The Clever Country: The importance of investing in regional and remote students
Event Details
The University Club of Western Australia Auditorium, The University of Western Australia.
16 October 2017 1:10 pm
2017 National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education Equity Fellowship Symposium
This symposium brings together a panel of experts from across Australia to discuss ways to support regional and remote students to succeed in higher education. The purpose is to explore the value of investing in higher education from the perspective of the individual, community and the university sector and to question what we need to do to become a truly ‘clever country’.
This symposium will be hosted by 2017 Equity Fellow Louise Pollard and feature the following speakers:
- Professor Grady Venville, Dean of Coursework Studies, The University of Western Australia (Chair)
- Professor Sally Kift PFHEA, President, Australian Learning and Teaching Fellows, Former DVC (Academic), James Cook University
- Professor Steven Larkin, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Education and Research, University of Newcastle
- Tyson McEwan, UWA Guild Welfare Officer, current university student and graduate of Geraldton Secondary College
- Tim Shanahan, Principal Adviser, Vice Chancellery, The University of Western Australia, former Chair, Western Australian Regional Development Trust
- Dr Paul Corcoran, Director, Equity Policy, Australian Government Department of Education and Training
- Professor Sue Trinidad, Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education
The symposium will be held in The University Club of Western Australia Auditorium, and refreshments will be provided.
The session will be live-tweeted, follow the conversation @ncsehe #clevercountry17
Attendance is free, but tickets are limited so RSVP is essential. Reserve your ticket here.
Please note: Travel, accommodation and other expenses are the responsibility of the attendee.
About Louise Pollard’s NCSEHE Equity Fellowship project
Remote Student University Success: An Analysis of Policy and Practice
This 2017 Equity Fellowship is focused on remote students’ participation in higher education, exploring issues relevant to these students and identifying ways in which they can be supported more effectively by the higher education sector and Australian Government. Good practice examples from across the sector are being examined and the Fellowship is being informed by a study tour to Canadian universities and a secondment to the Department of Education and Training.
The Fellowship also involves analysis of national datasets that has focused attention on the cohort of remote students in higher education in a new and innovative way. This includes the development of a comprehensive summary of remote students engaged in university that includes the following characteristics for the 2015 student population[1]. 9007 students were identified as being from remote (and very remote) Australia.
This dataset forms an important part of the analysis being conducted through the Fellowship. It may challenge assumptions made about the cohort and will help the sector, and government to refine and target strategies to support remote student success in higher education.
This Fellowship will address a neglected area of research to deliver positive outcomes for remote students, their communities and all who support access, participation and success for university students across Australia.
[1] University Statistics Team & Higher Education Information Management System, Department of Education & Training
Feature image courtesy of Aspire UWA and Matthew Galligan