The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

You are reading: NCSEHE & EPHEA WA Professional Development Day

The NCSEHE and the Western Australian chapter of Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia (EPHEA) hosted 56 participants for a professional development day on Tuesday 29 January 2019 at Curtin University.

Overview

Delivered by experts in the field, sessions revolved around high school performance and standards and the relationship to access and participation in higher education, looking at the current situation and visions for the future.

EPHEA WA also hosted the first chapter meeting for the year as part of the day. With 28 attendees, the meeting outlined plans for 2019, opened nominations for hosting chapter meetings, and invited suggestions for further presentations on topics of interest and expertise throughout the year.

 

Agenda

10:00 am: Arrive and morning tea

10:20 am: Remote Student Engagement in Higher Education — Louise Pollard (2017 NCSEHE Equity Fellow; Director, Student Services & Admission, the University of Notre Dame)

11:00 am: Student Achievement and Trends: Western Australian Secondary Education — Allan Blagaich and Patrick Garnett (Western Australian School Curriculum and Standards Authority)

12:00 pm: Lunch

12:30 pm: Future Scenarios for Tertiary Education in Australia — Peter Noonan (Director of Tertiary Education and Policy — Mitchell Institute at Victoria University)

1:45 pm: EPHEA WA chapter meeting

 

PowerPoint slides

 

 

Event Presenters

Louise Pollard, 2017 NCSEHE Equity Fellow and Director, Student Services & Admission, the University of Notre Dame, gave an overview of her Equity Fellowship, Remote Student University Success: An analysis of Policy and Practice. She discussed implications for equity practitioners supporting remote students in higher education, as well as recommendations for the sector and future policy direction.

Executive Director Allan Blagaich and Chair Patrick Garnett from the Western Australian School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) provided an overview of the current performance of Western Australian high school students, Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) trends, and the relationship of National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) on students’ achievement, with a focus on students from diverse backgrounds.

Professor Peter Noonan, Director of Tertiary Education and Policy — Mitchell Institute at Victoria University, discussed the results of the modelling undertaken for the Mitchell Institute on future scenarios for tertiary education in Australia and implications for future access and participation. The modelling covers Vocational Education and Training (VET) and higher education as individual sectors and then tertiary education as a whole. It assesses recent and projected enrolment levels to 2031 as a proportion of the Australian population and highlights the need for ongoing growth in both sectors to even maintain current participation levels.