National Forum: Addressing the gap between policy and implementation: Strategies for improving educational outcomes of Indigenous students 

This national forum—the culmination of an Office of Learning and Teaching project funded by the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training—focused on strategies for improving retention and completion rates of Australian Indigenous university students.

The project has involved policy reviews and interviews with current, past and returning students and lecturers. New strategies have been developed to compensate for inabilities to access returning students.

Led by CQUniversity (co-presenters Denise Wood and Bronwyn Fredericks), the national forum was held in partnership with Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, the University of Newcastle and the University of South Australia.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn about and contribute to discussions relating to the outcomes from the project including:

• The Development of Guidelines for best practice in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students undertaking undergraduate and postgraduate studies at metropolitan and regional universities.
• A Model of Participatory Action Research based on Indigenist methodologies that can be applied in other locations and disciplines.
• Five Case Studies documenting the experiences of employing the strategies across the project partner institutions.

Robust, stimulating discussion and feedback assisted in improving the final outputs from the project, prior to final submission.

Pictured (L-R) Dr Felecia Watkin (James Cook University), Professor Bronwyn Fredericks (CQUniversity), Professor Nereda White (Australian Catholic University) and Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney (University of South Australia).