This week, Australian Catholic University (ACU) hosted the Equity @ ACU Symposium, bringing together academics, equity practitioners, and experts from the sector. This online event aimed to provide a platform to share expertise, examine issues of (in)equity, and collaboratively explore innovative approaches to widening participation in higher education.
Over the course of two days, speakers engaged in informative and inspiring discussions focused on improving student equity in higher education through transformative practices for a meaningful future impact
Here’s a summary of the two-day symposium:
Day 1 highlights
Day 1 began with an Acknowledgment of Country by ACU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) Kelly Humphrey, followed by an equity and inclusion prayer from Father Anthony Casamento and an opening overview from ACU’s Nicolle Cull and Professor Julie Cogin.
The first keynote featured Professor Sally Kift from Australian Learning and Teaching Fellows, who emphasised the importance for the implementation of the Australian Universities Accord to be inclusive and produce universally designed educational experiences that deliver equitable opportunities to all learners. Sally emphasised the value of centring student success across every interaction by working with students as equity partners to enhance learning outcomes.
The second keynote was presented by Professor Maria Raciti from the University of the Sunshine Coast, who explored the transformative role and the social justice benefits of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in advancing equity in Australian higher education. She provided insights into how recognising and valuing diverse learning experiences can create social inclusion and provide new opportunities for underrepresented groups.
Session 1 was divided into 2 parallel discussions – one by Dr Matt Brett from Deakin University, on the topic of forging an ethical future; and the second by Dr Matt Sexton from ACU and Gerard Brick, Mathematics leader from Forest Street Primary School, on developing practice by leading and learning together.
Session 2 also followed parallel discussions by Darlene McLennan and Darren Britten from the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET). They shared insights on how AI transformed assistive technologies to support students and staff to engage with learning in innovative ways.
The second parallel discussion in session 2 featured Professor Jane McCormack, Lisa Dent, Dr Kieran Flanagan, and Professor Elspeth Froude from ACU, who offered solutions to universities in metropolitan areas in how to support students in regional and rural areas.
Dr Matt Lumb and Professor Penny Jane Burke from the University of Newcastle explored the active process of “unlearning” to approach equity evaluation practices through a decolonised lens, focusing on how equity is framed, who decides “what works” and for whom.
The day’s closing keynote was given by Professor Ryan Naylor from the University of Sydney, who presented the importance of moving beyond group-based metrics to foster inclusive academic environment.
Day 2 highlights
Day 2 opened with Nicola Cull and Melanie Seal Moradi from ACU, with an overview of ACU’s whole-of-university strategy to embed equity within its institution, and some of the key insights from the implementation progress made so far.
The first keynote address of the day came from Professor Denise Wood AM from the University of the Sunshine Coast who spoke about improving access, participation, retention, and success among students from underrepresented backgrounds using the “Six P’s Framework” – emphasising the importance of being informed by evidence when implementing and evaluating programs.
Session 3 was divided into two parallel discussions – one by Geoffrey Mitchell from the Queensland Department of Education and an ACSES Visiting Scholar, on the topic of Senior School Pathways and Subject Selection; and the second by Debbie Keen and Dr John Mahoney from ACU on the Contemporary Student Contexts in Higher Education.
Associate Professor Anna Bennett from the University of Newcastle spoke about the effectiveness of enabling pathways programs, referencing the Critical Interventions Framework Part 3 that she co-authored, while Emma Wearing from Victoria University and Emma Wakeling and Genevieve Edwards from ACU embarked on a discussion to explore how privilege and unconscious bias contribute to people’s experiences of inequality in education.
A third parallel session was run by Shane Drahm who presented on the work that Griffith University is doing to establish a value proposition for its equity cohorts.
In her keynote address, Professor Sarah O’ Shea from Charles Sturt University gave a brief overview of the current ‘post-Accord’ environment of the higher education sector, with particular view on participation rates for key equity groups and the ambitious targets set by the Accord for the future, before exploring how we might work towards these targets by taking into account the full student life-cycle.
The day was rounded off with an inspiring keynote presentation from Malou Lueth, an ACU Alumnus and Member of the Board of Directors of the African Youth Initiative, who shared some of his personal experiences coming from a refugee background and the barriers he faced throughout his education journey – and how it has inspired him to now make a positive impact on others in his community.
A big thank you to all the organisers of the Equity @ ACU Symposium and all the speakers over the past two days for putting together such an informative event. We look forward to keeping these important discussions going.
