Building a stronger evidence base to support effective outreach strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: Increasing impact and university participation

Written by Dr Katelyn Barney¹

This Equity Fellowship has focused on outreach programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander1 students and examines “what works” and what could be improved in these
programs. Most universities are running outreach initiatives for Indigenous high school
students. Many of these programs involve week-long, intensive camp experiences that bring
school students onto university campuses for information sessions, workshops and events
that attempt to demystify university culture and cultivate a sense of belonging to build and
sustain student engagement. The theoretical case for these initiatives is strong, as much data
exists about the barriers Indigenous students face in entering university. However, before this
Fellowship occurred, the research and evidence base for these equity programs remained
largely underdeveloped and limited (Bennett et al., 2015; Gore et al., 2017b)

Read the full report here:  Building a stronger evidence base to support effective outreach strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: Increasing impact and university participation

¹NCSEHE