INDIGENOUS EDUCATION STATEMENT
FOR 2013
CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY
Picture: Darrambal Students and Staff
Page |1
Contents
SECTION 1 Achievement of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (AEP) Goals in
2013 and Plans for Future Years ...................................................................................................................... 7
1.1 Establish effective arrangements for the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in
educational decision-making. .......................................................................................................................... 7
1.2 Establish effective arrangements for the participation of Indigenous peoples in educational decisionmaking. ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
SECTION 2 Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff employed as academic and nonacademic staff in higher education institutions. ............................................................................................. 12
2.1 Employment Strategy Actions in 2013 ................................................................................................... 14
2.2 Identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific positions at CSU ........................................... 15
2.3 Current Employment Status of Indigenous Staff .................................................................................... 17
2.4 Changes in numbers of Indigenous Academic Staff employed at CSU.................................................. 18
2.5 Changes in the number of Professional/General staff at CSU ................................................................ 19
SECTION 3 Ensure equitable access of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to higher education ..... 21
3.1 Commencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student numbers for 2013 (access rate) ................ 21
3.2 Programs to improve Access .................................................................................................................. 27
3.3 Outreach activities .................................................................................................................................. 27
3.4 Details of Indigenous-specific and other scholarships offered by your university ................................. 38
SECTION 4 Achieve the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education, at
rates commensurate with those of all other Australians ................................................................................ 41
4.1 The total number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student enrolments for 2012 and 2013 ....... 41
4.2 Course work support ............................................................................................................................... 43
4.3 Research Support .................................................................................................................................... 45
4.4 The Role of Indigenous Student Services in enhancing participation and success................................. 46
SECTION 5 Enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to attain the same graduation rates from
award courses in higher education as for other Australians........................................................................... 48
SECTION 6 To provide all Australian students with an understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander traditional and contemporary cultures .................................................................................... 52
FINANCIAL ACQUITTAL .................................................................................................................................. 54
SECTION 7 Charles Sturt University Contact Information ................................................................................. 58
SECTION 8 Publication of the Statement ............................................................................................................ 58
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Table of Tables
Table 2.1 – Identified (i.e., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific positions) positions within CSU .. 16
Table 2.2 – Indigenous continuing & fixed term positions (31 March 2013) ................................................... 17
Table 2.3 – Academic Staff (as at 31st March 2013) ......................................................................................... 18
Table 2.4 – Indigenous Academic staff by level (as at 31st March 2013) ......................................................... 18
Table 2.5 – General/Professional staff (as at 31st March 2013) ........................................................................ 19
Table 2.6 – Indigenous general/professional staff by level and occupation (31 March 2013) ......................... 20
Table 3.1 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students Data provided by the Department ......................... 22
Table 3.2 – Commencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student numbers for 2013 (access rate) ....... 23
Table 3.3 – Top 20 undergraduate courses chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students ............. 25
Table 3.4 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarships details ............................................................ 39
Table 4.1 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students Data provided by the department) ........................ 41
Table 4.2 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student data 2009 to 2013: headcount, enrolments, EFTSL 42
Table 5.1 – Completions rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students .............................................. 48
Table 5.2 – Higher Degree and Postgraduate Completions 2009-2013 ............................................................. 49
Table 5.3 – Bachelor degree Completions 2009-2013 ....................................................................................... 50
Table 5.4 – Sub-Bachelor degree Completions 2009-2013 ............................................................................... 50
Table 5.5 – The final table provides the aggregate data for Completions at CSU ............................................. 51
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Table of Figures
Figure 3.1 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commencing Students - headcount 2010-2013 .......... 24
Figure 3.2 – Darrambal Skills Assessment Program attendance, offers and acceptances .......................... 27
Figure 4.1 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students – headcount 2010 -13 .................................... 43
Figure 4.2 – Mode of study for Australian Indigenous students ................................................................ 44
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INTRODUCTION
As will be shown in this statement, Charles Sturt University (CSU) has an holistic, whole of
University approach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement with tertiary study. Our
demonstrated strong commitment to facilitating the success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples is evidenced through the strategies implemented in education and research, and through our
engagement with communities.
The new University Strategy 2013-15 that displays our continued strong engagement with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples, in particular the Wiradjuri people, leads with the following
statement:
For the Public Good
We are a university of the land and people of our regions. True to the
character of regional Australia we have gumption, we have soul and we
collaborate with others.
We develop holistic, far-sighted people who help their communities grow
and flourish.
Acknowledging the culture and insight of Indigenous Australians, CSU’s
ethos is
clearly described by the Wiradjuri phrase: ‘yindyamarra winhanganha’(‘the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth
living in’)
Harnessing technology, we thrive as a distributed yet connected community,
welcoming and engaging with people across Australia and the world.
Clearly articulated in this strategy are the following elements
Objectives for our Communities include
Improved educational outcomes and lives for Indigenous, regional, rural
and remote Australians.
In Indigenous Education we will
o Complete recruitment of Indigenous Academic Fellowships and increase our
employment of Indigenous staff in general
o Implement cultural competency training for all staff
o Ensure all undergraduate programs incorporate Indigenous Australian content
consistent with the Indigenous cultural competence pedagogical framework
o Maintain national leadership in this area
This new University strategy marks our ongoing commitment to continue to work with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples to raise aspiration and to facilitate participation and success in
relation to higher education. We build on our significant expertise in flexible and online delivery, and
our partnerships, particularly with the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, to facilitate
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to realise their full potential.
CSU has an ongoing commitment to reconciliation and social justice as demonstrated through the
endorsement of the Indigenous Education Strategy by the Vice Chancellor and Academic Senate.
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Implemented in 2009, the Charles Sturt University Indigenous Education Strategy with its
recommendations provide a comprehensive whole-of-institution framework for engagement with
Indigenous communities, positioning CSU as a lead provider of Indigenous education, research and
the cultural competence training of professionals of the future.
The Charles Sturt University Indigenous Education Strategy contains 9 key objectives:
Key Objective 1
Promote and enhance national and regional reconciliation
Key Objective 2
Make Indigenous people, culture and knowledge a valued and visible aspect
of the life and culture of the University and its campuses.
Key Objective 3
Establish Charles Sturt University as the preferred higher education provider
for Indigenous students and Indigenous Education.
Key Objective 4
Improve the four key indicators of Indigenous educational outcomes: access,
participation, retention and success.
Key Objective 5
Incorporate Indigenous Australian content into all of the University’s
undergraduate course offerings, and embed related descriptors into the
University’s Graduate Attributes.
Key Objective 6
Increase Charles Sturt University’s research output relating to Indigenous
specific issues by developing a cross-discipline and divisional scholarship of
Indigenous learning, teaching and research, based upon Indigenous
community involvement and University staff commitment to the
advancement of the principles of social justice to achieve equality and self
determination for Indigenous Australians.
Key Objective 7
Enhance the profile of Charles Sturt University as the preferred employer of
Indigenous people through strengthened programs and initiatives
specifically designed to attract and support Indigenous staff.
Key Objective 8
Develop and advance the professional profiles and research skills of the
University’s Indigenous staff through extended opportunities for
professional development and advancement.
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Key Objective 9
Develop clear and accountable governance and management structures to
develop, implement and monitor progress in achieving this Indigenous
Education Strategy
NB: It is important to note that CSU does not have a single Indigenous Education Unit. We have
o Indigenous Student Services, and
o The Centre for Indigenous Studies.
The role of these two units will be detailed throughout this document.
Page |7
SECTION 1
ACHIEVEMENT OF NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES
STRAIT ISLANDER EDUCATION POLICY (AEP) GOALS IN 2013
AND PLANS FOR FUTURE YEARS
1.1
Establish effective arrangements for the participation of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people in educational decision-making.
CSU’s relationship with Indigenous communities is a central focus of our commitment to our regions.
As an inland university with campuses located in areas of relatively high Indigenous population, CSU
has a significant role in providing accessible education for Indigenous students. The University is also
working towards increasing employment of Indigenous staff to support a culturally safe environment
and provide role models for Indigenous students, to give non Indigenous students the opportunity to
work with Indigenous professionals, to give credibility to the teaching of Indigenous studies, and to
provide culturally appropriate professional input to the development of course curricula and
pedagogy.
This section will provide details of the ways in which we are addressing the National Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (AEP) Goals relevant to higher education as well as address
findings from the Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander People: Final Report (Behrendt, Larkin, Griew & Kelly, 2012).
CSU is proud of the outcomes achieved through our approach to ensure that Indigenous peoples play
a strong, and effective role in educational decision making. We have increasingly brought about both
cultural change and changes in governance to ensure and encourage, Indigenous participation in
University culture and governance. A whole of University approach to realising success of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people is paramount, and this commitment is demonstrated in our current
2013-15 University Strategy. In 2013 Ray Peckham was appointed as the inaugural Elder in
Residence on Dubbo campus, and Gail Clark was appointed as the inaugural Elder in Residence on
the Wagga Wagga campus. This is a positive and progressive move, and demonstrates the active
commitment of CSU to the goals of increasing the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people in the leadership of the university.
1.2
Establish effective arrangements for the participation of Indigenous peoples in
educational decision-making.
CSU’s multifaceted, whole of University, approach to the participation of Indigenous peoples in
educational decision making has included the following interdependent elements:
1. Establishment of the Office of Indigenous Affairs in 2013 the decision was made to establish
the Office of Indigenous Affairs within the portfolio of the Deputy Vice Chancellor
(Academic). Professor Jeannie Herbert, AM was promoted to the newly created position of Pro
Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Education. This position leads the Office of Indigenous Affairs,
and will be overseeing

the Indigenous Education Strategy and Sub Plan,

external and community relations, and

the institution-wide alignment and coordination of other key elements of work in areas
such as employment of Indigenous staff, building load and improving retention and
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success of Indigenous students.
The Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Education is a member of key University committees
(see below) including Academic Senate.
2. The Indigenous Community Relations Officer is an important one within CSU, as it
strengthens ties across the footprint of CSU, connecting internally and with State and Regional
organisations. From 2013, this position reports to the Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous
Education. In 2013, the Community Relations Officer

Worked closely with Heads of Campus and the Wiradjuri Council of Elders,
Aboriginal Community Working Party and Interagency groups.

Maintained connections with schools within CSU’s footprint, and their Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander staff through engagement with local and regional AECG
networks, and worked with the Future Moves team in their practice with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Schools.

Sought opportunities to encourage people to enrol in higher education courses,
although the position is not directly associated with student recruitment.
3. Establishment of the Centre for Indigenous Studies, tasked with developing and monitoring
the implementation of the Institution's Indigenous Education Strategy and with:

the identification, development and delivery of Indigenous programs of teaching and
research across professional and general academic programs within the University;

taking a lead role in the development of collaborative engagement between
Indigenous communities and University Faculties, Research Centres and Schools;

representing Charles Sturt University in matters relating to Indigenous education at
the University;

developing research and consultancy links and projects with local communities,
institutions, services and agencies, and with national and international scholarly
communities in the field.
4. Establishment of key committees with objectives specific to addressing our strategic goals in
relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Indigenous Education Strategy Coordinating Group, with the following membership
Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Education - presiding officer
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
Director, Centre for Indigenous Studies
Indigenous Academic Staff Nominee
Indigenous General Staff Nominee
Indigenous Chair Professor Jeannie Herbert
Indigenous Employment Coordinator
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Manager Indigenous Student Services
Dean of Students
Director, Human Resources Nominee
Head of School Nominee
Faculty of Arts Nominee
Faculty of Education Nominee
Faculty of Business Nominee
Faculty of Science Nominee
Indigenous Education Strategy Coordinating Group - budget group
Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Education;
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research;
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic);
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration);
Director, Centre for Indigenous Studies;
Foundation Chair, Indigenous Studies;
Indigenous Employment Coordinator;
Executive Director, Human Resources
Director, Djirruwang Program
Dean of Students
Indigenous Employment Strategy Advisory Committee
Presiding Officer (nominated by the Presiding Officer of the EO/AA Committee);
Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Education
CSU Indigenous Academic representative (appointed by the Committee);
Indigenous Employment Coordinator (Executive Officer);
Manager, Diversity & Equity;
Director, Centre for Indigenous Studies (or nominee);
Manager, Indigenous Student Services (or nominee);
One Head of School nominated by the Heads of Schools;
One representative from the employment sector (appointed by the Committee);
Two members from the Indigenous Australian community external to CSU
One member nominated by the Wiradjuri Council of Elders
Senior Indigenous Leadership Forum
Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Education - Presiding Officer
Director Centre for Indigenous Studies
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Chair Indigenous Studies
Manager Indigenous Student Services
Indigenous Employment Coordinator
Director, Djirruwang Program
Community Relations Officer - Audience and Debate
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) - Audience and Debate
5. On campus meetings of the Council of Elders and regular meetings between this council,
and individual Elders, with senior management of the University.

The Wiradjuri Council of Elders has a major role in guiding CSU’s approach to
Indigenous matters. Two CSU staff members, both of whom are Wiradjuri Elders, are
presently included on the Wiradjuri Council of Elders Board of Directors.

The establishment of a CSU Campus at Port Macquarie in 2012 has led to the
formation of a close relationship with members of the Birapai people (the traditional
owners of the land). This relationship has been strengthened where CSU leaders,
including the Centre for Indigenous Health Indigenous leaders have met with Birapai
members to consider the forward planning and campus design of the proposed
campus.

During 2013, meetings of the Wiradjuri Council of Elders have been regularly
supported by CSU with meetings held on campus in Wagga, Bathurst and Dubbo
campuses.

The annual Wongamar Lecture is held alternately in Albury and Canberra. This
lecture honours the memory and contribution of Pastor Cecil William Grant, a
Wiradjuri leader who played an important part in the development of Indigenous
education at CSU.
6. Active support for and engagement with Indigenous student forums to inform decision
making related to the student experience at CSU e.g., the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Forum
7. Inclusion of specific Indigenous role appointees to key University committees and forums
including:

Head of Campus Committee – Indigenous Community Relations Officer

Academic Senate - Director, Indigenous Studies

Vice Chancellor’s Forum - Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Education; Director,
Indigenous Studies

Curriculum Learning and Teaching Committee - Chair of Indigenous Board of
Studies

Human Research Ethics Committee – Indigenous Representative

Faculty Boards of all Four Faculties – Indigenous Student Services staff
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It is important to note that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and students also
participate across the range of committees and working groups in operation within the
University.
8. Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to participate in external committees
and forums of importance to our educational endeavours, including:
Professor Jeannie Herbert (PVC, Indigenous Education) is a member of the National
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC)
Faye McMillan (Director, Djirruwang Program): Chair of the Indigenous Allied Health
Australia Board
Jane Havelka (Lecturer, School of Nursing Midwifery and Indigenous Health): Graduate
Director of the Indigenous Allied Health Australia Board
Mr Ray Eldridge, (Manager of Indigenous Student Services), and staff are members of the
NSW/ACT Higher Education Network Advisory Committee (HENAC)
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SECTION 2
Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff
employed as academic and non-academic staff in higher education
institutions.
Providing employment opportunities for Indigenous people is critical to CSU’s commitment both to
social justice and to its mission to contribute to its communities (including Indigenous Australians), as
stated in the University Strategy 2013 – 2015. The following points summarise CSU’s
implementation and ongoing review of its Indigenous Employment Strategy.
In 2005 the University introduced its first Indigenous Employment Strategy to promote the
recruitment and career development of Indigenous people in mainstream University positions. When
this was introduced Indigenous staff representation across the University was at 0.9%.
o
Under the University’s practice of continuing improvement, the strategy has been
reviewed and updated twice (2008 and 2011) since it was first implemented in 2005.
The most recent version, CSU Indigenous Australian Employment Strategy 2012 –
2015, was approved by the Vice Chancellor in May 2012.
o
The current CSU Indigenous Australian Employment Strategy, 2012 – 2015 can be
found at: http://www.csu.edu.au/adminman/hum/IndigenousEmployStrategy.pdf
o
The focus remains on further increasing the proportion of Indigenous staff in
continuing positions and increasing the overall representation of Indigenous staff to
3% and the proportion of Indigenous academic staff to 2%.
Under the strategy the five objectives aimed at achieving this target are as follows:
Objective 1: RECRUITMENT
To increase the number of Indigenous Australian employees in continuing positions across all
levels and occupations at CSU.
Objective 2: CAREER DEVELOPMENT
To provide and support career development for Indigenous Australian employees.
Objective 3: RETENTION
To develop a framework that maximises the retention of Indigenous Australian Employees.
Objective 4: WORKPLACE CULTURE
To provide a work environment which acknowledges, values and respects the culture,
knowledge and diversity of Indigenous Australian people.
Objective 5: PROMOTION AND COMMUNITY NETWORKING
To promote and market Charles Sturt University’s Indigenous Employment Strategy.
The following internal schemes are, and will continue to be used to support the objectives of the
revised Strategy:
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Indigenous Employment Incentive Scheme – This scheme provides for 50% of the salary
for the first year of an appointment of an Indigenous staff member in a general staff
position at Level 3 – 8.
Indigenous Staff Study Support Scheme – This scheme provides funding to Indigenous
academic and general staff members to cover costs associated with study for a
qualification.
Indigenous Academic Leadership Development Scheme – This scheme provides financial
support to Indigenous academic staff to undertake a professional activity that will
foster development of leadership skills
Indigenous Staff Higher Degree by Research Pathways – a program that offers partial buy
out of academic staff members to facilitate fast-tracked completion of Graduate
Certificate in Research Methods/Honours programs as a pathway into PhD studies.
Indigenous Staff PhD Release Scheme – funding of $50,000 p.a. to support full time
equivalent release from teaching for eligible staff to facilitate PhD completion
Indigenous Academic Internship Program – a program that provides a living wage for
eligible Indigenous PhD candidates and assists in developing potential to enter an
academic career.
Indigenous Research/Researchers Seed Funding – funding to support seeding projects and
/or small groups.
Indigenous Academic Fellowship – In mid 2012 CSU commenced recruitment for four
Indigenous Academic Fellowships, one per Faculty (Arts, Business, Education and
Science). These will provide Indigenous Australians with the opportunity to
undertake a funded PhD placement on a living wage, while being mentored and
grown into an academic role over four years. At the completion of the four years,
Fellows will be offered continuing, full time academic positions within their relevant
discipline area.
Double funding model for subjects with Indigenous specific curricula – One aim of this
mechanism is to increase funding to free up additional positions for employment of
Indigenous academic staff. The mechanism is also being used by Faculties to employ
indigenous academics across all Faculties and disciplines.
Traineeships – External funding will also be sought to support traineeships and cadetships.
CSU Salary Scale for trainees – CSU has developed a salary scale for trainees that is well
above the Award. This recognises that Indigenous Australian trainees may already
have considerable life experience and may well have significant family responsibility.
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2.1.
Employment Strategy Actions in 2013
Activities undertaken under the Indigenous Australian Employment Strategy in the reporting period
include:
Annual Indigenous Staff Conference (Nguluway) – Indigenous staff (and, where considered
appropriate, non-Indigenous staff working within Indigenous areas of the University) are
invited to attend to allow networking among CSU staff and Indigenous staff and provide
opportunities for professional development. The conference consists of a series of workshops
and presentations by guest speakers and includes an event on the 1st day of the conference to
which community members are invited.
Indigenous trainee forums by videoconference enable trainees to network across campuses, share
ideas, and provide peer mentoring and support. They enable CSU to provide ongoing training
and have become a successful personal developmental tool.
Formal cross cultural awareness training for University staff continues in the form of one and
two-day workshops and flexible delivery, run on each campus as requested, particularly
where targeted positions in mainstream roles become available and Indigenous trainees are
appointed.
Second round of recruitment for Indigenous Academic Fellowships. Three positions were offered
in this second round of recruitment, one within the Faculties of Arts, Business and Education.
These positions provide an opportunity for professional Indigenous Australians to commence
on a career pathway into academia by providing four years to undertake a PhD and be
mentored into a teaching role. These positions consist of a 25% workload for teaching and
administrative tasks and 75% of the time for PhD completion. The three appointments made
in late 2013, resulted in a total of five Indigenous Academic Fellow positions (inclusive of the
two appointed in the first round of recruitment in 2012). These positions involve ongoing
support for the Indigenous Academic Fellows, their PhD Supervisors and Heads of School
from the Indigenous Employment Coordinator via establishing support networks, face to face
induction for IAF’s and opportunities for IAF’s to meet face to face, via phone or
videoconference regularly.
Research into Cadetship options and internal funding. Researched options for cadetships for
Indigenous students at CSU, with the focus on undertaking an academic career pathway
(potentially leading to appointments as Indigenous Academic Fellows upon completion of
their studies). Strategies and approach have been discussed with other Universities and a
funding submission was put to the Planning and Strategy Committee at CSU to fund two year
cadetship style appointments. If approved, it is anticipated the program will be developed in
2014.
Continuation of the Indigenous traineeship program. Three trainees successfully completed their
traineeship under the Indigenous Employment Program in 2013 and two additional trainees
were appointed outside of the IEP funds in late 2013.
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Submission of Indigenous Employment Program Funding.
A submission for funding was put to DEEWR for IEP funds (now sitting under Department of
Prime Minister and Cabinet) in October 2013 to assist with the recruitment of three trainees
across various areas and campuses in CSU in Administrative roles. Recruitment will take
place in 2014 with funding approval.
2.2
Identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific positions at CSU
Table 2.1 below represents the number of Identified positions within CSU (i.e., Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander-specific positions) and the Divisions, Faculties and Offices in which these positions are
located.
Identified positions are defined in CSU’s guidelines for recruitment of Indigenous staff (or staff
working with Indigenous staff and/or students) and are designated this way because the primary focus
of the role involves one or more of the following:
o
working closely with Indigenous Australian staff or students,
o
providing a service to Indigenous Australians, or
o
involvement with aspects of Indigenous learning, history, culture or spirituality.
The University also targets some vacant mainstream positions specifically for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander applicants under programs such as traineeships and the Indigenous Academic
Fellowships. Indigenous staff members appointed to targeted positions were not included in the table
below, however, it is important to note that in addition to the 29 identified positions listed in the table
there are a further eight positions that have been targeted and filled during this reporting period.
(Indigenous Australian staff also hold 18 ‘mainstream’ positions, meaning they have not been
recruited into targeted or identified positions.)
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Table 2.1 – Identified (i.e., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific positions) positions within CSU
DIVISIONS, FACULTIES &
OFFICES
GENERAL/PROFESSIONAL STAFF LEVELS
(HEW level)
3
4
5
6
Human Resources
7
8
9
SNR
EXEC
ACADEMIC STAFF
10
A
B
C
D
E
TOTAL
1
1
Finance
Learning & Teaching Services
1
1
Information Technology
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Education
1
2
3
3
3
1
1
2
2
1
3
1
1
12
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Business
Office of the Dean of Students
1
1
2
1
11
Office of the DVC Academic
1
1
1
29
Office of the DVC Research
Office of the DVC Admin
Office of the Vice-Chancellor
Total
2
2
5
6
3
1
3
3
1
1
1
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2.3
Current Employment Status of Indigenous Staff
Table 2.2 – Indigenous continuing & fixed term positions (31 March 2013)
Positions that are “continuing” or “fixed term” and are filled by Indigenous staff. Note that CSU does not track casual staff regardless of their ethnicity
because casual staff can change on a daily basis.
Academic Staff
General / Professional Staff
Fixed Term
Continuing
Total
staff
Division Of Human Resources
1
3
4
Division of Finance (incl. dental clinics)
1
1
2
Division of Learning and Teaching Services
1
1
2
Division of Information Technology
1
2
3
Division of Library Services
1
1
Division of Student Administration
1
1
Division of Marketing
2
2
Fixed Term
Continuing
1
Division of Facilities Management
1
Faculty of Science
3
2
1
1
7
Faculty of Education (incl. Centre for Indigenous Studies)
2
6
5
3
16
1
1
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Business
0
Office, Dean of Studies (incl Indigenous Student Services)
1
11
Office, DVC Academic (Senior Executive)
1
1
Office, DVC Research (Institute of Land, Water & Society)
1
1
12
Office, DVC Administration
1
1
Office of the Vice-Chancellor (Office of Planning & Audit)
1
1
Total Indigenous staff
All staff
% Indigenous
5
8
14
29
56
172
621
278
1106
2177
2.9%
1.2%
5%
2.6%
2.6%
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2.4
Changes in numbers of Indigenous Academic Staff employed at CSU
Indigenous staff employed as academics within the University increased by one during 2012. In mid
2012 we commenced recruitment for Indigenous Academic Fellows to continue to grow Indigenous
staff numbers. Two appointments were made in 2013 with further recruitment taking place mid 2013
Table 2.3 compares numbers of Indigenous and non-Indigenous academic staff between 2010 and
2013, and Table 2.4 shows the number of Indigenous academic staff employed by their level between
2010 and 2013.
165
Arts
174
Indigenous
2012 all
staff
2013
2011 all
staff
2012
Indigenous
2010 all
staff
2011
Indigenous
FACULTY
2010
Indigenous
Table 2.3 – Academic Staff (as at 31st March 2013)
2013 all
staff
185
192
Education
6
135
7
130
7
136
8
141
Science
4
282
2
279
5
297
5
311
Business
93
93
97
101
Other
53
62
48
48
Total
10
% of
Academic
Staff
1.4%
728
9
748
1.2%
12
763
1.6%
13
793
1.6%
Table 2.4 – Indigenous Academic staff by level (as at 31st March 2013)
2010
2011
2012
2013
Level A
4
5
5
4
Level B
3
2
4
6
Level C
1
1
1
1
Level D
1
1
1
Level E
1
1
1
1
Total
10
9
12
13
P a g e | 19
2.5
Changes in the number of Professional/General staff at CSU
Table 2.5 compares the number of Indigenous staff employed by CSU in the “General” staff category
by level between 2010 and 2013.
HEW 1
2012 all
staff
2013
Indigenous
2011 all
staff
2012
Indigenous
2010 all
staff
2011
Indigenous
Faculty
2010
Indigenous
Table 2.5 – General/Professional staff (as at 31st March 2013)
2013 all
staff
35
29
27
32
35
38
35
HEW 2
3
38
HEW 3
8
166
8
163
6
119
6
120
HEW 4
6
294
6
312
15
324
14
313
HEW 5
7
253
9
261
6
259
7
267
HEW 6
5
209
4
225
7
258
7
263
HEW 7
4
123
3
126
4
162
6
173
HEW 8
70
1
75
1
71
1
82
HEW 9
30
31
39
38
HEW 10+
2
49
2
54
2
63
2
61
Total
35
1,267
33
1,311
41
1,360
43
1,384
% of
General
Staff
2.8%
2.5%
3%
3.1%
P a g e | 20
Table 2.6 – Indigenous general/professional staff by level and occupation (31 March 2013)
HEW HEW HEW HEW HEW HEW HEW HEW
Exec Total
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10+
Occupational group
1
Managers
Administrative Staff Roles
4
Finance Officers
1
3
8
1
4
2
Student Support Roles
4
4
HR/Staff Support Roles
2
1
1
1
6
3
3
2
13
2
4
2
8
Director/Specialist Roles
Total
6
2
1
Technical Officers
Specialist Roles - Other
1
14
7
7
6
1
1
1
1
1
43
P a g e | 21
SECTION 3
Ensure equitable access of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
to higher education
3.1
Commencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student numbers for 2013
(access rate)
CSU continues to achieve increasing numbers of commencing enrolments of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Students. This is a reflection of the range of pathways developed to enhance
participation.
A Summary of projects is provided below. Details of these projects are provided in this section.
Programs to improve access
o
Darrambal Program
o
Diploma of General Studies
o
Indigenous Police Recruiting Our Way - IPROWD
o
Teacher Education in Community – TEC
Outreach activities
o
Schools Indigenous Outreach Program
o
Indigenous Community Outreach Program
o
Marketing and Internet presence
P a g e | 22
Table 3.1 and Table 3.2 below summarise the Equivalent Full Time Student Load (EFTSL) and
headcount data for commencing students.
NOTE: The HEIMS data supplied by the Department, see table below, differs from the data extracted
by CSU from HEIMS. This may reflect the date the data was extracted.
Table 3.1 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students Data provided by the department
o
Commencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students*
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Domestic
students only):
o
Note: 2012 figures extracted from HEIMS
2012
357
7,594
2013
P a g e | 23
Table 3.2. Commencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student numbers for 2013 (access rate)
2010
2011
2012
2013
Australian Indigenous
Status
Course
Attendance
Mode
EFTSL
Enrolments
Headcount
EFTSL
Enrolments
Headcount
EFTSL
Enrolments
Headcount
EFTSL
Enrolments
Headcount
Australian Indigenous
Distance Ed
96
209
185
86
196
176
99
245
207
116
274
240
Internal
65
72
69
103
134
123
141
158
155
147
169
165
160
281
254
189
330
299
241
403
362
263
443
405
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
Australian Indigenous
Total
No information
Distance Ed
Internal
No information Total
0
1
1
1
2
2
1
2
2
0
0
0
Distance Ed
3490
10914
9663
3330
10105
9114
3425
10026
9095
3350
9900
8685
Internal
4625
5086
4789
3715
4330
4093
3928
4207
4105
3184
3664
3477
Not Australian
Indigenous Total
8114
16000
14452
7045
14435
13207
7353
14233
13200
6534
13564
12162
Grand Total
8275
16282
14707
7235
14767
13508
7595
14638
13564
6797
14007
12567
1.9
1.7
1.7
2.6
2.2
2.2
3.2
2.8
2.7
3.9
3.2
3.2
Not Australian
Indigenous
Percentage Commencing Indigenous
students
P a g e | 24
The data reveals a continuing upward trend in commencing enrolments since 2010 (254 students)
to 2013 (405 students). This is summarised in Figure 3.1 below.
405
450
362
400
350
300
299
254
250
200
150
100
50
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
Figure 3.1 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commencing Students - headcount 2010-2013
Table 3.4 below provides a list of the top twenty (of 91) undergraduate courses chosen by Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander students. As with previous years key courses involve the fields of education
are health and education.
P a g e | 25
Table 3.3 – Top 20 undergraduate courses chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Undergraduate Course name
Active students in
2013
Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health)
72
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary)
62
Bachelor Of Nursing
46
Bachelor Of Social Science (Social Welfare)
35
Bachelor of Education (Primary)
33
Bachelor of Social Work
31
Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary)
22
Bachelor of Education (Birth to 5 Years)
21
Bachelor of Business (Management)
19
Bachelor of Arts
13
Bachelor of Accounting
12
Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic)
12
Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)
12
Bachelor of Applied Science (Parks, Recreation and Heritage)
10
Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (with Specialisations)
8
Bachelor of Policing (Goulburn Police Academy)
8
Bachelor of Psychology
8
Bachelor of Social Science (Criminal Justice)
8
Bachelor of Education (Technology and Applied Science)
7
Bachelor of Theology
7
P a g e | 26
At a postgraduate level, lead courses chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students include:
Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma (top 5 of 22 listed below)

Graduate Certificate in Management (Professional Practice)

Graduate Diploma of Clinical Practice (Paramedic)

Graduate Diploma of Midwifery

Graduate Diploma of Psychology

Graduate Diploma of Adult and Vocational Education
Masters (top 5 of 34 listed below)

Master of Information Studies (General)

Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying)

Master of Business Administration (with Specialisations)

Master of Child & Adolescent Welfare

Master of Inclusive Education
We are particularly pleased that our students enrolled at Doctorate level has increased from 6 in 2012
to 12 in 2013
Active students in 2013

Doctor of Health Science
3

Doctor of Philosophy
6

Doctor of Information Technology
1

Doctor of Policing and Security
1

Doctor of Social Work
1
CSU's equity goal reflects the desire to embrace diversity on our campuses. By adopting an equity
stance, we enhance our capacity to contribute to Australia's social, cultural, political and economic
vitality. Student Equity at CSU provides access, advice, advocacy and support to people who have
been educationally disadvantaged including Indigenous students.
The number of Indigenous students enrolling in courses at CSU continues to steadily increase. The
use of appropriate enabling programs, together with recruitment drives throughout NSW and other
States are resulting in higher numbers of Indigenous students enrolling in CSU courses, in particular
in the policing, accountancy, parks, nursing, teaching, and community health areas. Other areas such
as veterinary science, pharmacy, psychology and dentistry, previously not commonly accessed by
Indigenous students, are being targeted.
Indigenous students are now enrolled in Allied Health degrees (such as physiotherapy, occupational
therapy, podiatry, and medical radiation science), pharmacy degrees, and pre-medicine qualifications
such as the Bachelor of Clinical Science.
Specifically ensuring equitable access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples depends upon
all staff adopting an inclusive approach (see Objective 4 in the CSU Indigenous Australian
Employment Strategy, 2012 – 2015 detailed above). The following sections will describe the range of
strategies used to ensure access that demonstrate the ways in which Indigenous Student Services and
P a g e | 27
the Centre for Indigenous Studies have worked in collaboration across the University and with
external partners. These strategies fall under three areas
3.2
1.
Raising awareness and aspirations for tertiary education
2.
Access and pathway programs
3.
Partnership programs
4.
Scholarships
5.
Outreach
Programs to improve Access
o
Darrambal Program
o
Diploma of General Studies
o
Indigenous Police Recruiting Our Way - IPROWD
o
Teacher Education in Community – TEC
Darrambal Program
Out of respect for the Wiradjuri people, in whose country many CSU campuses are located, a
Wiradjuri word has been adopted to name this program. 'Darrambal' means 'footmarks' or 'roadway'
and is used here to represent the life-long journey of learning we all travel.
Darrambal is an assessment based program that is designed to assess a student’s potential to
successfully complete their selected course of study at CSU. Darrambal is not an alternate entry
program in that it cannot guarantee direct entry into Uni. Based on students’ achievements in
completion of all set assessment tasks a recommendation is made to CSU admission and relevant
Faculty Head of School. The Head of School and Course Coordinator will make the final decision
regarding the offer made to the student.
Darrambal is designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and is administered by CSU's
Indigenous Student Services team (ISS). Throughout 2013, 6 Darrambal sessions were planned, but
only three took place, with 3 being cancelled due to lack of numbers. Of the 3 sessions held, 64
students attended resulting in 34 students accepting their offer.
Expressions of interest
Actual Attendance
Recommendations for Entry
Acceptance
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Figure 3.2 – Darrambal Skills Assessment Program attendance, offers and acceptances.
P a g e | 28
Diploma of General Studies
CSU's Diploma of General Studies is a pathway program that provides guaranteed entry to
many CSU undergraduate courses, providing a wide range of opportunities and choices to
graduates. This course is a pathway program for students who wish to study at CSU but who
do not meet the entry criteria or require further preparation. The course is offered in
partnership with selected TAFE Institutes and, in 2013, is being offered from the following
locations:
 CSU Albury- Wodonga - Wodonga Institute of TAFE
 CSU Bathurst - Western Institute of TAFE
 CSU Dubbo – Western Institute of TAFE (by distance education)
 CSU Wagga Wagga - Riverina Institute of TAFE
Indigenous Police Recruiting Our Way - IPROWD
IPROWD is a specialist training program to assist Aboriginal people to gain entry to the NSW
Police Academy at Goulburn which is the first step to becoming an officer in the NSW Police
Force. The Australian Government, TAFE NSW, The NSW Police Force and Charles Sturt
University are working in partnership to offer IPROWD training programs at a range of
locations in NSW including Broken Hill, Casino, Dubbo, Maitland, Mount Druitt, Nowra,
Redfern and Tamworth. This program has significantly opened Indigenous peoples access to
a career in the NSW police force.
Teacher Education in Community – TEC
This new program has been designed to increase access for Indigenous students into CSU’s
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary). This program designed in partnership
with Indigenous communities assists students to study without leaving their community. The
course is offered to Indigenous students in a blended model of study that includes four
residential schools in Dubbo each year with supported online distance education options for
the rest of the year. In addition, CSU staff travel to the communities to support students, and
are also available for consultation by phone, email or videoconference. Students can also use
the support of Charles Sturt University’s Rural and Remote Learning Support Team, and the
Indigenous Student Services team. A key component is to recruit students from each
community so they have peer support. This program (piloted in 2012) is an example of how
CSU supports the needs of regional and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
whereby delivery of education is in a number of modes including virtual networks and
technology based solutions to provide greater access to higher education learning.
3.3.
Outreach activities
A Schools Indigenous Outreach Program, including
o
The Indigenous Sky Stories Project
o
Future Moves (HEPPP funded – summary provided, reported elsewhere)
B Indigenous Community Outreach Program
C Marketing and Internet presence
A. Schools Indigenous Outreach Program
CSU actively participates in programs that encourage Indigenous high school students to
remain at school and to seriously consider tertiary education as a viable option in their
futures. Collaborative practice between the Division of Marketing and Indigenous Student
Services has enabled us to reach a wide range of schools within our footprint and beyond.
These programs involve both primary and high schools.
P a g e | 29
THE INDIGENOUS SKY STORIES PROJECT
A key example of work conducted in 2013 to enhance aspiration levels of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander students was a project led by Professor David McKinnon, from the
School of Teacher Education in Bathurst – The Indigenous Sky Stories Project.
Funding for this project from CSU ($50,000) was augmented by the NSW Department of
Education and Communities with $25,000 committed to Teacher Professional Learning and
travel. In addition, the Binocular and Telescope Shop provided the 8-inch Dobsonian
telescopes and Solar Filters at reduced cost. Other in- kind contributions from SkyTitan in the
USA, Magix Software, and by Professor McKinnon through provision of his educational
materials and his vehicle amounted to a further total in-kind contribution of over $27,000.
Thus, the total budget amounted to almost $102,000.
Context of Indigenous Sky Stories
This project used astronomy as the context for engaging middle-school (Years 5-8) Australian
Indigenous students and their non-Indigenous peers in science, mathematics and technology
as well as aspects of engineering. Astronomy is a component of the National Science
Curriculum and an Australian flagship Super Science area1. The project involved Indigenous
students and their class peers undertaking investigative science and support for their teachers
in developing their pedagogical skills to deliver National Curriculum content.
One aspect of this project involved students and their teachers remotely controlling online
telescopes in the USA during their daytime classes to acquire scientific images that provided
the raw data for in-class study. In addition, while engaged with acquiring and processing the
images, they learned about both the contents of the universe and how objects within our Solar
System move. Such knowledge is integral content for the National Science Curriculum Earth
and Space strand.
While learning what was visible above the American telescopes at the time they were to
control them, Australian students had to understand mathematical concepts such as time, time
zones and celestial positions and movement. They learned about the contents of the universe
through working collaboratively as small teams within their classroom to undertake research
on the different classes of objects and found examples they wished to photograph with the
cameras on the remote telescope in the USA. At these observation sessions, some classes
acquired images taken through different coloured filters and later learned how to assemble
these to create colour images of the objects. They developed global perspectives as they saw
the remote telescope move under their control to take pictures of objects that they cannot see
from here. The control of a remote telescope proved to be a powerful motivating factor that
had many positive educational impacts (see e.g., McKinnon & Geissinger, 20022; McKinnon,
Geissinger & Danaia, 20023). This project thus took an integrated approach to science
investigation, mathematical investigations and applications, and was coupled with an
embedded approach to technology, engineering and teachers’ professional learning.
While investigating how to control the remote telescope, students needed to learn what was
“up there” in the USA, what these celestial objects are, their patterns of movement and their
relationships to us. While learning the astronomy, there were curriculum links made with
English and mathematics as well as film making and story telling. Students developed scale
models of the Earth - Moon system, the planets and the Sun and their distances apart, and to
1
Mid--‐Term Review of the Astronomy Decadal Plan 2006–2015, http://www.science.org.au/natcoms/ncastronomy.html
2
McKinnon, D.H., & Geissinger, H. (2002). Interactive Astronomy in Elementary Schools. Journal of
International Forum of Educational Technology & Society, 5, 1, pp 124-128.
3
McKinnon, D.H., Geissinger, H. & Danaia, L. (2002). Helping them understand: Astronomy for Grades 5 and 6.
Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, January, 263-275.
P a g e | 30
nearby stars. They came to understand that “[s]pace is really big.4” They used technology to
control the telescopes and to interact with software both to model and to investigate the
motion of objects in the night sky. In prosecuting these investigations, they engaged deeply
with mathematics and technology and developed understandings of the connections between
the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Students used digital storytelling software, specifically Magix’s Digital PhotoStory which
incorporates text, sound, images and video and incorporated these into integrated
presentations. Students used an iPad mini to record their videos. The Indigenous scholars at
CSU provided advice to the project together with the Aboriginal Education Consultancy
Groups (AECGs) to ensure that only appropriate cultural knowledge was collected and
shared.
Community involvement of parents and guardians was a major component of this project and
particularly crucial when considering the families of Indigenous (and low SES) students.
Through acknowledging the link between individual, family, community and their sky stories,
new ways of investigating science emerged. A number of schools held observation evenings
which the author attended together with the Project Manager, Nicholas Ruddell. These
included both primary and secondary schools in Bathurst, Coonamble, Orange, Wellington,
and Portland.
The Professional Learning (PL) program addressed two concurrent problems: teachers’
competence to teach the relevant science concepts in investigative ways while employing
technology and mathematics; and, teachers’ confidence to teach the science concepts in
engaging ways that even they could understand. The PL program stressed the importance of
investigation rather than the mere transmission of scientific facts, such as proving that Earth
actually does spin by investigating Foucault’s pendulum rather than simply stating that it
does.
Schools were clustered to allow for collaboration amongst both primary and high school
science teachers and to encourage collaboration amongst schools. The PL program took the
form of an intense one-day, face-to-face session focussed on some of the content of the
curriculum package. Thus, teachers learned how to employ appropriate pedagogies that are
engaging and investigative rather than transmissive by actually doing them and experiencing
the impact on themselves. During the intense one-day session, they learned how to: set up
models; elicit and challenge students’ alternative conceptions; use the educational resources
supplied (McKinnon, 20125); to help students design investigations that lead them to test their
(often naïve) ideas; and, subsequently develop explanations that mirror the currently accepted
science while employing technology as an educational tool. The resource covers the science,
many aspects of mathematics and its application to modelling, technology use, formative and
summative assessment of student outcomes, and integrative topics such as myths in the
English curriculum area. Supplemented by the digital story telling approach with their
communities, students own these products, scaffolded and shaped by the Magix software. The
intense one-day session was followed by a number of shorter sessions as required by some of
the schools and extensive follow-up by email and Skype to meet more immediate and
personal PL needs of individual teachers as they readied to control the remote telescope in the
USA.
The project provided schools with a low-cost 8” Dobsonian telescope and three eyepieces
with which to observe objects in their own sky. A tablet computer containing astronomical
(planetarium) software was also supplied to help them decide where to point their instrument.
The telescope was supplied with a robust solar filter so that students could observe our Sun
regularly and safely during their school day. Students recorded the positions of sunspots on
sunny days and used their observations to calculate the differential rotation rate of regions of
4
5
Adams, D. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, p50.
McKinnon, D. H. (2012). A Journey through Space and Time (4th ed.). Bathurst: Charles Sturt University.
P a g e | 31
the Sun. In the process, they learned to observe the Sun safely and to avoid the dangers. They
used the same planetarium software to determine what objects to observe with the remotely
controlled telescopes in the USA and to calculate the times at which their observation
sessions should take place. In doing so, they compared their view of the night sky with what
they can observe with the telescopes in the USA. Such thinking involves not only astronomy
but also mathematics and technology.
When it came time for the remote control sessions, SkyTitan6 personnel were available at a
convenient time for the Australian students and teachers to communicate and to take control
of its telescope. At the online session, students brought questions that they wished to ask of
the northern hemisphere collaborator who has graduate degrees in physics and the ICTs. This
cross-cultural communication proved to be very popular and motivating for the students and
resulted in spin-off activities in other Key Learning Areas. Images acquired were immediately
available to students at the end of their observation session for processing and/or
measurement.
The educational materials were distributed on flash drive to teachers at the Professional
Learning day. The investigation guides are supplied as a collection of hyperlinked documents
organised into seven chapters. The content covers assessing students’ alternative conceptions
(diagnostic), taking and processing astronomical photographs, planning for the online control
session, the Earth and Moon, the Solar System, stars and star clusters, galaxies, and
integrative activities. McKinnon granted its free use to the project schools. The online
telescope session with the USA telescopes attracted a fee but SkyTitan granted the project a
significant reduction (50%) to Australian schools involved in this project amounting to an inkind contribution of $12,000.
Research and Outcomes
An undergraduate BEd (Primary) student undertook his Honours research as part of this
project. He investigated the impact of the project on students in two of the schools. The
research clearly demonstrated that students were highly motivated by the project and that they
learned many things. Of note was the inclusion of the Indigenous Sky Stories.
The involvement of Community Elders was central to the success of this component of the
project. For example, some schools struggled with sourcing Indigenous Sky Stories while
others had few problems. The Aboriginal Education Officer and his assistant at one of the
Honours case-study schools approached Elders in his community and was directed to a
particular individual who coached his wife in the telling of four stories. The eventual telling
of these stories involved the AEOs working with the classroom teachers and their students to
prepare artwork as a backdrop for the story-telling event. This involved the students, on stage,
providing a moving backdrop while the female Elder told the stories to the whole school. This
event was filmed using the iPad mini and later edited with the Magix Photo-story software.
The figure below shows a screen grab from this video.
6
Scott Mecca (Director) and www.skytitan.org
P a g e | 32
Screen shot from sky story-telling event movie
In this case, the story tells when it is appropriate to go fishing for Murray Cod (at bottom
right) in the Macquarie River. The “Christmas Star” rising in the east (centre left) at sunset
tells Indigenous people when it is safe to go fishing for Murray Cod because spawning has
been completed thus ensuring that the next generation of fish will be there to provide food.
This astronomical event, the helical rising of Sirius, has allowed us to date the safe time for
starting to fish to be around the end of November and beginning of December.
Such information came as a major surprise not only to the Indigenous students but also their
non-Indigenous peers. There appeared to be a major change in the way that non-Indigenous
students regarded their Indigenous peers. “You mean you actually have stories that tell you
when you can go fishing.” The Indigenous students learned something new too: “We have
stories???” was one question from a surprised student. The Indigenous students appeared to
stand taller, with a mixture of surprise and pride.
The Honours student also tracked school attendance over the 2013 school year. This analysis
generated some surprise and resulted in a request for 2012 data against which to compare the
2013 data. On average, the absence from school by Indigenous students appeared to decrease
dramatically when the Project ran in the fourth school term. It is too early to say whether the
project was a casual factor or not given that a similar pattern emerged in the 2012 data but,
the difference in the 2013 data was more pronounced that in the 2012 data. Of particular note,
however, is the dramatic reduction in absences of Year 6 boys in Term 4, 2013.
Y5 Boys
Y6 Boys
Y5 Girls
Y6 Girls
Year 5 absences for Indigenous students-2013
Year 6 absences for Indigenous students-2013
With respect to “outcomes”, there was a significant improvement in students’ content
knowledge for both analyses involving straight science. When reasons were give, the effect
size was 0.64 (Cohen’s d) and which is described as “moderate” (with > 0.7 being described
P a g e | 33
as “large”). While this might be welcomed, there is a caveat. The students’ foreknowledge of
the relevant content was so low that any small improvement can lead to a moderate to large
effect size. Likewise, the teachers’ content knowledge was also low. In this project, teachers
limited themselves to teaching very few of the projects in the learning package. Indeed, many
only taught one project involving the phases of the Moon. The greatest number taught was
three (Day and Night, Phases of the Moon and Seasons). Thus, the decisions teachers made
places a major constraint on what students could have otherwise achieved if more
investigations had been completed. That said, teachers’ professional learning is of paramount
importance and identified as one of the key factors in Ruddell’s thesis to address in the future
as the project transfers to the Future Moves team.
Community and student engagement were identified as key variables to be investigated. It is
clear from the research data that student engagement was high. They were intrigued by the
fact that Indigenous Sky Stories actually existed. In those schools where such stories were
sourced from the community, it could be said that interest in these overpowered the science
aspect of the intervention. Perhaps there was too little time to devote to the science in the
fourth school term when so many other impact on the timetable. It would be interesting to see
if introducing the project earlier in the year led teachers to extend their interactions with the
science content. This approach is being adopted by the Future Moves team with
implementation scheduled for Term 3, 2014 and professional learning days to happen in
Wagga Wagga during May, 2014.
Nonetheless, community engagement could be described as very high. We were asked to
attend five Observation Nights to which parents and community members had been invited.
At all of these, attendances were greater than 100. Glenroi Heights Public School, for
example, counted 133 plates being used for dinner and remarked that this was an
underestimate of those attending because many came after the BBQ dinner to listen to the
Stories told by one Elder in a Yarning Circle. The Elder remarked that the organisation for the
Yarning Circle was not his usual way of doing things but for the purposes of the night, he was
happy with the reaction he received. The organisation of this event lay in the hands of one of
CSU’s graduates, Courtney Rourke.
Other observation night events were held at Coonamble (PS and HS), Kelso PS, Portland CS,
and Wellington PS to which Ruddell and McKinnon travelled at no cost to the Project. At the
Coonamble event, the High School hosted the session. There were over 150 parents and
students in attendance. Teachers identified some Indigenous students as rarely attending
school, yet they chose to come to the event. Many parents were impressed by the presence of
the telescopes. There was an official presentation to the Aboriginal Education Officers of the
telescope and iPad minis. Engagement by students was high given that a prize was offered for
finding Venus during the daytime and showing the author it through one of the telescopes. A
Year 5 non-Indigenous student and his Year 6 Indigenous partner won the prize of $10. In
retrospect, the offer of a prize was a cultural mistake. The Indigenous student subsequently
argued that his “mates” were also part of the winning team though this was clearly not the
case. The author presumes that the $5 would have to be shared with his Indigenous
classmates.
Wellington PS borrowed the high-school’s telescope to cater the for the large number of
parents and children who were expected to attend. Ruddell remarks in his thesis that parents
at Wellington were happy to let their children be involved in looking through the telescopes
and it was only later in the evening when some had gone home that they felt confident enough
to come and look at the Moon and Venus. Kelso PS and Portland CS held observation
evenings during the school week. These were well attended although the Portland event
occurred on a stormy night. The author gave a talk instead and showed images that overseas
students had taken with the CSU Remote Telescope. A lively question session ensued.
Thus, it can be said that Community Engagement was high to very high with significant
proportions of each school community attending the observation nights. Indeed, many
P a g e | 34
Indigenous parents brought their children to experience these events and at which the students
were excited to see the “acne on the Moon”.
Issues
Teachers’ professional learning is a major issue and will require sustained attention. The
traditional models of professional learning are “hypodermic” in nature. Research shows how
such an approach cannot lead to sustained change within a system. In the case of the ISS
Project, both Ruddell and the author provided longer-term support via email, Skype and
telephone to those teachers who initiated contact. It was clear that those teachers who tried
and received this form of support actually achieved something within their schools. All intend
using the investigation approach during 2014 because they saw the impact it had on students
and their engagement with science.
It is only through practice that teachers will learn the science and be able to translate it into
classroom investigations within their school context. If CSU staff, CSU graduates and CSU
undergraduates are involved, there will likely be a major impact both on the teacher and on
students given our increased presence at schools within our catchment.
Professor McKinnon recommended that the University should work with teachers over the
longer term.
Future Moves, a CSU HEPPP funded initiative, has adopted the approach piloted by the
Indigenous Sky Stories project and is integrating it within its outreach work to raise the
aspirations of pupils in schools within our catchment. The first of these events with
distribution of telescopes and iPad minis is to occur at two professional learning days in
Wagga Wagga on 22nd and 23rd May 2014.
Nicholas Ruddell’s thesis contains much greater detail about the outcomes of this pilot
project. It can made available after the examination results are through. These are expected to
be available within two weeks, i.e., 23rd May. If the thesis is granted an Honours Class I, then
Mr Ruddell will be enrolled in the Faculty of Education PhD program and focus his attention
on the new Future Moves, Sky Stories, project. The schools who were involved in the
Indigenous Sky Stories pilot project are also part of the Future Moves program and will
continue to receive support.
It is clear that full and open communication with Indigenous Elders, Aboriginal Education
Groups and the Councils of Elders is required. The author attended a number of ACEG
meetings to explain the project and also visited Councils of Elders meetings where he was
granted permission to speak. Indigenous people are rightfully suspicious of projects such as
these. In the past, many claim, non-Indigenous people have approached Elders for
information and simply taken it without due recognition of its cultural importance. In the
project’s case, it was clear that when permission was sought and rights protected then there
was a degree of granting permission but on a “wait-and-see” basis. This can take significant
amounts of time that needs to be catered for if the project is to proceed. This was one of the
factors in the Sky Stories project that relegated it to the fourth school term. But, having taken
the trouble to seek permission and advice as well as clarifying “ownership” issues related to
the sky stories, the project proceeded with little negative comment from the Indigenous
community. When Elders give their permission, most are happy to participate. This was
abundantly clear at Wellington with the AEO approaching the local Elders, explaining the
project to them, and receiving advice on how to proceed. That process took a number of
weeks.
P a g e | 35
FUTURE MOVES PROGRAM
The CSU Future Moves Program aims to raise aspirations and build capacity of students from
LSES backgrounds to participate in higher education. Drawing on the expertise of staff across
all CSU disciplines, Future Moves has developed successful partnerships with 35 schools
with LSES populations and high proportions of Indigenous students across Central West
NSW. Based on the successful pilot of this program, this proposal involves expanding Future
Moves to additional CSU campus locations to support a total of 65 schools and communities
across regional NSW. Integral to this expansion is the addition Danygamalanha (to excel) –
a program for Indigenous students including mentoring by Indigenous role models based on
the BroSpeak and SistaSpeak programs, a partnership with the ABC and project based camps
on University campuses and awareness/aspiration raising activities with community and
parents.
Future Moves works with teachers, families and students from K-12. University student
leaders have an integrated and ongoing role throughout the program. The program reflects the
importance of systematic, ongoing and informed career guidance and will assist students
make informed and appropriate school subject choices (Hoaasin et al,2008). Future Moves
responds to local cultural dimensions influencing decisions about university enrolment and
focuses on increasing ‘limited family exposure’ to university study and its economic and
social benefits (Anderson et al,2008). The program is developmentally appropriate and based
on successful learning frameworks that have demonstrated success, both within Australia and
internationally. School based sessions align with school curriculum and the Australian
Blueprint for Career Development.
Future Moves uses or draws upon successful programs already in operation, for example
BroSpeak and Enactus will form part of the newly developed Danygamalanha . While a range
of predetermined components of Future Moves will be offered to schools and communities,
we recognise the need for consultation and customisation to address diverse needs across
different communities, to include students who may not have been reached in existing
programs. Here, Future Moves has the agility and flexibility to tailor existing programs or
develop new programs to suit the specific needs of each school partnership. All components
are underpinned by a supporting online and virtual environment used to provide information,
encourage collaboration and, importantly, build capacity in digital literacy to enable
successful future study.
P a g e | 36
B. Indigenous Community Outreach Program
Visits by the Indigenous Student Services staff to Indigenous communities involves
engagement in local Indigenous activities, building relations with Indigenous Elders, and
establishing partnerships with Indigenous organisations such as, Land Councils, medical
services and community centres.
CSU routinely conducts outreach activities that seek to raise participation rates of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people in our courses. Such activities include Indigenous Student
Service Staff and staff from the Office of Indigenous Affairs visiting communities, attending
forums, conferences and shows, and activities with schools. Examples of this work includes
the following
Yandarra Day – This was a great day, interacting with children & parents. Letting them know
what courses are available and support the Indigenous Student Support team offers.
Many people expressed interest in the Darrambal Program and feedback was given to
them in regards to that and the steps for applying etc: A lot of people were also
interested in Scholarships and were pleased to receive our Scholarships flyer &
learning of the steps for applying.
Wagga Wagga NAIDOC Held at the Kyemba Smith Hall. The CSU stall involved the
activity Hair Spray. The children absolutely loved getting their hair coloured. A lot
of people and children in the community took our flyers and brochures as well as
asked about the support & courses that CSU offers.
Port Macquarie Outreach. Charles Sturt University Indigenous Student Services division is
excited to support the region’s first ever team in the 43rd NSW Aboriginal Rugby
League knockout competition held in Newcastle on the October long weekend. The
Yapun Yapun team consists of community members from the region. This was a
fantastic opportunity to support community mentors to become leaders; highlighting
the relationships between sports, community, family and education. Through delivery
of Higher Education Courses and community engagement programs, Charles Sturt
University seeks to provide opportunities for social equality and recognition of
Aboriginals as leaders in our community. Charles Sturt University is committed to
working with Indigenous people in our communities to close the gap and serve the
local community.
Hands up for Health Aboriginal high school students with an interest in health-related
careers know just what opportunities exist after a workshop on Monday. The year 10
students heard from speakers and toured Port Macquarie Base Hospital during a
workshop in partnership with the Mid North Coast Local Health District and Charles
Sturt University's Future Moves aspiration-building program and Indigenous Student
Services. Mid North Coast Local Health District Aboriginal workforce and
innovation coordinator Rob Barnett said the aim of the Hands Up for Health
workshop was to provide Aboriginal students with an understanding of the variety of
health careers available and the necessary study pathways, and encourage them to
consider and ultimately pursue careers in the health industry. CSU indigenous
students support officer Helene Jones said there was going to a be shortage of
Aboriginal health workers in the region and data suggested there would be a lot of
positions available in the next few years. She said today's year 10 students would be
finished year 12 and able to study at the CSU purpose-built campus. "This is about
allowing them to see the diversity of employment opportunities in the health sector
and promote health in a positive light," Mrs Jones said about the workshop. Thirteen
students attended the workshop.
Participation in Industry Expos
Indigenous Student Service staff actively engage with industry expos where high
levels of Indigenous engagement have been identified or where the target is to raise
interest by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in employment
P a g e | 37
opportunities. The aim of this work is to provide a direct line of sight between
employment and course opportunities at CSU. These staff are also able to advise
people regarding access programs and alternate pathways into undergraduate courses
through CSUs extensive range of partnerships with the Vocational Education and
Training (VET) sector.
C. Marketing and Internet presence
Marketing materials have been designed with input from Indigenous Student Services and the
Division of Marketing to ensure that materials are culturally appropriate, have an Indigenous
focus, and satisfy corporate marketing requirements. We also participate in Indigenous media
campaigns, for example, Annual Indigenous Education supplement with Koori Mail and
Indigenous Times.
P a g e | 38
3.4
Details of Indigenous-specific and other scholarships offered by your university
CSU actively promotes scholarships specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The
CSU web provides details of the available scholarships, including contact details for the equity team.
In addition, CSU staff engaged in marketing CSU, handling enquiries, and are involved in access and
pathway programs are aware of and promote scholarships for Indigenous students.
The Student Services Scholarship Office administers Equity Scholarships and Grants. These are
summarised in table 3.6 below.
P a g e | 39
Table 3.4 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarships details
Government/
Scholarship details
Private/
University
No.
Allocated
Cost
No. Awarded
Comments
Indigenous Access Scholarship
Government
50
$230,620.50
50
Newly allocated
Indigenous Cwth Education Costs Scholarship
Government
78
$192,582.00
78
34 new and 44 continuing
Indigenous Cwth Accommodation Scholarship
Government
37
$182,743.00
37
16 new and 21 continuing
CSU Relocation Equity Grant
HEPPP
47*
$3,000.00
2
$1,500 each
CSU Technology Equity Grant
HEPPP
137*
$4,500.00
9
$500 each
Professional Placement Equity Grant
HEPPP
659*
$1,800.00
9
Varying amounts
CSU Textbook Equity Grant
HEPPP
156*
$1,800.00
6
$300 each
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Human Services /
Social Work Student Scholarship
University
1
$2,500.00
1
Identified specific
scholarship
Dr Bal Krishan
University
2
$4,000.00
2
Identified specific
scholarship
Wagga Wagga Local Aboriginal Land Council &
Aboriginal Community Scholarship
Private
2
$7,000.00
2
Identified specific
scholarship
National Tertiary Education Union Charles Sturt
University Branch Indigenous Education Scholarship
University
1
$4,000.00
1
Identified specific
scholarship
Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service Scholarship
Private
1
$10,000.00
1
Identified specific
scholarship
Valerie Cox Memorial Commencing Scholarship
University
1
$5,000.00
1
Identified specific
scholarship
Valerie Cox Memorial Continuing Scholarship
University
1
$5,000.00
1
Identified specific
scholarship
* Total number allocated not Indigenous student specific grants.
P a g e | 40
Promotion of scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Scholarships are promoted to Indigenous students in a range of ways including:
o
Through a web page specific to Indigenous students
http://www.csu.edu.au/for/indigenous-students/scholarships;
o
Through engagement with Indigenous Student Services Officers, and
o
In course material for some courses.
We have been successful in ensuring that all Identified specific scholarships are awarded to
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. We have also been working hard to engage Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander students with scholarships that are not specific, such as the HEPPP
scholarships. The percentage awarded to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as a result of
this work is reaching parity.
P a g e | 41
SECTION 4
Achieve the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
in higher education, at rates commensurate with those of all other
Australians
4.1
The total number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student enrolments
for 2012 and 2103
CSU has a strong commitment, and demonstrated success, in enhancing engagement by Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the whole range of higher education experiences from sub-degree
enabling programs, through to undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and research degrees
including Doctorates. As with ensuring access, successful participation of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students involves our whole of University approach. This section will detail outcomes
achieved for 2013, and our strategies to enhance success.
NOTE: The HEIMS data supplied by the Department, see table below, differs from the data extracted
by CSU from HEIMS. This may reflect the date the data was extracted.
Table 4.1 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students Data provided by the department
o
The total number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student
enrolments for 2012 and 2013 is as follows:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
Non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Domestic
students only):
o
Note: 2012 figures extracted from HEIMS
2012
690
32,967
2013
P a g e | 42
Table 4.2 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student data 2009 to 2013: headcount, enrolments, EFTSL
2010
Course
Attendance
Mode
Australian
Indigenous
Headcount
Enrolments
Distance
Ed
399
432
Internal
125
Australian
Indigenous Total
No information
Distance
Ed
2011
Headcount
Enrolments
206
430
454
131
110
176
524
563
316
2
2
1
EFTSL
Internal
No information
Total
2012
Headcount
Enrolments
220
436
485
187
153
263
606
641
374
2
2
1
2013
Headcount
Enrolments
213
518
564
255
266
236
330
336
288
699
751
449
848
900
543
1
3
3
1
2
2
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
EFTSL
EFTSL
EFTSL
2
2
1
3
3
1
5
5
3
4
4
2
Distance
Ed
21646
23261
8098
22533
23871
8652
22038
23214
8434
22490
23995
8684
Internal
10469
10856
9662
10020
10328
9084
10382
10574
9677
10025
10292
8991
Not Australian
Indigenous Total
32115
34117
17760
32553
34199
17737
32420
33788
18112
32515
34287
17675
Grand Total
32641
34682
18076
33162
34843
18112
33124
34544
18563
33367
35191
18220
1.6
1.6
1.7
1.8
1.8
2.1
2.1
2.2
2.4
2.5
2.6
3.0
Not Australian
Indigenous
Percentage
Australian
Indigenous
P a g e | 43
The figure below shows the continued trend of increasing numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people studying at Charles Sturt University:
848
900
800
699
700
606
524
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
Figure 4.1 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students – headcount 2010 -13
The following sections provide details on the strategies used to enhance Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander experiences at CSU, and the role of Indigenous Student Services.
4.2.
Course work support
A range of initiatives and strategies used in 2012 are important in our work to facilitate student
success, particularly in first year undergraduate courses. The range of strategies that Aboriginal
engage with include
o
Dedicated support through the Indigenous Student Service team (see below for more
detail).
o
Student orientation where both on campus and online orientation is supported
o
The establishment of the Student Transition and Retention (STAR) program with staff
focussed on student success embedded in each Faculty
o
The Student Success Team who make phone calls to first year students to support
them in their transition to university. The SST will refer to support services from
Learning Skills Advisers, Student Services, the library and a number of other areas
across the university depending on the circumstances of each student. Each call is
followed up by an email outlining the plan of action discussed in the phone call
o
The Regional and Remote Learning Support team that employs three tiers of support
(Face to Face Outreach Sessions; School Connected Classroom Connections through
Partnership with DECS; Skype/Phone within CSU). The use of the Regional and
Remote Learning team is important for CSU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
students as the majority of these students study by distance (see Figure below)
P a g e | 44
900
800
700
600
500
Distance Ed
400
Internal
300
Total
200
100
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
Figure 4.2 Mode of study for Australian Indigenous students
Bachelor of Business (Management)
Following the recent addition of Bachelor of Business (Management) to the Away From Base
approved course list, CSU was able to hold the first ever residential school for this subject in March
2013.
The first subjects students completed were Indigenous Cultures, Histories and Contemporary Realities
(IKC101) and Organisations & Management (MGT100). The students then continued to do Marketing
and Society (MKT110) and Professional Practice (BUS110).
Around 15 students attended the residential, many of them coming from regional/remote areas such as
Bourke, Walgett, and even as far as Darwin.
After the Traditional Welcoming and Smoking Ceremony, the students went on to their first lecture
which gave them a rundown on CSU services, ISS services and other important academic processes
that they would usually learn in O week.
Later that evening, students and staff caught up at Wammarra for a BBQ where Joey Hull showed off
his culinary skills and his deadly chilli sauce.
Staff and students took this opportunity to talk, and staff heard of the stories and experiences students
had in coming to University and what it means to them to be able to go back to their communities and
say that they’re doing a degree.
P a g e | 45
Koori Mail 4/12/2013 page 45
4.3.
Research Support
Through the Research office, CSU has established strategies specifically designed to facilitate
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ engagement in research and enrolment in research
higher degrees. These include:
Indigenous Research/Researchers Seed Funding
Small internal funding pool to support seeding projects and/or small groups.
Indigenous HDR Student Tuition Fee Support
To encourage and support Indigenous Higher Degree by Research (HDR) student
candidates by providing tuition fees, this scheme is open to general staff and
community members.
Indigenous Academic Fellowship Program
A program that provides a living wage for eligible Indigenous PhD candidates and
assists in developing potential to enter an academic career. The fellowship combines
higher degree by research studies and a 0.2 FTE teaching role (one day per week).
Eligible candidates would enrol in a CSU PhD program and will receive appropriate,
high quality supervision and academic support, with the opportunity to transition into
a continuing academic position upon successful completion of the four year
fellowship.
Indigenous Staff HDR Pathways
A program that offers partial buy-out of academic staff members to facilitate fasttracked completion of Graduate Certificate in Research Methods/Honours programs,
as a pathway into PhD studies. Partial buy-out equates to approximately half time
release from teaching/administration responsibilities.
P a g e | 46
Indigenous Staff PhD Release Scheme
Provision of full time equivalent release from teaching for eligible staff to facilitate
PhD completion.
In addition, the research office in partnership with the Associate Deans Research within Faculties and
research supervisors, facilitates effective support for students engaging in research, including the use
of a research portal for higher degree students.
4.4
The Role of Indigenous Student Services in enhancing participation and success
Critical to our work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is the Indigenous Student
Service (ISS) team. This is the University’s front line in servicing the needs of Indigenous students
regardless of their mode of study (on-campus, distance, or blended). ISS has been operating at Charles
Sturt University since 1991 working collaboratively within the University, and with external partners,
to building strategies for effective provision of academic, personal and cultural support for Indigenous
students.
In early 2011, ISS with the Academic Support team was placed in the newly formed Office of the
Dean of Studies within the portfolio of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic). This move has
enhanced work to integrate ISS practice with Faculties. In 2013, the Dean of Studies became the
Office of the Dean of Students encompassing all three arms of student support, that is, ISS, Academic
Support, and Student Services. Bringing together the three key teams tasked with enhancing access
and successful transition and participation of CSU students will enable us to further progress our
holistic approach to supporting Indigenous students.
Indigenous Student Services: Vision
The Indigenous Student Services vision is to pursue all realistic opportunities that promote and
enhance regional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's access, participation and success in
the tertiary education environment.
This vision is achieved by:
o
promoting Charles Sturt University as a place that welcomes, values and supports
Indigenous people in their pursuit of higher learning;
o
challenging customs and practices that distract Indigenous people from the pursuit of
higher education;
o
maximising human, financial and other resources to advantage Indigenous students’
access and progress in their chosen program of study;
o
energising commitment within the University towards the acquisition of knowledge
and understanding of Indigenous societies and cultures; and
o
mapping, articulating and implementing strategies that integrate social, cultural,
financial and technological challenges into all activities.
Indigenous Student Services: Statement of Values
In achieving the vision, the Indigenous Student Services is committed to:
o
respect for the principles of fairness, accountability and equality of treatment in both
word and deed;
o
honest observance of protocols and cultural norms in our interactions with Wiradjuri
and other Indigenous communities;
o
respect for innovation and best practice;
o
recognition of the inherent worth of each individual; and
P a g e | 47
o
the pursuit of quality and excellence.
Key roles and responsibilities of ISS include:
o
Development and delivery of culturally appropriate support programs to Indigenous
students within the University;
o
Management and delivery of schemes such as the Federal Government’s Indigenous
Tutoring Assistance Scheme and the Away From Base support program;
o
Providing a skills assessment program to assist Indigenous persons to determine their
most appropriate pathway of study (i.e., Darrambal – see section 2.3.2 above);
o
Promotion of CSU programs of study to Indigenous communities across Australia
(see section 2.3.1. above);
o
Developing collaborative engagement between Indigenous communities and
University Faculties, Research Centres and Schools;
o
Representing students and communities in matters relating to Indigenous education at
the University; and
o
Developing partnerships with local communities, institutions, services and agencies.
CSU's main campuses are located on the traditional country of the Wiradjuri people. These lands have
always been a place of learning. Wiradjuri people are instructed in their cultural traditions by those
with the knowledge, wisdom and learning.
CSU, Indigenous Student Services and Wiradjuri people work together in education. We proudly
acknowledge this in CSU's philosophy of 'Sharing learning in Wiradjuri country'. Today, the tradition
of learning continues as students from diverse communities and backgrounds come to CSU.
Since 1991 the Indigenous Student Services team (previously called the Indigenous Education Unit,
and Indigenous Student Support) has been operating at Charles Sturt University. During that time,
activities have focused on the provision of academic, personal and cultural support for Indigenous
students regardless of their mode of study (on campus, distance, or mixed).
Elder in Residence – Wagga-Wagga
Aunty Gail Clark is a Wiradjuri Elder who was born in Narrandera NSW. Her Office is located in the
Ngungilanna Centre and is open for students if they need to talk or have a problem. For the last 14
years Aunty Gail was a Teacher at Riverina Institute of TAFE, teaching Aboriginal Studies and
General Education. Over the years she had a variety of education opportunities from being a TAFE
student, through to a University student by block release. She completed: Diploma in Aboriginal
Studies; Bachelor of Education in Adult Education; Master of Arts in Indigenous Social Policy, and
Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessing.
Aunty Gail is there to assist all Indigenous Students with University life and see them through their
courses. She also visited schools and connected with the community on what CSU has to offer in
education.
P a g e | 48
SECTION 5
Enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to attain the same
graduation rates from award courses in higher education as for other
Australians
Support mechanisms CSU has in place to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to
complete their study have been detailed in the previous sections. A critical element is that the
majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students study by distance, and many study part
time. This involves the need for these students to balance study against multiple competing elements
over a prolonged period of time.
We are continually reviewing course offerings and supports to heighten our capacity to be agile and
responsive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their needs.
NOTE: The HEIMS data supplied by the Department differs significantly from the data extracted by
CSU from HEIMS.
Table 5.1 – Completions rate of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Students
2012
Department
data
2012 CSU
2013 CSU
HEIMS
HEIMS
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Higher Degree)
9
5
15
Non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Higher Degree)
857
850
1,102
% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Higher Degree)
1.0%
0.06%
1.4%
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Other postgraduate)
3
14
15
Non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Other postgraduate)
1,154
1,141
1,314
% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Other postgraduate)
0.03%
1.2%
1.1%
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Bachelor degree)
4
39
60
Non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Bachelor degree)
2,946
2,908
3,378
% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:
(Bachelor degree)
0.1%
1.3%
1.8%
#Note: Figures extracted from HEIMS and 2013 IES.
P a g e | 49
Table 5.2 – Higher Degree and Postgraduate Completions 2009-2013
Higher Degree and Postgraduate
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
23
24
20
16
30
Doctorate by Research
1
3
Graduate Certificate
8
9
5
9
9
3
5
2
3
1
3
10
4
15
2
1
2
1
Graduate Diploma (extending previous studies)
Graduate Diploma (new academic area)
3
Master's by Coursework
11
9
no info
Doctorate by Research
Graduate Certificate
Graduate Diploma (extending previous studies)
Graduate Diploma (new academic area)
Master's by Coursework
not Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
2374
3025
2728
2306
2416
Doctorate by Coursework
8
5
3
1
12
Doctorate by Research
35
78
46
9
51
Graduate Certificate
737
929
791
770
873
Graduate Diploma (extending previous studies)
270
338
311
257
257
Graduate Diploma (new academic area)
215
193
152
185
184
Master's by Coursework
1105
1478
1421
1083
1035
4
4
4
1
4
TOTAL
2397
3050
2752
2323
2446
% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
1.0%
0.8%
0.7%
0.7%
1.2%
Master's by Research
We are pleased that strategies implemented are associated with a steady rise in completions at the
Bachelor level. However, this is an area we continue to target through the range of participation
strategies employed during students’ enrolment.
P a g e | 50
Table 5.3 – Bachelor degree Completions 2009-2013
Bachelor Degree
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
39
35
47
41
60
Bachelor's Graduate Entry
1
1
2
3
Bachelor's Honours
1
1
33
45
39
57
Bachelor's Pass
39
no info
1
2
Bachelor's Pass
1
2
not Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
4205
4620
4747
3515
3378
Bachelor's Graduate Entry
65
111
139
112
140
Bachelor's Honours
105
133
141
110
181
Bachelor's Pass
4035
4376
4467
3293
3057
TOTAL
4245
4655
4794
3558
3438
% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
0.9%
0.8%
1.0%
1.2%
1.7%
Bachelor's Honours
Unknown
Bachelor's Honours
Bachelor's Pass
As can be seen in the table below the percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
engaging in sub degree courses is higher than for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This
reflects the introduction of a range of enabling and pathway courses specific to Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students, such as iPROWD. In addition, while the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students has held relatively stable, numbers of Non Indigenous students have lowered
and this has impacted on calculation of the percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
students.
Table 5.4 – Sub-Bachelor degree Completions 2009-2013
SUB DEGREE
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
5
18
21
20
23
Associate Degree
4
18
19
20
22
Diploma/Associate Diploma
1
1
Other award course
2
not Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 901
857
1099
828
808
Advanced Diploma/Diploma
7
5
Associate Degree
874
802
1060
792
734
Diploma/Associate Diploma
1
4
2
17
65
Other award course
19
46
37
18
9
TOTAL
906
875
1120
848
831
% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
0.6%
2.1%
1.9%
2.4%
2.8%
1
P a g e | 51
Table 5.5 – The final table provides the aggregate data for Completions at CSU
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
not Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
67
7480
77
8502
88
8574
77
6649
113
6602
no info
1
1
4
3
0
TOTAL
7548
8580
8666
6729
6602
% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
0.9%
0.9%
1.0%
1.1%
1.7%
Support Mechanisms
These have been detailed in section 4
P a g e | 52
SECTION 6
To provide all Australian students with an understanding of and respect
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional and contemporary
cultures
The University directly addresses the cultural competence of both staff and students in several ways
(see sections 1, 2.1, and 2.2), as well as maintains close connections with Indigenous communities.
This demonstrates the depth of the University’s commitment to graduating students who are able to
demonstrate an understanding of and respect for Indigenous culture, history and life ways.
As stated earlier, CSU’s Indigenous Education Strategy recommended the inclusion of Indigenous
content in all on-shore undergraduate programs at Charles Sturt University by 2015. This strategy is
being systematically implemented course by course as part of the University’s five-yearly course
review process.
Indigenous content has long been a foundational part of the curriculum of many courses at CSU. As
outlined in Recommendation 15 of the CSU Indigenous Education Strategy, embedded Indigenous
content will now be an assessable component of all undergraduate awards offered by Charles Sturt
University by 2015. This will not only provide students with knowledge and understanding of
Indigenous Australian cultures, histories and contemporary issues, but also with skills and strategies
for working confidently and effectively with Indigenous peoples and communities.
The development of Curriculum Guidelines for the Incorporation of Indigenous Content into CSU
Onshore Undergraduate Programs provides a framework for academics in enabling Recommendation
15 of the CSU Indigenous Education Strategy.
The Guidelines can be accessed at:
http://www.csu.edu.au/division/landt/indigenous-curriculum/. A comprehensive booklet has also been
produced detailing CSU policy and process requirements for the incorporation of Indigenous
Australian knowledge and perspectives into CSU onshore undergraduate awards.
In 2009 CSU established an Indigenous Board of Studies (IBS) as a sub-committee of the University’s
Curriculum Learning and Teaching Committee (CLTC) which reports directly to Academic Senate.
The IBS is unique to the Australian higher education sector and is the quality assurance and approval
body for all Indigenous Australian studies content developed and taught by the University. Since its
inception a total of 41 Indigenous studies subjects have been approved by the IBS and five courses
from the Faculties of Education and Science are now fully compliant with the Indigenous Cultural
Competence Pedagogical Framework.
In addition to this, work has been in progress since November 2012 to draft Graduate Learning
Outcomes that will apply to all undergraduate courses at CSU. It is important to note that the third (of
six) core Graduate Learning Outcomes requires that Graduates of CSU undergraduate degrees
demonstrate an understanding of and respect for Indigenous traditional and contemporary cultures.
Incorporating Indigenous content into all CSU undergraduate programs will ensure CSU students
graduate with current and appropriate cultural understanding. It will also equip them with the skills to
develop attributes that are necessary for active and ethical local, national and global citizenship.
The Centre for Indigenous Studies employs a full time Indigenous Community Relations Officer and
Indigenous Student Services employ 6 full time Indigenous Student Support Officers. These seven
staff actively promote within Indigenous Australian communities tertiary studies in general and CSU
as the preferred education provider. They assist in developing relevant and effective links to promote
the objectives of the University’s Indigenous Education Strategy and maintain close connection with
the Wiradjuri Council of Elders and Elders groups from across CSU regional and city campus
locations.
Charles Sturt University has traditionally provided cultural awareness training as part of formal staff
development programs. Cultural competence training is now a requirement for all CSU staff. Key
P a g e | 53
people (from the Centre for Indigenous Studies, Human Resources and CSU Training), the Indigenous
Employment Coordinator and the Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogy Coordinator have together
developed a cultural-competence training course for delivery to CSU staff. This training program is
delivered face to face and contains generic Indigenous Australian Studies content as well as elements
targeted at developing the specific skills required by academic and general staff of Charles Sturt
University. Approximately 35% of CSU staff, including members of the Senior Executive, has
completed cultural competency training. To ensure sustainability of the program, these key
individuals are currently developing an online cultural competency training program that will form a
part of the induction and professional development training for all CSU academic and general staff.
P a g e | 54
FINANCIAL ACQUITTAL
Organisation
Charles Sturt University
Postal Address
Locked Bag 588, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678
Contact Person
Professor Julia Coyle
Phone
02 6933 4970
Fax 02 6933 4970
Title
E-mail
Dean of Students
[email protected]
Financial Acquittal
This financial acquittal proforma is designed to acquit all ISP Funds provided in 2013, including all interest or
royalties/income derived from ISP Funds during 2013.
Attachment
1
Indigenous Support Program (ISP)
Checklist

For each Attachment:


Part A seeks information on the GST component of funding provided to you under that element, if applicable.
-
If GST is paid to you, the amount of GST funding which is included in each payment is set out in a Recipient Created Tax Invoice
(RCTI) issued to you at the time of the payment. You must state whether these amounts have been remitted to the Australian
Taxation Office (ATO) or committed for payment to the ATO.
-
If GST is not paid to you, do not complete Part A.
Part B seeks information about the funding received and expenditure and commitments, exclusive of any GST. Do not include the GST
component of any expenditure in this part.
P a g e | 55
Certification
Complete this certification after you have completed the Financial Acquittal for any ISP funding which you
have received in 2013 and after you have entered all relevant information in the Assets Register.
ISP FUNDING RECIPIENT'S CERTIFICATION
I,
Paul Dowler
(print name of chief officer or equivalent)
Executive Director, Division of Finance
(print position title)
certify that:
(i)
the details shown in this financial acquittal form and the accompanying pages - including the details of assets
acquired and disposed of - represent a complete, true and correct summary of transactions that took place
during the funding year under the Indigenous Education Program (ISP);
(ii) Funds were spent on activities and initiatives to achieve the outcomes/targets indicated in the Higher
Education Support Act 2003;
(iii) any interest earned or royalties/income derived from these Funds was expended on activities to advance the
objects of the Higher Education Support Act 2003; and
I understand that:
(i) in the event that I have not remitted GST paid under the Agreement to the Australian Taxation Office, that it is
my obligation to remit those amounts, as required under the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act
1999; and
(i) it is an offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995 to provide false or misleading information.
Signed:
Date:
30/05/2014
Privacy Notice
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) collects your personal information (including your
name, organisation and contact details) for the purposes of administering Indigenous Education Programs. PM&C
will not otherwise use or disclose your personal information without your consent unless required or authorised by
or under law.
When you have completed this certification, please ensure that the following counter-certification is
completed to provide an external assurance about the information which you have provided.
P a g e | 56
ATTACHMENT 1 - Indigenous Support Program
Provider Name: CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY
For the 2013 funding year (1 January - 31 December 2013).
PART A – If applicable, Goods and Services Tax (GST) paid under the Agreement:
1. If applicable, GST received by you in 2013 as part of the Indigenous Support
Program funding under the Higher Education Support Act 2003. This amount is
stated on your Recipient Created Tax Invoices (RCTIs).
$ Nil
2. If applicable, GST remitted or committed for payment to the Australian
Taxation Office (ATO) (in the remittance instalments shown below)
$ Nil
Amount remitted: $
Date remitted:
Amount remitted: $
/
/
Date remitted:
Amount remitted: $
/
/
Date remitted:
/
PART B - Acquittal Summary Details (excluding GST):
INCOME
1. Unexpended Indigenous Support Program funds from 2012 which were
committed for expenditure prior to 31/12/2012.
$ Nil
(+) 2. Unexpended and uncommitted Indigenous Support Program funds from
2012 which were approved for expenditure in 2013.
$ Nil
(+) 3. Indigenous Support Program funds provided in 2013. These amounts
appear on Recipient Created Tax Invoices (RCTIs) or Payment Advice
Letters.
$1,710,000
(+) 4. Interest, royalties and other income derived from Indigenous Support
Program funds in 2013.
$ Nil
(=) 5. Total Indigenous Support Program funds to be acquitted in 2013.
$1,710,000
/
P a g e | 57
EXPENDITURE
6. Total Indigenous Support Program expenditure in 2013, excluding any
GST.
$1,768,591
(+) 7. Unexpended Indigenous Support Program funds which were committed for
expenditure prior to 31/12/2013.
$
(+) 8. Requested carryover into 2014 of unexpended Indigenous Support Program
funds which were not committed for expenditure by 31/12/2013 – written
approval date /…/2014.1
$
(=) 9. Total Indigenous Support Program Funds which by 31/12/2013 were fully
expended and/or committed for expenditure.
$1,768,591
10. Returns of 2013 Indigenous Support Program Funds by 31/12/2013.
$
11. Balance of Funds for 2013 (Unexpended/uncommitted Indigenous Support
Program funds to be returned or recovered from 2014 entitlements).
$
12. Balance of provider’s Indigenous Support Program bank account or
cost centre as at 31/12/2013.
$-
1 The Department will only approve the rollover of unspent funds in exceptional circumstances.
Section 7 – Breakdown of ISP Expenditure (excluding GST):
Salaries & On-Costs
$1,243,963
Communications
$57,868
Fees for Services Rendered
$20,205
Stores & Provisions
$140,737
Travel
$150,615
Other (Sponsorship)
$5,135
Capital Items (furniture & portable items)
$40,949
Community Engagement Activities
$31,518
Marketing Materials
$35,966
Darrambal Program
$41,635
(=) Total 2013 ISP Program Expenditure
$1,768,591
P a g e | 58
SECTION 7
Charles Sturt University Contact Information
Where your Indigenous Education Unit has been consulted in the development of this Indigenous Education
Statement, please provide the contact details of the relevant staff member.
University Officer
Professor Garry Marchant
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Phone: 02 6338 4594
Email: [email protected]
Indigenous Education Officer
Professor Julia Coyle
Dean of Students
Phone: 02 6933 4970
Email: [email protected]
Assoc Prof Wendy Nolan
Director, Centre for Indigenous Studies
Phone: 02 6885 7345
Email: [email protected]
Mr Lloyd Dolan
Acting Manager, Indigenous Student Services
Phone: 02 6933 2954
Email: [email protected]
Ms Catherine Maxwell
Indigenous Employment Coordinator
Division of Human Services
Phone: 02 6933 2200
Email: [email protected]
SECTION 8
Publication of the Statement
Following approval of the IES by the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, the current and the previous
Indigenous Education Statement will b e published on our website.
https://www.csu.edu.au/dean-of-students/reports