The Director of the Centre is responsible for administration of this budget and reports directly to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equity) in terms of accountability for this budget.

Staff of the Gumurrii Centre participate in the teaching of some award subjects in the education degrees and in the arts degree. Funding for their involvement in this teaching flows to the Gumurrii Centre and is reflected in the additional income line in the budget identified as CTL Indigenous teaching.

The University also provided further funding support to the Centre not reflected in this statement of income and expenditure. In 1998 the University undertook extensive renovations of the Indigenous support centre on the Nathan campus, including installation of air-conditioning and a security system. The University also provided the space and fitted out with furniture a new Gumurrii support centre on the Logan campus. The facilities on the Queensland College of Art campus at Morningside were also relocated and better facilities provided. These were all contributions directly from the capital and minor works budgets of the University.

The University also supports the Gumurrii Centre with general corporate services in the same manner as all Schools of the University. In other words the Gumurrii Centre is treated as part of the standard operating elements of the University.

The Gumurrii Centre is carrying forward a surplus, largely generated by salary savings. This surplus will be allocated to projects to be determined this year as part of the business planning process of the University.

GUMURRII CENTRE: ACTUAL 1998 and 1999 AND BUDGET ESTIMATES 2000-2001

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Contact

Ms Boni Robertson
Director, Gumurrii Centre
Griffith University
Nathan. Qld. 4111.
Ph: (07) 3875 7032
Fax: (07) 3875 7033
Email: B.Robertson@mailbox.gu.edu.au

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