News, information and research on student equity in higher education from the NCSEHE Director, Professor Sue Trinidad.

Applications for the 2019 NCSEHE Research Grants Program will open this month. Now in its fifth year, the program supports targeted research aimed at supporting and informing policy and practice on student equity in higher education.

Submissions will open in May, with details listed on the NCSEHE website and through our eNews, Facebook and Twitter. 

Reports from the previous round are being published during 2019, the latest of which being Employment and study outcomes after graduation: An Australian higher education equity perspective, led by The University of Western Australia (UWA).

A new study funded by the NCSEHE under the Research Grants Program has found positive improvements for the disadvantaged in accessing a tertiary education, but that there are still challenges that lie ahead in the job market.

The study, led by Dr Ian Li (UWA), used 2016 data collected from the Australian Graduate Outcomes Study linked to administrative records from 19 Australian universities. It examined education and employment opportunities available to people from low socioeconomic status backgrounds, people with disability and people from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Read Employment and study outcomes after graduation: An Australian higher education equity perspective.

This literature review provides the context for the NCSEHE Research Fellowship by Professor Sarah O'Shea (University of Wollongong) entitled ‘Mind the Gap!’ Exploring the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree.

Following on from the 2018 Research Fellow Maria Raciti, Sarah is being supported by the Centre to undertake research on post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of these "higher education pioneers".

The project is being conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Higher Education Equity and Diversity Research (CHEEDR) at La Trobe University.

Read the literature review.  

NCSEHE 2019 Research Fellow Professor Sarah O'Shea is seeking contributions from professionals working in the areas of careers, equity, outreach, or those who are interested in graduate employability.

Participants can choose to complete a survey or interview as an element of the Fellowship project: ‘Mind the Gap!’ Exploring the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree.

More information.

Analoggers, Gamers, Digital All‐rounders and Social Networkers — Where do your students fit, and how is this affecting their developmental and educational experiences?

A new article by NCSEHE Research Fellow Dr Lynette Vernon identifies classes of adolescents characterised by unique patterns of time use and examined the relation to developmental outcomes (extracurricular activities, sleep, and academic attainment).

Read the full article.

Research led by the University of Tasmania has furthered the evidence base around online students by tracking engagement over the longer term.

Co-authored by NCSEHE 2016 Equity Fellow and 2019 Adjunct Fellow Associate Professor Cathy Stone (the University of Newcastle), this paper details fluctuations in engagement over a semester, and identifies a variety of contributing factors.

Read the full article.

Featured on the NCSEHE website this month, the Developing EmployABILITY initiative is a collaboration involving over 30 higher education institutions and over 700 scholars internationally. The goal is to enable and embed EmployABILITY thinking in the curriculum.

In partnership with university careers services, students align their learning activities with their professional development and begin to create a body of evidence for use as they build their future careers. This is facilitated through an EmployABILITY self-assessment tool, a personalised profile and a suite of online resources.

Established in 2017, the initiative is led by Professor Dawn Bennett (Curtin University) who is collaborating with the NCSEHE throughout 2019.

Read more.

The Australian Learning and Teaching Fellows’ network (ALTF) was established in 2011 with support from the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching.

Between 2011 and 2019, 115 Australian Fellows were affiliated with the ALTF, undertaking strategic programs of change that have influenced educational theory and practice to benefit the student experience. They have promoted sector-wide collaboration between academics across every university in Australia and many others internationally.

The ALTF Legacy Report provides links to the Fellows’ work, extending its impact and influence in connecting people and practice.

University participation and success is particularly challenging for individuals who have spent time in out-of-home care.

The Why Not You Project advocates to governments and universities for the support of care leavers in higher education, provides a central national portal for information, and fosters connections between students and graduates from similar backgrounds.

The project and student resources are featured on the NCSEHE website.

This Special Issue will focus on psychological wellbeing in higher education. It will draw together not only current insights on these issues, but also significant advances in how educators can, and are, improving the situation across the sector.

Dr Abi Brooker (Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences) and Dr Lydia Woodyatt (Flinders University) are Guest Editors for this issue. 

More information and submission details.

Kind regards,
Professor Sue Trinidad
Director
National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education