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Organisation: NCSEHE
Lead Researcher: Tim Pitman
Type of Publications: Professional commentary
Year Published: 2015
The latest Selected Higher Education Statistics have revealed an increase in student attrition, or the percentage of students commencing in 2013 who neither completed nor re-enrolled in 2014. The more diverse our student population becomes, and the more diverse their prior educational backgrounds, the more diverse our universities need to be in supporting their educational needs.
Type of Publication: Professional commentary
Year Published: 2014
This article explores universities continuing to use prior academic achievement as the primary proxy for quality in higher education.
Lead Researcher: Lynette Vernon
Type of Publications: Journal article
Year Published: 2018
This study examines the roles of aspiration and expectation to attend university for regional and metropolitan high school students living in a low SES region of Western Australia, where a four-year university aspiration project was implemented. Specifically, the directionality of the development of university desire and expectation was tested using data collected over 18 months within a cross-lagged modeling framework.
Type of Publication: Journal article
Organisation: Curtin University
Year Published: 2017
This article explores why it is that some universities – mainly those in rural and regional areas – are still struggling to reduce drop-out rates.
The aim of this study was to test whether academic encouragement supported students’ school satisfaction and increased their desire for, expectation of and belief in the possibility of university study and whether differences were evident depending on pathway of study: the ATAR pathway versus a Year 12 access enabling pathway program called TLC110.
Organisation: University of New South Wales
Lead Researcher: Mary Teague
Type of Publications: Research report
Year Published: 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant and far-reaching consequences for the higher education sector, and has particularly impacted students from equity cohorts. This NCSEHE-funded research found, given the widespread and deep impacts of these changes, it was timely to explore how universities responded to these challenges in terms of access and admissions, and participation and support for equity cohorts.
Type of Publication: Research report
Using the Australian higher education sector as an example, this paper argues that equity policy is actually a mix of ‘proportional fairness’ and ‘inclusion’ and elite institutions resist not because the policy is deficient but because it might actually work. An alternative approach to higher education equity policy is proposed; one which requires elite institutions to engage meaningfully with disadvantaged students but allows them to retain their status advantage.
This article outlines Tim Pitman's response to an article published by Times Higher Education, "Lifting the cap 'fails to widen access' in Australia".
Organisation: Deakin University
Lead Researcher: Trevor Gale
Year Published: 2013
This report on VET Providers, Associate and Bachelor Degrees, and Disadvantaged Learners, is derived from research commissioned by the National VET Equity Advisory Council. It is particularly concerned with the impact for disadvantaged learners of associate and bachelor degrees offered by vocational education and training (VET) providers.
Organisation: University of Queensland
Lead Researcher: Katelyn Barney
Type of Publications: Multimedia
Year Published: 2021
An informative collection of videos has been produced to support university outreach practitioners in evaluating programs for Indigenous students. The videos will also be useful for anyone who has an interest in evaluation of student equity initiatives in higher education more generally.
Type of Publication: Multimedia