Introducing the ‘Indigenous Success: Doing it, Thinking it, Being it’ podcast series
The Indigenous Success: Doing it, Thinking it, Being it podcast series is designed for university outreach practitioners working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. It is also for anyone who has an interest in student equity and success in higher education.
Hosted by Dr Katelyn Barney and Professor Tracey Bunda, the podcast series focuses on “what works” in outreach programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students.
Indigenous Success: Doing it, Thinking it, Being it podcast series introduction
The podcast is named “Indigenous Success: Doing it, Thinking it, Being it” because there are multiple understandings of “success” in this context.
This series is part of a suite of resources developed as part of Dr Katelyn Barney’s Equity Fellowship conducted under the NCSEHE Equity Fellows Program, funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.
Listen to the podcast series here: https://indigenoussuccess.podbean.com/
About the podcasts
Each episode is an interview with an Indigenous staff member or university student about aspects of effective outreach programs. It focuses on success factors that are based on key findings from Katelyn’s Equity Fellowship.
Professor Tracey Bunda and Dr Katelyn Barney interviewing Professor Maria Raciti
Episodes will be released monthly and topics discussed include why evaluation of outreach activities is so important; the role of student ambassadors in outreach programs; examples of how to embed cultural aspects in outreach programs for Indigenous students; the importance of outreach programs for students in primary school and the early years of high school; and how the shift to online outreach activities during COVID-19 has worked in practice.
The first episode features Professor Maria Raciti (USC) discussing why evaluation of outreach programs is so important and giving tips for outreach practitioners about evaluating their programs.
Episode teaser: Why evaluation of outreach programs is so important
More information about Katelyn’s Equity Fellowship
The Fellowship involved a mixed-methods approach (combining qualitative and quantitative methods) to identify “what works” in outreach programs for Indigenous students. Through collaboration with an expert Indigenous advisory group and staff at universities, the Fellowship documented and mapped the range of outreach programs universities are running for Indigenous students and then evaluated two outreach camp programs specifically for Indigenous students at Australian universities. Working closely with staff at selected universities, qualitative data was collected from Indigenous tertiary students who had previously attended a high school involved in outreach activities before their transition to university. The project also involved interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff who run outreach programs for Indigenous students and with caregivers/parents of Indigenous students who participated in outreach programs to explore their perspectives on the impact of outreach activities on their child. Quantitative data obtained through a nationally circulated survey of Indigenous university students who participated in an outreach program while at school was also analysed.
The project findings have established strategies to strengthen and improve outreach programs specifically for Indigenous students that can be adopted by all universities across Australia. The fellowship has also developing resources for outreach staff to assist them in evaluating their programs targeting Indigenous students and the podcast is part of this suite of resources.
Main image: Professor Tracey Bunda and Dr Katelyn Barney interviewing Hope Perkins
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