| Batchelor College Introduction Batchelor College is a specialist tertiary institution providing accredited TAFE/VET (vocational education and training) and higher education programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, most of whom come from remote communities in the Northern Territory. The College is governed by a Council that is made up predominantly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In establishing its program profile and its modus operandi, the College responds to the education, training and employment needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and takes account of the social and cultural contexts of its students and their communities through processes of on-going consultation, periodic reviews, and regular dialogue with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and organisations and with employers and employing agencies. Approximately 85% of students come from remote Indigenous communities where the majority of people speak English as a second or a foreign language. Approximately 12% of current students are from outside the Northern Territory, with the majority of these being from northern parts of Queensland, northern parts of Western Australia and the north-west of South Australia; however, there are also small numbers of students from all other states in Australia. Currently there are approximately 1,700 students (equivalent to approximately 1,100 Equivalent Full-Time Student Units) enrolled in Batchelor College in the longer accredited courses in more than twenty discipline areas. The emphases in these courses are on education, health, and other areas that are applicable to the community development aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The levels of awards are:
A further 300 people enrol each year in shorter VET courses developed in response to specific training needs for access to employment or further education. These short courses cover a wide range of discipline areas including basic literacy and numeracy, childcare, clerical skills, and other programs that enhance employability and provide basic vocational knowledge and skills relevant to employment in communities. Nationally recognised Statements of Attainment are usually awarded on successful completion of these courses Objectives The purpose of Batchelor College as an institution is to serve the interests of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in education and training through excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching and learning, in vocational education and training, in scholarship, research, creative expression and community service, and, in so doing, contribute to the cultural, social, and economic development of Australia. Batchelor College will progressively develop as a multi-purpose centre of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholarship recognised nationally and internationally as an independent Indigenous university. The scholarship of the institution will embrace a broad profile of undergraduate higher education and vocational education and training courses, programs of research, postgraduate studies, and community service, embedded in and informed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of Australia. The programs will draw on both western academic traditions of knowledge and education and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions. Through its governance, scholarship and teaching, the institution will be an integral part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of Australia, and from this position will significantly influence national development. Description of Strategies 1 Mixed-Mode Delivery All College courses (other than the short VET courses developed and implemented in communities) operate through mixed-mode forms of delivery. In Batchelor College ‘mixed-mode’ is a form of flexible delivery that has evolved during the past twelve years in response to the educational, social, and cultural contexts of remote area Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This mode of delivery is able to respond to the requirements of mature age students, including their family and ceremonial obligations. Students, for the most part, are based in their home communities and attend intensive workshops several times a year on the Batchelor Campus, the Alice Springs Campus, in College Annexes in Katherine, Tennant Creek, Nhulunbuy or Alyangula, or in other communities. In addition to these intensive workshops, students undertake continuing studies in their own communities where they are visited by College staff and receive instruction face-to-face, through distance education, and through electronic technology such as computers. 2 ‘ Both ways’ Philosophy The mixed mode of course delivery supports the College's ‘both ways’ philosophy of education, designed not only to provide students with the opportunity to gain recognised and high quality vocational and academic qualifications, but also to do this through programs that support their respective Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and language. All courses (apart from some of the short vocationally specific VET programs) are designed to bring together diverse knowledge (information, practices, values, languages. systems) from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions as well as those from traditional educational cultures. This is reflected also in all aspects of the College's research and development profile and is a special feature of Batchelor College that cannot be found to any significant extent in any other TAFE, VET or higher education institution in Australia. Periods in the home community provide access to the experience and knowledge of the people of the community, to be reflected on within the course of studies. Other activities in the community include work experience, practicum, inquiry and research, assignment preparation, instruction, and conferencing with lecturers. Periods on campus provide access to resources of staff, text books, library and other resources not available in the communities. Workshops on campus provide interaction with other students, and dialogue on course-related topics with staff and other students. Field studies provide a broadening experience and further differentiating conceptualisation. 3 Community Study Centres To support these innovative curriculum practices, the College has established a network of Community Study Centres in over thirty-five remote Northern Territory communities and entered into a number of 'Community Agreements' with councils, schools, and clinics which establish the basis under which the College utilises locally owned premises for both course delivery and student support facilities. The activities of the Community Study Centres are facilitated by a Regional Coordinator integrating them into Batchelor College's multi-campus operations. The Community Study Centres are meeting places where students can gather to read, to work on assignments, and to communicate with lecturers by phone or fax, or to receive on-site tutoring or teaching. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative Mechanisms Batchelor College is governed by a Council made up predominantly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reflective of the communities served. In developing its strategic plan the College is guided by the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly those of rural and remote areas as principal stakeholders. Major consultation and review procedures are carried out every five years to ensure that the College is aware of changing contexts and expectations. Curriculum development and accreditation processes are implemented in ways that incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, experience and educational backgrounds through membership of Course Development, Assessment and Monitoring Committees. Participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the staff of the institution at all levels is actively sought and encouraged. Performance against Performance Indicators There is a fairly high withdrawal rate in each year: however, the College sees it as important to allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the opportunity to enrol and to withdraw if necessary. Progress through the courses is often slow because of the many demands placed on the students, not only by study, but also socially and financially. Despite the length of time taken by many graduates to complete their courses, 82.5% of Batchelor College graduates were in full-time employment at 30 July 1997. Contact Officer Mr John Ingram |
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