ACSES Fellows present their research findings

Dear colleagues

Last month, the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) hosted the ACSES Equity and First Nations Fellowship Forum 2025. The Forum was an opportunity for ACSES Equity and First Nations Fellows who commenced their Fellowships in 2024 to present their research findings to an in-person and online audience. Recordings of their presentations are now available. 

Our first Fellow, Dr Tracy Woodroffe (Charles Darwin University), discussed strategies to increase Aboriginal teachers in the Northern Territory, followed by Ms Danielle Keenan (University of Technology Sydney) who shared her work on decoding the Regional University Study Hubs as a roadmap to success.

Dr Bret Stephenson (La Trobe University) explored data and AI governance in informing policy and empowering practice, while Associate Professor Amani Bell (University of Sydney) presented on addressing placement inequities through participatory action research. Professor Peter J. Anderson (Griffith University), who was unable to attend in-person due to Cyclone Alfred, presented via a recorded video, outlining a senior leadership capability model for Indigenous success.

The following day, we welcomed our 2025 cohort of First Nations and Equity Fellows, who presented their projects to a small in-person audience and officially joined the ACSES community. You can find out more about the projects of our 2025 First Nations Fellows Ms Lauren Tynan (Macquarie University) and Dr John Doolah (University of Melbourne) here and about our 2025 Equity Fellows Ms Darlene McLennan (University of Tasmania) and Associate Professor Kelly Linden (Charles Sturt University) here.

We also recently hosted the latest webinar in a series that showcases some of the projects undertaken in our Small Research Grants Program. The research team led by Anne McMahon from the University of Wollongong presented on their findings about the financial pressures facing university students in Australia and New Zealand. A recording of the session can be found on our YouTube channel.  

The final reports for the 2024 Equity and First Nations Fellowships as well as the 2024 Small Grants Research Program projects are currently being finalised. We look forward to sharing these with you over the coming months as they become available. 

Regards
Professor Ian Li
Research and Policy Director
Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success

Just published...

Retention rates in Australian higher education

We are pleased to release our latest ACSES Data Insights Series report, "Retention rates in Australian higher education". In this report, we examine national retention trends over the past seven years, including the effect of equity group intersectionality on retention rates. We also explore institution-level variation and the relationship between institutional retention rates and participation share.

Student Equity Data Guide: Challenges in Comparing Student Outcomes Across Higher Education Institutions

A new publication has also been added to our Student Equity Data Guide series: "Challenges in Comparing Student Outcomes Across Higher Education Institutions". This latest guide tackles some of the complexities in interpreting and comparing student outcome data across institutions. There are now six guides available in the Data Resources Hub on our website.

Funding awarded: ACSES Capacity Building Grants Program

The Capacity Building Grants Program provides support for institutions to develop their internal capacity for engaging in impact evaluations. The grant can be used to develop institutional capacity to implement impact evaluations of equity initiatives.

Funding has been awarded to 12 projects during our first founding round. The successful projects can be found on the ACSES website. 

Welcome to the ACSES team

We're excited to have had two new team members joining us here at ACSES this year. Welcome to the team, Gwyneth and Jesse! Both of them are filling new positions within our Trials and Evaluation Program team - Dr Gwyneth Peaty is our new eLearning Designer and Jesse Parmar joins us as Equity Evaluator (Program Manager). 

Dr Gwyneth Peaty

Gwyneth holds a BA in Communication Studies (First Class Honours) and a PhD in English from The University of Western Australia. She worked as a Lecturer in Internet Studies at Curtin University for several years and as a Research Fellow in the Centre for Culture and Technology (CCAT) in the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry (MCASI). Gwyneth has collaborated with both Humanities and Health Sciences academics to create Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for the edX platform, including all three of CurtinX’s “From Digital Technologies to Social Media” XSeries MOOCs.

Her research is interdisciplinary in nature and her publications cover a range of fields including popular culture, digital media and technology, film studies, horror, the Gothic, and disability studies. In 2022, Gwyneth won Curtin’s Humanities Early Career Researcher of the Year Award. Additional to her role as eLearning Designer at ACSES, she continues her work as a Senior Research Fellow at Curtin and is the Reviews Editor for The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture.

Jesse Parmar

Jesse is an accomplished researcher and policy analyst with a passion for evidence-based practices and social mobility. He graduated with Honours in Economics and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree, focusing on evaluating the effectiveness of contemporary Australian programs aimed at combating human trafficking.

With extensive experience in public policy analysis, Jesse has conducted numerous randomised control trials to enhance community safety. He has worked with the Western Australia Police Force, the Department of Justice, and the Premier’s Priorities Unit, where he contributed to initiatives improving the State’s educational outcomes. Jesse has also presented at a number of criminology conferences and chaired sessions on crime prevention.

His work continues to focus on leveraging research to drive meaningful change, aiming to promote social mobility for vulnerable groups.

What’s new in the ACSES Interactive Data Tool?

We've been working on some upgrades and updates to our ACSES Interactive Data Tool. Here is what's new:

• Increased accessibility: Improved colour and shape differentiation in legends and better usability on mobile devices.
• Easier sharing: Share via link, email, or social media, and preserve filtering so that recipients will see the exact filtered graph and table.
• Better downloading: Download graphs, data, or both in a zipped folder.
• Participation and retention ratios: Explore participation and retention data in the right context with new ratio metrics.
• Simplified institution comparisons: Add one or more comparison institutions to any graph for easier benchmarking.
• Better equity group comparisons: Compare individual equity groups against "All Equity Students" or "Non-Equity Students".

Opportunities

ACSES Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Impact on Higher Education Policy and Practice

The ACSES Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Impact on Higher Education Policy and Practice 2025 recognises individuals or teams that have made significant contributions to shaping policy and transforming practices in ways that drive positive outcomes in higher education student equity.

Nominations are open to individuals or teams employed at a Table A or Table B provider. Both self-nominations and third-party nominations are welcome. Applications close on 30 June 2025.

Find out more on the ACSES website.

ACSES 2025-26 Higher Degree by Research Stipend Scheme

Applications are now invited from Master and Doctor of Philosophy students with an interest in student equity in higher education to participate in the ACSES Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Stipend Scheme.

The ACSES HDR Stipend Scheme is an opportunity for the Centre to help develop Australia’s next generation of researchers. Successful applicants will receive $10,000 to scope out a research project that will lead to the development of a journal paper manuscript suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal in the field of higher education.

Applications close at 4pm (AWST) on Wednesday, 7 May 2025. ACSES will acknowledge receipt of all applications submitted, and outcomes will be announced by June 2025.

Find out more on the ACSES website.

Equity Frontiers Trials Program

Our Equity Frontiers Trials Program funds trials to test the effectiveness of programs, activities, or other initiatives designed to improve higher education access and success for students. We fund both small and large-scale trials that are either sector-led or T&E-led. Applications for funding can be made at any time.

We are accepting Expressions of Interest now. Find out more on the ACSES website.

Visit our new Trials Registry

ACSES recently launched the Trials Registry—a free resource showcasing innovative, evidence-based initiatives to improve equity outcomes in Australian universities. The Registry provides universities and education professionals with open access to detailed trial methodologies and outcomes. 

Visit the site now.

Events

ACSES Trials for Equity Workshop | South Australian Universities

The University of South Australia will be hosting the next South Australian instalment of the ACSES Trials for Equity Workshop. In this workshop, Dr Patricia Vermillion Peirce will facilitate a discussion with equity practitioners, learning about the equity practices currently underway across South Australian universities, and identifying those programs that may be of greatest value to trial for the benefit of our equity cohorts. 

Date: 15 May 2025
Time: 1.00 - 5.00pm (ACST)
Location: University of South Australia, Adelaide (in-person only) 

Find out more and register here. 

ADCET Webinar: Inclusive placements for students with disability with Amani Bell (ACSES Equity Fellow)

During Amani Bell's ACSES Fellowship "Addressing placement inequities through participatory action research", she worked with four student co-researchers to facilitate four online workshops with 74 students and educators. Together, they co-developed solutions to the interconnected challenges of placement poverty and placement exclusion.

In this presentation, Amani will focus on the issues and solutions related to ensuring placement inclusion for students with disability.

Date: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Time: 1.00 - 2.00pm (AEST)
Location: Online

Find out more and register here.

ADCET Webinar: Meeting our Digital Duty of Care - Disability Data in Practice with Bret Stephenson (ACSES Equity Fellow)

In this interactive ADCET webinar, Dr Bret Stephenson will present key findings from his 2024 ACSES Equity Fellowship research project, "Centring Equity in Data and AI Governance: Informing Policy to Empower Practice".

This webinar highlights both the challenges and the good practices identified by research participants, offering insights to guide ethical and equitable data governance.

Date: Wednesday, 7 May 2025
Time: 1.00 - 2.00pm (AEST)
Location: Online

Find out more and register here.

ACSES Equity Fellowship: Project Introduction and Stakeholder Engagement Workshop with Darlene McLennan

This interactive online session will introduce Darlene McLennan's ACSES Equity Fellowship project, exploring how disability services in Australian universities can evolve to meet changing demands and maximise their impact on student success. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute to shaping the research direction and future stakeholder engagement activities.

Date: Friday, 9 May 2025
Time: 1.00 - 2.30pm (AEST)
Location: Online

Find out more and register here.

Student Equity in an Era of Change 2025: The Australian Student Equity Symposium

Date: 9-10 September 2025
Location: University of Technology Sydney and online

Building on the momentum of last year’s inaugural symposium, ACSES will be hosting “Student Equity in an Era of Change 2025”—a crucial gathering to advance equity in higher education. With insights from international experts, government representatives, and diverse student voices, this two-day event will explore transformative practices and policies aimed at creating accessible and inclusive educational pathways. More information about registration options will be made available soon.

JANZSSA Updates 

• Call for Papers: Submit to JANZSSA’s 2025 special issue on gender-based violence in tertiary institutions by 29 June.
• Voices from the Field: Share your perspective on adaptable student services—submissions open 14 May, limited to the first 20 received.
• Professional Development: Thinking of publishing in 2025? JANZSSA’s webinars and workshops can help.

See the JANZSSA website for more details.

ACSES in the news

• "The Research Files Episode 98: Getting more First Nations teachers into schools", Teacher Magazine
• "Australia’s next government may well be in minority. Here’s how that can be a good outcome for the country", The Conversation
• "Research news: Boosting the number of First Nations school teachers", Teacher Magazine