UWS Embedding An Indigenous Graduate Attribute

EMBEDDING AN INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE FINAL REPORT prepared by Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education University of Western Sydney

for the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and for Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Committee and National Indigenous Higher Education Network under the condition of a Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund Grant Higher Education Support Act 2003 Determination under subparagraph 41-25(b)(i)

EMBEDDING AN INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE

FINAL REPORT prepared by Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education University of Western Sydney

for the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

and for Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Committee and National Indigenous Higher Education Network under the condition of a Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund Grant Higher Education Support Act 2003 Determination under subparagraph 41-25(b)(i)

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

UWS Acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Greater Western Sydney As a matter of Indigenous cultural protocol and out of recognition that its campuses occupy their traditional lands, UWS acknowledges the Darug, Gundungurra and Tharawal peoples and thanks them for their support of its work in Greater Western Sydney.

email address: dsa@deewr.gov.au postal address: Program Delegate The Diversity Fund Tertiary Collaboration and Participation Branch Tertiary Participation Group Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations GPO Box 9880 Canberra ACT 2601

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

SYNOPSIS

Project description The Project Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute will develop and implement a learning and teaching framework to enable University of Western Sydney (UWS) graduates appreciate the culture of Indigenous Australia and gain skills for working productively with Indigenous communities. The new Indigenous Graduate Attribute will become a mandatory component of all courses. The Project’s learning outcomes include communication, social, cultural, leadership and partnership skills, which will assist graduates working and interacting with Indigenous Australians. Flow-on benefits from the Project include recognition of Indigenous knowledge in teaching and research programs and improved support and outcomes for the University's Indigenous students from staff and other students.

In late 2008, the University of Western Sydney (UWS) was allocated $900,000 by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations from the Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund for the project Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute (2009-2011).

This document is the Final Report (hereafter, The Report) of the project, whose primary aim was to develop and implement a learning and teaching framework to enable UWS graduates appreciate the cultures of Indigenous Australia and gain skills for working productively with Indigenous Australians.

The report draws on a number of documents including: UWS Policy & Strategic Plans IGA Discussion Paper 2008 IGA Advisory Paper 2009 IGA Progress Reports IGA College Working Party Reports Minutes of the Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council meetings Minutes of Education, Assessment & Progression Committee meetings Minutes of Academic Senate Education Committee meetings Student Feedback Survey Reports IGA Academic Survey Responses School Review Reports 3

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

The report documents: • • • •

why an Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA) was developed at UWS (Section 2); how the outcomes support the project as described at the outset (Section 3); how the project met its performance indicators (Section 4); how the outcomes have helped to address the need for the project as initially conceived (Section 5).

The report also provides information on Lessons Learned (Section 6). Concluding Remarks and a response to the Universities Australia Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework 2011 appear in Section 7. Recommendations can be found in Section 8. A financial report appears in Section 9.

Prior to the initiation of the project few UWS courses contained Indigenous content and only a small number of graduates were able to gain an understanding of Indigenous experiences and cultures. The project has enabled more than 9000 students to learn about Indigenous Australia and is ongoing.

The lessons learned from the project will help to overcome some of the challenges that will, no doubt, be faced by universities nation-wide as they come to implement the Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework, which has been developed simultaneously with the current project outlined in this report.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Preparation and writing of the Report Associate Professor Berice Anning, Dean, Indigenous Education & Director, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education Dr Wendy Holland, Indigenous Graduate Attribute Project Coordinator, Badanami Dr Chris Wilson, DSAF Project Officer, Academic, Badanami

Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education Staff Michael McDaniel, Dean, Indigenous Education & Director, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education (2006-2010). Currently, Director, Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, University of Technology, Sydney Rea Saunders, Academic, Indigenous Graduate Attribute Project Team Member Paul Newman, Academic, Indigenous Graduate Attribute Project Team Member Cheryl Yin-Lo, Academic, Indigenous Graduate Attribute Project Phil Voysey, Academic, Indigenous Graduate Attribute Project Kylie Randall, Executive Assistant to the Dean of Indigenous Education

University of Western Sydney Executive and Academic Staff Members of the Executive, University of Western Sydney Professor Stuart Campbell, Pro Vice Chancellor, Learning and Teaching, University of Western Sydney (recently retired) Professor Geoff Scott, Pro Vice Chancellor, Office of Planning and Quality, University of Western Sydney (up to 2011). Currently, Executive Director Sustainability, & Professor of Higher Education, University of Western Sydney Professor Anne Cusick, former Chair, Academic Senate, UWS Chairs of the College Working Parties: Associate Professor Craig Ellis, College of Business & Law IGA Working Party 2011 Professor Bronwyn Cole, College of Arts IGA Working Party 2010 - 2011 Professor Betty Gill, College of Health & Science IGA Working Party 2010 5

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Dr Gu Fang, College of Health & Science STEM IGA Working Party 2011

Academic members of Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties from the Schools Academic members of Schools who have implemented the IGA, particularly Professor John Loxton The Director and the staff members of the Office of Strategy & Quality, UWS, who assisted with the IGA Academic Staff survey Academic members of Schools and Badanami who responded to the IGA survey 2011 Students who have responded to the Student Feedback Surveys External Advisory Committee Members for Indigenous Australian Studies Major Development Chair, Associate Professor Sue Green, Director Nura Gili Indigenous Programs, University of New South Wales Professor Michael McDaniel, Dean, Indigenous Education & Director, Badanami Associate Professor Berice Anning, Associate Director, (Academic), Badanami Lorraine Efeturk, Associate Director, Administration & Student Services, Badanami Professor Nancy Wright, Deputy Dean, College of Arts, UWS Dr Wendy Holland, Indigenous Graduate Attribute Project Coordinator, Badanami Aunty Jean South, Elder-in-Residence, Badanami Mark Minchinton, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, RMIT University Jennifer Newman, Academic, University of Technology, Sydney Anita Heiss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Badanami Jeff McMullen, Journalist, Reporter Aunty Mae Robinson, Indigenous Advisory Council Member Michelle Blanchard, Deputy Director, Koori Centre, University of Sydney

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

CONTENTS

Page

Acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of Greater Western Sydney Synopsis Acknowledgements Contents List of Tables and Appendices Acronyms

2 3 5 7 9 10

Section 1 Introduction

11

Setting the Scene Why develop an Indigenous Graduate Attribute?

Developing an Indigenous Graduate Attribute: Preliminary work The IGA Discussion Paper Defining Terms

12 12 14 17 23

How the Outcomes Support the Program Description Making the IGA a mandatory component Developing a Learning & Teaching Framework Implementation of the IGA

26 27 28 29

Activities and Outcomes: Performance indicators Staff appointments Collaboration and consultation Governance protocols and adherence guidelines 4.3.1 The purpose of the IGA 4.3.2 Strategies 4.3.3 Roles of the Dean and Associate Director (Academic) 4.3.4 Expectations of Colleges/Schools 4.3.5 Assessing implementation 4.3.6 Governance IGA Learning and Teaching Framework 4.4.1 Commitment 4.4.2 Governance 4.4.3 Human Resources 4.4.4 Collaboration 4.4.5 Pedagogy & Guiding Principles 4.4.6 Implementation 4.4.7 Review Second tranche of IGA units Indigenous Australian Studies Major (IASM) Full implementation of IGA units Indigenous learning database Evaluation of the project

37 38 40 44 45 45 46 46 49 53 58 63 63 63 63 65 66 67 69 71 77 78 83

Section 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Section 3 3.1 3.2 3.3 Section 4 4.1 4.2 4.3

4.4

4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute 4.10 4.11

Dissemination of the Final Report to Peak Indigenous Bodies Final Report

85 85

How Outcomes have helped to address the Need for the Project

86

Lessons Learned Building Indigenous cultural competency of academic staff The issue of relevance for Core IGA units and large mixed student cohorts 6.4 The issue of relevance of the IGA for some academic staff 6.5 The issue of loss of a person of influence associated with an IGA Unit 6.6 The issue of loss of an IGA unit due to a school review process 6.7 The issue of placement of the graduate attributes: unit versus course level 6.8 Funding implications for implementation of IGA units 6.9 Structural issues and invisibility of IASM units 6. 10 Resourcing Indigenous Academics

90 90

Section 5

Section 6.

6.1 6.2 6.3

92 94 94 95 95 95 97 104

Section 7 7.1

Concluding Remarks UWS Badanami Centre response to the Guiding Principles of the Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework in Australian Universities

106

109

Recommendations

119

Financial Statement

123

Bibliography

125

Section 8

Section 9

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 Table 5 Table 6 Table 7 Table 8

Table 9 Table 10 Table 11

Page

Options for embedding IGA within a degree program and positive and negative aspects of each UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute - wording Extract from UWS Learning and Teaching Action Plan (2009-2011) IGA Units approved by College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees IASM IGA Units approved by College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees Relationship between project description and outcomes Assessing IGA Implementation UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute Framework to embed Indigenous content in curricula and to support learning and teaching outcomes Strategies to support learning and teaching of IGA Pedagogic Principles to support IGA Implementation Mapping UWS IGA Implementation against the Five Guiding Principles and Recommendations of the UA Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency

18 23 27 29 32 34 51

60 65 65

112

APPENDICES Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Appendix 5 Appendix 6 Appendix 7 Appendix 8 Appendix 9 Appendix 10 Appendix 11

IGA Learning & Teaching Framework (early version 2010) Report by the School of Nursing & Midwifery 2012 Report by the School of Medicine 2012 College of Arts Working Party Report 2010 College of Health & Science STEM Working Party Report 2011 College of Business Working Party Report 2011 IGA Academic Staff Survey 2011 Student Feedback Survey Analysis IASM units 2011 Student Feedback Survey Analysis IASM and IGA units 2009-2011 Indigenous Graduate Attribute competency training schedule 2009 IASM promotional flyer 2010

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

ACRONYMS ATSIEP

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy

AUQA

Australian University Quality Agency

DSAF

Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund DEEWR

EAC

External Advisory Committee IASM

EAPC

Education Assessment and Progression Committee UWS

IAC

Indigenous Advisory Council UWS

IASM

Indigenous Australian Studies Major

IEP

Indigenous Education Policy UWS

IES

Indigenous Education Strategy UWS

IGA

Indigenous Graduate Attribute UWS

IGACWP

Indigenous Graduate Attribute College Working Party UWS

IHEAC

Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council

LTAP

Learning and Teaching Action Plan UWS

SMIC

School of Medicine Indigenous Committee UWS

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

SECTION 1

Introduction In 2008 the University of Western Sydney (UWS) developed a specific Graduate Attribute focussed on “Knowledge of Indigenous Australia”. In order to develop and implement a learning and teaching framework for the new compulsory Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA), the University applied successfully in late 2008 for a seeding grant to the Commonwealth of Australia’s Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund (DSAF). This initiative (hereafter referred to as ‘The Project’) aims to enable UWS graduates appreciate the cultures of Indigenous Australia and gain the skills necessary for working productively with Indigenous communities.

This Final Report begins with background information which provides a context for the development of the IGA at UWS. The context - which demonstrates the identified need for the IGA when the project was conceived - is the focus of Section 2 of the report. The focus of Section 3 is a description of the project and a demonstration of how the outcomes support the project. Section 4 is devoted to the relationship between activities and outcomes and how the performance indicators have been met. Section 5 returns to the identified need for the project and discusses how the outcomes have helped to address the need for improved relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians - brought about by increased Indigenous cultural competency of UWS graduates. Some of the valuable lessons learned that might prove beneficial for other institutions that follow a similar path are contained in Section 6.

Concluding remarks and a response to the Universities Australia Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework (2011) can be found in Section 7. Recommendations appear in Section 8. Finally, an audited financial statement of the project funds for the reporting period January 2009-December 2011 can be found in Section 9.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

SECTION 2

Setting the Scene 2.1

Why develop an Indigenous Graduate Attribute?

The rationale for the introduction of an Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA) at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) can be attributed to a number of factors: the demography of Western Sydney; the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council’s Strategic Plan 20062008; the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy; the Australian University Quality Agency (AUQA) audit of UWS in 2006 and; UWS’s commitment to Indigenous education and its Indigenous Education Policy (IEP) endorsed in 2008.

The demography of Greater Western Sydney is unique within NSW, in that of the 148,178 people living in NSW who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, 1 28,065 live in Western and South Western Sydney. 2 This figure represents nearly 20% of the total NSW Indigenous population – that is, the highest number of Aboriginal people living in any Regional Coordination Management Group region in NSW. 3 The University of Western Sydney campuses span the traditional territories of three peoples (the Darug, Gundungurra and Tharawal). There is, therefore, a need for the provision of quality services, both educational, and other, to the Indigenous population of Western Sydney, as elsewhere. The IGA with its aim of increasing the Indigenous cultural competency of all UWS graduates seeks to meet this need.

1

Source: Population distribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006 ABS Cat. No. 4705.0 cited in http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au/publications/2ways_indicators_pdf/Chapter_Three_240408.pdf accessed November 4, 2011.

2 Source: ABS Demography Unit Canberra, Unpublished data. This is a preliminary estimate based on the 2006 Census, cited in http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au/publications/2ways_indicators_pdf/Chapter_Three_240408.pdf accessed November 4, 2011.

3 Source: ABS Demography Unit Canberra, estimate from unpublished data as at 30 June 2006 based on the 2006 census cited in http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au/publications/2ways_indicators_pdf/Chapter_Three_240408.pdf accessed November 4, 2011.

In terms of the proportion of Indigenous V non-Indigenous people living in the Greater Western Sydney Region, the figures are 1.5% V 98.5%, respectively, due to the fact that the region has a population of approximately 1.9 million people (in 2006), while the Indigenous population figure is approx. 28,065 (1.5% of the total population of the region), making it the second lowest concentration among the regions, behind Coastal Sydney with 0.6%.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

The need to provide “all Australian students with an understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional and contemporary cultures” constitutes Goal 21 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (ATSIEP) of the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training.

In 2006, Priority 5 of the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council’s strategic plan (IHEAC 2006-2008) highlighted the need for universities to:

Enhance the prominence and status on campus of Indigenous culture, knowledge and studies. 4 In January 2007, the Australian University Quality Agency (AUQA) audit of UWS reported at Recommendation 5 that: UWS develop appropriate systems to implement the Indigenous education commitment, including redeveloping the resource plan and giving consideration to adding a graduate attribute. 5

In July 2007, as part of the University’s commitment to the introduction of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute, the Vice-Chancellor appointed Associate Professor Berice Anning to the position of Associate Director (Academic) within Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, in order to “assist in the introduction of the IGA and to take a lead role in the development of Indigenous content across the University”. 6

In February 2008, the UWS Board of Trustees approved the UWS Indigenous Education Policy (IEP). Within the terms of this policy, Indigenous education is defined in two ways:

4

McDaniel, Michael, “The UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute - Progress Report, 28 October, 2009”.

Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA). Report of an Audit of University of Western Sydney, January 2007, 34.

6 McDaniel, Michael, Berice Anning, Stuart Campbell and Geoff Scott. “Introduction of a UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute: A discussion paper”. Final amended paper from 5 May 2008 meeting of Education Committee of Academic Senate, 2. Revised May 2008.

5

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Indigenous education - refers not only to the creation of equitable opportunities and outcomes for Indigenous Australians, but [also to] the opportunity and therefore process by which all Australians can gain knowledge about Indigenous Australia … . 7

One of the principles outlined under Section 3 of the IEP, is that: UWS acknowledges that due to past educational practices many non-Indigenous Australians know very little about Indigenous Australia. In recognition of this and in seeking to encourage an inclusive Australian identity as well as raise the standard of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians, UWS is committed to the inclusion of Indigenous content within its courses. Similarly, UWS is committed to the development of Indigenous cultural competency amongst its staff. 8 With this commitment at the highest policy level of the University, prompted by Indigenous policy at a national level, along with the demonstrable need for improved service delivery due to the demography of Greater Western Sydney, the work required to develop and implement an Indigenous Graduate Attribute proceeded.

2.2

Developing an Indigenous Graduate Attribute: Preliminary work 2007-2008

As part of the process of developing an IGA, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education undertook benchmarking exercises consisting of internal and external audits of Indigenous education in higher education institutions.

Firstly, in 2007, an internal audit of UWS

Indigenous studies/content was conducted by the then Dean, Indigenous Education. This internal audit of Indigenous studies found that while there was a significant number of inactive units across the University and particularly within the College of Arts, very few units were active and most of these were offered only to Indigenous students through two Aboriginal Rural Education Programs (AREP). At the time of the audit, only two Indigenous studies units were offered outside of the AREP courses, one of these being a core unit within the Bachelor of Tourism Management offered by the School of Social Sciences and the other an Indigenous Education elective offered by the School of Education. 9 This does not exclude the possibility that more Indigenous content was available to students than was visible from

7

UWS Indigenous Education Policy Section 2.pt.6.b. http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00229 IEP Section 3 pt 12.

9 Anning, Berice. “Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into University Western Sydney’s (UWS) Courses.” Paper presented at the Indigenous Studies Indigenous Knowledge Conference 2009,1.

8

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

the audit, but the findings seemed to indicate that only some academics had made considerable efforts to include Indigenous content within their teaching; there was, therefore, room for a more systematic approach.

As part of the internal audit, some UWS academics were interviewed to ascertain Indigenous related activities within the university. 10 This audit enabled staff to give “voice to their frustrations about their lack of skills” in the area of how to embed Indigenous content in units and courses. It also found that sometimes when Indigenous content was embedded within units the content was “not necessarily negotiated with Indigenous academics”. 11 An external audit of 36 universities was then conducted by the Associate Director (Academic), Badanami, in order to identify Australian universities which made reference to Indigenous peoples within their Graduate Attributes. Eleven were chosen on the basis of their reputation and commitment to Indigenous education including: 1. James Cook University 2. University of South Australia 3. Griffith University 4. Charles Darwin University 5. Curtin University of Newcastle 6. Charles Sturt University 7. Southern Cross University 8. Deakin University 9. University of Melbourne 10. Edith Cowan University 11. Curtin University of Technology

This benchmarking exercise indicated that while a number of universities included reference to Indigenous people within their Graduate Attributes - usually within attributes relating to diversity - none had a specific Indigenous Graduate Attribute. 12

10

For more detail about the 2007 audit see McDaniel and Widin, Audit of UWS Indigenous Related Activities April-July 2007.

11 Ibid.4.

12 McDaniel et al., “Introduction of a UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute: A discussion paper”. Prepared by: Professor Michael McDaniel, Dean, Indigenous Education, Director, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education; Associate Professor Berice Anning, Associate Director (Academic), Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, and Developed in consultation with senior UWS staff: Professor Stuart Campbell, Pro Vice Chancellor, (Learning and Teaching) & Professor Geoff Scott, Pro Vice Chancellor Quality, Provost, Penrith.

April 2008.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

What the above exercises showed, therefore, was the need for: a specific IGA; a systematic approach to its implementation; collaboration with Indigenous academics, and; information for non-Indigenous academics about how to go about implementation.

These findings were incorporated into “Introduction of a UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute: A discussion paper”, along with the wording and rationale for an IGA. The paper was presented to the Academic Senate Education Committee on 5 May 2008 for endorsement, where it was resolved: to endorse the rationale and principles for an Indigenous graduate attribute, and the wording for the attribute, and to recommend these to Academic Senate for approval. 13 The discussion paper was submitted to the 20 June meeting of Academic Senate, where it was resolved: That Senate approve the rationale and principles for an Indigenous graduate attribute, and the wording for the attribute which includes a knowledge domain that demonstrates knowledge of Indigenous Australia through cultural competency and professional capacity and generic skills and descriptors as detailed in the paper prepared by the Dean – Indigenous Education. 14 The approval is evidence of commitment at the highest level of the university to introduce the IGA. The concept of commitment will be discussed further in Section 4 as it is a crucial element of the Learning and Teaching Framework developed during the life of the project.

In order that the IGA be implemented, funding was obtained from the Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund of the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). The $900,000 seeding funds obtained covered the duration of the project for the period January 2009 – December 2011.

13 14

UWS Academic Senate Education Committee May 5, 2008 unconfirmed minutes of meeting.

Resolution to approve UWS IGA outlined at Item 3.7 in Minutes of Academic Senate meeting 20 June 2008.

(Minutes of 20 June meeting appear as agenda item 1.5 of 22 August 2008 meeting).

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

2.3

The IGA Discussion Paper

In June/July 2008, the Discussion Paper on introducing the IGA across the university was disseminated to Schools for comment via the university discussion board. The paper set out various options relating to: • • • • •

models of delivery placement of Indigenous content within degree programs assessment of generic knowledge and skills ownership of units staffing and payment arrangements.

At the outset it was envisaged that a range of Indigenous Graduate Attribute units for each of the three UWS Colleges: College of Arts; College of Health & Science; College of Law & Business, would be developed, each with generic Indigenous content embedded.

In terms of the content to be embedded within units, it was felt that students would need: • •

both a common amount of Indigenous information (contextual), as well as; more professionally focussed content.

It was envisaged that contextual Indigenous content might incorporate the following information: • • • • • •

Indigenous Identities Indigenous value systems Indigenous social and environmental relationships Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous histories – significant events in Australia’s Indigenous history Contemporary socio-politico-economic circumstances and theories of social disadvantages Indigenous Australians’ contribution to Australian identity and cultural achievement. 15

Delivery models The three ways to embed IGA knowledge and skills within a program of study are as follows: 15

McDaniel et al., “Introduction of a UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute: A discussion paper.” Final amended paper from 5 May 2008 meeting of Education Committee of Academic Senate for discussion by College and School academics, 4.

17

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute  Develop a core unit that all students undertake within a given degree program  Embed Indigenous content within existing units within a given degree program  Develop an elective unit with Indigenous content embedded.

It should be noted that the models are not mutually exclusive. The positive and negative aspects of each model are outlined in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Options for embedding IGA within a degree program: positive and negative aspects of each.

Model

Positive aspects

Negative aspects

Core Unit within a degree program Embedded content within existing units

All students exposed to Indigenous content Students exposed to Indigenous knowledge throughout the degree program The Indigenous content is very focused

Unit might not be relevant to the specific degree program All students might not be exposed to units with embedded content depending on whether they are compulsory units Not all students can choose to take the unit, for example, if they do not have an ‘open’ elective Not all students can choose the unit due to timetabling clashes or that it is only offered on a different campus

Elective Unit

It was envisaged in 2008 that whichever model was decided upon, student’s would need to experience at least the equivalent of one core IGA unit over the course of their program of study; that this would need to be directly assessable, and; that students would be exposed to Indigenous content beginning in either year one or early in year two of their degree program.

Bringing this to life was easier said than done. See section 6 for more detail about the challenges and lessons learned. One example of a potential challenge is the placement of a core Indigenous unit.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Options for placement of Indigenous core units into course curricula

As the Discussion Paper noted, the introduction of Indigenous core units into the Colleges/Schools course structures requires careful consideration. At least three options are possible: Option 1: Replace a first year core unit currently offered by Colleges/Schools with the Indigenous Core Unit.

Option 2: Replace a first year elective unit currently offered by Colleges/Schools with the Indigenous Core Unit.

Option 3: Replace a core Indigenous unit currently offered by Colleges/Schools with the Indigenous Core Unit into which the IGA knowledge and skills have been embedded and are assessable. 16

Who owns the unit/s - who will teach it/them - who will pay?

As well as making decisions about which model of embedding the IGA to use and where to place it within the curriculum, decisions also need to be made about who will own the unit, who will teach and assess it, and who will pay for staffing.

The three options outlined in 2008 with regard to ownership and teaching of a core unit are as follows: Option 1: Schools / Colleges own their own unit/s and employ Indigenous staff in order to contribute to teaching.

The Discussion Paper noted that if this option was followed, “Indigenous staff should not be confined only to Indigenous content but also to their areas of expertise�. 17 The purpose of this point is so as not to confine or constrain Indigenous academics into teaching only Indigenous content.

Option 2: Schools / Colleges own their units but pay Indigenous academics employed by Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education to teach the Indigenous content.

16 17

Ibid. 6.

Ibid. 4.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

This option would require that the Badanami Centre employ a large enough pool of Indigenous academics to teach all Indigenous content across the university. It would also see Badanami acting as a “teaching provider” rather than an “owner” of units and the cost of Badanami maintaining a pool of academic staff would need to be underwritten by the University. 18

Option 3: The Badanami Centre develop and own its own units and receive funding as appropriate.

Option three requires that Badanami employ a team of suitably qualified Indigenous academics to teach in partnership with School staff (Indigenous or non-Indigenous) and funding would be shared as appropriate. 19 The financial implications to be considered in the development of either core units or embedded content within the curricula, which reflect dual input and delivery from both the Indigenous [Badanami] Centre and the individual Colleges, are as follows: Option 1: Colleges receive finances and re-distribute to Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education accordingly Option 2: Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education receives the finances and re-distributes to the Colleges accordingly Option 3: The finances are split evenly between Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education and the Colleges. Any additional work and expenses incurred by Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education would be funded by the individual Colleges or Schools. 20 The issue of funding for the implementation of an IGA is a crucial one and will be discussed further in Section 6.8.

Whichever of the above options are chosen, the question of assessment remains a constant.

18

Ibid. 4.

Ibid. 4.

20 Ibid. 6-7.

19

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Assessment

The Discussion Paper highlighted the four skills-sets that require assessment: • • • •

Indigenous knowledge Communication Social and cultural Leadership and Partnership

Thus, criteria tightly linked to these elements need to be developed either throughout the core Indigenous unit (if there is one) or within other units in which the IGA skills and knowledge are embedded. 21

In July 2008, the “Discussion Paper” was posted on the University DDS Board for comment.

It received responses from three staff members. Below is a list of the issues put forward: •

One issue relates to the challenges associated with placement of a core unit.

•

Another issue relates to the relevance or otherwise of an Indigenous core unit and how this would reduce time for discipline-specific knowledge within the degree program.

•

Another issue was how the effect of this reduction in time spent on discipline-specific knowledge might impact negatively in terms of employment prospects for students and by implication impact on UWS’s reputation.

•

Another issue relates to the perceived relevance of learning about Indigenous knowledge for International students and how they might not choose UWS if they had to pay for units that were not perceived to be relevant to their area of study. One idea put forward was that the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education own and teach an Indigenous unit which students from across the university could take as an elective.

•

Another issue relates to why it was that the Indigenous graduate attribute was the only one for which a core unit was required, whereas the other graduate attributes did not require a unit. The argument was put forward that, if the other graduate attributes also each had a core unit, then almost a quarter of the degree program would be taken up with graduate attribute units.

21

Ibid. 5.

21

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute •

Another argument put forward was that, while knowledge of Indigenous Australia might be relevant for social science and history students, for example, it was not relevant for other students, for example, mathematics, computer science or electrical engineering students.

•

One respondent had a quite different response from the issues raised above, noting that the IGA discussion paper was a “great development”.

The number of responses (3) to the Discussion Paper received in 2008 can be compared with the number of responses to the IGA survey for academic staff (132) conducted in December 2011.

This demonstrates the increase in the number of staff prompted to contribute to a discussion about the implementation of the IGA between mid-2008 and end-2011.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

2.4

Defining terms

This section aims to clarify: •

what is meant by UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute?

•

what is meant by Indigenous Studies?

•

what is meant by Indigenous education?

The UWS Academic Senate-endorsed wording of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute: Knowledge of Indigenous Australia can be found in Table 2 below. The wording of the IGA, which formed part of the 2008 Discussion Paper, was endorsed by members of the UWS Indigenous Advisory Council in September 2009.

Table 2

The UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute

Graduate Attribute: Knowledge Domain

Generic Skills

Descriptor:

“Indigenous Australian Knowledge” – demonstrate knowledge of Indigenous Australia through cultural competency and professional capacity

Knowledge Base

•

appreciate the culture, experiences and achievements of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging an Australian identity inclusive of Indigenous Australians

Communication

•

communicate ethically and effectively within Indigenous Australian contexts

Social and Cultural

•

understand and engage effectively with the culturally and socially diverse world in which they live and will work.

Leadership and Partnership

•

understand the circumstances and needs of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging responsibility in raising the standard of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians; possess a capacity to engage and partner with Indigenous Australians

A UWS Graduate will:

•

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

As evidenced above, the descriptor of what a graduate will be able to achieve is purposefully broad, in order that each discipline or profession can devise material that is relevant to their group. However, the four elements listed under the generic skills column are a constant and form the parameters of the attribute, which is intended to: •

encourage an inclusive Australian identity

•

enable graduates to develop cultural competency and professional capacity, which, in turn, will improve service delivery to Indigenous Australians

•

enable graduates to engage and partner with Indigenous Australians.

Indigenous Studies For the purpose of this project, Indigenous Studies is: ... the study of any topic directly related to Indigenous Australians. Indigenous studies differs from other fields of study in that it draws on two quite different traditions. One of these is “Indigenous Knowledge”. This is knowledge gained through one, or a combination of two ways. One of these is “Traditional knowledge”. This is knowledge which is based in cultural tradition and passed down according to varying cultural determinants. The other source of Indigenous Knowledge is the contemporary life experience of Indigenous people.

The second tradition which Indigenous studies draws upon is a Western epistemological approach based upon evidence and critique. Access to this form of knowledge is institutionally determined. 22

Indigenous studies, therefore, can include: traditional Indigenous knowledge; contemporary Indigenous experiences; and scholarly critique of what has been written about Indigenous peoples, cultures and histories.

22

McDaniel et al., “Introduction of a UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute: A discussion paper”. Final amended paper from 5 May 2008 meeting of Education Committee of Academic Senate for discussion by College and School academics, 2. Revised May 2008.

24

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Indigenous education

Indigenous education, for the purpose of this project, is meant primarily to refer to the education of all UWS students, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. It is not meant to refer exclusively to the education of Indigenous students. This distinction is evident in the UWS Indigenous Education Policy, mentioned earlier, where it notes that: Indigenous education - refers not only to the creation of equitable opportunities and outcomes for Indigenous Australians, but [also to] the opportunity and therefore process by which all Australians can gain knowledge about Indigenous Australia ‌. 23 It is important to stress the distinction because when Indigenous education is referred to, often it is with the first meaning in mind - education of Indigenous students. However given that the identified need for the project is to educate all UWS students so that they are able to graduate with the capacity to provide improved services to Indigenous Australians, it is clearly not the education of only Indigenous students that is in focus. This is not to say that UWS Indigenous students are excluded from the benefits of the implementation of the IGA. Indigenous students, like their non-Indigenous counterparts, can benefit from learning more about the history and culture of Australia and the impact that this has had on the lives of Indigenous peoples. But it is important to stress that recruitment and retention of Indigenous students is not the focus of the current project, with the exception that one of the flow-on benefits of the project is to create an environment at UWS where Indigenous students feel more welcome, included, supported and thereby achieve improved outcomes. This can come about by the incorporation of Indigenous content within courses and research programs, which in turn will help to develop increased understanding of Indigenous knowledge by academic staff.

23

UWS Indigenous Education Policy Section 2.pt.6.b. http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00229

25

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

SECTION 3

How the outcomes support the program description

Project Description The Project Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute will develop and implement a learning and teaching framework to enable University of Western Sydney (UWS) graduates appreciate the culture of Indigenous Australia and gain skills for working productively with Indigenous communities.

The new Indigenous Graduate Attribute will become a mandatory component of all courses.

The Project’s learning outcomes include communication, social, cultural, leadership and partnership skills, which will assist graduates working and interacting with Indigenous Australians.

Flow-on benefits from the Project include recognition of Indigenous knowledge in teaching and research programs and improved support and outcomes for the University's Indigenous students from staff and other students.

In order to increase the Indigenous cultural competency and professional capacity of all UWS graduates, the expected outcomes of the project as described at the outset were: •

That a new IGA would become a mandatory component of all UWS courses

•

That a learning and teaching framework to support outcomes would be developed, with the inclusion of delivery options and varied assessment methods that cater for large numbers of students enrolled in core IGA units to be developed (Activity/Outcome/Performance Indicator No. 4)

•

That the framework would be implemented

•

That learning outcomes for graduates would include communication, social, cultural, leadership and partnership skills to assist them to work and interact with Indigenous Australians.

26

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

All of these outcomes have been achieved to a greater or lesser degree. This section summarises the major achievements. Section 4 provides more detail including discussion of areas that were found to be challenging.

3.1

Making the IGA a mandatory component of all UWS courses

Following approval of the UWS Indigenous Education Policy (IEP) by the UWS Board of Trustees in February 2008, wording of the new IGA took place. The wording was approved at the 20 June meeting of Academic Senate, as noted in Section 2. The wording of the IGA also can be found in Section 2.

In 2009, the IGA element of the Indigenous Education Policy became part of the Learning and Teaching Strategic Plan of the university (pt. 3.1). Table 3 below outlines the relationship between the IGA and other elements of the IEP.

Table 3

Extract from UWS Learning and Teaching Action Plan (2009-2011)

STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND IMPROVEMENT ACTIONS Implement a comprehensive Indigenous education strategy, by 3.1 Implementing the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute through developing Indigenous related content and units within UWS courses 3.2 Developing modes of study and support structures that attract and retain Indigenous students 3.3 Expanding access for Indigenous people to UWS courses with enabling and bridging pathways that improve overall performance 3.4 Maximising employment for Indigenous students by engaged learning with partners in business, community organisations and training organisations 3.5 Further developing the Indigenous international partnerships to build Indigenous knowledge for academic and research capacity 3.6 Building the cultural competency of UWS staff to improve their professional capacity

27

3.2

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Developing a Learning & Teaching Framework

In 2010, an initial framework to support teaching and learning in relation to the IGA implementation process was developed.

As noted in “Progress Report 2” submitted to

DEEWR at the end of 2010, at that stage the framework was “evolving and influenced by the continuing feedback from key stakeholders in the university and informed by the implementation of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute across the university”. The 2010 version of the Learning and Teaching Framework can be found at Appendix 1.

In 2011 the framework was revised. There are three main differences between the evolving framework (2010) and the current one: a) the incorporation of Human Resources as an identified theme within the later framework, whereas it was not in the earlier version; b) the joining of Pedagogy and Guiding Principles in the later framework, whereas in the earlier version these were two separate themes; and c) the incorporation of the words Governance and Quality into the ‘Structure’ theme in the current version, whereas, the type of structures were not mentioned in the previous Framework.

The current amended framework, still subject to re-evaluation, includes the following elements: 

Commitment



Governance and quality structures



Human Resources



Collaboration



Pedagogy and Guiding Principles



IGA implementation



Review

All of these elements assist in making the IGA a mandatory component of UWS courses.

More detail about the Learning & Teaching Framework can be found in Section 4.4.

28

3.3

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Implementation of the IGA

Throughout the period of the project (2009-2011) a number of units have been developed and delivered that specifically address the IGA skills-set. These are listed in Tables 4 & 5 below.

Table 4

Indigenous Graduate Attribute units approved and offered at UWS 2009-2011

No of unit

Name of unit

Year

Comment

400756

Family Health Care: Issues and Australian Indigenous People

2009

CORE unit (offered since 2008 in second year of Bachelor of Nursing Degree), reviewed and evaluated end 2009

300631

Indigenous Landscapes

2009 Spring

16

14/16

200006

Introduction to Law Introduction to Law Criminal Law

2009 Autumn 2009 Spring 2009 Autumn 2010

534

257/534

244

145/244

568

386/568

837

590/837

2010 Autumn

10

9/10

244

n/a

200006 200010 400756

300632

400866

Family Health Care: Issues and Australian Indigenous People Living in Country Culture, Diversity and Health

2010 Autumn

CORE unit for all Bachelor of Health 29

Student Feedback School Unit (SFU) survey No of No of SFU students responses enrolled 874 696/874 School of Nursing

School of Natural Science School of Law School of Law School of Law School of Nursing

School of Natural Science School of Biomedical & Health Sciences in

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute 101577

Classrooms without Borders

2010 Autumn

101577

Classrooms without Borders Introduction to Law

200006

Science degree programs 8 hour component of Indigenous content within Master of Education (Primary)

collaboratio n with Badanami School of Education in collaboratio n with Badanami

582

229/582

2010 Spring 2010 Autumn

195

152/195

660

346/660

Introduction to Law

2010 Spring

240

115/240

School of Law

200010

Criminal Law Globalisation & Australia

865 â—„ 130

412/865

200540

2010 Spring 2010 Spring

School of Law School of Economics and Finance

400756

Family Health Care: Issues and Australian Indigenous People Culture, Diversity and Health

2011 Autumn

892

669/892

School of Nursing

875

598/875

Classrooms without Borders Classrooms without Borders Introduction to Law Introduction to

2011 Autumn 2011 Spring 2011 Autumn 2011

360

311/360

274

197/274

740

332/740

301

128/301

School of Biomedical & Health Sciences in collaboratio n with Badanami School of Education School of Education School of Law School of

200006

400866

101577 101577 200006 200006

2011 Autumn

Contains 10% Indigenous content. As of 2012 will contain 30%.

A new CORE unit is to be delivered beg. 2014 A CORE unit for the 9 Bachelor of Health Science degree programs

30

81/130

School of Education School of Law

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

200010

Law Criminal Law

Spring 2011 Spring 2011 Spring

Contains 10% Indigenous content. As of 2012 will contain 30%.

675 ◄ 137

425/675

200540

Globalisation & Australia

101750 ▲

Contextualising Indigenous Australia

2011 Autumn

51

31/51

101751 ▲

Contextualising Indigenous Australia

2011 Spring

11

9/11

101753 ▲

Revaluing Indigenous Economics

2011 Spring

37

15/37

101754 ▲

Corroborees to Curtain Raisers

2011 Spring

40

21/40

101751 ▲

Contextualising Indigenous Australia

2012 Summer

67

50/67

Summer School

Total student number

56/137

Law School of Law School of Economics and Finance

Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education

8919

enrolled

in specific units 400861 400862 400810

400811

400977

Foundations of Medicine 1 Foundations of Medicine 2 Integrated clinical rotations 1 Integrated clinical rotations 2 Integrated clinical rotations

Approx.

400 students enrolled in MBBS degree program between 20092011

31

School of Medicine

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute 3

Overall 9319 total NB. This is a living document and might not include all units with Indigenous content embedded.

All units marked ▲are part of the Indigenous Australian Studies Major.

All figures marked ◄ are not included in total student numbers as these students have already been counted for attendance in an IGA unit in a previous year. n/a = not available

Table 5

IASM IGA Units approved by College of Arts Education, Assessment & Progression Committee Units comprising the Indigenous Australian Studies Major developed by Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education Contextualising Indigenous Australia (level1) (CORE UNIT) Revaluing Indigenous Economics (level 1) From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers (level1) Pigments of the Imagination (level2) The making of the ‘Aborigines’ (level 2) From Ochre to Acrylics to New Technologies (level 2) Bridging the Gap: Re-engaging Indigenous Learners (level 2)

Learning through Indigenous Australian Community Service (level 3) Or Rethinking Research with Indigenous Australians: Independent study project (level 3)

In addition to the units listed in Tables 4 and 5 above, a number of other units have embedded Indigenous content to varying degrees: Offered by School of Law 200757.1 Equity and trusts 200015 Criminal procedure and evidence

Offered by School of Biomedical Health & Science 400870 Population, health & society 32

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Offered by the School of Nursing & Midwifery 400760 Family health care: child and adolescent nursing 400756 Family health care: health issues and Australian Indigenous people 400854 Family health care: health issues and Australian Indigenous people (advanced) 401001 Primary health care in action 401000 Professional practice experience 1 401003 Professional communication 401008 Professional practice experience 3 401010 Health variations 1 401019 Health variations 5 401016 Professional practice experience 5 401002 Bioscience 1 401005 Human relationships & life transition 401021 Being a professional nurse or midwife 401030 Midwifery knowledge 1 401032 Midwifery knowledge 2 401034 Midwifery knowledge 3 401036 Complex care 1 401039 Complex care 2 401040 Collaborative care 401043 Midwifery practice – models of care 401033, 401035, 401038, 401042 Midwifery practice experience 1- 4 As evidenced above, the School of Nursing & Midwifery made a considerable effort to scaffold Indigenous knowledge and the learning of appropriate skills across their curriculum.

Recently a new core unit which specifically addresses Indigenous content has been approved to begin in 2014: 401009 “Health in a culturally diverse community”.

For further details about IGA unit development conducted by the Schools please see Section 4.5 and Appendices 2-6.

In summary, much work has been done to implement the IGA since 2007 when the first UWS audit found only 2 units with significant Indigenous content, as noted in Section 2.2.

33

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

ďƒ˜ Table 6 below maintains a focus on the main outcomes of the Project as described in the Schedule to Conditions of Grant, and notes how they have helped to facilitate the process of implementation.

Table 6

Relationship between project description and outcomes

Outcome

Support for the Project

Initial consultations with Indigenous communities, professional groups and academic staff to discuss development of course and unit material for all UWS courses.

Establish consultative mechanisms and broad level of support from within UWS to develop core Indigenous units and content.

Consultation with Indigenous communities, professional groups and academic staff has been essential in order to ensure that all stakeholders develop a shared vision of the needs of the project.

Establish consultative mechanisms and broad level of support from Indigenous communities and professional groups about appropriate Indigenous knowledge to be developed within courses.

Establish governance protocols and guidelines on adherence to protocols for the development of the Indigenous content within the UWS curriculum.

Consultative mechanisms and broad level support from Indigenous communities and professional groups has been essential so that Indigenous perspectives have been honoured, valued and incorporated into the courses/units.

Framework established and inclusive of delivery options and varied assessment that caters to large numbers of students enrolled in the core Indigenous Graduate Attribute units.

Consultative mechanisms and broad level support within UWS to develop core Indigenous units and content has been essential for a number of reasons: to provide clarity about the process; to avoid duplication; to prevent an ad hoc approach to implementation of the IGA.

Governance protocols were important because without them and without guidelines on how to adhere to them, the curriculum developed within the bounds of the project risked being developed without Indigenous input or consultation.

The main outcome that relates to governance protocols is an Advisory Paper presented to Education Committee of Academic Senate in November 2009 for discussion and noting.

The Teaching & Learning framework to support IGA implementation has been established and is in the process of refinement. It is an important part of the process as it provides guidance on what needs to be considered for successful development and implementation of IGA knowledge and skills - both for 34

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Establish a curriculum development team to review the pilot phase and produce and develop Indigenous content for courses and units.

Develop course and unit content for second tranche of units.

Develop core Indigenous units and a major that is owned and delivered by Badanami Centre staff.

UWS and for any other institution that seeks to go down the same path.

The project envisaged that it would be useful to start by taking small steps – i.e., a pilot phase – and then a review process before proceeding to wider implementation of the IGA. In reality, the process has been nowhere near as neat nor linear. Different schools have attempted to embed IGA skills and knowledge in different ways during the period of the grant.

For information about the units offered in 2009 and 2010 please see Table 4.

The project always envisaged more than one option for implementing the IGA. One such option was for Badanami to develop and own its own units comprising an Indigenous Australian Studies Major (IASM) See Table 5 (p. 32) for details of the units offered, including one core unit “Contextualising Indigenous Australia”.

The core unit is available to any UWS student who has an OPEN ELECTIVE within their degree program.

For students with an OPEN MAJOR within their degree program, they can elect to study 8 of the 9 units available within the Indigenous Australian Studies Major.

Alternatively, four units can be studied as a SUBMAJOR.

Approval of these through UWS academic governance structures.

The initial 9 units comprising the IASM were approved

by Academic Senate EAPC at the 8 December 2009 meeting.

One additional unit of the IAS Major was approved on 9 March 2010.

This additional unit and four of the initial IAS Major units were approved in June 2011 as part of the Bachelor of Community and Social Development degree program (offered only to Indigenous students in Block Mode).

Prepare lecture notes, deliver

The 9 IAS Major units were approved in June 2011 as an elective Major in 6 Bachelor of Arts degree programs.

The units developed and offered during the life of the 35

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

content in units to UWS students.

Develop a database for collection of materials and curriculum developed. Input data into the database for provision to UWS academic staff.

Prepare and conduct a survey of staff and students involved in the teaching and learning of Indigenous content.

Final Report for UWS evaluation and refinement of the Indigenous Attribute and for external promotion of the project and its lessons.

Final Report in accordance with clause 4 and 7

IGA project are listed in Table 4.

The data-base is being developed to provide a resource for academics who are developing IGA units of study in the future.

An academic staff survey, conducted in November/December 2011, and Student Unit Feedback surveys of IGA units, have been analysed to provide information about what worked and what needs improvement in the future when implementing the IGA. The final completion date of the project was originally January 2012. An extension of 3 months was approved

by DEEWR. The report in final draft form was circulated to UWS executives in early March and final amendments were made in April.

Project completed April 2012.

Please see Section 4 for more detail about the outcomes of the project.

Expected flow-on benefits of the project At the outset these were identified as being that: • • • •

Indigenous knowledge would be recognised in UWS teaching Indigenous knowledge would be recognised in UWS research programs Indigenous students at UWS would receive improved support Indigenous students at UWS would achieve improved outcomes.

The development and delivery of the units outlined earlier in this section is evidence that Indigenous knowledge is recognised in some UWS teaching programs; although, as the IGA academic staff survey indicates (see Section 4.9), there is room for far more staff to become involved in the process. More work also needs to be done to say that Indigenous knowledge is recognised in UWS research programs. With respect to the question of improved support for Indigenous students and whether Indigenous students are achieving improved outcomes as a result of the IGA implementation, Section 5 takes up these issues.

36

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

SECTION 4

Activities and Outcomes: Meeting Performance Indicators This section of the report outlines the relationship between the activities and outcomes of the project, and discusses how the performance indicators have been met. Or in the language of the Schedule to Conditions of Grant, how ‘the outcomes of the Project have met the Activities (including the performance indicators)’. 24 It should be noted that while all of the performance indicators have been met, all of the due dates have not been met. In some cases there have been slight delays, while in others outcomes have been achieved ahead of the due date. This reflects the dynamic and complex processes involved in Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute within all courses of a university.

At the time of implementing the IGA (2009-2011), there were approximately 103 active undergraduate degree programs offered by 17 schools under the umbrella of three UWS Colleges: College of Arts; College of Business and Law; College of Health and Science.25 Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education was recognised as a “quasi-school” 26 which stood, and still stands, outside of the 3 College structure. This status has negative implications for the running of academic programs by the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, details of which are developed in Section 6.9.

24

Schedule to Conditions of Grant, “Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute”, Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund, DEEWR, 2008, 3.

25 Since the beginning of 2012 the current UWS structure comprises 9 Schools. For the purpose of this report, however, the old structure will be discussed, which comprised 17 Schools, as it was the old structure that was in place during the IGA implementation process between 2009-2011. NB. Number of all UWS courses (as of 30 March 2012) = 272. Obtained from http://www.uws.edu.au/about/schools_research_institutes 26 Minutes of Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council meeting 10 June 2009.

37

4.1

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Staff appointments

Activity 1

Output / Outcome

Due Date

Employ a project manager and part-time academic or learning developer.

Initial consultations with Indigenous communities, professional groups and academic staff in developing course and unit material for all UWS courses.

1/04/2009

Performance Indicator Identified and engaged appropriate staff or consultants.

In order to embed the generic skills and knowledge associated with the IGA within all of the degree programs necessarily requires considerable human resources, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, not to mention considerable skill. Without the appointment of Indigenous academics to drive the implementation of the IGA, it would not have been possible to achieve the desired outcomes.  The Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education appointed an experienced Indigenous Academic Coordinator (Level D) in July 2009, and two Indigenous Academics with Curriculum Development experience (Level B), one appointed in July, the other in November 2009. These three appointments constitute the IGA Team, who worked under the supervision of the Associate Director (Academic).  The due date of the performance indicator (1 April 2009) outlined in the Schedule of Grant for this activity was not met due to a slight delay in making appointments.  Following the appointment of Indigenous academics, initial consultations with the following groups took place in order to identify Indigenous content to be embedded within units and courses: 27 

UWS Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC), which has the majority of its membership filled by Indigenous community members and representatives of organisations or professions.

Council were

consulted and provided advice on the development of appropriate 27

This section draws on “Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund: UWS embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute, 1 January 2009 to 30 September 2009 Progress Report”.

38

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Indigenous content across the relevant disciplines.

In 2009, the

Indigenous Advisory Council was chaired by Professor Michael McDaniel, Dean of Indigenous Education and Director, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education. The IAC is a standing council of the University, providing advice on Indigenous education matters to the Vice-Chancellor and the Board of Trustees. The Council membership includes one Indigenous alumnus of UWS, one Board of Trustees member and up to ten Indigenous community members. Half of the community member positions were allocated to regional and local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group in Greater Western Sydney.

The IAC meets approximately four times per year. 28 

NSW Department of Education and Training – South West and West regions – West; local Indigenous groups and communities; NSW Land Council, and; individual Indigenous professionals, all of whom provided advice to UWS on the development of curriculum, inclusive of Indigenous content.



Academics across the 3 UWS Colleges in order to discuss the development of IGA College Working Parties.

There was additional need for academic staff later in the project due to the increased workload of existing IGA staff brought about by the resignation of the Dean, Indigenous Education in early 2010. The Associate Director (Academic) took on all of the roles of the Dean and later became the Dean of Indigenous Education and the Director of the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, whilst maintaining the substantive role of Associate Director (Academic).

The duties of additional staff will be discussed in Sections 4.5 - 4.9.

28

The terms of reference and membership of this committee are available at: http://www.uws.edu.au/about_uws/uws/governance/board_of_trustees/board_meetings/board_meetings_2008/27 _february_2008#4

39

4.2

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Collaboration and consultation

Collaboration and consultation were vital elements of this project. Through consultation with staff in UWS colleges and schools it has been possible to establish mechanisms and broad level of support within UWS to develop units with Indigenous knowledge embedded.

Activity 2

Output / Outcome

Due Date

2.1 Consultation with staff in UWS Colleges and Schools and relevant Committees.

Establish consultative mechanisms and broad level of support from within UWS to develop core Indigenous units and content.

1/07/2009

2.2 Consultation with Indigenous communities and professional groups on the appropriate Indigenous knowledge to be included in course content and its relevance to target disciplines.

2.1

Establish consultative mechanisms and broad level of support in developing appropriate Indigenous knowledge into courses.

Performance Indicator Letters of support; effective communication and collaboration in developing core Indigenous content.

Letters of support; relevant areas of Indigenous knowledge identified and prepared for target courses and units.

The main consultative mechanism established during the latter half of 2009 within

Colleges/Schools was consultation by Badanami staff leading to the development of IGA College working parties.

•

The IGA College Working Parties (IGACWP).

Consultation with academics within UWS Schools in order to form IGA College Working Parties (IGACWP) began in April 2008. The IGACWPs consisted of academics from Badanami and from relevant disciplines. The role of the Working Parties was to:

40

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

o provide advice on the inclusion of the IGA into proposed new courses or course variations o assist with relevant curriculum development at the unit level through membership on the College’s academic committees, such as the Education, Assessment & Progression Committees (EAPCs) o develop Indigenous core content and embed it into UWS courses.

The establishment of IGACWPs was not consistent across the three Colleges of the University. Within the College of Health & Science, the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine used pre-existing structures rather than the working party process. The School of Nursing had already taken efforts to embed Indigenous content into some of its units by 2009.

The School of Medicine also developed its own mechanisms to embed Indigenous content across its degree program. As a result, the College of Health & Science working party consisted of members from the Schools of Science, Computing, Engineering & Mathematics.

The following activities by members of the Badanami IGA team were instrumental in facilitating the implementation of the IGA at UWS between 2008 and end 2009.

The Associate Director (Academic): • •

• •

•

•

Consulted and maintained dialogue and involvement with College committees and/or specific IGA working parties, beginning in April 2008 Advised members of the UWS College’s Education, Assessment and Progression Committees (EAPCs) on course / curriculum development that should include the IGA Monitored IGA implementation at the School / unit level through the EAPC meetings Advised academics within the School of Law on the development of Indigenous content / inclusion of relevant Indigenous resources into the Law degrees Communicated with staff in the Schools of Psychology 2008/2009 – Indigenous embedded content was included in the School of Psychology’s Graduate Diploma course and was approved by the College of Arts EAPC Participated as a member of the: o External Advisory Committee for the development of the Bachelor of Natural Sciences (Nature Conservation) from 2008-2009 41

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

o School of Nursing’s review committee for the core Indigenous Health unit o School of Medicine’s Indigenous Committee (SMIC) providing input into the curriculum and monitoring IGA development/implementation across courses

The IGA Academic Team, under the supervision of the Associate Director (Academic): • Met with individual Schools to assist in the development of Indigenous content • Established o consultative IGA working party committees for the College of Arts Schools, which include: Psychology; Education; Communication & Media; Social Sciences (Policing / Community Welfare; Tourism; Social Work) o an IGA working party committee for the Schools of Science, Computing, Engineering & Mathematics • Participated o as members of the advisory committee to input Indigenous content/review of Bachelor of Natural Sciences (Nature Conservation). Ongoing support was provided to the School during 2009 by Badanami staff to deliver/lecture on specific Indigenous content o as members of the College of Business IGA working party - Unit 200571 Management Dynamics and Unit 200540 Globalisation & Australia were targeted for inclusion of Indigenous content • Evaluated unit offerings in a Block Mode program for Indigenous students • Consulted with School of Education to develop Indigenous content into UWS Education curriculum • Monitored IGA implementation at the School / unit level through the EAPC meetings.

 The performance indicators for Activity 2.1 were “letters of support” and “effective communication and collaboration in developing core Indigenous content” within UWS schools. Without this it would not have been possible to achieve the outcomes outlined above. The due date of this performance indicator (1 July 2009) was not met due to a slight delay in the appointment of the three IGA team members, but all of the activities outlined occurred before the end of 2009.

42

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Another significant activity undertaken by the IGA team during this period was development of nine units that comprise the Indigenous Australian Studies Major (IASM). These units were approved at the December 2009 meeting of the EAPC. Section 4.6 provides detail about the development of the IASM units.

2.2

The main consultative mechanism established for the development of Indigenous

content for the IAS Major was the Badanami External Advisory Committee (EAC). 29 The EAC was formed through the •

The Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC)

Formal support for the implementation of the IGA was endorsed by the Board of Trustees IAC on 8 September 2009. 30 Activity that assisted in gaining support consisted of an Advisory Paper on IGA implementation that was circulated to members of the IAC in July 2009 for endorsement. 31 Further detail about the Advisory paper can be found at Section 4.3.

Through the IAC, an External Advisory Committee was established in September 2009 to discuss relevant Indigenous content to be included in units that would comprise an Indigenous Australian Studies Major. The EAC met three times between 25 September and 26 October 2009 to discuss the structure and content of the proposed units.

 The performance indicators (1/7/2009) for Activity 2.2 of the Schedule of Conditions of Grant were “relevant areas of Indigenous knowledge identified and prepared for target courses and units” and “letter of support” regarding these. The letter of support came in the form of endorsement of relevant content by the IAC and the EAC for the 9 units of the IASM. It should be noted that the development of the IASM units during

29

The names of the External Advisory Committee can be found on page 6.

See “The UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute” Report, Prepared by McDaniel, M. Dated 28 October 2009, presented to the meeting of the Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council on 4 November 2009, 3. Item 3.2.

31 See Agenda papers Item 3.2 IAC meeting 12 August 2009, “Advisory Paper on the Implementation of the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute”, dated 6 July 2009. Prepared by McDaniel, M.. and Berice Anning.

Endorsed by Professor Stuart Campbell, Pro Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) and Professor Geoff Scott Pro Vice Chancellor (Quality).

30

43

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

the latter half of 2009 occurred before the due date (1 March 2011) as outlined in the Schedule for this particular activity (see Section 4.6 below).

Please see Section 4.4 for further details about the collaborative model that is one of the vital pillars of the Learning and Teaching Framework developed.

4.3

Governance protocols and adherence guidelines

Activity 3 Establish Indigenous governance protocols to inform consultation, collaboration and development of curriculum and develop pilot units.

Output / Outcome Due Date Establish governance 1/07/2009 protocols and guidelines on adherence to protocols for the development of the Indigenous content within the UWS curriculum.

Performance Indicator Governance structures accepted and adhered to for the development of the initial tranche of units; initial tranche of units submitted for UWS approval for offering in 2010.

As noted under Section 4.2, an “Advisory Paper on the Implementation of the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute” was circulated to members of the Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council in July 2009 and endorsed on 8 September that year. A slightly altered version of the Advisory Paper was then tabled for ‘discussion and noting’ at the UWS Education Committee Academic Senate meeting on 9 November 2009. 32

 The Advisory Paper is the main document that outlined governance protocols and adherence guidelines.

32

“Graduate Attributes/E-Portfolios - Advisory Paper on the Implementation of the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute”. McDaniel, M, 28 October 2009. (Hereafter referred to as the “Advisory Paper” 2009). This is a slightly altered version of the Advisory Paper than those previously mentioned.

44

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

The Advisory Paper provided specific advice to UWS academics on areas related to IGA implementation including: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

4.3.1

The purpose of the IGA Implementation strategies Roles of Badanami staff Expectations of Colleges/Schools Assessing implementation Governance procedures. 33

The purpose of the IGA

Emphasising the rationale/need for the project: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute, the Advisory Paper opened by highlighting that the IGA aimed: • •

4.3.2

To raise the level of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians To encourage the development of a National Identity inclusive of Indigenous Australians. 34

Strategies

The across-university implementation of the IGA required a range of strategies. The Advisory Paper considered 4 strategies:

33 34

1.

Development of an Indigenous Studies major. At the time of writing the paper it was anticipated that the major would comprise a series of units developed and delivered by Badanami and located within a College of Arts course or other UWS courses. This option would be open to students who had open electives enabling them to choose units or sets of units to complete their degrees. It was also envisaged that other Indigenous units across the University might also count towards a student’s completion of an Indigenous Studies Major.

2.

Development of College/School-owned Indigenous units which were professionally focussed.

Ibid.

Ibid.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

4.3.3

3.

Development of Indigenous content to be scaffolded across units other than identified dedicated Indigenous units. Colleges/Schools were asked to identify areas in which Indigenous content could be scaffolded. This could involve a combination of guest lectures, case studies, reference material, field-visits, assignments, or learning through community service.

4.

Engagement with Indigenous cultural and social events, as well as acts of Indigenous cultural recognition, to further implementation of the IGA across the University. 35

Roles of the Dean and Associate Director (Academic), Badanami

The Advisory Paper noted that oversight of the implementation process was the role of the Dean, Indigenous Education, whereas the practical consultation and collaboration with Schools/Colleges was the role of the Associate Director. As the Associate Director wrote in a conference paper in 2009, 36 under the heading “Consultative protocols inclusive of Indigenous People”, the Badanami Centre academic IGA team would work in partnership/collaboration with Colleges and Schools to: • • • •

4.3.4

identify opportunities for the inclusion of Indigenous content into courses and units assist where possible in the development of curriculum identify or develop appropriate resources and networks with Indigenous professionals, organisations and communities encourage Colleges and Schools to consider the staffing and teaching implications, as well as the possibility of broader Indigenous community and Indigenous professional participation.

Expectations of Colleges/Schools

As well as highlighting the need for consultation and collaboration with Badanami staff in the development of IGA-related content, the Advisory Paper noted the need for identification of special status programs of study, defined as:

35

Ibid.

Anning, B. “Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into University Western Sydney’s (UWS) Courses”. Paper presented at the Indigenous Studies Indigenous Knowledge Conference 2009, 8.

36

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute •

Highly relevant schools and their courses.

o These were defined as courses aiming “to graduate students into professions which do/or could have a significant impact on the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians”. Such courses include Nursing, Health & Sciences, Humanities, Law, Media, Medicine, Policing, Psychology, Social Science, Tourism, Welfare, Business, Environment & Natural Sciences, Education – all were expected to introduce an Indigenous core unit or equivalent amount of Indigenous content scaffolded across the degree program. It was envisaged that core units could be field of practice specific units owned by the relevant College/School or, alternatively, could be the core unit of the Australian Indigenous Studies Major developed by Badanami Centre academic team. 37 Also noted for consideration are: •

All UWS Schools and courses – in which it is expected that, regardless of the above reasoning, schools will consider developing either: 

Indigenous specific core units and/or



Indigenous specific electives and/or



Inclusion of Indigenous content within existing core units, which are not specifically Indigenous and/or



Indigenous content embedded and scaffolded into curriculum across the course. 38

Another expectation of schools was that they consider: •

Staffing arrangements for teaching IGA content, as it was important to recognise that: while Badanami staff may on the basis of prior agreement, contribute to the teaching of the IGA (staff availability and qualifications permitting), Badanami is not responsible for the teaching of Indigenous units and content within Schools. Teaching within Schools is primarily a School responsibility. 39

37

“Advisory Paper”, 2009.

Ibid 39 Ibid. Emphasis added.

38

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

This expectation on the surface sounds reasonable. In reality however it proved to be problematic as many non-Indigenous academic staff do not feel equipped to teach Indigenous content, let alone develop units, as will be discussed in Section 4.9.

One further expectation was that Schools would consult with Badanami regarding approval of new courses/units or variations of existing ones that aim to embed Indigenous content. In 2009 it was envisaged that such units would come to the Dean, Indigenous Education, for sign-off and/or comment, as well as to Badanami’s Associate Director (Academic), who Chaired Badanami’s Academic Committee. It was the role of this Committee to advise the Dean regarding his/her response. 40 The need to develop such a consultative protocol regarding maintenance of quality stemmed from findings during the period 2007-8, at which time development of Indigenous content within units was funded by UWS Learning and Teaching Activity Projects (LTAP). At that time it was found that: While the LTAP initiatives required Indigenous consultation, Badanami Centre observed Indigenous content being developed outside of the LTAP process and therefore, not subject to Indigenous consultation or any quality control. 41

The expectation that there would be Indigenous consultation with regard to development and implementation of the IGA in order to maintain quality was not communicated directly in the Advisory Paper, although it had been noted in an earlier Discussion Paper in 2008. 42 Nevertheless, maintaining quality through Indigenous consultation was implied in the Advisory Paper at pts. 7, 8, and 21 under the following heading.

40

Anning, B. “Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into University Western Sydney’s (UWS) Courses”. Paper presented at the Indigenous Studies Indigenous Knowledge Conference 2009, 8-9. See also Anning, B. 2010.

41 Ibid, 2.

42 McDaniel et al., “Introduction of a UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute: A discussion paper”. Final amended paper from 5 May 2008 meeting of Education Committee Academic Senate for discussion by College and School academics. Revised May 2008.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

4.3.5

Assessing implementation

The Advisory Paper provided a list of 21 questions that Schools could ask when assessing how well the IGA has been implemented. These are listed below: 1. Who within the School has responsibility for the implementation of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute and to what degree has staff been made aware of its required inclusion?

2. Is the School able to provide a document mapping the extent of implementation to-date of the IGA or alternatively a timeline for the implementation of the IGA? This document should not simply list Indigenous content but map it against the Generic Skills as listed in the IGA. 3. Is the IGA assessable in each of the School’s courses? If not, how will this be addressed?

4. Does the content meet the requirements of external professional associations/bodies?

5. What, if any courses, would the School consider to be highly relevant to the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians and how is this special status to be reflected in these courses? For example, what if any of these courses have Indigenous core units and if not, is there a plan to introduce one?

6. Has the College/School benchmarked Indigenous content against other Australian universities with similar courses? If not, is there an intention to?

7. Regarding the University’s commitment to Indigenous consultation, as set out in the UWS Indigenous Education Policy, to what degree has the Dean, Indigenous Education (or nominee) been consulted?

8. To what degree have Indigenous staff within the College/School, Indigenous community members, Indigenous organisations and/or professionals been consulted in the development of curriculum and to what degree has their endorsement been sought?

9. Has the College/School appointed any Indigenous Adjuncts who would be able to contribute to the development of curriculum as well as network the School into the body of Indigenous professionals?

10. Does the College/School have any Indigenous engagement initiatives which might feed into the IGA? 11. To what degree is Indigenous related research taking place within the College/School, and to what extent is this contributing to the development or currency of Indigenous content?

12. To what extent has the College/School included international Indigenous case studies and comparative Indigenous material?

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

13. Is the Indigenous content delivered in a sequential and logical manner within the course?

14. To what extent are Indigenous developed texts and resources used, and are these materials current, relevant and non-stereotypical?

15. Do all materials relating to Indigenous content comply with culturally appropriate and currently acceptable terminology?

16. Regarding delivery, how will the College/School ensure that students are exposed to Indigenous voices within the course? For example, has the School engaged Indigenous academics in the teaching of Indigenous content? How many Indigenous academic staff are employed within the School and who may be able to contribute to the teaching? If there are no Indigenous staff, does the School intend to recruit Indigenous academics?

17. In situations where non-Indigenous staff have been given a responsibility for the delivery of Indigenous content, to what degree are they qualified, how has qualification been determined and has their teaching role been discussed and endorsed by either Indigenous academics within the School or by Badanami?

18. Has staff and student emotional safety been considered in the inclusion of Indigenous content?

19. Apart from addressing, what at times may be quite disturbing or discomforting information, has the curriculum been developed in such a way as to leave participants hopeful and empowered to contribute to change?

20. Is the material presented in an engaging and dynamic way?

21. Regarding quality assurance, what if any ongoing evaluation by Badanami, Indigenous academics, Indigenous professionals or bodies been considered? 43

Table 7 below lists the assessment criteria in principle form, along with thematic categorisation.

43

Advisory Paper, 2009.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Table 7

Assessing IGA implementation 44

Theme

Example of theme

Principle

Commitment

Policy level

IGA awareness

Within high-level committees

That the university commitment to Indigenous consultation is incorporated into the university’s Indigenous Education Policy.

That all relevant committees are aware of the IGA and seek to promote its inclusion within curricula.

That someone has responsibility within schools for ensuring that all their academic staff is aware of the IGA skills and knowledge.

That the Dean, Indigenous Education (or nominee) is consulted about Indigenous content embedded within units/courses, or, that Indigenous staff within the College/School, Indigenous community members, Indigenous organisations and/or professionals have been consulted in the development of curriculum.

That the College/School appoint or consider the appointment of Indigenous Adjuncts who could contribute to the development of curriculum as well as network the School into the body of Indigenous professionals.

Within schools or research centres or institutes Indigenous Consultation

Human Resourcing

Indigenous

Non-Indigenous

That regarding delivery to students, the College/School consider engaging Indigenous academics to teach Indigenous content, in order to ensure that students are exposed to Indigenous voices within the course.

That there is a university-wide approach to building capacity of non-Indigenous academic staff in the area of how to embed Indigenous content within the curricula and how to teach and assess it.

That in situations where non-Indigenous staff has been given a responsibility for the delivery of Indigenous content, the following questions are considered: to what degree are they qualified? how has qualification been determined? has their teaching role been discussed and endorsed by either Indigenous academics within the School or by the Indigenous centre of the university?

44

Table 7 is compiled from the assessment list contained in the “Advisory Paper” 2009.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Curriculum development

IGA inclusion within curricula

That someone has responsibility within schools for ensuring that IGA skills and knowledge are included within all degree programs.

IGA mapping within the degree program

That the school maps the IGA skills and knowledge against the rest of the course content, to show exactly where it will be covered throughout the 3-4 years of the degree.

Alternatively, that the school develop a timeline for mapping.

That the content meets the requirements of external professional associations or bodies.

IGA compatibility with external professional associations or bodies Relevant Indigenous content

Inclusion of International Indigenous knowledge as content Inclusion of Indigenous events as content IGA assessment Implementation approaches

Special status degree programs

Non-special status degree programs

That Indigenous developed texts and resources are used, and that these materials are current, relevant and non-stereotypical.

That all materials relating to Indigenous content comply with culturally appropriate and currently acceptable terminology.

That the College/School include international Indigenous case studies and comparative Indigenous material.

That the College/School encourage Indigenous engagement initiatives which might feed into the IGA skills and knowledge.

That IGA skills and knowledge are assessable within each degree program.

That Schools consider degree programs which are highly relevant to the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians and view these as having special status and in need of having a core Indigenous unit. For example, Medicine, Nursing, Law, Social Work, Psychology, Policing.

That Schools either develop a core Indigenous unit, or, embed Indigenous content within units across their degree programs, or, utilise the Indigenous Studies Major Core unit, if it is available for students within their school.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Within units

Research

Quality management

That Indigenous related research is encouraged within the College or School, as this can contribute to the development or currency of Indigenous content.

IGA benchmarking That College/School benchmarks Indigenous content against other Australian universities with similar courses.

Emotional safety of That staff and student emotional safety is staff and students considered when Indigenous content is included within the curriculum and taught in the classroom.

Maintaining hope That the curriculum is developed in such a way as to leave participants hopeful and empowered to contribute to change, despite needing to address what, at times, may be quite disturbing or discomforting information.

School review That school review processes include IGA implementation and that recommendations for improvement are acted upon.

Indigenous review That evaluation of the IGA implementation process is ongoing and includes consultation with the indigenous centre, Indigenous academics, Indigenous professionals or bodies.

The last element of advice provided to Colleges and Schools by the Advisory Paper relates to:

4.3.6

Governance • • • • •

The Course and Unit Approval Policy The UWS School Review Process The UWS Performance Management and Planning Policy The Standing Committees of Academic Senate The UWS Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council. 45

Dealing with each item in reverse order:

The UWS Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council For detail about the IAC please see Section 4.1.

45

Advisory Paper, 2009.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

The Standing Committees of Academic Senate

These committees include: Badanami Academic Committee; School Academic Committees; Academic Governance Committees for School Advisory Committees; College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees; Education Committee; Academic Programs College Advisory Committees; and Academic Senate.

The UWS Performance Management and Planning Policy This policy relates to the performance and review of individual staff. Academics’ performance in teaching and learning is monitored for quality through the mechanism of the Student Feedback Unit surveys and Student Feedback Tutor surveys. These documents inform a review of the individual’s performance and provide a mechanism to evaluate curriculum development and teaching practice.

The UWS School Review Process Monitoring of IGA implementation via the mechanism of School Reviews will be taken up in Sections 4.4.7.

The Course and Unit Approval Policy Section 2 pt 13 of this policy defines: Graduate attributes: the characteristics each UWS graduate should have developed by the time they have completed their course. 46

The UWS governance and quality structures for course and unit approvals include the:

46



Course External Advisory Committees (EAC)



School Advisory Committees (SAC)

UWS Award courses and units approval policy

http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00117 54

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute 

College Education, Assessment and Progression Committees (EAPC)



Academic Planning and Course Approvals Committee (APCAC)



Academic Senate.

Approval for a new course warrants the establishment of an External Advisory Committee (EAC). The role of the EAC is to approve the content of a course. The School Academic Committee (SAC) then develops the course within the context of the course and unit templates and then approves the content. The new course/unit proposal is then presented to the College EAPC for endorsement. A report from the EAPC is then presented to the Academic Programs College Advisory Committee, from where approval is given and then reported to Academic Senate for final approval. The Board of Trustees receives a report from Academic Senate.

The UWS Course Variation/Approval Form includes a section related to all UWS Graduate Attributes and the EAPC requests information from the SACs on implementation of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute.

Badanami staff are members of the College Education, Assessment and Progression Committees (EAPC) and Academic Senate.

 One of the performance indicators relating to Activity 3 outlined in the Schedule was “acceptance and adherence to governance structures” (due date 1 July 2009).

All of the above structures were accepted throughout the project. However adherence to the protocols for unit development was not a simple matter.

As noted at the beginning of Section 4.3, the Advisory Paper which contained notice of the governance structures, outlined above, including the protocols for adherence to them in terms of unit development, was presented to Academic Senate Education Committee at the 9 November 2009 meeting for discussion and noting. It would be comforting to say that all of the protocols were wholeheartedly accepted at this time, but this was not the case.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Following the November meeting, the Advisory Paper was circulated to the College Education, Assessment and Progression Committees (EAPCs) in December 2009 for discussion. 47 Many responses resulted between December 2009 and May 2010. While some schools accepted the advice, others noted that the protocols would be difficult to implement.48 The responses were referred back to the Education Committee on 1 February 49 and 8 March 50 2010. At the 8 March meeting it was “agreed to defer the item [graduate attributes], and the referrals from college committees to the Education Committee, to the next meeting”. 51 The item was deferred again at the next meeting on 12 April 2010. The item was again on the agenda at the 10 May 2010 meeting of Education Committee, where it was noted that: There was a brief discussion on whether to conclude consideration of the Graduate attributes, or to embark on a comprehensive review of them. The general view was whilst it had been useful to focus on Graduate Attributes some years ago as a way of defining course outputs, it was doubtful whether there was a need for a review at the present time. The Committee agreed not to pursue this issue further.

Rather it was considered to be more beneficial to give further consideration to the advice provided about curriculum design process, and how this could be embedded in existing resources. 52 This eventuality is disappointing, but it is perhaps not surprising when the following is taken into account.

Five months earlier, at the 9 November 2009 meeting of Academic Senate Education Committee, when the Advisory Paper initially had been tabled for discussion, the Chair of the meeting noted that: ...generally, despite extensive work and published research, some under the auspices of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, the development of generic Graduate Attributes for universities rather faltered. There appeared to be greater 47

See Item 1.5 pt. 4.7 7 June meeting of Education Committee. This refers to the Minutes of the 10 May 2010 meeting, where the matter of graduate attributes was still being discussed.

48 The responses included: unfamiliarity with being provided with an “overly prescriptive” assessment criteria and how this seemed to be at odds with other parts of the advisory paper that said “there is no single across university model for adoption and implementation”; difficulty in terms of at least one school having no staff capacity to implement the IGA; difficulty in knowing how to assess whether students have attained the IGA; difficulty with the wording of the IGA and a request for the wording to be reviewed.

49 See Item 4.13.1 at 1 February 2010 meeting Education Committee.

50 See Item 4.10 at 8 March 2010 meeting Education Committee.

51 See Minutes of 8 March 2010 meeting, Item 1.5 of 12 April 2010 meeting Education Committee Academic Senate.

52 See 7 June 2010 meeting of Education Committee Academic Senate Item 1.5 pt. 4.7. This refers to the Minutes of the 10 May 2010.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

interest in contextualised attributes and learning outcomes, and ensuring they were delivered. 53

The above comments are significant and have important implications for successful implementation of an Indigenous Graduate Attribute in the future by any university. The significance is that graduate attributes seem to have a propensity to go in and out of favour.

This suggests that vigilance and continual review of progress is required if the IGA is the vehicle through which improved professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians is to be achieved.

It is recommended that if the IGA is the vehicle through which improved professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians is to be achieved, then vigilance and continual review of progress is required.

Notwithstanding the above comments, it should be noted that the discussion about the IGA at the level of Academic Senate between November 2009 and May 2010 informed a broader discussion about all graduate attributes of the university. Therefore the above comments need to be read within this context. One of the issues discussed at Academic Senate Education Committee at this time was that implementation of graduate attributes occurs at the course level rather than at the unit level. Hence, if there is a need to demonstrate attainment of the attributes at the unit level, this cannot be achieved unless the descriptors of the attributes are assessed at the unit level. As it stands, the attributes are required to be mapped only at the course level. While this mapping identifies a unit that includes the attribute, it does not detail specific descriptors, nor assess them at the unit level.

It is recommended that if the attainment of the generic skills and knowledge of the IGA is to be assessed, they need to be addressed specifically in unit assessment tasks directly related to identified learning outcomes.

53

See pt. 4.4 unconfirmed minutes of 9 November 2009 meeting Education Committee Academic Senate. These minutes were confirmed at the 14 December 2009 meeting.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

It might be assumed from the above comments that any discussion about the graduate attributes ceased at this time. This is not the case however as the following note was made on the Action Sheet of the 7 September 2010 meeting of the College of Arts EAPC: INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES (IGA) – All course and Unit sets brought forward in the future should address this important element irrespective of the type of change being proposed. The College of Arts Working Party will be reviewing current approved course/unit sets and will recommend how to operationalise this in the future. 54

 Another performance indicator of Activity 3 is the development of pilot units and their approval via UWS governance structures (due date 1 July 2009). Please see Table 4 for details about the IGA units delivered in 2009.

4.4

IGA Learning and Teaching Framework

Activity 4

Output / Outcome

Due Date

Prepare the Indigenous Graduate Attribute framework to support teaching and learning outcomes and successfully embed Indigenous content into courses.

Framework established and inclusive of delivery options and varied assessment that caters to large numbers of students enrolled in the core Indigenous Graduate Attribute units.

1/03/2010

Performance Indicator Framework developed and established.

As noted in Section 3, an IGA Learning and Teaching Framework was initially developed in 2010 to support teaching and learning outcomes and successfully embed Indigenous content into courses. As reported in ‘Progress Report 2’ in September that year, the purpose of the framework is to inform, enable and enhance teaching and learning practice at UWS. 55

54

Action Sheet College of Arts EAPC meeting 7 September 2010.

Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund: “UWS Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute, 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010 Progress Report 2”.

55

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Since 2010 the IGA Framework has evolved. The current framework appears below as Table 8. There are three main differences between the evolving framework (2010) and the current one (2011): Human Resources has been incorporated as an identified theme within the current framework, whereas it was not in the earlier version; Pedagogy and Guiding Principles have been joined in the current framework, whereas in the earlier version these were two separate themes; Governance and Quality have been incorporated into the ‘Structure’ theme in the current version, in order to specify the type of structures required in the IGA Learning and Teaching Framework.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Table 8

UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute Framework to successfully embed Indigenous content in curricula and to support teaching and learning outcomes

Theme 1 Commitment

Action Embed the Indigenous Graduate Attribute within UWS Policies and UWS Strategic Plans

Accountability UWS Executive and Senior staff

Team Committee members

Key UWS committees

Senior Academic Managers

Endorsement of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute by UWS Academic Senate and Board of Trustees 2 Governance & Quality structures

Dean, Indigenous Education

Identify relevant Academic Governance Committees and include Badanami Centre staff as members of these UWS academic committees

Academic Senate UWS Senior Academic staff Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for School Advisory Committees

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team

UWS academics

College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees Academic Programs College Advisory Committees

Include the levels of achievement of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute in all School Reviews 3 Human Resources

School Review Committees

Recruit Indigenous academics with capacity to develop curricula and to act as consultants for schools that are developing Indigenous content

60

UWS Executive and Senior staff

Senior Academic Managers

Deans, UWS Schools

Deans, UWS Schools

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

4 Collaboration

Build capacity of nonIndigenous academics Dean, Indigenous within schools, to enable Education them to effectively develop curricula and teach and assess IGA skills and knowledge

Dean, Indigenous Education

Schools to consult with Indigenous (Badanami) Centre academic staff:

Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties

Heads of Schools

to identify courses and units where Indigenous content can be developed

Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for School Advisory Committees

to discuss teaching and learning strategies that identify Indigenous content, resources, delivery modes and models, assessment, and review, including student feedback mechanisms

5 Pedagogy & Guiding Principles

Develop teaching and learning strategies that identify Indigenous content, resources, delivery modes and models, assessment and reviews, including student feedback. Table 9 for strategies Identify principles relevant to teaching and learning that will develop cultural competency and professional capacity. See Table 10 for guiding principles

Heads of Programs Associate Deans Academic Unit Coordinators

College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees Academic Programs College Advisory Committees Academic Senate Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team

Heads of School Heads of Program

Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for School Advisory Committees

Associate Deans Academic

College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team

Academic Programs College Advisory Committees Academic Senate Dean, Indigenous Education

61

Director, Indigenous Employment

Unit Coordinators

Students

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

6 IGA Implementation

Establish College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties to audit / assess level and number of Indigenous specific units and Indigenous content

Dean, Indigenous Education PVC-Learning and Teaching

Develop and approve units that achieve the Indigenous Graduate Attribute

7 IGA Review

Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties

Heads of Schools Heads of Programs Associate Deans Academic

Unit Coordinators Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team

Review Indigenous Graduate Attribute achievement in Terms of Reference for School and Course / Unit reviews Assess / evaluate all Schools’ Indigenous content, resources, delivery modes, assessment, & student satisfaction of Indigenous content

Chairs of College IGA Working Parties Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for School Advisory Committees College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees

Students Heads of Schools Heads of Programs Associate Deans Academic Unit Coordinators

Academic Programs College Advisory Committees

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team

Academic Senate

Students

Dean, Indigenous Education Chairs of School Review Committees

Below, a brief summary can be found of the elements that comprise the UWS Learning and Teaching Framework.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

4.4.1

Commitment

High level policy commitment by UWS for the Indigenous Graduate Attribute is evidenced through: o adoption of the graduate attribute by the Board of Trustees in 2008 o commitment to the inclusion of Indigenous content within its courses and to the development of Indigenous cultural competency amongst its staff written into the UWS Indigenous Education Policy (see Section 6.2 for information about improving non-Indigenous staff capacity). o inclusion of the development of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute in the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education Strategic Plan (20082010) and the Learning and Teaching Strategic Plan (2009-2011).

4.4.2

Governance and quality structures

The importance of governance within the framework has been emphasised in Section 4.3.

4.4.3

Human Resources

Human resources, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous is probably the most fundamental element of the Learning and Teaching Framework; without staff with capacity to develop units, teach content, and assess it within the terms of the IGA, the remaining elements count for little. It is therefore imperative that effort goes into recruitment of Indigenous academics with capacity to: develop curricula; act as consultants for schools that are developing Indigenous content; teach some of the content and; establish partnerships with their UWS colleagues and with Indigenous people in community organisations. It is also imperative that the capacity of non-Indigenous academics within schools is built, to enable them to effectively develop curricula and teach and assess IGA skills and knowledge. Please see Section 6 for further comment on this vital area.

4.4.4

Collaborative Process

The approach to the implementation of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute has been deliberately collaborative and incremental to ensure that it is feasible and positively supported and implemented by UWS academics.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

The overall aim of the collaborative model is to enable the creation of a network of likeminded students and academic staff around similar goals. In this instance, the goal is demonstrating knowledge of Indigenous Australia through cultural competency and professional capacity. It is anticipated that this domain of knowledge will create the common ground for the UWS community members who will in turn create the social fabric of learning and teaching for students and other academics.

The collaborative model:

o emphasises UWS as a community that builds capacity and practice through sharing and capturing knowledge generated by: 

UWS academics in each College and School



UWS College (a private entity of UWS)



Divisional staff, including Vice-Chancellors executive staff; Badanami Centre staff



Indigenous community members of Greater Western Sydney



Students

unit

o incorporates cooperation and consultation with Indigenous and nonIndigenous stakeholders o requires conceptualisation by both staff and students of community practice and the establishment of relationships and networks o requires that Indigenous voices are engaged and included in the development and the teaching of Indigenous content o requires involving Indigenous academics and members of the Indigenous community and organisations o promotes student engagement with Indigenous communities to equip them with the skills they need to meet the ever-evolving cross cultural challenges ahead and to be able to transfer knowledge to their professional practice.

In summary, the collaborative model can assist in enhancing students’ cultural competence, thereby enabling them to be more successful in improving professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians.

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4.4.5

Pedagogy & Guiding Principles

The Indigenous Graduate Attribute framework is underpinned by key pedagogical principles that inform teaching and curriculum development. It also includes strategies as outlined in Table 9 below:

Table 9

Strategies to support learning and teaching of IGA

ENABLE Colleges and Schools to develop discipline specific Indigenous content for their degree programs.

ENCOURAGE students to question and challenge the beliefs and practices that dominate their critical consciousness with a view to enhancing it.

ENSURE structures exist to embed personal learning into community practice.

The guiding principles that underpin learning and teaching strategies can be found in Table 10 below. These principles are informed by, and have been added to, those outlined by Ellen Grote. 56

Table 10 1

2

Pedagogic Principles to support IGA Implementation

Principle That Foundational content in core/first year units include significant factors and influences on the lives of Indigenous peoples and communities; and that further scaffolding of Indigenous content occurs across the degree.

That students are provided with a teaching approach grounded in critical theory, if possible, where students are encouraged to critically reflect on what they already know and how they have come to understand Indigenous Australia.

3

That students are provided with opportunities to critique the roles of their respective professions and the level of effect it has on the lives of Indigenous people.

4

That students are provided with access, if possible, to Indigenous services and events so that students have opportunities to engage with Indigenous people.

That learning spaces foster positive experiences for all participants. That students not only gain knowledge and skills in learning of Indigenous Australia but also gain hope in knowing they can make a difference in bridging gaps of inequity.

5

56

Grote, E. (2008). Principles and practices of cultural competency: A review of the literature. Report to the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council. Canberra, Australia, 21-23. The principles outlined in Table 10 appear in Anning, B. ‘Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into University Western Sydney’s (UWS) Courses’. Paper presented at the Indigenous Studies Indigenous Knowledge Conference 2009.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

That Indigenous related case studies and problem-based learning is used in the curriculum, in order to develop critical thinking; creative skills; improve problemsolving skills; increase motivation; and assist students to learn by transferring knowledge to new situations.

7 That varied methodologies and teaching strategies are used to allow for different student learning styles, including: lectures and tutorials; use of drama and puppetry; elearning and online learning; films and other media; cultural field visits, attending cultural events and tours of museums and art galleries.

8 That varied assessment tasks are set including: reflective and critical analysis activities; case studies; portfolios and journals; problem-based learning; reflective journals; online assessment.

9 That class activities or assessment activities include: reflection and self-awareness tasks, in order to assist students to self-assess their own cultural values and attitudes in conjunction with their experiences as non-Indigenous or privileged compared with Indigenous people in Australian society.

10 That support is provided to Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff and guest lecturers involved in teaching.

11 That Indigenous and non-Indigenous team teaching is considered for integrated Indigenous content with specific discipline-based content.

12 That collaboration with other academics and divisions in the University and across the higher education sector can greatly increase the knowledge base/acquisition of Indigenous Australian knowledge and access a much wider range of learning resources.

4.4.6

Implementation

The initial mechanism for implementing the Indigenous Graduate Attribute was through College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties.

This approach was adopted to ensure that the development of content within units offered to address the Indigenous Graduate Attribute was relevant to the needs of each course and/or discipline. Badanami Centre staff worked hard to ensure that a wide cross-section of disciplinary requirements were fully considered when advising UWS academics on developing Indigenous content across the Colleges/Schools.

Each College Working Party undertook an audit or assessment of the existing content within units, in order to meet the requirements of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute.

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The approach has not been dictated to the College or School and has resulted in a range of outcomes described in Section 3 of this report, including: o o o o o

New units which form part of the core or compulsory program New elective units New content, assessments and /or student clinical placements Delivery to large numbers of students and to smaller groups of students Varied assessment approaches

Outside of the working party framework, the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Medicine have undertaken a comprehensive process, whereby Indigenous content has been mapped throughout their courses. Please see Appendices 2 and 3 for details about the work conducted by these schools.

4.4.7

Review

The main way in which the implementation of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute is assessed/reviewed is through the UWS cyclical School Review process. Within the preamble of the Terms of Reference of the School Review process, it notes that: All UWS school reviews also focus specifically on the extent to which the school is meeting the University’s objectives for Indigenous education. 57 Efforts made by the school to implement the IGA are discussed under the heading: “Learning & Teaching – The student experience”, which is explained as:

The extent to which the School’s learning and teaching strategy and performance reflect a student-centred approach, and meet the University’s objectives for the student experience. 58 Once the School has reviewed its operations, a review panel writes a report.

Within the Panel Review Reports, efforts made by the school related to the IGA implementation process are discussed under the heading ‘Priority student cohorts’.

57

“Appendix B: Terms of Reference document, appended to the Review of the School of Nursing and Midwifery UWS Cyclical Review Program 2010.”

58 Ibid.

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This placement is understandable from the perspective of the Indigenous Education Strategy outlined in the Learning and Teaching Action Plan (2009-2011) below at 3.1-3.6, which shows that the IGA is but one of the strategies to implement a comprehensive Indigenous Education Strategy (IES). It should be remembered however that the main group of students targeted by the IGA are non-Indigenous students – it is about improving their capacity to provide improved professional service delivery to Indigenous peoples. Therefore, it is recommended that the school review process, itself, be reviewed in order to find a more appropriate placement for discussion about the IGA. Perhaps a separate heading for discussion about the school’s efforts to implement the IGA might be useful, as this particular strategy of the IES is not targeted at a ‘priority student cohort’ of Indigenous students, unlike other strategies in the Learning and Teaching Action Plan (e.g. 3.2-3.5).

Extract from UWS Learning and Teaching Action Plan (2009-2011) STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND IMPROVEMENT ACTIONS Implement a comprehensive Indigenous education strategy, by 3.1 Implementing the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute through developing Indigenous related content and units within UWS courses 3.2 Developing modes of study and support structures that attract and retain Indigenous students 3.3 Expanding access for Indigenous people to UWS courses with enabling and bridging pathways that improve overall performance 3.4 Maximising employment for Indigenous students by engaged learning with partners in business, community organisations and training organisations 3.5 Further developing the Indigenous international partnerships to build Indigenous knowledge for academic and research capacity 3.6 Building the cultural competency of UWS staff to improve their professional capacity

In summary, consideration of the elements of the IGA Learning and Teaching Framework can help to support the development of Indigenous knowledge and skills that all Australian graduates need in order to provide relevant professional services for Indigenous Australians.

The framework can be used as the basis for all work-based Indigenous cultural competency

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frameworks. It is anticipated that this framework will be recognised as an exemplar of collaboration in education.

4.5

Second tranche of IGA units

Activity 5

Output/Outcome

Develop second tranche of course and unit content/materials, developing appropriate delivery and assessment criteria.

Establish a curriculum development team to review the pilot phase and produce and develop Indigenous content for courses and units.

Develop course and unit content.

Due Date Performance Indicator 1/07/2010 Curriculum developed and approved through academic governance structures.

By mid-2010, the Badanami IGA team had continued working with academics across UWS on the college working parties and providing advice on the development of Indigenous content for courses and units.

Throughout 2010, a number of courses were mapped and reported on to the Badanami Centre team and relevant EAPC committees. Please see Appendices 4-6 for College Working Party Reports.

 The performance indicator for this activity was “curriculum developed and approved through academic governance structures”.

Please refer to Table 4 in Section 3.

 In 2010, an additional academic staff member (non-Indigenous) with experience in curriculum development, writing of on-line material, and research was contracted by Badanami to work with the IGA Coordinator and support the IGA team members.

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This staff member:

 

Worked in collaboration with the IGA coordinator to develop the core unit within the Indigenous Australian Studies Major (see Section 4.6) Worked in collaboration with the unit’s coordinator within the School of Biomedical Health & Science to review the unit Culture, Diversity and Health for delivery in 2011.

During 2011, this staff member:  Worked in collaboration with the IGA Coordinator and the Office of Quality and Strategy to develop an academic staff survey questionnaire  Coordinated the distribution of the survey to academic staff  Analysed the qualitative results of the survey  Wrote the report of survey findings (see Section 4.9 & Appendix 7)  Wrote this report for the Peak Indigenous Bodies and for DEEWR with the Dean, Indigenous Education and the IGA Project Coordinator (Section 4.10).

 In 2011, two additional academic staff members (non-Indigenous) with experience in teaching cultural competence were contracted to lecture and tutor in the unit Culture, Diversity and Health.

One of these staff members:  Developed three Literacy modules based on Indigenous content, specifically for Indigenous students for undergraduate admission (16 weeks of activities)  Developed a first year undergraduate unit: Practical literacy – communication skills.

The other staff member:  Collaborated with UWS library staff to compile a new database of Indigenous resources and wrote a draft report to meet Activity 8 in the Schedule to Conditions of Grant (see Section 4.8).

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4.6

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Indigenous Australian Studies Major (IASM)

Activity 6

Output / Outcome

Badanami Centre to develop its own core units and an Indigenous Studies major.

Develop core Indigenous units and a major that is owned and delivered by Badanami Centre staff.

Approval of these through UWS academic governance structures.

Due Date Performance Indicator 1/03/2011 Core units and an Indigenous major developed and approved.

The Indigenous Australian Studies Major was one of the key strategies in implementing the IGA across the university. A report from the IGA Project Coordinator, who had carriage of the development of the IASM units, can be found below. 59

Indigenous Australian Studies (IAS) Major/Sub-Major(s) The content that formed the base of the nine (9) units of study of the IAS Major/Sub-Major(s) was considered by the UWS External Advisory Committee, which was a committee formed through the Indigenous Advisory Council (see Section 4.1 of the report).

The IAS Major (M1041) nine (9) units are: 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101752 ‘Pigments of the Imagination’ 101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics 101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers 101755 From Ochre to Acrylics to New Technologies 101756 Bridging the Gap: Re-engaging Indigenous Australian Learners 101757 ‘The Making of the Aborigines’ 101758 Learning through Indigenous Australian Community Service 101759 Rethinking Research with Indigenous Australians: Independent Study Project The IAS Sub-Majors are: SM 1049 Indigenous Australian Studies Sub-Major 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101752 ‘Pigments of the Imagination’ 59

Dr Wendy Holland – Project Coordinator for IGA Implementation, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education.

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101756 Bridging the Gap: Re-engaging Indigenous Australian Learners 101757 ‘The Making of the Aborigines’ or 101758 Learning through Indigenous Australian Community Service and/or 101759 Rethinking Research with Indigenous Australians: Independent Study Project SM 1050 Indigenous Economics Sub-Major 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics 101757 ‘The Making of the Aborigines’ 101758 Learning through Indigenous Australian Community Service or 101759 Rethinking Research with Indigenous Australians: Independent Study Project SM1051 Indigenous Australian Creative Expressions Sub-Major 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers 101755 From Ochre to Acrylics to New Technologies 101758 Learning through Indigenous Australian Community Service or 101759 Rethinking Research with Indigenous Australians: Independent Study Project

Approval process The nine IAS Major units were approved by the College of Arts Education, Assessment and Progression Committee (EAPC) on 8 December 2009 and endorsed at Academic Senate in January 2010.

An additional elective unit: “Who do you think you are?” was approved as part of the IAS Major on 9 March 2010, for Indigenous students in the Bachelor of Community and Social Development (BCSD).

Five of the IAS Major units were approved for incorporation into the BCSD degree program in March 2010.

The nine IAS Major units were approved as part of the following degree programs in June 2011: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary); Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Secondary); Bachelor of Arts (Dean’s Scholars); Bachelor of Arts/Law; Bachelor of Arts/Business & Commerce.

Availability The core unit 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia is available to any UWS student who has an OPEN elective within their degree program. For students with an OPEN Major within their degree program, they can elect to study eight of the nine units available.

Alternatively, four units can be studied as a Sub-Major. The core unit must be successfully completed by students before progression to any of the other IAS Major units.

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Delivery of the IAS Major units

101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia was developed as a face-to-face unit of study with supplementary online learning content using software developed by CADRE. The online component of the unit was funded by the university outside of the DEEWR funding. It was envisaged that 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia would be piloted in Spring 2010; however, this was not possible due to low student enrolments, due to lack of visibility of the unit in UWS’s systems.

Autumn 2011 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia was delivered on two campuses in fulltime mode to students enrolled in various degree programs.

101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia was also delivered on one campus in Block mode to Indigenous students enrolled in the Bachelor of Community and Social Development (BCSD) degree program.

A total of 51 students enrolled.

Spring 2011 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia was delivered on four Saturday’s on one campus as a strategy to attract more students. Eleven fulltime students enrolled.

101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics was delivered on one campus in fulltime mode.

101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics was delivered on one campus to Indigenous students enrolled in the BCSD. A total of 21 students were enrolled.

101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers delivered on one campus to fulltime students.

101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers delivered on one campus to Indigenous students enrolled in the BCSD Block program.

A total of 21 students were enrolled.

Section 6.9 discusses the reasons for low student numbers due to lack of visibility of the IAS Major units within the universities computer system.

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Summer School 2012

As an additional strategy to attract more students (67), 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia was delivered as a Summer School on one campus during January/February 2012.

The student cohort for the Summer School comprised students from 24 different Bachelor degree programs: Applied Science (Occupational Therapy) Applied Science (Sport & Exercise Science) Arts Arts (Pathway to Primary Teaching) Arts (Pathway to Secondary Teaching) Business & Commerce Business (Information Systems) Business/Law Early Childhood Studies Engineering Financial Advising Health Science Health Science (PDHPE) Information & Communication Technology Law Medical Science Nursing Policing Psychology Science Science (Pathway to Secondary Teaching) Science (Forensic Science) Social Science Tourism Management

The increased number of enrolments in this case was due to Summer School being advertised outside of the regular university timetabling arrangement and therefore more visible to students.

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Below can be found a chart showing the Indigenous Australian Studies Major CORE UNIT offered in different delivery modes: fulltime, block, intensive & summer school.

No. of unit

Name of unit

Year & Comment semester

Student Feedback Unit (SFU) survey

School

No of No of students SFU enrolled responses 101751 Contextualising 2011 Indigenous Autumn Australia 101751 Contextualising 2011 Indigenous Autumn Australia

101751 Contextualising 2011 Indigenous Spring Australia

101751 Contextualising 2012 Indigenous Summer Australia

Total

Delivered to 31 students studying in f/t mode Delivered to 20 51 Indigenous students studying in block mode Delivered to f/t 11 students in intensive mode on 4 Saturdays over the semester Delivered in 67 Summer School mode in Jan/ Feb, 3 days/week for 5 weeks 129

For qualitative student feedback on the unit please see Appendix 8.

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Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education 31/51

9/11

Badanami

50/67

Badanami

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

The chart below tabulates the teaching responsibilities of the IGA Team 60 for the delivery of the IASM units in 2011.

IASM Unit

Date of delivery

101751 Autumn 2011 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101751 Autumn 2011 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101762 ‘Who do Autumn 2011 you think you are?’ 101751 Spring 2011 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics 101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics 101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers 101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia

Spring 2011

Spring 2011

Spring 2011

Spring 2011

Summer School 2011-2012

Delivery Mode Face to face Face to face Block Face to face Block Face to face Intensive weekend Face to face Face to face Block Face to face Face to face Block Face to face Summer School

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Student cohort Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students Indigenous Fulltime students

Degree Program/s Mixed

BSCD

Indigenous Fulltime students

BCSD

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

BCSD

BCSD

The IGA Team comprised Dr Wendy Holland, Rea Saunders and Paul Newman. Revaluing Indigenous Economics was delivered by Paul Newman and developed in collaboration with Dr Wendy Holland and Dr Chris Wilson. From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers was delivered by Rea Saunders and developed in collaboration with Dr Wendy Holland. Contextualising Indigenous Australia was delivered by the IGA Team and developed by Dr Wendy Holland in collaboration with Dr Chris Wilson.

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4.7

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Full implementation of IGA units

Activity 7 Implement delivery of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute to all UWS students.

Output / Outcome Prepare lecture notes deliver content in units to UWS students.

Due Date

Performance Indicator

1/10/2011

Core units of courses developed around the Indigenous Graduate Attribute with Indigenous content and incorporated in all courses.

Please see Table 4 for list of IGA core units and units with embedded Indigenous content.

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4.8

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Indigenous lear ning database

Activity 8

Output / Outcome

Prepare database of developed materials and methodologies used during the implementation of the Indigenous content.

Develop a database for collection of materials and curriculum developed. Input data into the database for provision to UWS academic staff.

Due Date Performance Indicator 1/10/2011 Database established with input of learning and teaching materials.

Background The purpose of the database is to assist academics in their development of Indigenous content within UWS courses and units to meet the requirements of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute across all UWS schools.

The work required to develop the database began in 2011 when a Cultural Researcher was contracted to identify existing Indigenous resources within UWS library databases before creating a new collection of materials to meet IGA learning and teaching needs and future curriculum development. The reason for identifying existing resources was to ensure that no duplication of resources occurred.

Currently, UWS Library has a large database of Indigenous resources available, which are primarily in print and e-resource format. For example, using a keyword search “Indigenous”, 452096 results are obtained from the whole library holdings. 61 Indigenous electronic resources can be accessed by clicking on the e-resources header on the homepage of the library, which takes the viewer to a number of subject guides, including “Indigenous Studies”. 62 By clicking on “Indigenous studies” the viewer is taken to Indigenous electronic resources. 63 These resources are available to all UWS staff and students as well as members of the public who come into the library. Remote electronic access to full-text resources is not available for non-UWS external readers due to licence restrictions, however a list of titles may be viewed.

61

http://library.uws.edu.au/ http://library.uws.edu.au/nResources.php 63 http://subjectguides.library.uws.edu.au/indigenous_studies 62

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In the development of the new database for the IGA project it was important that academics could readily access material that included diverse perspectives on historical and contemporary issues that impact Indigenous peoples and culture; in particular, materials that include Indigenous voices and authorship.

Methodology The main mechanism used to develop the new database was collaboration with library staff who have expert knowledge in identifying appropriate items from the collection. From July 2011 to April 2012 a number of meetings occurred between the UWS Associate Librarian (currently, Interim University Librarian) technical library staff, and staff from the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education. The ongoing liaison during this period was vital in identifying gaps in the collections and establishing the best approach for integrating the new resources to ensure easy access for UWS academics. Easy access for academics was one of the main considerations taken into account during the collaboration.

Access To maximize the use of the new resources and to promote ease of access for UWS academics, the list of new resources is being categorized to roughly correlate with the recently restructured schools within UWS. The resources in each category will be made into reading lists. The reading lists provide access to selected, relevant resources from, in this instance, the Indigenous Learning Database. The reading lists will be available to academics through the vUWS system 64 via either one new unit site with the title: “Learning about Indigenous Australia”, or possibly via a number of new unit sites with titles such as:

“Learning about Indigenous Australia: Medicine & Nursing” “Learning about Indigenous Australia: Mathematics & Computing” 64

“At UWS the e-learning environment is known as Virtual UWS, or vUWS (pronounced “views”). All units use a vUWS site, complementing face-to-face learning activities and incorporating a range of digital resources, communication spaces, assessment tools, learning resources, and online learning activities.” (Teaching @UWS document, Teaching Development Centre, UWS).

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute “Learning about Indigenous Australia: Social Science and Psychology” “Learning about Indigenous Australia: Environment & Health” “Learning about Indigenous Australia: Science” “Learning about Indigenous Australia: Humanities and Communication Arts” “Learning about Indigenous Australia: Business” “Learning about Indigenous Australia: IT & Technology” “Learning about Indigenous Australia: Education” “Learning about Indigenous: Law”

Additional sub-categories such as Policy (national/regional & local), Spirituality and Leadership Profiles (Indigenous and non-Indigenous who have shown leadership on Aboriginal issues) have also been incorporated into these main categories.

The above reading list titles are provisional and subject to change. One of the benefits of the reading list system is that each list will be easy to update.

The unit/s for academics will be developed as would any vUWS site for students and it/they will be owned by Badanami. The unit/s will contain a reading list and possibly previous learning guides relevant for the schools’ degree offerings.

Ideally, there will be only one new unit - “Learning about Indigenous Australia” - with all of the above reading lists attached. This will enable all academics to access the same reading lists and see that there will be relevant material available that other schools are using. This has been an important consideration because the aim is to promote the opportunity for crossdisciplinary learning and teaching and provide academics with an appreciation of the interrelationship of topics and material.

When the new unit “Learning about Indigenous Australia” is developed and the reading list/s uploaded, it will be possible for all UWS staff to access it. All that will be necessary is for the university to inform all academic staff (via the academic staff list) of the units’ availability, the unit number and unit title. Staff will be given student level access, while Badanami staff and library staff will have higher level access in order to update the reading lists.

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A User Guide for the new site for staff will also be provided, which will also include information for academics on how to best utilize the existing resources within UWS holdings, highlighting different pathways to identify Indigenous resources. This user guide is still to be written once the technical detail is clear.

Challenges The main challenge is related to provision of access of the new site for external readers. The learning materials and on-line sites available to academics and staff are not normally accessible to external readers. In light of the Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework, Universities Australia might like to consider a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in order that academics across the sector could access the new UWS unit. Similarly, in the future other universities might have or might develop Indigenous resources and databases that could be shared.

Summary of Outcomes As a result of this Activity a number of outcomes have been achieved. It has been identified that the UWS library has over a long period been committed to incorporating Indigenous resources within its holdings. New IGA support material has also been identified and categorized to roughly reflect the new UWS school structure.

Some of this new material has already been incorporated into a unit developed and delivered by academic staff at the Badanami Indigenous Education Centre: “Revaluing Indigenous Economics�. Material from the new database is also being considered for a new unit on contemporary Indigenous film by academic staff within the School of Arts and Languages.

Another outcome has been the strengthened relationship between library staff and Badanami Centre staff due to the collaborative mechanism of meetings held between July 2011 - April 2012.

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Transfer of the reading lists to the library will occur in the near future so that the lists can be incorporated into the new vUWS unit site entitled: “Learning about Indigenous Australia”.

It is anticipated that the new unit for UWS academic staff will be linked to the Teaching Development Unit’s “Foundations in Teaching Course”, which provides knowledge about teaching and learning for new academic staff, including how to implement the Indigenous Graduate Attribute.

The new unit will also be able to be linked to a course in the process of development by the Teaching Development Unit which will provide opportunities for current academics to learn more about the Indigenous Graduate Attribute.

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4.9

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Evaluation of the project

Activity 9

Output / Outcome

Evaluate the project inputs, outputs and outcomes and assess student satisfaction and attainment by graduates of the skills and knowledge of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute.

Prepare and conduct a survey of staff and students involved in the teaching and learning of Indigenous content.

Due Date Performance Indicator 1/01/2012 Staff survey responses SFUs

Two main ways of evaluating the process of IGA implementation have been used: •

Academic Staff Survey

•

Student Feedback Surveys

In November/December 2011 a survey instrument was developed and distributed to 1300 UWS academic staff. The survey sought to gauge: • • • •

IGA awareness Awareness of the process of implementation of the IGA by their school Perceived capacity to effectively teach the IGA knowledge and generic skills Insight of where the process of implementation went well and how it could be improved.

The report of survey findings are attached at Appendix 7. In general, the survey responses indicate that despite many challenges experienced in implementing the IGA, there is much good will and suggestions on how to improve. The survey identified: a need for the purpose of the IGA to be better communicated to staff across the university; a great need for staff capacity building in order to be able to develop, teach, and assess IGA units/content; a need for more staff to become involved in the implementation process.

Appendix 8 attached includes a Traffic-Light Analysis of Student Feedback Survey (SFU) data, along with the qualitative data provided by students for the IASM units developed and delivered by Badanami IGA team. Appendix 9 is a Traffic-Light Analysis of Student Feedback Survey (SFU) data for some of the IGA embedded units implemented within Schools and Badanami. In the analyses, green equals items that are scoring well; orange equals items that require consideration and; red equals items that require urgent attention. It

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should be noted that Appendix 9 includes more units with IGA content embedded than does Table 4. Due to time constraints it was not possible to include all units in Table 4.

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4.10

Dissemination of the Final Report to Peak Indigenous Bodies

Activity 10 Compile the Final Report on the Project and disseminate it through Indigenous peak higher education bodies.

Output / Outcome Final Report for UWS evaluation and refinement of the Indigenous Attribute and for external promotion of the project and its lessons.

Due Date 31/12/2011

Performance Indicator Final report completed.

Report provided to the National Indigenous Higher Education Network (NIHEN) and members of the Australian Government Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC).

This is the Final Report to be presented to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC), formally (NIHEN), and members of the Australian Government Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC) in May and June 2012.

4.11

Final Report

Activity 11

Output / Outcome

Due Date

Final Report for Project.

Final Report in accordance with clause 4 and 7.

27/01/2012 Extension granted until 30/4/2012

This is the Final Report for submission to DEEWR on 30 April 2012.

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Performance Indicator Report submitted by the due date

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

SECTION 5

How outcomes have helped to address the identified need for the project As discussed in Section 2, the need for the project Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute stems from recognition of the need for improved service provision for Indigenous Australians.

The main outcomes of the project include: •

Development of an IGA with expected graduate outcomes of an understanding and appreciation of the impact of colonialism on the lives and communities of Indigenous peoples; of increased skills in communicating with Indigenous people; of leadership skills in order to champion the cause of Indigenous people within institutions and systems of the future.

•

Endorsement of the IGA by the Board of Trustees and incorporation of the IGA within UWS Learning and Teaching Strategies and School Review Processes, to ensure commitment of the university and governance and quality structures are in place.

•

Development of a Learning & Teaching Framework to support the embedding of IGA knowledge within courses and units, including the following elements: 

Commitment



Governance and quality structures



Human Resources



Collaboration



Pedagogy and Guiding Principles



IGA implementation



Review

•

Creation of College working parties

•

Review of current courses

•

Development of new units or scaffolded incorporation of IGA skills and knowledge

•

Approval of IGA units at the level of College EAPC meetings 86

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute •

Delivery of units with embedded IGA knowledge and skills and assessment of learning outcomes related to the IGA descriptors.

•

Review of implementation via 

Student Feedback Surveys



Academic Staff Survey



School Review Reports outlining IGA implementation efforts.

While the focus of IGA implementation has been on all courses, the main emphasis has been on highly relevant schools and their courses. That is, those defined as courses aiming “to graduate students into professions which do/or could have a significant impact on the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians”. Such courses include Nursing, Health & Science, Humanities, Law, Media, Medicine, Policing, Psychology, Social sciences, Tourism, Welfare, Business, Environment & Natural Sciences, and Education. As mentioned in Section 4.3.4, which discussed the 2009 Advisory Paper, these schools were “expected to introduce an Indigenous core unit or equivalent amount of Indigenous content scaffolded across the degree program”. 65

As mentioned in Section 3, many units incorporating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives have been delivered to students within the period of the grant (2009-2011), many of which have been delivered to large cohorts of students. In total, more than 9000 students coming from a number of degree programs have been enrolled in IGA units. Prior to the project, there were few Indigenous units being taught outside of the programs specific for Indigenous students. Now students from the majority of Schools all have a better understanding of Indigenous experiences. Hopefully this will mean that these students upon graduation will be able to provide services to Indigenous peoples and communities that is appropriate and respectful and which demonstrates understanding. Through this, a more inclusive identity of Australia can develop; one inclusive of Indigenous Australians.

It is not possible to say, at this stage, whether this vision will eventuate. Further research is needed in order to evaluate all students’ perceptions of their changed understanding about

65

Advisory Paper, 2009.

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Indigenous knowledge and whether they think they have developed a capacity to engage and partner with Indigenous peoples. In order to evaluate student perceptions of their increasing Indigenous cultural competence, it might be possible to consider including a specific item in the course entry and exit surveys.

It is recommended that the Office of Strategy and Quality and the Learning and Teaching Development Unit be invited to consider including a specific item in the course entry and exit surveys.

Further research is also needed to evaluate the perceptions of Indigenous Australians, who are at present adversely impacted upon by ineffective service delivery that they often receive. The first stage of such research would need to include a survey of the current perceptions of Indigenous people. If this is agreed to by Indigenous people, themselves, the study could be limited to Indigenous peoples in the GWS region, given that this is where the largest Indigenous population in NSW resides and given the location of UWS and its commitment to ensuring improved service delivery.

It is recommended that the university considers a research study to evaluate the perceptions of Indigenous peoples in the GWS region about professional service delivery by UWS graduates both before and after implementation of the IGA.

Flow-on benefits of the project include: •

Increased Indigenous knowledge by academic staff

•

Improved Indigenous student support

•

Improved Indigenous student outcomes

While there is no doubt that academic staff capacity to implement the IGA has increased, there is room for further effort to improve the capacity of academic staff, as evidenced by respondent suggestions provided by the staff survey conducted in November/December 20111. This will require time and financial resources.

Without further research and analysis, it is difficult to say how well Indigenous students feel supported as a flow-on benefit of the project, as it is to say whether Indigenous student 88

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outcomes have improved. However, while the IGA is about providing access to Indigenous Knowledge for all students and not just Indigenous students, the flow-on benefits to Indigenous students since 2011 is that 5 units from the Indigenous Australian Studies Major have been approved for Indigenous students studying the Bachelor of Community and Social Development degree program. This might contribute to retaining Indigenous students as they are studying units that have significant Indigenous content. Anecdotally, some of these students have noted that, even though they are Indigenous, they have learned a lot about Indigenous cultures and histories and about policies and practices of governments which have adversely impacted the lives of themselves and their communities. Having the IASM units embedded within the BCSD program might well contribute, therefore, to retaining Indigenous students, not only because of the significant Indigenous content of the units, but also because there are Indigenous academics within the IGA team who are teaching the units, which helps to create a teaching environment inclusive of expert Indigenous voices.

Further research and comparison with Indigenous students’ evaluations conducted in previous years would be useful to qualify these flow-on benefits. One way to achieve this would be to invite current and past Indigenous UWS students to be part of a study which would firstly, document their degree program and then gather their perceptions of not only the amount of Indigenous content that was delivered within the degree but also how they feel about the content in terms of it being appropriate and relevant from an Indigenous perspective.

It is recommended that the university considers a research project to evaluate the perceptions of current and past Indigenous students in relation to the amount of Indigenous content that was delivered within their degree and how they feel about the content in terms of it being appropriate and relevant from an Indigenous perspective.

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SECTION 6

Lessons learned Throughout the project Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute there have been a number of lessons learned. Below a brief account of each is outlined.

6.2

Building Indigenous cultural competency of non-Indigenous academic staff

The necessity of building the cultural competency of academic staff was first noted in February 2008 when the UWS Board of Trustees endorsed the UWS Indigenous Education Policy (UWS IEP). As noted at the beginning of this report, one of the principles of the IEP (Section 3, pt.12) states that: UWS acknowledges that due to past educational practices many non-Indigenous Australians know very little about Indigenous Australia. In recognition of this and in seeking to encourage an inclusive Australian identity as well as raise the standard of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians, UWS is committed to the inclusion of Indigenous content within its courses. Similarly, UWS is committed to the development of Indigenous cultural competency amongst its staff. 66

In order to build capacity of academic staff it was known that work was required for both existing and new staff. As noted in the first Progress Report submitted to DEEWR in October 2009, “preliminary discussions had taken place between Badanami staff and the Director of the Professional Development Unit regarding the development and delivery of an Indigenous Graduate Attribute Competency course”. It was envisaged at this time that the workshops would commence in early 2010 and be run over 3 days, with the aim being to familiarise staff with the Indigenous Graduate Attribute, its rationale, expectations, broader Indigenous

66

quoted in “UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute – Progress Report, 28 October 2009” Prepared by Professor Michael McDaniel, Dean, Indigenous Education, Director, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, 28 October 2009, emphasis added.

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contextual information as well as some strategies for delivery. 67 (see Appendix 10 for more detail about the 3-day workshop). For a number of reasons this workshop did not occur.

The implications of the staff IGA workshops not going ahead became evident within the academic staff survey responses in December 2011, where many respondents indicated that they required educational sessions/workshop/meetings in order to be able to develop Indigenous content within their curricula. This does not mean that some staff were unable to do this. Many were. But there is a definite need to develop academic staff capacity while simultaneously implementing an IGA or cultural competency framework within a tertiary institution.

With regard to new staff, capacity to implement the IGA can be built through the Teaching Development Unit where, in this instance, all new academics are required to complete learning modules. Information about the Indigenous Graduate Attribute has been included in these modules since 2010.

The Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA) is introduced to new academic staff at UWS through attendance at the University’s Foundations of University Learning and Teaching Program in the morning session on Day One. The Foundations of University Learning and Teaching Program is a mandatory teaching development program for new academic staff appointed at levels A, B and C, where the appointment is for 12 months or longer. The program is taught by staff of the Teaching Development Unit with collaboration from school-based academics. Since Foundations was first taught in July 2007, 93 new academic staff have completed the program and a further 51 are currently enrolled.

The morning session on Day One sets the context for the program and highlights key aspects of the teaching and learning environment at UWS. Priority is given to discussing the IGA and its importance to teaching, learning and curriculum at UWS. One or two examples of how the IGA has been embedded into curriculum are considered.

67

The UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute – Progress Report, See also “Advisory Paper on the Implementation of the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute”. McDaniel, M, 28 October 2009. First tabled at the Board of Trustees UWS Indigenous Advisory Council meeting 4 November 2009, Item 3.2.

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The Teaching Development Unit is currently working towards developing a full Graduate

Certificate in Higher Education. One of the units planned for this Graduate Certificate will focus on curriculum design and assessment and will provide an opportunity for staff to plan the integration of the IGA into a relevant unit. 68

6.3

The issue of relevance for Core IGA units and large mixed student cohorts

Culture, Diversity and Health This unit introduces skills for understanding and engaging effectively with the culturally and socially diverse world in which we live and work. Indigenous Australia is a major theme and students will gain an appreciation of the achievements and needs of Indigenous Australians. The unit examines cultural awareness more broadly and puts these issues in the context of health professionals working in multi-cultural settings and handling culturally different health philosophies and practices. Cultural diversity is increasingly recognised as a major issue in the delivery of health care and a major determinant of Indigenous health.

The unit is a core unit for the following courses:

Bachelor of Health Science Bachelor of Health Science/Master of Podiatric Medicine Bachelor of Health Science (Honours)/Master of Podiatric Medicine Bachelor of Health Science/Master of Physiotherapy Bachelor of Health Science (Honours)/Master of Physiotherapy Bachelor of Health Science (Sport and Exercise Science) Bachelor of Health Science/Master of Occupational Therapy Bachelor of Health Science/Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bachelor of Health Science (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education)

68

Associate Professor Janne Malfroy, Director, Teaching Development Unit, University of Western Sydney, Building BXa Werrington South, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751. October 2011.

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Once the unit had been developed and delivered as a pilot to 244 students in 2010, it was reviewed/revised and again offered in 2011 to 875 students. One of the challenges of offering a core unit to a very large student cohort is how to make the unit relevant to all students. The following comments made by 18 students under the heading “needs improvement” in the SFU, reflect the issue of relevance:

Relevance of some lectures.

Relevance to Physiotherapy.

Needs more physio relevance. Could be combined with similar subjects. Example; population health and society. Overall a waste of time.

More relevance towards the health science PDHPE field.

Relevance besides getting people to accept multiculturalism. Too onesided.

Relevance to the course of health science PDHPE. Physical education teaching practices.

This unit shouldn't be [for] physical development, health and physical education.

I don't see the relevance, this subject is a headache.

The relevance in relation to our course! It is relevant but most should already understand that we can’t or should not discriminate.

This unit could easily be covered in one 2 hour lecture. Cultural competence is important, but a whole semester of repetition isn't probably the best way.

Many guest lecturers was not beneficial, their content did not correlate, saw no relevance.

More relevance to courses, not so broad.

Relevance to a number of courses needs improving. A lot of the content is common sense or has been covered in previous subjects. Content was quite repetitive.

This should not be a compulsory unit. Only people who are genuinely interested in this subject should take it.

I feel this subject was a waste of my time where I could’ve been studying more relevant topics such as physiology and so forth.

The assignments were a waste of time and were irrelevant.

You wasted 30 plus hours to tell me treat everyone as individuals.

Get rid of it! Waste of 12 weeks. Why would I need this. Its over-exaggerated.

The comments not only reflect a lack of perceived relevance for some students in relation to the discipline they are studying but also a lack of understanding about how complex is the 93

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notion of cultural competency. In this sense, it is the duty of the educator to demonstrate the relevance. However, when there are mixed tutorial classes this is not easy. It could be argued that it would be preferable to have single discipline tutorials as a way of overcoming this problem. However, the purpose of mixed tutorials is so that students from different health professions get an understanding of where each is coming from. In this way, it is argued, the health workforce will be able to work together in a coordinated way for the benefit of the patient/client. This is but one of the dilemmas of trying to teach a very large cohort of mixed students an IGA core unit.

6.4

The issue of relevance of the IGA for some academic staff

There were occasions within the life of the project where academics within schools found it difficult to see the relevance of Indigenous knowledge to their discipline (see Section 2.3 for responses to 2008 Discussion Paper and Section 4.3.6 f/n 48 for responses to 2009 Advisory Paper).

6.5

The issue of loss of a person of influence associated with an IGA Unit

Another lesson learned is that just because an IGA unit is developed and offered one year, this does not guarantee ongoing delivery of the unit in subsequent years. This occurred within one school due to an influential staff member needing to take leave for an extended period, which meant that another coordinator needed to be found. In another instance, a unit was developed and delivered one year but the following year the coordinator was not available.

Another coordinator was found for the second delivery of the unit. However, this staff member left the university and another coordinator needed to be found for the third offering.

Such inconsistency in staffing of an IGA unit can lead to a potential loss of quality, particularly because it is difficult to find staff with the requisite knowledge and skills to teach Indigenous studies.

94

6.6

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute The issue of loss of an IGA Unit due to a school review process

Another reason for an IGA unit becoming lost, once developed, is due to it being a part of a degree program that becomes a casualty of a school review process. This was a salutary lesson considering that much work had gone into the development of 2 units within one school. It is fortunate that the person of influence within the school who had initially been instrumental in the development of the unit collaborated with the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education and arrangements were subsequently made for transfer of the unit to the Badanami Centre.

6.7

The issue of placement of the graduate attributes: unit versus course level

UWS graduate attributes (including the Indigenous graduate attribute) are mapped at the course rather than the unit level. This point was made at the 9 November 2009 meeting of the Education Committee Academic Senate, where it was noted that: Coverage of the Graduate Attributes, including the Indigenous Graduate attributes, was related to the course, rather than the unit outcomes. 69 This is a significant point in relation to implementation of the IGA because if the generic skills-set, which is outlined in the wording of the IGA knowledge domain document, is not required to be assessed at the unit level, how is the graduates’ level of attainment meant to be assessed?

This is a most significant lesson learned from the project. Therefore, to ensure that the student has acquired the requisite IGA knowledge and skills it is essential that they are mapped at the unit level where learning outcomes are clearly identified and assessment tasks are set for students that help to demonstrate that the IGA has been acquired.

6.8

Funding implications for implementation of IGA units

As highlighted in Section 2 under the header ‘IGA Discussion Paper’, initial discussions were held about possible funding models for the implementation of a core IGA unit. Briefly, a unit can be developed and owned by a school; a unit can be developed and owned by the 69

Minutes of Education Committee Academic Senate meeting 9 November 2009, Item 4.4.

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Indigenous Centre; a unit can be developed jointly by a school and the Indigenous Centre but owned by the school.

As also discussed in 2008, who teaches the unit and who pays for the teaching of a unit was also placed on the agenda for consideration.

Below can be found a report from the Dean, Indigenous Education, Badanami Centre, that details some of the lessons learned regarding funding arrangements.

1. Currently, the funding arrangement of the university is such that each school is paid based on each equivalent fulltime student load (EFTSL). This means that if a unit is, for example, developed and owned by a school and yet the school requires some academics employed by the Indigenous Centre to co-teach the unit, the question of appropriate resourcing becomes paramount for both parties. Hypothetically, if the division of work for the delivery of the unit is 50/50, then the income generated from the unit should be distributed 50/50 between the school and the Indigenous Centre, based on the EFTSL. If arrangements are not negotiated that are suitable for both parties, the issue of collaboration is impacted and the level of collaboration that the Indigenous Centre has across the university would not continue.

Another example worthy of consideration is when the unit is developed and owned by the Indigenous Centre but is on offer as part of a schools elective, minor or major offering.

In this instance the issue becomes who will teach the unit and who will pay. If the Indigenous Centre’s academics teach the unit, then appropriate arrangements for payment by the school to the Indigenous Centre becomes the central issue. Currently, the Indigenous Centre would receive the normal EFTSL because they own the unit. However, when the numbers of students enrolled in the unit is small, this leads to very small remuneration, even though the same amount of preparation and teaching time has to be expended by the academic throughout the semester.

The implication of having only a small amount of students enrolled, as in the example above, 96

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is that the Indigenous Centre would not receive enough income to sustain itself.

It is therefore imperative that the financial arrangements associated with IGA core or elective unit/s are carefully considered at the outset, as noted in the 2008 Discussion Paper.

It is recommended that Badanami Centre is resourced under an EFTSL funding model for the continued development and/or co-development and/or delivery and/or co-delivery of Indigenous content.

2. Structurally, the university employs a Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) and three Associate Pro Vice-Chancellors (Education) in order to improve the overall learning and teaching outcomes of the university. The Learning and Teaching framework that has been developed throughout the life of the current project will need to be implemented and evaluated.

Financial resources will be crucial for this task. Previously, the university has committed resources through the Learning and Teaching Action Project (LTAP) funding model for the development of Indigenous content within courses and units.

It is recommended that the university considers providing internal funds consistent with the LTAP model to Schools and Badanami Centre in order to implement and evaluate the Learning and Teaching IGA Framework. 70

6.9

Structural and workload issues for the Badanami Centre for Indigenous

Education The report below highlights some of the challenges met by the IGA Project Coordinator during the period of the project.

70

Associate Professor Berice Anning, Dean, Indigenous Education, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education.

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The implementation of the IGA by UWS was undertaken in ‘unchartered territory’ in that no other university had endeavoured to ‘roll out’ such an ambitious systemic project. The following report needs to be read within this context.

The main lessons learned relating to implementation of the IGA are structural. From these others issues flow: •

invisibility of IAS Major/Sub-Major units within the system

•

workload of the IGA Team

Structural issues Badanami’s academic capacity has been limited due to it operating outside of the systems that support academic Schools e.g. Badanami is not connected to the platform web, which allows academics to input, for example, student marks and grades. This issue was discussed at the College of Arts EAPC meeting on 8 February 2011, where it was noted that: once again Badanami were disadvantaged by not having access to the results grader in pWeb. … it was hoped that the Autumn 2011 results would be completed using pWeb (item 3.1.1).

In July 2011, the following was noted at the EAPC meeting: the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education must download each unit’s class list via Callista and submit the results via the csv file, as Badanami units are not listed on the platform web results grader (Item 3.6.6).

This situation as of the time of writing this report has not been resolved. The effect of this lack of structural support creates additional administrative workloads and frustrations for Badanami academics.

•

Invisibility

Another challenge is that the IAS Major units, which are owned and offered by Badanami, are not visible to current students from any degree program across UWS who might be looking for either one Indigenous unit or an IAS Major or Sub-Major. The IAS Major units are timetabled under the ‘Badanami Centre’ and are not able to be ‘cross-listed’ under any of the 98

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Schools’ offerings. This has resulted, to date, in low student enrolments in the IAS Major/Sub-Major(s) units (see Section 4.6), which means low income for Badanami. This in turn diminishes Badanami’s capacity to continue operating as an academic School, i.e. without recurrent funding.

As also noted in Section 4.6, it was challenging to attract adequate students for the IASM units due to them not being visible for students. One the reasons for invisibility of the IAS Major/Sub-Major(s) units is the marginalisation of the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education as an academic centre within the academic structure of UWS. In part this is due to historical factors whereby Indigenous Centres were initially set up to provide Indigenous Student Support. It was from this starting point that they have attempted to develop into academic schools.

As noted in Section 4, in 2008 Badanami had the status of a quasi school. In February 2011, it was proposed that Badanami become a “formal ‘School’ within the College of Arts for governance purposes” (Minutes of Meeting 8th February 2011, College of Arts EAPC). At the time of writing this report, this matter relating to the academic structure of Badanami has not been resolved.

•

Workload of the IGA Team IASM promotion

As a result of the invisibility of IAS Major/Sub-Major(s) units within the system, Badanami contracted the services of UWS Marketing and embarked on a major promotional campaign.

The IGA Team collaborated with Marketing to produce the IAS Major/IGA website http://studyias.com

and Homepage Banner. The website and the accompanying banner which

headed the website homepage were completed and went live in late 2010. However, the website banner was only operational for a short time and subsequently the website was archived. The result was that the website produced at Badanami’s great effort and expense was no longer useful because it was inaccessible to students and staff. The promotional material for the IAS website was then transferred to Badanami Centre’s website, which did 99

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not serve the purpose for which it was intended – that is, to promote the IAS units to students across the university. A flyer was then produced and has been distributed widely throughout the university. The flyer is attached at Appendix 11.

In an additional effort to promote the IAS Major effort, the IGA Team participated in all UWS Open Day and Course Decision Day forums. The IGA Team Coordinator also participated in a number of forums e.g. College EAPC and Heads of Programs meetings and addressed several large student cohorts to promote the IASM in an effort to create greater awareness of the IASM units.

Despite the IGA Team’s every effort to promote the IASM within the university, student enrolments have been consistently low over the past year, except for Summer School, due to Summer School being advertised outside of the regular university timetabling arrangement and therefore more visible to students.

The positioning of Badanami on the margins has a major impact on the workload of the IGA academic team.

As well as developing, delivering and promoting the IAS Major units, the IGA Team also developed and/or delivered other units, as well as collaborating with Colleges/Schools as part of the IGA working parties.

College IGA Working Parties The IGA Team became members of the College of Business IGA Working Party, which met between July and December 2009. This forum brought together a number of key academics to discuss and determine how they would embed Indigenous content to meet the needs of the IGA. It also provided a model for the development of Working Parties for the other two Colleges.

In January 2010, the IGA Team Coordinator met with a School of Economics and Finance 100

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senior academic to discuss embedding Indigenous content in the core unit 200540 Globalisation and Australia. In November 2011, the School increased the proportion of Indigenous content from fifteen to thirty percent in the unit. This was approved at the College of Business EAPC in November 2011 to be offered in Spring 2012.

In November 2010, the IGA Team Coordinator facilitated the first meeting of the College of Health & Science - Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) IGA Working Party. This was an important meeting because it highlighted to the IGA Team Coordinator the need for academic staff development on how to include Indigenous content/perspectives across curriculum.

In late 2011, at the invitation of the School of Computing & Mathematics (SoCM) Head, the Badanami IGA Team Coordinator and a non-Indigenous academic participated in a one (1) day staff forum. SoCM staff

were

provided with an overview of the IGA and how

Indigenous perspectives might be embedded within the curricula. While some staff were enthusiastic about implementing the IGA, others struggled to understand the relevance of the IGA to SoCM. It was evident from discussions that further support would be beneficial.

The IGA Team Coordinator recommended to the College of Arts that they establish an IGA Working Party. This particular Working Party met twice in the first half of 2011.

Unfortunately, Badanami IGA Team Coordinator was unable to attend the meetings due to other work commitments. The Dean, Badanami Centre, attended the meetings held.

Development and/or delivery of units 101577 Classrooms Without Borders From late 2009 to April 2010, following an approach by the School of Education, the IGA Team developed 8 hours of Indigenous online content for this unit. The IGA Team was challenged by the request from the School for the development of online content as it required additional learning by the Team. This involved one team member undertaking training on the technical aspects of managing online material and another team member working on content development online. To support this additional work Badanami contracted a non-Indigenous 101

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academic who had experience in online content development. Since mid-Autumn Semester 2010, the School of Education has had carriage of the unit.

400866 Culture, Diversity & Health In early February 2010, the School of Biomedical Health & Science developed this core unit as a strategy to implement the IGA. The IGA Team collaborated with the School to pilot the unit on one campus in Autumn 2010. This collaboration involved co-teaching between School staff and Badanami staff. Between December 2010 and February 2011 the School Unit Coordinator and the Badanami non-Indigenous academic revised the unit in collaboration with the IGA Project Coordinator. In Autumn 2011, the unit was co-delivered by the School and Badanami staff on 2 campuses to 865 fulltime students.

The logistics of teaching such a large student cohort proved rewarding, yet, at the same time, challenging and many lessons were learned (see Section 6.3 & 6.5).

101878 Indigenous Landscapes This unit was originally developed as a core unit for students enrolled in the Conservation Management degree program as a strategy to implement the IGA. In preparing to teach it in Autumn 2011, the School of Natural Science experienced difficulty contracting an academic to deliver the unit and IGA Team took responsibility for delivery of the unit on one campus that semester. In December 2011 it was approved to be added to Badanami’s IAS Major pool of units. Since then it has been delivered by the IGA Team.

Units taught within the Bachelor of Community and Social Development (BCSD) Degree Program In 2011, the IGA Team developed and delivered 4 units in the BCSD program. In Autumn, the Team delivered 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia and 101762 ‘Who do you think you are?’, and in Spring, 101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics and 101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers.

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While 101751, 101753 and 101754 had already been developed for fulltime students, additional work was required to make them relevant for BCSD students as both the delivery mode and the audience differed from the units’ original development - intended predominantly for a non-Indigenous student audience studying in fulltime mode.

The chart below indicates the teaching workload of the IGA Team in 2011.

IASM Unit 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101762 ‘Who do you think you are?’

400866 Culture, Diversity and Health 101878 Indigenous Landscapes 101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics 101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics 101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers 101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers

Date of delivery Autumn 2011

Delivery Mode Face to face

Student cohort

Autumn 2011

Face to face Block

Indigenous Fulltime students

BSCD

Autumn 2011

Face to face Block Face to face

Indigenous Fulltime students

BCSD

Non-Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

Autumn 2011

Face to face

Non-Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

Spring 2011

Face to face Intensive weekend Face to face

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

Autumn 2011

Spring 2011

Spring 2011

Spring 2011

Spring 2011

Face to face Block Face to face Face to face Block

103

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students

Degree Program Mixed

BCSD

BCSD

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101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia

Summer School Face to 2011-2012 face Summer School

Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students

Mixed

In summary, the structural issues associated with both the positioning of Badanami outside of the university’s school structure and Badanami being unsupported by the normal school computer and technology systems, created many challenges for the IGA Team and led to dispersal of energies and increased workloads. 71 The comment made within the report above regarding the positioning of Badanami on the margins of the university’s academic structure is an important one. Badanami Centre’s status as a ‘quasi’ school means it is not positioned within the academic structures of the university.

This has led to the invisibility of the IAS Major and IAS promotional website. The resourcing of the development of the website was to provide increased awareness of the IGA/IAS

Major

to

university

students

at

the

time

of

choosing

either

their

electives/majors/sub-majors/units.

It is recommended that the university considers the position of Badanami Centre within its academic structure by providing it with the legitimate academic status of a school.

6. 10

Resourcing Indigenous Academics

A vital part of the Learning and Teaching Framework is human resources, particularly, the need for Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics with capacity to develop and deliver Indigenous curricula. The issue of building capacity of non-Indigenous academics is referred to in Section 6.2. Here, the issues discussed relate to increasing the number and mentoring of Indigenous academics.

Across the sector there are few Indigenous academics employed. This creates a significant potential problem viv a vis the implementation of the IGA or the Indigenous Cultural

71

Dr Wendy Holland – Coordinator for the IGA Implementation Project, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education.

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Competency initiative. To increase the number of Indigenous academics, there is a need to employ early-career academics and provide the resources to mentor and develop their academic capacity. For this to be effective there is a need to sustain current experienced Indigenous academics and employ more higher level Indigenous academic staff.

It is recommended that the university consider how it will financially resource the continuation of Indigenous academics both within Badanami and the Schools to continue to implement the IGA and fulfil the commitment of the university to implement the Indigenous cultural competency initiative.

Within the context of the IGA Team and the implementation of the IGA across the university, the 3 Indigenous academics had complex and repetitive workloads, teaching both within and without Badanami Centre, teaching Indigenous only student cohorts, mixed cohorts, and nonIndigenous student cohorts. As noted in Section 6.9, Contextualising Indigenous Australia, the core unit of the IAS Major, needed to be repeated twice each semester with an additional offering in the 2011-2012 Summer-School due to structural problems and the inability for schools to cross-list units from other schools including from Badanami. This repetition was required because the core unit is a pre-requisite for other units in the IAS Major, therefore the numbers of students needed to be sufficient to continue with the remaining units of the major or minor. Needing to repeat the same content many times can have a negative impact on staff morale, particularly when the content involves discussion of what is sometimes confronting information. Such repetition can also have implications for the emotional safety of staff, a point that needs careful consideration, as mentioned in Table 7 under the heading “Quality Management�. Hence it is vital that adequate numbers of Indigenous academics are available to be recruited and/or mentored in order to share the load. 72

72

See Appendix 2 regarding an example of challenges related to recruitment of Indigenous academics.

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SECTION 7

Concluding remarks 73 Professor Michael McDaniel’s strategic leadership at UWS as the previous Dean, Indigenous Education and Director, Badanami Centre from 2006 to late 2008 was instrumental in reestablishing Indigenous education at UWS, thus laying the foundation to achieve the substantive outcomes to date. 74 As noted in Section 2, Associate Professor Berice Anning was employed to develop and implement the IGA at UWS in 2007. An external audit of thirty-six Australian universities conducted through a broad desktop analysis was undertaken by Anning and identified institutions with inclusive Indigenous content in either courses, programs, units or learning and teaching plans. As noted earlier, eleven universities were initially chosen. However, when a review of the 2007 external audit was undertaken in 2009, the number of universities chosen because of their inclusion of Indigenous content reduced to nine. 75 This audit informed the development of the IGA. From 2009 to the present, the development of an IGA into UWS courses has been led by Associate Professor Berice Anning, Dean, Indigenous Education and Director, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education.

The $900,000 funding for the project Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute, obtained from the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations through the Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund Grant, has ensured UWS’s sustained commitment for Badanami Centre to lead the project.

The funds allowed Badanami Centre to resource the coordination and implementation of the stated activities of the overall Project which in turn assisted UWS academics to develop Indigenous content.

73

This Section comprises concluding remarks by Associate Professor Berice Anning, Dean, Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, UWS. 74 Anning, Berice. “Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into University Western Sydney’s (UWS) Courses” Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. 39 Supplement, 2010, 40-52.

75 Ibid. 41.

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The across university approach to develop and implement the IGA enabled the emergence of a consultative and collaborative framework, which was instrumental for Badanami Centre and Indigenous staff to engage within UWS. This engagement was: at the governance and policy levels of UWS; with UWS academic committees; and within the College/School structures.

A collaborative model, as noted by Anning, 76 is successful in building the capacity of the university to achieve the development and implementation of an IGA. Consultation is a key action and strategy within the collaborative model. As can be seen from the timeline of the Project, even before the funding was received, consultation that included negotiation, cooperation and networking took time – 2007 to 2012 and it is ongoing. Badanami staff have sat and listened; given and received advice; and responded to ideas, whilst at the same time influencing the Project activities to achieve the stated outcomes. The instrumental role of Badanami Centre and Indigenous staff in the Project has also been important to maintain the focus of embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute in UWS courses.

The IGA is now everyone’s business at UWS as the IGA has been endorsed as one of five UWS graduate attributes developed to enable UWS graduates attain the knowledge and skills as proposed for each attribute. Importantly, it was noted at UWS meetings related to the IGA that Badanami Centre, or Indigenous Centres/entities in general, are important contributors to consulting and collaborating across the university structures.

However, the Indigenous

entities should not be seen to be the sole owners of the commitment to embed an Indigenous Graduate Attribute; develop Indigenous content; teach Indigenous units and content.

The Indigenous Graduate Attribute Project provides UWS with a foundational Teaching and Learning Framework to support teaching and learning strategies for student outcomes where Indigenous perspectives are developed and embedded into curricula. It also enables UWS staff and students to develop professional skills and knowledge to become more culturally competent.

It was recognised, before the Project funding was received, that a ‘one model fits all’ approach would not be successful. That is, one core Indigenous unit included in every UWS course was not feasible. This was also evident from the student and staff survey results that 76

Anning, Berice. “Project one: Phase two. Developing and incorporating Indigenous graduate attributes in academic and research programs at the University of Western Sydney”. Unpublished report to Badanami Centre, University of Western Sydney. 2007, 43.

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noted the importance of ‘relevance’ of Indigenous content to a discipline, as noted in Sections 6.3 & 6.4. The considerations of the varied options for developing IGA content was an important strategy during the early consultations and led to the development of IGA content at the discipline level within Schools.

The IAS Major units which were approved for offering in June 2011 into the six Bachelor of Arts courses are at present only electives.

Yet even though the IASM / units are electives

within these courses, students were unable to choose them due to the invisibility of Badanami Centre within the College / School structure. The structural invisibility of Badanami units was an identified key reason given by students as to why they were not aware of the units or even that they had the option to enrol in the IAS Major or an IAS unit. This was discussed at Section 6.9. Thus, within the pending Review of Indigenous Education at UWS during 2012, consideration of the positioning of Badanami Centre as an academic unit within the formal academic structure will be necessary.

The IGA team were responsible for: developing, implementing and promoting the IAS Major units; consulting with UWS/College/School staff; along with co-development and co-delivery of specific School IGA units. This work enabled Badanami Centre to establish a financial model for the continued resourcing of salaries and on-costs of academic staff after the Project ceases.

This arrangement should continue. This will enable the continuation of the

embedding of an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into UWS courses.

The continuation of the activities of the Project is increasingly important with the endorsement of the “Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Higher Education” by members of Universities Australia (UA) on 8 November 2011 at Plenary and Board Meetings. 77 UWS is a member of UA with the Vice Chancellor as its representative member.

UA members noted that the recommendations in the “Framework” were not

prescriptive to universities and that the intention is for respective universities to adopt/amend the recommendations to fit individual environments, foci and the differing styles of operation.

UA members agreed at the 8 November 2011 meeting to develop responses to the Principles

77

Universities Australia, Bulletin 2011, “Key Decisions of the Universities Australia Plenary and Board Meetings, Plenary Meeting: Tuesday 8 November 2011 hosted by La Trobe University”.

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and Recommendations of the “Framework” 78 and to sponsor a forum to review the implementation of the Framework. UWS has been invited to participate in the forum which will occur on 9 May 2012.

7.1 The UWS Badanami Centre response to the Guiding Principles of the Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework in Australian Universities.

In late 2011, the Dean, Badanami Centre was asked by UWS to respond to the Guiding Principles of Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework (ICCF). The five guiding principles outlined in the Framework document relate to the following themes: •

University Governance

•

Teaching and Learning

•

Indigenous Research

•

Human Resources

•

Community Engagement

To varying degrees, the Principles are being practised in all Australian universities, having been developed in universities over a long period of time. 79 The thirty-two recommendations incorporated across the five guiding principles are also occurring to some degree in each university.

This has/is mainly happening through the Indigenous Centres/Units which have key Indigenous leadership and senior management positions, particularly where universities have created these positions.

However, all five principles and 32 recommendations are not

incorporated in their entirety into any one university’s structures that would evidence a high degree of acceptance and support by executives, senior managers, academic and other staff.

This can be seen to have led to a less cohesive/inconsistent development and implementation of embedding Indigenous cultural competency into a university’s structures. 80 The main issue, as perceived by Indigenous leaders and staff in universities, is that the process is ‘adhoc’ and only when major evaluations/audits/ government policy and guidelines with tied funding grants, direct a university to develop an area of Indigenous education, only then, does 78

Universities Australia, Guiding Principles for the Development of Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities, 2011.

79 Ibid. 2.

80 Ibid. 3.

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Indigenous Education get a guernsey and some momentum is gained at the governance and management levels.

For overall consistency in achieving the guiding principles and subsequent recommendations, however, the following points are noted. These points are informed by working in the Indigenous higher education sector for more than a decade.

First, in line with the Guiding Principles of the ICC Framework, each university’s ViceChancellor (VC) would have to provide greater endorsement of Indigenous education in their university to ensure that implementation and actioning of the recommendations occur. Even when implementation is delegated to the varied levels of management at the corporate; strategic; academic, research, governance or professional level, the VC would need to maintain vigilance to the university’s commitment, as evidence of the overall importance of Indigenous education. Hence, commitment is required at the highest level.

Second, it is essential that funding tied to policy and guidelines is aligned to the implementation of the ICC Framework and its guiding principles. This will be the key to the overall success, consistency and cohesiveness of the management and academic structures within each University.

Without adequate resourcing, the guiding principles and

recommendations will not be achieved.

Only with resourcing will the ultimate aim of embedding an Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework be achieved, within a shorter timeframe, and with a critical mass of institutions committed to the outcomes.

Third, while the ICC Framework project has developed five thematic guiding principles, a guide to developing, implementing, evaluating and redesigning Indigenous education in each of the five areas is also required. University staff should be enabled, not only to understand the importance of the Best Practice Framework, but also to know how to develop actions that can be implemented on the ground and at the student and staff level. Otherwise a strong implementation plan will not be developed.

For those individual universities already developing their own Indigenous Graduate Framework/ Cultural Competency Framework, along with guiding principles, it is expected that lessons learned about good practice can be shared.

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Non-Indigenous academics will find this particularly helpful as one of the issues reported in this Final IGA Report for DEEWR is the importance of building capacity of non-Indigenous academics to enable them to effectively develop curricula, deliver and assess IGA skills and knowledge.

It is important to recognise that the ICC Best Practice Framework is not a new paradigm shift that brings new concepts to the table to be discussed and implemented. Rather, it should be recognised that there have been attempts and gains made in this area by a number of universities, although not consistently. Hence, a consistent, planned and resourced approach is required. It is also important that the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the ICC Framework is an essential reporting aspect of each university.

Finally, the Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework and Guiding Principles are important from a theoretical point of view. However, university staff, particularly academics, want to know what to do to develop and implement these principles and recommendations into their areas of operation, particularly in the teaching and learning area. This UWS Final Report on Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute provides invaluable information to the higher education sector on the implementation of the activities of the Project and the outcomes achieved, along with lessons learned and key recommendations. These will assist UA members to look at UWS’s best practices in implementing: Indigenous education; governance and decision-making; an Indigenous graduate attribute framework; a teaching and learning framework for developing and implementing an IGA; Indigenous staff appointments; and community engagement.

The development of the Indigenous education policy and the embedding of an IGA into UWS courses has been a whole of university approach since 2008. Because of this, UWS is able to provide training on the actual ‘doing’ of the processes involved in implementing the Indigenous Education Policy/Strategy and the IGA, in order to achieve the outcomes and milestones of strategic and operational plans.

The UWS IGA Learning and Teaching Framework, developed as part of the DEEWR funding, includes seven elements which can be mapped onto the five principles of the ICC Framework to varying degrees. The Table below maps UWS IGA implementation against

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the Five Guiding Principles of the Universities Australia (UA) Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency.

Table 11

Mapping UWS IGA implementation against the Five Guiding Principles and Recommendations of the UA Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency

Recommendations for: 1. Governance and Management – Indigenous involvement 1 Embed the Guiding Principles of the National Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities

UWS Action that meets Recommendation/s

Developed an Indigenous Education Policy and Indigenous Education Strategy

Actioned the Indigenous Education Strategy through the UWS Learning and Teaching Action Plan (20092001) 2 Make Indigenous appointments Established senior management at Senior Executive, Director positions and recruited Indigenous and Managerial levels to lead staff: Dean, Indigenous Education / Indigenous education Director, Badanami Centre

UWS Date of Implementation 2008

2009 – 2011

2006 – 2008 - all positions remain current

Associate Director (Academic) Associate Director (Administration & Student Services) Director, Indigenous Employment Manager, Indigenous Outreach

3 Provide for Indigenous representation on university governing bodies, including Council, Academic Senate, Faculty Board(s) and Committees

4 Establish protocols and procedures for seeking

Elder-in-Residence Indigenous Advisory Council, reports to the Board of Trustees; Dean, IE has membership on: Academic Senate and the majority of its standing Committees of; Senior Quality Committee; UWS Senior Management Committee; Indigenous Advisory Council; Indigenous Employment and Engagement Board Re-established the Indigenous Advisory Council and 112

2008 – 2009

2007 –

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

Indigenous representation on university governing bodies, Boards and Committees 5 Create a framework for regular and robust reporting of Indigenous staff and student outcomes

6 Include Indigenous student and staff outcomes in the Key Performance Indicators of University organisational units and senior staff 7 Create Strategies and Plans to address and enable the university’s Indigenous Education Strategy, and Mission Statements and Corporate documents which are inclusive of Indigenous Australian peoples and cultures Recommendations for: 2. Teaching and Learning 1 Include Indigenous knowledges and perspectives in all curricula to provide students with the knowledge, skills and understandings which form the foundations of Indigenous cultural competency

Indigenous Employment and Engagement Board

2008 –

To be actioned at whole of UWS level – reporting is undertaken by the Indigenous Centre and senior managers with regards to their portfolios and respective areas of supervision

Ongoing with establishment of senior Indigenous management positions.

Annual Indigenous Education Statement evidences the programs and services for Indigenous staff and student outcomes

Ongoing as per DEEWR funding requirements

Office of Quality and Strategy report on Indigenous outcomes

Ongoing as per funding requirements 2009 –

Indigenous Students’ KPIs for senior staff Indigenous Staff KPIs still to be actioned at Unit and School level Integration of Indigenous Education in some UWS Strategies and Plans: Learning and Teaching Action Plan (2009-2011) Indigenous Education Policy (IEP) Badanami Centre Strategic Plan UWS Mission Statement UWS Reconciliation Statement

Ongoing –

UWS in collaboration with Badanami Centre has been developing Indigenous content into core units of courses

2007 –

Development of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute assists and informs academics to develop Indigenous content; learning outcomes and assessment Indigenous perspectives are integrated across/in courses and disciplines

2008

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From 2007 – 2011 2009 – 2011 2008 – 2008 – 2008 – 2007 –

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2 Embed Indigenous cultural competency as a formal Graduate Attribute or Quality

3 Incorporate Indigenous Australian knowledges and perspectives into programs according to a culturally competent pedagogical framework

4 Train teaching staff in Indigenous pedagogy for teaching Indigenous Studies and students effectively, including developing appropriate content and learning resources, teaching strategies and assessment methods

UWS Badanami Centre developed the Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA) – through the IGA Project UWS academics mapped courses: to identify where Indigenous content can be developed / integrated in units, and to inform the development of Indigenous core units at the course level Teaching and Learning Framework to implement the IGA was established/underpinned by 12 key pedagogical principles to inform teaching and curricula; includes strategies to support learning and teaching

Endorsed in 2008

UWS Student Feedback on IGA Units undertaken

2009 to 2011

This IGA Report evidences courses and units across disciplines that have developed Indigenous content into the curricula to achieve the IGA

2008 – 2011

Badanami Centre developed the IAS Major units as a key strategy as per the IGA implementation process

2009 approved 2010 – development of content and delivery of units 2007 –

Advising staff on development and implementation of Indigenous pedagogy/curriculum in teaching and learning – this has occurred through the period 2007- current time

2009 – 2011 and ongoing as reported in this, the Final IGA Report Developed in 2010 – reviewed in 2011

IGA is currently included in UWS Foundations of University Learning and Teaching Program (3-4 hours)

2011 –

UWS is working on developing a Certificate in Higher Education with one unit focussed on curricula design and assessment to assist staff to plan and develop IGA content into a unit

2011 –

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5 Create reporting mechanisms and standards which provide quality assurance and accountability of Indigenous Studies curricula

Recommendations for: 3. Indigenous Research 1 Create an adequately funded Indigenous Research Strategy to build Indigenous research capacity 2

Appoint an Indigenous senior executive or Professorial level position to lead and coordinate Indigenous research 3 Identify Indigenous issues as key research themes within the university 4 Create mechanisms, guidelines and protocols to ensure that Indigenous research and research with Indigenous participants is culturally safe and methodologically sound Recommendations for: 4. Human Resources 1 Develop an Indigenous Employment Strategy which contains Key Performance Indicators and strategies and programs to target the recruitment and appointment of Indigenous staff across the university to achieve parity,

Occurring at College EAPC levels, when new courses are developed/varied and are seeking approval, all forms must identify on them if they achieve the IGA at the course/unit levels

2009 –

An annual review process occurs which will assist with identifying a School’s Accountability – through evaluating the IGA Framework, a recommendation is for the Indigenous Graduate Attribute to be specifically included in the Terms of References for the School/Course Reviews

2011 – recommendation in IGA Report

Collaborative Indigenous Research Strategy developed and presented to Academic Senate Research Committee – Funding of Strategy still to be actioned Recommended Still to be actioned

2009 –

2008 2011

To be actioned as part of / when the Research Strategy is resourced Dependent on implementation of the Collaborative Indigenous Research Strategy

Established within each UWS Staff Agreement 2009-2012

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute 2

3

4

5

6

7

both in number and level of classification Appoint an Indigenous Employment Coordinator to lead and coordinate Indigenous employment Identify programs that target recruitment of Indigenous staff across all levels and classifications

Establish programs for the career development of Indigenous staff Develop processes to encourage promising Indigenous students and staff into research training

Develop induction processes which include Indigenous cultural competency training for all new staff

Provide professional development opportunities for university staff in advanced Indigenous cultural competency

Director, Indigenous Employment and Engagement appointed

2008 –

Focus is on indigenising the Indigenous Centre but not at whole of university level

2009 –

Discussions occur regarding training and mentoring Indigenous academics but still to be resourced and implemented Some programs beginning to be developed for professional staff

2008 –

Occurring in a few areas of UWS but is not consistent for all disciplines or for Badanami Centre

Centres for Educational Research and Cultural Research Centre

It is difficult to achieve greater research training for Badanami academic staff when Indigenous staff numbers are small and the release of staff, particularly academic, to complete postgraduate qualifications impacts the operations of Indigenous units where extra resources are not available to employ extra staff Discussions occurring between Badanami Centre and Teaching Development Unit for academics and it is noted, the IGA is currently included in the UWS Foundations of University Learning and Teaching Program (3-4 hours)

2009 –

Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education

2009 – 2010 –

Progress towards the development of a cultural awareness program for all UWS staff Refer pt. 6 above Refer to Rec. 2 pt. 4 above

2011 –

Co- teaching with Indigenous staff Opportunity is included in the Staff Agreements for staff training

2010 – 2011 2009 – 2012 UWS Staff Agreements

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Train senior management to support and work effectively with Indigenous staff and trainees 9 Create Indigenous staff awards which celebrate and reward the achievements and contributions of Indigenous academic and general staff Recommendations for: 5. Community Engagement 1 Create a Reconciliation Statement and/or a Reconciliation Action Plan which reflects the university’s Indigenous Education Strategy and commitment to meaningful engagement with local Indigenous communities and organisations 2 Establish mechanisms, cultural protocols and codes of conduct to guide the University in its engagement with Indigenous peoples and communities 3 Create formal structures, such as an Indigenous Advisory Committee, to obtain the views of local Indigenous communities on an on-going and regular basis 4 Establish procedures and protocols to ensure the inclusion of Indigenous Elders and community members in formal and ceremonial university occasions 5 Create campus environments which are culturally welcoming and inclusive of Indigenous cultures, such as prominent displays of Indigenous art and language and the

Some evidence of training/mentoring supervisory staff of Indigenous trainees at the general staff level

2009 –

Occurs to some degree – eg. the VC Ongoing Indigenous Staff Scholarship

Reconciliation Statement developed 2007 – 2008 as is the Indigenous Education Policy

Not consistent across the university – mainly established within the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education

UWS has established the Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) and the

2007 – ongoing

Indigenous Employment and Engagement Board

2008 – ongoing

Established protocols / Acknowledgement and Welcome to Country; Elders functions; Elder-inResidence position in Badanami Centre; Elders on Campus

2006 – 2007

Occurs at different times around significant events / times of year eg: Reconciliation Week; NAIDOC; Art displays; Flags on poles on each UWS campus

2006 – ongoing

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7

establishment of on-campus community events Display an “Acknowledgement of Country” in a prominent location on major university documents and marketing materials and university websites Create a centralised university website for information and Indigenous activities undertaken by the university that is easily accessible, well presented and regularly updated

Displayed on UWS website and in marketing materials

2006 –

Verbalised Welcomes to Country or Ongoing Acknowledgements of Country at significant events by Elders or senior staff in opening events Badanami Centre website established 2007 – and maintained Website for Indigenous Employment developed

2009 –

Badanami Centre acknowledges UWS’s commitment to achieving the stated goals and principles of its Indigenous Education Policy; to the continued development of the IGA into UWS courses through endorsement of the ICCF; to embedding Indigenous Education into UWS courses through the Strategic Learning and Teaching Plan; to the employment of key Indigenous senior managers and academics; and to the provision of an adequate resource base to achieve stated outcomes.

The continuation of UWS’s commitment to the IGA implementation and to an ICC Framework will ensure UWS achieves not only the embedding of an IGA into all UWS courses, but also the UA Recommendations under the five Guiding Principles of the ICC Framework.

It is recommended that the Academic Senate Education Committee take the findings of this Report and the recommendations to develop an action plan and implementation timeline to continue implementing the IGA in conjunction with the Guiding Principles for the Development of Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities.

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SECTION 8

Recommendations •

Relating to IGA Academic Survey Findings

It is recommended that an awareness campaign be conducted to improve overall levels of awareness of the IGA across the university Q1.

It is recommended that the level of employment category be analysed in greater depth Q1b.

It is recommended that the survey be taken again for the next three years to evaluate whether the number of academic staff aware of the IGA increases as it needs to, if implementation is to be successful Q2.

It is recommended that mechanisms are put in place in order that the remainder of staff become aware of and understand the importance and relevance of the IGA Q4.

It is recommended that all schools ensure that knowledge about the approach taken by the school is disseminated and discussed within school fora at regular intervals Q5.

It is recommended that better dissemination of information about the school’s processes for implementation and assessment of the IGA is required Q7.

It is recommended that greater attention is given to ensuring that all academic staff are aware of the IGA knowledge and skills and exactly how they are embedded within units and how they are being assessed Q8b.

It is recommended that the data is reconstructed in order to provide a better picture of where each school is placed with regard to its implementation responsibilities, and where the most support is required Q8b2.

It is recommended that a mechanism is put in place at the school level to bring together those interested in the process of implementation Q8c.

It is recommended that a mechanism be found so that all academic staff directly involved in implementing the IGA can communicate with each other across different schools, in order to share experiences, information and techniques Q8c.

It is recommended that resources are obtained for staff development in order to increase teacher confidence levels Q9.

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It is recommended that information about the IGA needs to be disseminated more widely and more often than it is at present in order to increase the number of people involved in the process Q9a.

It is recommended that mechanisms are found in order to make the Graduate Attributes more visible at the unit level Q9a.

It is recommended that more effort be put into staff development Q10.

It is recommended that financial resources are obtained to increase teaching confidence related to IGA implementation Q10.

It is recommended that mechanisms be put in place for discussion within schools about the approach taken to implement the IGA Q11.

It is recommended that mechanisms be put in place to continuously monitor the effectiveness of the approach Q11.

It is recommended that further research on the survey dataset take place to identify the three respondents who perceive implementation of the IGA to be very effective. It might then be possible to understand why effectiveness has been enhanced in these cases Q11.

It is recommended that the dataset be re-constructed in order to find out what modes of delivery worked best in which contexts Q12.

•

Relating to IGA Review process It is recommended that the school review process, itself, is reviewed to consider whether a more appropriate placement for discussion about the IGA can be found. Currently, it is discussed within the context of ‘Priority student cohorts’. It is difficult to see how such placement can ensure detailed discussion about IGA implementation efforts which are meant to address mainly non-Indigenous students (Section 4.4.7).

•

Relating to overall report

It is recommended that the university consider provision of adequate financial resourcing to schools and to the Indigenous centre to embed Indigenous content within the curricula.

It is recommended that Badanami Centre is resourced under an EFTSL funding model for the continued development and/or co-development and/or delivery and/or co-delivery of Indigenous content.

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It is recommended that the university considers providing internal funds consistent with the LTAP model to Schools and Badanami Centre in order to implement and evaluate the Learning and Teaching IGA Framework.

It is recommended that the university ensure provision of financial resourcing to employ Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics and administrative staff to support the teaching and administrative needs for future IGA implementation.

It is recommended that the university supports and mentors early career Indigenous academic staff through adequate financial resourcing.

It is recommended that the university consider how it will financially resource the continuation of Indigenous academics both within Badanami and the Schools to continue to implement the IGA and fulfil the commitment of the university to implement the Indigenous cultural competency initiative.

It is recommended that the university consider provision of financial resources to provide academic staff with workshops/educational sessions where Indigenous knowledge and skills can be acquired, along with options for implementing the IGA. It is recommended that the university consider provision of adequate financial resources to schools to ensure that workloads of academic staff incorporate attendance at workshops/educational sessions where Indigenous knowledge and skills can be acquired, along with options for implementing the IGA. It is recommended that all new units incorporate IGA generic skills within the development stage.

It is recommended that Student Feedback Unit surveys consider adding a direct question about the IGA. It is recommended that Student Course Entry and Exit surveys consider adding a question about the IGA (Section 5).

It is recommended that the university considers a research project to evaluate the perceptions of current and past Indigenous students in relation to the amount of Indigenous content that was delivered within their degree program and how they feel about the content in terms of it being appropriate and relevant from an Indigenous perspective.

It is recommended that the university considers a research study to evaluate the perceptions of Indigenous peoples in the GWS region about professional service delivery by UWS graduates both before and after implementation of the IGA.

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It is recommended that if the attainment of the generic skills and knowledge of the IGA are to be assessed, they need to be addressed specifically in unit assessment tasks directly related to learning outcomes (Section 4.3.6).

It is recommended that if the IGA is the vehicle through which improved professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians is to be achieved, then vigilance and continual review of progress is required (Section 4.3.6) It is recommended that the university considers the position of Badanami Centre within its academic structure by providing it with the legitimate academic status of a school.

It is recommended that the UWS Academic Senate Education Committee take the findings of this Report and the recommendations to develop an action plan and implementation timeline to continue implementing the IGA in conjunction with the Guiding Principles for the Development of Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities.

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SECTION 9

Financial statement

A financial statement acknowledging the funds expended during the course of the Project Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute (2009-2011), can be found below.

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124

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute Bibliography:

Anning, Berice. “Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into University Western Sydney’s (UWS) Courses.” Paper presented at the Indigenous Studies Indigenous Knowledge Conference 2009.

Anning, Berice. “Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into University Western Sydney’s (UWS) Courses” Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. 39 Supplement, 2010, 40-52.

Anning, Berice. “Project one: Phase two. Developing and incorporating Indigenous graduate attributes in academic and research programs at the University of Western Sydney”.

Unpublished report to Badanami Centre, University of Western Sydney. 2007.

Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA). Report of an Audit of University of Western Sydney, January 2007.

ABS Demography Unit Canberra, estimate from unpublished data as at 30 June 2006 based on

the

2006

census

cited

in

http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au/publications/2ways_indicators_pdf/Chapter_Three_240408. pdf (accessed November 4, 2011).

Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund: “UWS Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute, 1 January 2009 to 30 September 2009 Progress Report”.

Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund: “UWS Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute, 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010 Progress Report 2”.

Grote, Ellen. Principles and practices of cultural competency: A review of the literature.

Report to the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council. Canberra, Australia, 2008, 21-23.

McDaniel, Michael, “The UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute - Progress Report”, dated 28 October 2009. Distributed to the Indigenous Advisory Council 4 November 2009.

McDaniel, Michael, Berice Anning, Stuart Campbell and Geoff Scott. “Introduction of a UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute: A discussion paper”. April 2008.

McDaniel, Michael, Berice Anning, Stuart Campbell and Geoff Scott. “Introduction of a UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute: A discussion paper”. Final amended paper from 5 May 2008 meeting of Education Committee of Academic Senate, 2. Revised May 2008.

McDaniel, Michael and Berice Anning. “Advisory Paper on the Implementation of the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute”, dated 6 July 2009. Endorsed by Professor Stuart 125

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Campbell, Pro Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) and Professor Geoff Scott Pro Vice Chancellor (Quality).

McDaniel,

Michael.

“Graduate

Attributes/E-Portfolios

-

Advisory

Paper

on

the

Implementation of the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute”. 28 October 2009.

McDaniel, Michael, and Jacquie Widin. Audit of UWS Indigenous Related Activities AprilJuly 2007. A UWS Learning and Teaching Action Plan (LTAP) 2006-2008 Project.

LTAP project no: P7100.

Population distribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006 ABS Cat. No.

4705.0

cited

in

http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au/publications/2ways_indicators_pdf/Chapter_Three_240408. pdf (accessed November 4, 2011).

Schedule to Conditions of Grant, Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute, Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund, DEEWR, 2008.

Universities Australia, Bulletin 2011, “Key Decisions of the Universities Australia Plenary and Board Meetings, Plenary Meeting: Tuesday 8 November 2011 hosted by La Trobe University”.

Universities Australia, Guiding Principles for the Development of Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities, 2011.

UWS Indigenous Education Policy. http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00229

A Report prepared by Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in relation to Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute

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APPENDIX 1: UWS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE LEARNING & TEACHING FRAMEWORK (EARLY VERSION 2010).

For current version of the UWS IGA Learning & Teaching Framework please see the main report p. 60.

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute 2012 Appendix 1 UWS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE LEARNING & TEACHING FRAMEWORK (early version 2010) (Source: “1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010 Progress Report 2 Diversity and structural adjustment fund: UWS Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute”)

Indigenous Graduate Attribute Framework Framework Identifier 1 Commitment

Action

Accountability

Team

Identify the embedding of an Indigenous Graduate Attribute into UWS Policies and UWS Strategic Plans.

UWS Executive and Senior staff;

Committee members;

Key UWS committees

Senior Academic Managers; Dean, Indigenous Education

Endorsement of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute by UWS Academic Senate and Board of Trustees.

2 Structure

Identify relevant Academic Governance Committees and include Badanami Centre staff as members of these UWS academic committees; Include the levels of achievement of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute in all School Reviews.

UWS Senior Academic staff;

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team;

Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for SACs;

UWS academics;

College EAPCs;

School Review Committees.

APCAC; and Academic Senate.

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute 2012 3 Collaboration

4 Pedagogy

Identify courses and units where Indigenous content can be developed.

Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties;

Consult on teaching and learning strategies that identify Indigenous content; resources; delivery modes and models; assessment and review including student feedback.

Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for SACs;

Badanami Centre staff to attend and consult with UWS academic governance committees and each College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties.

APCAC;

Develop teaching and learning strategies that identify Indigenous content; resources; delivery modes and models; assessment and reviews including student feedback.

Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties;

Heads of Schools; Heads of Programs; Associate Deans Academic; Unit Coordinators;

College EAPCs;

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team.

Academic Senate; Dean, Indigenous Education.

Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for SACs;

Heads of School; Heads of Program; Associate Deans Academic; Unit Coordinators;

College EAPCs; APCAC;

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team;

Academic Senate;

Students.

Dean, Indigenous Education.

5 Guiding Principles

Identify principles relevant to teaching and learning that will develop cultural competency and professional capacity.

Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties;

Heads of Schools;

Dean, Indigenous Education;

Heads of Programs; Associate Deans Academic;

PVC-Learning and Teaching.

Unit Coordinators;

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute 2012 Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team; Students.

6 Implementation

Establish College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties to audit / assess level and number of Indigenous specific units and Indigenous content.

Develop and approve units that achieve the Indigenous Graduate Attribute.

Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties; Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for SACs;

Heads of Schools; Heads of Programs; Associate Deans Academic; Unit Coordinators;

College EAPCs; APCAC;

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team;

Academic Senate;

Students.

Dean, Indigenous Education.

7 Review

Identify review of Indigenous Graduate Attribute achievement in Terms of Reference for School and Course / Unit reviews.

Assess / evaluate all School’s Indigenous content, resources; delivery modes; assessment; student satisfaction of Indigenous content.

Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties; Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for SACs;

Heads of Schools; Heads of Programs; Associate Deans Academic; Unit Coordinators;

College EAPCs; APCAC; Academic Senate;

Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team;

Dean, Indigenous Education;

Students.

Chairs of School Review Committees.

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute APPENDIX 2: UWS SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY IGA REPORT 2012

Appendix 2 The School of Nursing and Midwifery IGA Report The School of Nursing and Midwifery’s current Bachelor of Nursing (BN) program (4642) was implemented in 2007. The curriculum included a discrete core unit specifically dedicated to investigating and discussing health issues related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The unit, known as Family Health Care: Health Issues and Australian Indigenous People (400756), was implemented in 2008 as part of the second year of the degree. This unit has also been undertaken since 2008 by students in the Bachelor of Nursing Graduate Entry (BNGE) (100 students/year). The unit delivers 3 contact hours of learning per week across the semester and directly contributes to meeting the University’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA). Annually, 700-800 undergraduate nursing students study this unit. In the four year period since implementation (2008-2011), 2800 – 3200 students have been exposed to the learning outcomes of this unit and graduate with the knowledge and skills to provide informed care and service delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

A Bachelor of Nursing Advanced (BNAdv.) program is also offered for students who achieve an ATAR above 90. These students undertake a core unit Family Health Care: Health Issues and Australian Indigenous People Advanced (400854) in their program schedule. The unit is an extension of the 400756 unit in the BN 4642 program. Essentially it provides these students with a clinical placement in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service, not offered to the other undergraduate student cohorts.

Many other core units within the BN, BNGE & BNAdv. programs also contribute indirectly to meeting the IGA through content and case studies reflective of the national health priorities. For example, the unit Family Health Care: Child and Adolescent Nursing (400760) delivers content area on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peri-natal health issues. The National Health Priorities regularly guide the selection of content and case studies to reflect contemporary practice in the above units.

In 2013, the School will implement a Bachelor of Midwifery (BM) (50 students) program for the first time and a revised Bachelor of Nursing program [4691] (around 900 students). The School also offers a Bachelor of Nursing Graduate Entry program [4692] (100 students) and a Bachelor of Nursing (Advanced) program [4693] (15 students). Conceptually the curriculum design of each of these programs reflects a more integrated approach in meeting the University’s IGA than previously. Thus rather than separate Indigenous content into one discrete unit, there is an integration of the history, culture, social and economic conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the three year program. This reflects each of the programs’ primary health care approach to improving the health of Indigenous communities through a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of health. The School engaged in extensive consultation via the Course External Advisory committee and the Council of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses (CATSIN) representative, together with the Director of the UWS Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, to ensure that appropriate content was located and addressed across the curriculum. This approach was also informed by the National Health Priorities and relevant reports on the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Students from each of these programs will participate in a shared unit known as Health in a Culturally Diverse Community (401009). This unit will be implemented in 2014 for the first time as part of the unit schedule for second year of the undergraduate programs. Approximately 50 midwifery and 900 undergraduate nursing students will participate in this shared, core unit. This unit, while acknowledging the culturally diverse community of the Greater Western Sydney region, also places a significant emphasis on content and case studies related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In the BN, BNGE and BN (Adv), this unit is supported by other units which directly contribute and consolidate the students’ knowledge and skills to deliver care and services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through major content and case studies. These units are: Primary Health Care in Action (401001); Professional Practice Experience 1 (401000); Professional Communication (401003); Professional Practice Experience 3 (401008); Health Variations 1 (401010); Health Variations 5 (401019) and Professional Practice Experience 5(401016). In the BM the core unit Health in a Culturally Diverse Community (401009) is directly supported by further shared units with the BN - Primary Health Care in Action (401001); Bioscience 1 (401002) , Professional Practice Experience 1(401000), Human

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Relationships & Life Transition (401005); Being a Professional Nurse or Midwife (401021). and the midwifery specific units Midwifery Practice Experience 1-4 (401033, 401035, 401038, 401042); Midwifery Knowledge 1 (401030); Midwifery Knowledge 2 (401032); Midwifery Knowledge 3 (401034); Complex Care 1(401036); Complex Care 2 (401039); Collaborative Care (401040); Midwifery Practice – Models of Care (401043).

Challenges The School has experienced a number of challenges in recruiting appropriately qualified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to lead the development and implementation of the discrete unit 400756 for the current undergraduate nursing programs (BN, BNGE, BNAdv). To-date we have not been able to stabilise this situation with a consistent appointment. Sourcing of appropriate tutors to support delivery of the unit is also problematic in terms of sufficient available for delivery across 3 campuses to service the number of tutorial sessions we have to offer to accommodate student numbers. This remains an ongoing challenge. Further, appropriate resources to support implementation may not always be available or known to the school. For example the Palliative Care Curriculum for Undergraduate project (PCC4U) has released interactive resources inclusive of vignettes related to care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are dying. Such a resource will enable a culturally appropriate approach and sensitive delivery of this topic to be undertaken by the School.

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Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute APPENDIX 3: UWS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IGA REPORT 2012

Appendix 3 School of Medicine IGA Report 2012

Name of Degree program/s

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

Name of unit/s in which the IGA (Indigenous content) knowledge and skills are embedded

Indigenous content knowledge and skills are developed throughout the five years of the MBBS program.

Foundations of Medicine 1 Foundations of Medicine 2 Integrated Clinical Rotations 1 Integrated Clinical Rotations 2 Integrated Clinical Rotations 3

This starts with an experiential cultural day at Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service (our first Indigenous Health partner) in the first semester of the program, and knowledge is embedded throughout the components of the course as the students progress through the program. This includes integration of content in lectures and problem based learning tutorials in Foundations of Medicine 1 and 2.

In Integrated Clinical Rotations 1, during the Medicine-in-Context component of the program, students undertake a workshop on Indigenous Health to support their awareness of the role of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and their relationship to other health and community services.

Each of these components builds to the Indigenous Health Attachment.

For student who undertake 12 months of training in a rural location (Bathurst or Lismore), their Indigenous Health placement is undertaken in a longitudinal pattern with Orange Aboriginal Medical Service, and multiple services in the Northern Rivers region.

The majority of students undertake a 5 week block placement, with the majority of students undertaking placement in rural NSW.

Across each of the Integrated Clinical Rotations 1, 2 and 3 – students undertake online learning modules – Scientific Streams, 15 in total. Each include a clinical case or question that relates to Indigenous health or an Indigenous patient.

Which year/s offered to students

The MBBS program is highly structured, and all students undertake key components.

No. of students taught

In 2012, there are 520 students in the MBBS program across the five years of the course.

Whether the IGA (Indigenous content) knowledge and skills have been directly assessed

The Indigenous Health Attachment is a core assessable component of the Integrated Clinical Rotations 3, in relation to both knowledge and skills. The assessment includes a 360 feedback from patients and staff at the services where students undertake their placements.

The knowledge components are also assessed progressively throughout the course.

Clinical placement – geographical areas and content areas covered i

In 2011, students undertook block placements at Bourke, Coonamble, Dubbo, Moree, Tamworth, Walgett, Wellington as well as Tharawal (Airds, Campbelltown) and Western Sydney (Mount Druitt).

In 2012, the network has been expanded to other Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across NSW. Partnerships and Agreements established with Indigenous communities and organisations

The School of Medicine has established partnerships with each of the services in which it places students.

Any general comment and / or challenges including staffing

The School has been fortunate in having a strong Indigenous Program Officer to forge relationships with services, in conjunction with our Rural Program Manager. Academic support has been provided in collaboration with key AMS’s with Jamie Newman, CEO of Orange Aboriginal Medical Service being appointed as fractional senior lecturer, and arrangements through Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service working with Dr Tim Senior, GP and Medical Advisor for the National Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health within the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

The School is now also moving to appoint a number of recently qualified Indigenous doctors to provide mentoring to Indigenous medical students and continue to develop the Indigenous Health curriculum.

Any reports/published papers to be included as references and as attachments in the Report.

Resources developed – students; library; community resources

Application for a LIMElight award – awarded to the School of Medicine for community engagement in November 2011. (attached)

Indigenous Health Attachment Handbook (attached)

The School receives funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to support its rural clinical school program, which include rural Indigenous Health placements.

The School has also been successful in being awarded funds from Health Workforce Australia that has enabled it to provide medical and teaching equipment to support services in hosting MBBS students.

University of Western Sydney School of Medicine

Year 5 Indigenous Health Attachment

Handbook 2012

For Supervisors and Students In ACCHO’s & AMS’s

SoM Indigenous Program 5th Year Coordinator Indigenous Program Officer Rural Programs Manger

Professor Brad Frankum Christine Carriage Jenny Akers

University of Western Sydney School of Medicine Supervisors and Services Guide - 5th Year Indigenous Health Attachment Guide for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation

Overview of the 5th Year Indigenous Health Attachment teaching program Welcome and thank you for participating in the University Of Western Sydney School Of Medicine 5th Year Indigenous health Attachments (IHA) teaching program. We appreciate the time and effort that community members put into making medical students welcome. We are certain that this will benefit communities in the future, as the next generation of doctors learns how to work effectively with Aboriginal people and communities.

The Year 5 Indigenous Health attachment has been developed with the underlying principle of engagement of students with the Aboriginal Community and to integrate cultural immersion and medical education. This program puts students in the heart of the Aboriginal community to experience Aboriginal health in urban, rural and remote settings and provides a practical experience in consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients in a culturally safe environment. This also provides a unique opportunity for students to observe the complex roles of Aboriginal Health Workers and to see multi-disciplinary health care in action.

The initial reason for the UWS SoM to undertake Indigenous Health attachments is to play an active role in addressing the health inequities in the Aboriginal community and to identify and assist in workforce development in rural and remote communities.

The indigenous Health attachment for Year 5 MBBS students is delivered in 5 week blocks, which give the MBBS student an opportunity to internalise the SoM Indigenous curriculum by firsthand experience learning through immersion, observing direct patient care delivered from the ground root services and working in and with Aboriginal communities. Students are introduced to the complexity of health care of families, communities and gain insight into patient-centred primary health care. Students can begin to appreciate the community and social supports available to Indigenous people, as well as the barriers and difficulties in accessing other health services Our ACCHO/AMS partners’ contribution is invaluable to this program and has been crucial to the development, delivery and advancements of the 5th Year Indigenous Health Attachment program.

To date there have been positive responses from all our partners and students, and the experiences have been beneficial and enlightening. The SoM is currently partnered with a number of AMS’s across NSW.

Program Aim The 5th Year IHA is to give a broad understanding of primary health care and the many roles of Aboriginal Medical Services and the importance of community control that contribution to health care delivery and services. Graduates should be able to: •

•

Apply a sound understanding of the role social and economic factors play in Aboriginal peoples’ experiences of health, disease, historical factors and the contributions made by Aboriginal community organisations to the care of patients.

To work collegially in inter-disciplinary settings to experience well coordinated, integrated, holistic health care delivery.

The learning objectives for this attachment are: At the end of this attachment, the student will: 1. Understand how to work effectively with Aboriginal people.

2. Understand the concept of Aboriginal community control and self determination.

3. Comprehend the range of services offered in an ACCHO and how it all connects.

The students have already learnt about diseases and treatments. Whilst this knowledge will be useful, the most important thing during their Indigenous health attachment is for them to learn to apply this knowledge and to work effectively with the community. Students will need to use their skills in listening, developing rapport and trust and allowing people to make and discuss decisions for themselves.

Most student training is based in hospital or mainstream general practice, so the model they have seen up to now is based around doctors being in charge. They may be expecting your service to be like a “normal” practice whose main workload is Aboriginal people, and so this is a great opportunity for them to learn and experience the importance of community control in a health service. This is an opportunity for you to give students a taste of an ACCHO as an employment option for the future.

All communities and services are different, so the School of Medicine will not lay down exactly what should happen for the student in the service. The most important thing is that the students get to chat with as many staff and community members as possible, and are navigated around the service, the community and the culture. This guide contains a menu of activities for the student, from which you can pick and choose as appropriate, or use them to do something different that fits in with what you do in your service. We know your community will make the students feel welcome If you have any questions about the attachment or the students, or if you have any concerns, then please contact? Cris Carriage c.carraige@uws.edu.au School of Medicine.

Learning Activities in Community: 1. Participate in as many of the programs as possible The student will benefit from being attached to all the programs your service runs, from health promotion programs, to men’s groups/women’s groups, to Link Up services Social and Emotional Well-Being programs. Students will benefit from speaking to those running the programs and speaking to community members using the programs. The wide variety of community programs run in ACCHOs which positively contribute to people’s health is important for medical students to understand that there are many important things that will have a beneficial effect on people’s health other than the medications that they are learning to prescribe.

2. Spend time in the Medical Clinic Time spent with the doctor/GP will be important, perhaps even with some time blocked out between patients for debriefing if that is at all possible. Once again, the key observation for the medical students is how the doctor works with and engages people in the community. Another important observation is about how the doctor fits in with the rest of the team in the ACCHO. Indeed, your service will be one of the most important School of Medicine attachments where

they can learn this. With this in mind, it will be good for the medical student to spend time working with the Aboriginal Health Workers, the nursing staff, and to spend time on reception and get a feel for the atmosphere in the waiting room.

3. Participate in Clinical Activities Medical students appreciate becoming involved in the care of people, and this is great learning for understanding the perspective of their Aboriginal patients in the future. Activities they may do in the service include: 

Take clinical measurements, like BP, pulse, height, weight, urine dipsticks, visual acuity etc.



Take a history – this could be a complete history, or concentrate on one or two particular sections. It is also important that the student understands the importance of hearing someone’s story, rather than just seeking the answers to the student’s pre-determined medical questions.



Practice asking in a sensitive way about social and emotional health, drug and alcohol history, sexual health.



Examine the patient in the light of the history to find relevant clinical signs



Perform all or part of a Health Assessment



Perform all or part of a GP Management Plan +/- Team Care Arrangement or a Mental Health Management Plan– particularly helpful would be allowing the student to agree goals with the patient, if possible, as this goes to the heart of working with someone, rather than doing things to them.

4. Practice using some common questionnaire Allowing the student to practice using particular questionnaires sensitively. Eg, K-10, AUSDIAB risk score, Mini-mental test.

5. Work with visiting specialists or allied health specialists visiting clinic It might even be possible to follow a single patient or family through multiple appointments in the service.

6. Working with the GP out of hours, or in VMO work at the hospital Allows the student to see the broad range of work done by a GP in the community, particularly a rural community.

7. Do home visits with Aboriginal Health Worker, Nursing or Medical staff if available This is an ideal opportunity, and privilege to be invited in to someone’s home. As always, the patient must consent to the student attending beforehand.

8. Link with other local services that you use, and spend time with these Allowing the student to see the range of services that can be called on to help people, and how important all the social and cultural factors are in determining health outcomes.

Supervisor Roles 1. Orientation For students to gain a full experience of the ACCHO and the community that you serve, we recommend that students be treated as a staff member of your organisation: The first day or two of the attachment should be spent orientating the students to the service and community.

• • • • • • •

Exchange contact details while students are in town for safety.

Introduction of student to the service, community and township Introduce to all staff Establish who their supervisor is and arrange regular meetings.

Sign in and out process and service hours of operation (sign in and out can be submitted as part of attendance records) Discuss student’s timetable for the next 5 weeks, projects and any meetings that they should attend.

Orientation to facilities, the kitchen/staff room, dress code and should they bring their own lunch? Where should students buy groceries, the local sporting groups, pools, clubs, best cafe etc

2. Cultural Immersion •

•

For students to experience cultural immersion they will need to get an idea of the local community, the local Aboriginal history, the language groups, the local country and significant sites, traditional food etc.

Community profile that make up the client base by the organisation, that could include challenges that related to their social, physical, and financial existence, as well as other information deemed to be relevant for students understanding the clients/patients of the AMS’s

3. Cultural Mentor •

A community member acts as a guide and a point of contact throughout the attachment, guiding the student on cultural knowledge and awareness in things they see happening.

4. Teaching sessions •

You might want to run particular teaching sessions for the student, on cultural aspects, or history, or based on particular topics (like depression, or the effect of the Stolen Generation) or on cases, either hypothetical or real people seen in the service.

5. Students working in the Organisation & Community • • • •

Determine whether clients need to give consent for students to participate in attachment activities and if necessary, obtain such consent from the client; Have the right to terminate any student who is not participating satisfactorily or safely in this attachment; Provide other learning opportunities for students to become familiar with the range of activities undertaken by the agency Assist student to understand the structure of an AMS’s, such as, information about the agency’s policies, standards, regulations, operating manuals, strategic plans and other such information relevant to student engaging in the attachment

• •

History, structure, vision statement, funding of the agency and the policy or political process that supports its existence We invited supervisors to give evaluative feedback on their experience with UWS students

6. Students working with GP within the clinic Note: The 5th year Medical Students working within the clinic will need to have supervision by a doctor when performing clinical procedures or assessment of patients as for part of the placements and overall immersion experience it is suggested that • • • • •

Provide access and orientation to all aspects of the practice and clinic Guide and facilitate learning and supervise contact with patients and staff Within the bounds of the practice facilities, provide opportunities to be directly involved in patient care Provide opportunistic clinical teaching, and where possible teaching sessions, on relevant topics We invited AMS Doctors to give evaluative feedback on their experience with UWS students.

7. Student Attendance requirements •

• • • • •

The School of Medicine has decided there will be NO leave granted from any Indigenous Health attachments in 5th Year. The only exception will be for emergency sick leave for a serious illness.

All students are expected to comply with your staff practices and required to do 35 hours per week.

All student absences from attachment should be negotiated with supervisor at the services convenience.

It is very important that student interact with community partners for the full 5 week period.

As this is an immersion program into Aboriginal Medical Service and Community.

The grading from this is an overall grading of this attachment. To pass this component, the student must have attended all the components of their attachment.

If the student have missed any activities, for example, through illness, they should have communicated this as early as possible and make arrangements to make up this time at some point in their attachments.

8. Students Project - To be up loaded to drop box on vUWS. Students are required to complete a project, which will be of use to the service. The importance of this is for the student’s ability in working collaboratively with the community and staff and not just the production of a document. You may have projects already available, some student will have an idea on a project or a project can present itself out of necessity or need. Services may wish to form a library of potential projects for the student to do. Small projects are better, so they can be completed during the attachment.

Student will need to keep a copy of the resource so that they can write up the process. However, discuss with the service any issues around ownership of the data, as the document may need to be returned to the service when it has been assessed.

9. 360 degree appraisal by total of 5 or more community members & staff . – To be up loaded to drop box on vUWS.

As part of the Indigenous health curriculum, we want medical students to become effective at working with Aboriginal communities. The only way of assessing this, is to ask members of the community and staff of the health service on how well the students did this. Therefore we would

be grateful for 5 or more staff/community to fill in the attached questionnaires. Students will need to give their supervisor copies of the 360 degree appraisal forms (minimum of 5) • •

Working with Community and Patients (see attached) Working with Colleagues and Staff (see attached)

If Supervisor could hand these forms out to 5 or more community and staff who have worked with the student and ask them to fill in the form (please see attached). Forms will need to be collected by the supervisor and feedback to the student; forms will need to be handed back to the students who will complete a self reflection on the 360 degree appraisal.

We are very grateful for your help in teaching the doctors of tomorrow (Adapted from 360 Degree appraisal for GP Registrars from London Deanery, UK).

Student responsibilities What you gain will be in direct proportion to what you put in the 5th Year IHA. You will need to work with your supervisors to identify and build on the learning opportunities related to your placements.

All students in Year 5 (both domestic and international) are required to spend 5 weeks in an Indigenous Service. We have a large cohort of students and only two Aboriginal Medical Services in the Greater West of Sydney so we have sought & gained placements all over NSW. Some are located in Sydney but most are located in rural and remote areas of NSW. Students who have chosen to spend 12 months in a rural location will do their IH attachment during that time.

Each Aboriginal Community and organisation is different; when you are in your placement you will have a supervisor to orientate you and will inform you about the community that you are working in.

Our experience so far has been that students really enjoy talking with Aboriginal people and find working in an Aboriginal Services challenging and exciting as most have not had that opportunity before.

1. In the week before you begin You must contact each of your supervisors in your designated Aboriginal Organisation. You will need to confirm the day and time for your first day at the practice/organisation, and ask them: 

Where the organisation is located and the best way to get there (e.g. train stations, parking);



Your will need to exchange mobile contact details if you are travelling rural for safety;



Who to contact when you arrive;



The required standard of dress (remembering that this may change depending on circumstances);



Any identification you need to bring with you;



Whether there is anything else that you need to do before arriving (eg vaccinations, criminal record check, immunisation card, working with Children Check).

2. Before the start of your attachment, also make sure you:      

Orientate yourself with the organisation and community which you have been assigned. If you are unsure, please contact Cris Carriage or Jenny Akers; Have read the Learning Guide ; Have appropriate clothing and footwear; Arrange suitable transport; Consider your learning needs for the attachment; Provide your emergency contact details to Debbie Condon

3. On your first day Begin with an open mind and a willingness to understand. Your attachment is an opportunity for you to experience firsthand the work of an Aboriginal Community and Health Service and to work out why Aboriginal community controls are so important in Aboriginal Health and Community.

In all probability the clients/patients you meet will present you with new perspectives on ways of doing and thinking how to communicate or deliver services. You may find this inspirational or a challenge. In either case, take this opportunity to learn about the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people and community.     

Be punctual and respectful – to clients, patients and staff Arrange a time to meet with your Supervisor to discuss your attachment learning goals and plan strategies to address these goals Show your supervisors that you can be trusted to see their patients/clients Actively participate in your orientation to the site by introducing yourself to all staff members and understanding their roles Ask about your partner’s networks and see if there are places that you can visit that will enhance your learning

4. Culturally/Community Mindfulness            

Respect and sensitivity is very important in every social structure in Aboriginal Communities, Elders and Kinship and the relationship to land in important Always address your patients as Mr and Mrs unless invited to address them as Aunty, Uncle or by first name Keep an open mind and open body language as sometimes it can be misinterpreted as closed off and not friendly Use clear uncomplicated language Do not use jargon Be mindful of potential language barriers Consult with Aboriginal staff within the service if unsure Do not continually ask a person to repeat themselves Be sensitive to offering assistance with reading and writing especially with elders Attend community open days and wherever possible attend functions in communities that you have been invited to Contact groups in the community to get to know the local Aboriginal community and gain some basic knowledge of the wider community you are engaging in.

Become involved in supporting local events and functions, If possible be part of organising activities in the community

5. During your attachments   

Seek out activities and ask questions. Your level of engagement in the attachment is not simply ‘doing as requested’.

Introduce yourself to clients/patients and be willing to participate in the work of the organisation.

Be critically involved in the work. Be alert to the underlying meanings of the events and situations you witness. What do they tell you about the health system or society more broadly? Identify the things that are working well, and analyse those aspects that you believe could be improved.

6. Attendance requirements The School of Medicine has decided there will be NO leave granted from any Indigenous Health attachments in 5th Year. The only exception will be for emergency sick leave for a serious illness.

It is very important that you interact with our community partners for the full 5 week period.

As you are expected to immerse yourself with the Aboriginal Medical Service and Community, role up your sleeves and work with staff and community of the AMS. Potential activities have been described on the previous page, and it is expected that the student will participate in all the activities organised for them. A form documenting their attendance is attached. We would appreciate your completing this form in consultation with a GP with whom the student has spent some time.

Assessment The 5th Year IHA is now online through vUWS, all materials can be down loaded and completed online and all completed assessment will need to be uploaded and submitted to the drop box within two weeks of finishing your attachment. Students are assessed on the following: 1. Punctual attendance (attendance sheet) at the service– to be up loaded to drop box vUWS Attendance should be signed off by your supervisor from the service on each day or if you are signing in out as part of the staff you may submit these records as part of an assessable item at the end of your attachment it will need to be submitted as part of your grading.

2. Opening reflection on Aboriginal Health and Community – to be completed online on vUWS To write down your knowledge and views of Aboriginal Health, what you’re expecting to encounter, what you would like to get out of this attachment.

3. Reflective Journal to be completed weekly – to be completed online on vUWS In your Reflective Journal you will write notes about what you see happening during your attachment or a program that you have participated in. Record of your experiences, thoughts, feelings and reflections on how this has affected or influenced you and what you have learnt - is it relevant to you and how you will use the new information/knowledge/skill/technique in the future.

4. Completion of a service project – to be up loaded to drop box on vUWS During your time in the community you are required to complete a project, which will be useful to the service. The importance of this is in working collaboratively with the staff and community, not just the production of a document.

5. 360 degree appraisal by total of 5 or more community members & staff. – To be up loaded to drop box through vUWS. As part of the indigenous health curriculum, we want medical students to become effective at working with Aboriginal communities. The only way of assessing this, is to ask members of the community and staff of the health service on how well the students did this. Therefore we would be grateful for 5 or more staff/community to fill in the attached questionnaires.

Students will need to give their supervisor copies 360 degree appraisal forms (minimum of 5) • •

Working with Community and Patients (see attached) Working with Colleagues and Staff (see attached)

If Supervisor could hand these forms out to 5 or more community and staff who have worked with the student and ask them fill in the form (please see attached). Forms will need to be collected by the supervisor and feedback to the student and forms handed back to the students or will complete a self reflection on the 360 degree appraisal.

Students should score accordingly and a mark will be determined on their effectiveness in communication with community and safety of the Aboriginal Health Services:

   

An Excellent student will score 8 or 9 on each assessment A Satisfactory student will score 3 or higher on all 5 assessments A Borderline student will score 1-2 on 2 assessments and 3 or more on 3 assessments An Unsatisfactory student will score 1 or 2 on all 5 assessments

1. 3600 Self Reflection – to be completed online vUWS The following questions may help in providing the feedback to the student, and help you think about how you can maintain and improve your performance in this area, however good your feedback was. If a student is receiving negative (though constructive) feedback in this area, it is likely that they are already aware of needing to improve in their engagement with people, and this will give them a real opportunity to improve. Please provide copies of the feedback to the medical school.

In providing feedback to the student, you might want to ask questions like:      

What are you expecting this feedback to say?

What areas do you do well?

What do you think you need to improve?

Are you surprised by any of this feedback?

What areas do you think you need to work on now?

How might you do this?

N.B. It is also worth noting that different people will score students differently, so it is not possible to compare scores across students or over time. The numbers will give an indication of how well an individual community member thinks a particular student worked with the community in their experience. The strength of this tool is in providing feedback for the student to improve their performance. The nature of these rating scales is that people will tend to be nice about students. Therefore, if someone does score a low score, this is worth investigating further, and should be drawn to the attention of the medical school.

6. Closing reflections on Aboriginal Health and Community - to be completed online on vUWS At the end of the attachment, look at your opening reflections, notes and reflect on your challenges, surprises, difficulties and advice you would give yourself after completing this attachment.

7. The Project During your time in the community students are required to complete a project, which will be of use to the service. The importance of this is your ability in working collaboratively with the community and staff within the services, not just the production of a document.

Many services have some projects that they would like to do, but no-one with time to do them; students may well be able to assist with this. Services may wish to form a library of potential projects for the student to do. Small projects are better, so they can be completed during the attachment.

You will need to keep a copy of the resource as you will need to write up the process.

However, discuss with the service any issues around ownership of the data, as the document may need to be returned to the service when it has been assessed.

Suitable ideas for a project might include: 

Producing a community profile (See appendix for example) - Consult the community to produce a written description of your local community



Produce a local resource directory Consult the community to develop a directory of local services for the community



Perform an audit of a clinical treatment, to inform ways of improving care



Quality improvement activity – eg PDSA cycle: Work to improve a process in the service, using the cycle Plan, Do, Study, Act (If your service has participated in the Australian Primary Care Collaborative, this will be clear, otherwise do not worry too much about this methodology!)



Educational intervention for staff/community: Develop an educational resource for staff or patients on an issue identified with the service



Chronic disease management: Work to develop an aspect of chronic disease management in the service, such as a disease register, recall systems or information management. Often the aspects of organising care over time, rather than thinking about an individual consultation, is a new concept for medical students.

Criteria for Marking The 5th Year Indigenous Health Attachment is now online through vUWS, students are assessed on the following: Check List

 Attendance record – uploaded to drop box vUWS  Opening reflection on Aboriginal Health and Community - to be completed online vUWS  Closing Reflection on Aboriginal Health and Community - to be completed online vUWS  Reflective Journal to be completed weekly – to be completed online vUWS  Completion and write up of process of Project – uploaded to drop box vUWS  360 degree appraisal by total of 5 or more community members & staff - uploaded to drop box vUWS

 360 degrees self reflection – to be completed online vUWS The criteria for marking all assessment will be against the learning objectives of this attachment and will be assessed by staff from the School of Medicine including, conjoint staff from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.

This will be identified through their statements, the students demonstrate a capacity to observe, engage and reflect on working with Aboriginal people and the organisation.

Excellent students will demonstrate an ability to view the service from the perspective of Aboriginal people using the service and see how their own behaviour influences the way people engage with a service.

Unsatisfactory students will be judgmental about how people engage with the service and will not demonstrate any reflection on their own behaviour.

Assessing Projects: Excellent projects will state the reason this project was chosen and have a clear objective. The benefit to the community will be clearly described and the methods used to engage the community will be clearly described. The methods, results and outcomes, will be clearly described.

Unsatisfactory projects will have no clear goal or reason for being done, and will have been done without reference to the community. The methodology and/or results will be unclear with no clear outcome as a result of the project.

The student will need to submit a copy of the project to drop box on vUWS. Consider issues around ownership of the data, and discuss this with the student, with an explanation, as this will be an important learning point for the student.

All assessment materials will need to be submitted on vUWS two weeks after your attachment ends

Appendix

Working with Community and Patients To be uploaded to drop box on vUWS University of Western Sydney School of Medicine Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service Attachment 360 Degree Assessment As part of the indigenous health curriculum, we want medical students to become effective at working with Aboriginal communities. The only way of assessing this, is to ask members of the community themselves how well the students did this. Therefore we would be grateful if 5 or more community members who have spent some time with the student would complete these questions, and hand it back to the supervisor of the attachment. We are very grateful for your help in teaching the doctors of tomorrow. (Adapted from 360 Degree appraisal for GP Registrars from London Deanery, UK) Student name

Supervisor

Your name Your position Date Please circle the appropriate level of performance

Working with Community and Patients 1 •

2

Discourteous, Inconsiderate of patients views, dignity & privacy. Unable to reassure, subject of repeated complaints.

3

4

5

6

7

Courteous & polite, communicates well with patients, shows appropriate level of emotional involvement in the patient and family. Respects privacy & dignity. Community and patients participate in decision making.

Please add any other comments or feedback you wish to make below.

8

9

Excellent manner, able to anticipate patient’s emotional and physical needs and plans to meet them. Explains clearly and checks understanding. Full involvement of community and/or patient in decisions.

Working with Colleagues and Staff To be uploaded to drop box on vUWS University of Western Sydney School of Medicine Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service Attachment 360 Degree Assessment As part of the indigenous health curriculum, we want medical students to become effective at working with Aboriginal communities. The only way of assessing this, is to ask members of the community themselves how well the students did this. Therefore we would be grateful if 5 or more community members who have spent some time with the student would complete these questions, and hand it back to the supervisor of the attachment. We are very grateful for your help in teaching the doctors of tomorrow (Adapted from 360 Degree appraisal for GP Registrars from London Deanery, UK).

Student name

Supervisor

Your name Your position Date Please circle the appropriate level of performance

Working with colleagues and staff 1

2

Unable / refuses to communicate with colleagues. Can’t work to common goal, argues.

3

4

5

6

7

Listens to colleagues– accepts the views of others.

Flexible– ability to change in the face of valid argument. Respects different roles in service.

Please add any other comments or feedback you wish to make below.

8

9

Able to bring together views for a common goal. Team goal is put before personal agenda.

Contributes to service.

Appendix

Community Assessment – 360 Degree Reflective Feedback The main focus in this attachment is on working well with people in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. The only people who are able to judge this are the community members themselves. Therefore, as part of your assessment, we are asking at least 5 community members or staff to give feedback on the form on the next page about how well you interacted. This should be done by week 6 of your 8 week attachment. These will be collated by the supervisor and your supervisors will feedback a summary to you.

When you get the feedback complete the reflections over the page.

Was there anything in the feedback that surprised you?

What did you do well? How can you keep doing this?

What might you need to change to improve the way you work with Aboriginal people and communities? How might you do this?

Please submit a copy of this page together with the 360 degree appraisal forms to

To be completed on vUWS Student Name_________________ Service______________________ Supervisor_______________ Opening Reflections – to be completed online in vUWS Before you start your attachment, answer the following questions Write down what you already know about Aboriginal Health. What are you expecting to encounter during this attachment?

Write down what you’d like to get out of this attachment. What enthusiasms do you have that might influence your choice of project, or time in the service and community?

Reflective Journal – This is to be completed online in vUWS This is to be completed weekly Reflective Journal – Week from______ to__________ Attended_________________________ Signature of service representative

What activities did you take part in?

What have you observed? What surprised you?

What did you get out of this activity?

What strategies did you see being used to engage people?

What will you try to do differently as a result of what you saw?

Closing Reflections - This is to be completed online in vUWS At the end of the attachment, look back at your opening reflections and your notes during the term.

Was there anything in your opening reflections that has been challenged? Did anything surprise you?

What was the most difficult part? How could you manage similar situations in the future?

What advice would you give yourself now you have completed the attachment?

Student Name_________________ Service______________________ Supervisor_______________ Attendance Record Date

Activity

Present

Comments

2011 LIMELIGHT AWARDS NOMINATION FORM LIME CONNECTION IV Medical Education for Indigenous Health: Building the Evidence Base

29 November – 1 December 2011 Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand

KEY DATES LIMElight Applications will close on 26 August 2011 Winners will be announced on 30 November 2011 at the LIME Connection IV Dinner

LIME OVERVIEW The Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network is a Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ) Project hosted by the Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit within the Melbourne School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne, sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

The LIME Network is a dynamic network dedicated to the development, delivery and evaluation of high quality and effective Indigenous health content in medical education.

The project encourages and supports collaboration within and between medical schools in Australian and New Zealand. It seeks to build multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral linkages and provide quality review, professional development, capacity-building and advocacy functions. LIME also furthers best practice in the recruitment and retention of Indigenous medical students.

The LIME Network recognises and supports the primacy of Indigenous leadership and knowledge.

CONNECTION INFORMATION The fourth biennial LIMECONNECTION will be held in Auckland, Aotearoa/ New Zealand from 29 November – 1 December 2011.

This year’s Connection will focus on Medical Education for Indigenous Health: Building the Evidence Base. Specifically, the Connection will address leading approaches to the inclusion of Indigenous health into medical education and will showcase the growing body of evidence that illustrates the relationship between medical education and Indigenous health outcomes.

The Connection will provide an opportunity to discuss and critique current practices and explore emerging tools and techniques to drive improvement in outcomes for Indigenous health and aims to encourage information sharing, professional development, capacity-building and networking amongst peers.

The LIMECONNECTION seeks to support collaboration between medical schools and to build linkages with those from other health disciplines. The LIMElight Awards, which acknowledge and celebrate the many successes in the field, will be presented at LIMECONNECTION. Keynote speakers include experts in Indigenous health and medical education from Australia, New Zealand and Hawai’i. The target audience includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous medical educators, Indigenous health specialists, medical specialists, policy makers, students and community members.

LIMECONNECTION IV is being hosted by the University of Auckland and the University of Otago and is held under the auspices of Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand, the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association and Te Ohu Rata O Aotearoa (Te ORA) Māori Medical Practitioners Association of Aotearoa.

2011 LIMELIGHT AWARDS NOMINATION FORM

The LIMElight Awards are given in recognition of the significant and outstanding work staff, students and medical schools undertake in the teaching and learning of Indigenous health in medical education, as well as Indigenous student recruitment. These awards acknowledge an innovative programme or initiative which addresses critical issues, brings people together collaboratively and implements an innovative solution.

The Awards are held in conjunction with LIME Connection IV – the Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) biennial conference. The award winners will be announced at the LIME Connection Dinner on 30 November, in Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Nominations close Friday 26 August 2011 Email your submission to: lime-network@unimelb.edu.au

Award Categories Nominations for each category may be for an individual or organisation, apart from the Leadership and Student award, which are awarded to an individual.

1. Leading innovation in curriculum implementation By nomination or application 2. Leading innovation in Indigenous student recruitment, support and graduation By nomination or application 3. Leading innovation in community engagement* By nomination or application 4. ‘LIMElight Leadership Award' for outstanding leadership by an individual** By nomination only 5. Student Award** By nomination only * The Leading Innovation in Community Engagement award application must include a statement/ letter of support from the community named, or involve the co-nomination of an involved community member. **The Leadership and Student awards applications must be nominated and seconded, be supported by a CV and include a submission on why this person is an outstanding leader.

Please complete one form per category.

The awards will be judged by an independent panel.

For further details please visit http://www.limenetwork.net.au/content/lime-connection-iv.

Nominee / Applicant Details Name: Indigenous Health Attachment Year 5 University/Organisation: University Of Western Sydney Address: UWS School of Medicine Locked Bag 1797 Penrith South NSW 1797 Email: j.akers@uws.edu.au Phone: (02) 46 203 600 Award Category: Leading Innovation in Community Engagement

Nominator (1A) Contact Details: Name: Christine Carriage Position: Indigenous Program Officer University/Organisation: University of Western Sydney – School of Medicine Email: c.carraige@uws.edu.au Phone: 0414017374

Nominator (1B) Contact Details: Name: Jenny Akers Position: Rural Program Manager University/Organisation: University of Western Sydney Email: j.akers@uws.edu.au Phone: 0405 193 703

Nominator (2) (‘seconder’) Contact Details: Name: Professor Brad Frankum Position: Professor of Clinical Education & Acting Deputy Dean University/Organisation: University of Western Sydney Email: clinical-educn@uws.edu.au Phone: (02) 46203600

Details of reasons for nomination / application (approx. 200 words per criteria) How has the nominee contributed to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander or Māori Medical Education?

The Year 5 Indigenous Health attachment has been developed with the underlying principle of engagement of students with the Aboriginal Community and to integrate cultural immersion and medical education. This program puts students in the heart of the Aboriginal community to experience Aboriginal health in urban, rural and remote settings and provides a practical experience in consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients in a culturally safe environment. This also provides a unique opportunity for students to observe the complex roles of Aboriginal Health Workers and to see multi-disciplinary health care in action. This whole program would not have been possible without the truly generous response from the Aboriginal Medical Services.

UWS School of Medicine (SoM) has made a decision to strive to ensure that all of our medical graduates will be well trained in Indigenous Health.

What particular circumstances differentiate the winning nominee from others?

The initial reason for the UWS SoM to undertake Indigenous Health attachments is to play an active role in addressing the health inequities in the Aboriginal community and to identify and assist in workforce development in rural and remote communities.

The indigenous Health attachment for Year 5 MBBS students is delivered in 5 week blocks, which give the MBBS student an opportunity to internalise the SoM Indigenous curriculum by firsthand experience learning through immersion, observing direct patient care delivered from the ground root services and working in and with Aboriginal communities. Students are introduced to the complexity of health care of families, communities and gain insight into patient-centred primary health care. Students can begin to appreciate the community and social supports available to Indigenous people, as well as the barriers and difficulties in accessing other health services Our ACCHO partners’ contribution is invaluable to this program and has been crucial to the development, delivery and advancements of the 5th Year Indigenous Health Attachment program.

To date there have been positive responses from all our partners and students, and the experiences have been beneficial and enlightening. The SoM is currently partnered with 9 AMS’ across NSW. In 2011 a total of 86 students were placed, in 2012 our total number of students will be 104 and this will increase to 129 in 2013. This represents all students in our MBBS course. We are currently negotiating to increase the number of our AMS partners to a maximum of 20.

Outline the nominee’s demonstrated interest and experience in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander or Māori health.

The design of the Year 5 Indigenous Health Attachment has been supported by the Dean of the SoM, Professor of Clinical Education and the School of Medicine Indigenous Committee. The practical rollout of the placements is driven by the Indigenous Programs Officer, the Acting Rural Program Manager, a GP academic working in partnership with the local AMS, with substantial advice from CEOs and Practice Managers in our partner AMS’s.

Assessments for the attachment are designed to be useful for both the service and student.

Students are assessed on attendance, Pre and Post reflection on Aboriginal health and Community, Journals entries, 3600 appraisal and their project. Practice Managers and CEO design a plan for the 5 week placements that includes cultural and community orientation and the day to day activities during the attachment.

The project is assessed on its usefulness to the service and the extent of collaboration with the community, not just the production of a document. Projects will state the reason for the project and have a clear objective and outline the benefits to the community. Both the aims and the

methods used to engage the community will be clearly described. A number of highly useful projects such as identifying patients at risk of osteoporosis have already been instigated.

Describe the nominee’s commitment to improving Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander or MÄ ori health in the future.

The School of Medicine has a long term commitment to our ACCHO partners and has invested into further partnership development, Aboriginal communities and health and will provide experience and expertise of staff and students to expand our understanding so that we can further build strong, viable relationships with our ACCHO partners, and their local communities. The SoM encourage AMSs to have Memorandum of Understanding with us, and provide a back to base support for both supervisor and students for strengthening our commitment. Organisations may call in anytime, with most contact during teaching sessions.

We are open to ACCHOS needs and suggestions; we will always look for opportunities to assist with professional support and development, we will assist in service delivery and identify and address issues that affect the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

This is also an opportunity for our ACCHO partners to encourage and nurture students, who might consider future working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, which could in turn assist in building the ACCHO workforce further.

Why is this nominee an outstanding leader?

(Only to be completed for Leadership and Student Awards nominations) N/A

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION OF THIS FORM: LIME Project Team 4/207 Bouverie Street, University of Melbourne, VIC, 3000.

Email: lime-network@unimelb.edu.au Phone: +61 3 8344 0828 Fax: +61 3 8344 0824 Web: www.limenetwork.net.au Nominations & Applications for the LIMElight Awards close COB Friday 26 August 2011.

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute 2012 APPENDIX 4: UWS COLLEGE OF ARTS WORKING PARTY REPORT 2010

Appendix 4

College of Arts Indigenous Graduate Attribute Mapping As outlined in the Advice to Schools, Schools in the former College of Arts are in the process of implementing the Indigenous Graduate Attribute through varying strategies 1. Development of an Indigenous Studies major. It is anticipated that this will comprise a series of units developed and delivered by Badanami and located within a College of Arts (CoA) course or other UWS courses where students choose units or sets of units to complete their degrees. Other Indigenous units across the University may also count towards a student‟s completion of an Indigenous Studies major.

The Indigenous Australian Studies Major and Sub-major were identified as available as electives for students studying in all major undergraduate degrees in the College of Arts. Availability statements were included in the 2011 and subsequent years Handbook entries, UAC Undergraduate entries and in each related UWS Area of Study brochure ie for Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Science, Bachelor of Community Welfare, Bachelor of Tourism Management, Bachelor of Policing, Bachelor of Communication, Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication), Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Psychology.

In 2011, the Indigenous Australian Studies Major and Sub-major were included as identified majors in the Bachelor of Arts.

2. Development of School owned Indigenous units which are professionally focussed units.

The School of Humanities and Communication Arts has three units:  101685 Indigenous Australian History  101872 Australian Indigenous History from Federation to Reconciliation  101409 Indigeneous Cultural Texts

1

The School of Social Sciences has:  101600 Indigenous Cultures and Tourism: A Global Perspective The School of Education developed an  Indigenous Studies module in 101577 Classrooms Without Borders 3. In addition to dedicated units Schools and courses will be asked to identify areas in which Indigenous content can be scaffolded into other units. This may involve a combination of guest lectures, case studies, reference material, field-visits, assignments, learning through community service, etc.

Schools in the College of Arts completed a mapping of Undergraduate (UG) units in which Indigenous content and/or resources exist. This was completed in March / April 2010 – see attached.

A further mapping of the type of content was completed for one core unit in each major undergraduate degree in October 2010.

2

College of Arts Indigenous Graduate Attribute: Core Units October 2010 SCHOOL: Humanities and Languages Program

Contemporary Society (100960)

Communication

Social and Cultural

Leadership and Partnership

Evidence Type

Knowledge Base

(List type of evidence ie Outcome, Content, Learning Experience or Assessment Task (lecture, tutorial, reading, activity)

Appreciate the culture, experiences and achievements of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging an Australian identity inclusive of Indigenous Australians

Communicate ethically and effectively within Indigenous Australian contexts

Understand and engage effectively with the culturally and socially diverse world in which they live and will work

Understand the circumstances and needs of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging responsibility in raising the standard of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians; possess a capacity to engage and partner with Indigenous Australians

Outcome in Learning Guide (LG): Students will: - Develop their ability to analyse social structures, the cultural practices and discourses;

Embedded elements of Indigenous issues and culture in cross section of topics rather than a stand alone topic.

Lectures and reading identify Indigenous leadersâ€&#x; writing about cultural issues relevant to issues within our contemporary society.

This unit: - Provides students with a range of perspectives we can use to understand the world around us as well as human

The subject focuses on the social construction of racism, class and prejudice: the role of media and historical texts in marginalizing groups of people including Indigenous

3

- Develop a variety of ways of analysing social problems; - Develop the capacity to apply general methods of analysis & key concepts to real-life issues; - Enhance their learning and communication skills; and - Develop skills in the critical analysis of academic and popular texts that interpret our world.

Learning Experience:  Lectures (1 hr/wk)  Tutorial (1 hr/wk) Assessment Task:  Lectures and readings on race, racism, power, environment, social movements and nation-hood have embedded Indigenous element  Essay (2010) on issues of race and nationhood in

-

-

behaviour; Provides a theoretical grounding in the central concepts and methods of social theory; and Enables students to reflect on everyday issues they are likely to encounter and apply social theory and research methods directly to these practical problems.

Australians is discussed.

Students are given an array of tools to confront these issues

The aim is to contextualise contemporary issues

4

Australia.

Australia and the World (100958)

Students will demonstrate: - understanding of Australia as part of a worldwide process of European settler colonisation, - struggles of space and land on the Australian continent, - how Australia has been populated and debates over migration policy, - command of multiple skills especially through the development of literacy and research skills, - demonstrate comprehensive, coherent and connected knowledge of both the origins of Australian society

Embedded elements of indigenous issues and culture in a cross section of topics rather than a stand alone topic

This unit provides students with a range of perspectives on the historical development of Australia, its political system and place in the world.

The unit highlights the technologically advanced nature and daring of Australian Aborigines when “colonisers� arrived in Australia. It deals with a range of issues associated with racism in Australia, including the Indigenous experience.

Thus it undercuts negative stereotypes and raises awareness of Indigenous circumstances and needs and equips students to participate in tackling them.

5

and Australiaâ€&#x;s international relations Learning Experiences - Lectures (1 hr/wk) - Tutorial (1 hr/wk) Assessment task - Lectures and readings on the peopling of Australia before European settlement have embedded indigenous elements - Essay on racist discourse in Australia

6

SCHOOL: Psychology Program

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology); Bachelor of Psychology, Graduate Diploma of Psychology 101184: Psychology Human Behaviour

Social and Cultural

Leadership and Partnership

Evidence Type

Knowledge Base

Communication

(List type of evidence ie Outcome, Content, Learning Experience or Assessment Task (lecture, tutorial, reading, activity))

Appreciate the culture, experiences and achievements of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging an Australian identity inclusive of Indigenous Australians

Communicate ethically and effectively within Indigenous Australian contexts

Understand and engage effectively with the culturally and socially diverse world in which they live and will work

Understand the circumstances and needs of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging responsibility in raising the standard of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians; possess a capacity to engage and partner with Indigenous Australians

Outcome (as in LG): * Recognise the key theoretical concepts and major empirical findings in the domains of psychology covered in the unit: [including] Indigenous and cultural psychology... * Identify issues of Indigenous and intercultural diversity associated with mental health.

Learning Experience:  Lectures (4 hrs): delivered by lecturer with experience and expertise working with indigenous communities  Tutorial activity (1 hr)

Learning outcomes and associated content emphasise importance of Indigenous culture (past and present) within psychology, not just emphasising negative psychological issues within each topic Lecture provides background about cultural issues and challenges myths Essay topic emphasises cultural sensitivity in psychological practice

Lectures and reading identify Indigenous contexts relevant to psychology and cultural issues relevant to communicating with members of Indigenous communities (eg ethical ways of conducting research with Indigenous communities)

Essay topic emphasises cultural sensitivity in psychological practice and an appreciation of diverse understandings of “intelligence” across cultures, with a focus on Indigenous cultures Lectures explore cultural competence, Indigenous contexts in psychology, and the application of psychological

Lectures review how cultural contexts influence psychological needs of Indigenous Australians and possible ways of addressing these, and covers ethical ways of collaborating with Indigenous communities (eg in conducting research)

7

101681: Abnormal Psychology Bachelor of Arts (Psychology); Bachelor of Psychology, Graduate Diploma of Psychology

Unit: 101682 Developmental Psychology Bachelor of Arts (Psychology); Bachelor of Psychology, Graduate Diploma of

Assessment Task:  Essay (2010) on cultural bias in intelligence testing with Indigenous Australians; readings associated with this topic are provided  Multiple choice exam includes relevant questions

and an appreciation of diverse views of “intelligence” across cultures, with a focus on Indigenous Australians Exam assesses relevant knowledge base delivered in lectures

principles with Indigenous communities Tutorial activity focuses on stereotyping and ways of reducing prejudice

Outcome (as in LG): * “Acquire an understanding of Indigenous issues related to abnormal psychology” Learning Experience:  Lectures: individual topics include reference to Indigenous Australian contexts where relevant  Readings: Assigned textbook (Australian edition) includes coverage of issues relating to Indigenous Australians and mental health Exam: Multiple choice exam includes relevant questions Outcome (as in LG): * Appreciate an understanding of matters related to child protection, Indigenous and cross-cultural issues in psychology [in the context of developmental psychology] * Handbook: “An understanding of Indigenous development is integrated into the unit alongside an appreciation of richness in

Lecture information provides context for mental health issues where relevant Readings cover relevant mental health issues such as issues associated with aging, psychosocial issues, alcohol use Exam assesses relevant knowledge base delivered in lectures

Readings outline psychosocial challenges associated with cultural contexts of mental health, such as those with Indigenous Australian communities

Readings and lecture material covers challenges associated with appropriate mental health assessment of Indigenous Australians

Lectures: specifically cover diversity across Indigenous communities, as well as Australian cultural diversity inclusive of Indigenous communities.

Coverage of personal beliefs and assumptions and

Lectures introduce how to work collaboratively and respectfully with Indigenous Australians (eg consultation, permission from elders) as well as key ideas for service delivery in a professional context

Learning outcomes and related curriculum content emphasises current research and major theoretical frameworks including cross-cultural and indigenous issues.

Lecture: Covers cultural competence in working with

Lectures and readings outline appropriate means of communicating within an Indigenous Australian context (eg consulting elders) and ethical issues in research Exam: covers relevant issues

8

Psychology

diversity within various cultural contexts”.

Learning Experience:  Lecture (1 hr): delivered by lecturer with experience and expertise working with Indigenous communities  Tutorial activity (1 hr): developed in consultation with Indigenous psychologist Assessment Task:  Investigative studies: option includes reflective aspects with regard to Indigenous Australian culture and development (assessment developed in consultation with Badanami staff)  Multiple choice exam includes relevant questions Set readings: Relevant assigned readings on Indigenous children

indigenous communities Tutorial: Video presentation of experience of Indigenous ways of living. Discussion around impact of relevant cultural issues on psychological development.

Investigative studies: topics emphasise cultural sensitivity in understanding Indigenous issues in a developmental context Exam assesses relevant knowledge base delivered in lectures

regarding communication

impact of these on working with Indigenous communities.

Tutorial activity: appreciation of key aspects of traditional Indigenous Australian society, creative activity to demonstrate understanding of and promote cultural aspects. Discussion of impact of stereotypes and prejudice on development Investigative studies: appreciation of Indigenous contexts with respect to children‟s literature

9

SCHOOL: Communication Arts (List type of evidence ie Outcome, Content, Learning Experience or Assessment Task (lecture, tutorial, reading, activity))

Learning Experience

Bachelor of Communication (1613)/Bachelor of Communication Studies (1614)

Appreciate the culture, experiences and achievements of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging an Australian identity inclusive of Indigenous Australians

Communicate ethically and effectively within Indigenous Australian contexts

Recommended reading and/or Assessment tasks (varies according to unit and student)

Readings and selection of areas within assessment tasks

Understand and engage effectively with the culturally and socially diverse world in which they live and will work

Readings: Students in the Journalism major are expected to respect the various industry Codes of Ethics and Codes of Practice, some of which contain specific guidelines on the coverage of Indigenous issues.

Assessment: Many of the assessment tasks in the practice-based units in the Communication majors allow students to select their own topic for a journalistic story, video, campaign

Understand the circumstances and needs of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging responsibility in raising the standard of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians; possess a capacity to engage and partner with Indigenous Australians Some media organisations, including the ABC and SBS, have specific internships and training positions for Indigenous candidates. An ABC executive gives a guest lecture to Journalism students each year and covers this.

Indigenous students are made aware of these opportunities and directed towards them.

10

etc. Some students select topics with an Indigenous focus. We have no data on this beyond anecdotal.

Internship: Students select their own placements in the 3rd year Internship unit and some undertake placements at Indigenous organisations or organisations with an Indigenous focus.

Again, we have only anecdotal data here.

11

SCHOOL: Social Science (List type of evidence ie Outcome, Content, Learning Experience or Assessment Task (lecture, tutorial, reading, activity))

BSocSc – Core Unit –

Lecture and reading

Geographies of Social Difference 101556 Lecture and reading

Lecture

Appreciate the culture, experiences and achievements of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging an Australian identity inclusive of Indigenous Australians

Communicate ethically and effectively within Indigenous Australian contexts

Understand and engage effectively with the culturally and socially diverse world in which they live and will work

Indigenous and invasion geographies (Waitt et al, 157 – 199) on Indigenous and invasion geographies of Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand Reading social difference in the landscape (Winchester, et al (2003) Landscapes: ways of imagining the world Ch 2.

To be conversant with Indigenous welcome protocols.

Indigenous knowledges and perspectives on the land. Post-colonial takes on Australia

Methods for reading the landscape for Indigenous presence

Australia‟s migration story: flows and migrant fortunes

To acknowledge that the first migration to Australia was Australia‟s Indigenous people at

To be able to demonstrate that Indigenous Geographies are a core layer in the landscape, and that this can remain perceptible today To see Indigenous culture as a core component of Australia‟s cultural history

Understand the circumstances and needs of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging responsibility in raising the standard of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians; possess a capacity to engage and partner with Indigenous Australians Welcome to, and acknowledgement of, country by Uncle Greg Sims and Auntie Margaret Gonez

Respect for Indigenous Australians as first nations people

12

least 40000 BP

Tutorial and reading

Examination. Multiple choice and open response

Re-making Redfern / Waterloo: stakeholder perspectives. Shaw, W.S. (2000) “Ways of Whiteness: Harlemising Sydney‟s Aboriginal Redfern”, Australian Geographical Studies, 38, pp 291-305.

Knowledge of Indigenous issues, history, perspectives, and also colonial concepts (terra nullius) and „white-washing‟.

To acknowledge the persistence of Indigenous and invasion geographies

Awareness of the presence of Indigenous issues and people within the contemporary city (not just the bush)

13

Tutorial content includes: „self & identity‟: „prejudice & discrimination‟.

Assessment Task based on tutorial content: Scholarly Learning Journal.

Content includes different perceptions of „self‟, including „independent‟ and „interdependent‟. Indigenous „interdependence/collectivism‟ is discussed.

The Individual in Society 101557

Prejudice & Discrimination includes a reading on how „false beliefs‟ about Indigenous Australians promote prejudice.

Lecture on: Language, communication and culture.  Communicaiton, language, nonverbal communication  Self, identity and culture, social processes and cultural variations This lecture includes critical analysis of the applicability of „western social psychology‟ to other cultures, including those of Indigenous Australians.

14

Bachelor of Social Science/Bachelor of Social Work/Bachelor of Community Work/Bachelor of Psychology Core Unit – Understanding Society 101551.1

Outcome (as in LG): Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts and traditions in sociology – this includes cultural diversity – which includes Indigenous Australians.

Learning Experience:  Lectures (2 x 2hr)  Tutorial activity (1hr) Assessment Task:  On-line quiz – multiple choice with relevant questions (4 questions)  Essay exam – questions (2 questions are listed in the exam – in all there are 12 questions listed and the student must pick 4 to answer)

Lecture: This is covered to a small degree throughout various lectures – but there is not one lecture dedicated to this. As this is the case – this aspect is not reflected in assessments.

As this is a 1st year 1st semester topic – we do not deal with this issue. However, the core units that have been developed by the School have been developed to include this later within the student‟s undergraduate career

Lectures – as stated in 1st column – lectures such as race and ethnicity, migration, class, health, religion and gender all highlight the culturally and socially diverse world – both the global and local are emphasized.

The lecture material is then covered in weekly on-line quizzes, weekly tutorials and reflected in the essay questions (the students pick one of 9 questions) and the final exam. The experiences of the Indigenous Australian is interwoven throughout many if not all of these lectures.

Lectures – previous column also relates to this. This is also covered in our Education week – and to a certain extent our week on health.

15

COLLEGE OF ARTS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES - MARCH 2010 SCHOOL: COMMUNICATION ARTS UG Units

101472 Music Project

101054 100709 101051 101548 101243 101025 Screen and Television Radio Setting Communication Australian Sound Journalism Journalism the Law and Ethics Design Concepts Agenda

100949 Interactive Design II

1613 Bachelor of Communication 1571 Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication)

1659 Bachelor of Music

16

PSYCHOLOGY

UG PROGRAMS

101193 Health Psychology

101184 Psychology: Human Behaviour

101681 Abnormal Psychology

101682 Developmental Psychology

1500.6 Bachelor of Psychology 1604.6 Bachelor of Arts

1630.1 Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies

1652.3 Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Secondary) 1651.1 Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary)

1655.2 Bachelor of Arts (Dean's Scholars) 4503.1 Bachelor of Social Science

1670.1 Bachelor of Education (Birth-5Years)

17

POST GRADUATE (PG)PROGRAMS

101213 Psychological Interventions 1

101209 Core Skills: Counselling and Ethical Practice

1546.3 Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology)

1547.3 Master of Psychology (Forensic Psychology)

1545.3 Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental)

18

COLLEGE OF ARTS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE UNITS - MARCH 2010 SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

UG/PG Units 1672 Master of Teachin g (Birth -5 Years)

UG/PG Units

101628 Global Literacies

101630 Managing Child & Family Services

101104 Maths Science & Technology 0-8

101105 Prosocial Learning Environments

101098 Curriculum for Under Threes

101106 Literacy 0-8

101099 Engaging Children in Curriculum

101113 Early Intervention & Prevention in Early Childhood Contexts

101103 Fostering Creativity in Children's Learning

101107 Early Childhood Professional Experience 1 (Birth-2 Placement)

101108 Early Childhood Professional Experience 2 (3-5 Placement)

101629 Healthy Identities

101625 Inclusive Practices

101627 Connecting Communities in Early Childhood Education (Community Placement)

101647 Play Develop ment and Learning

19

1672 Master of Teachin g (Birth -5 Years)

UG/PG Units 1673 Master of Teachin g (Birth12 Years) 1673 Master of Teachin g (Birth12 Years)

100309 Contempora ry Perspectives of Childhoods

101682 Developmen tal Psychology

100321 Children with Additional Needs and their Families

100056 Chinese 101

101620 Professional Portfolio 1: Pedagogy of Relationships

101622 Profession al Portfolio 2: Curriculu m Connectio ns

100085 Japanese 101

101624 Professional Portfolio 3 : Management and Leadership

101112 Diversity and Difference

101623 Ethical Futures

101690 Early Mathematics Science and Technology

101451 Second Language Acquisition

101551 Under standing Society

101428 Multi literacies

101106 Literacy 08

101113 Early Interventio n and Prevention in Early Childhood Contexts

101105 Prosocial Learning Environments

101098 Curriculu m for Under Threes

20

UG/PG Units 1663 Master of Teachin g (Primar y)

1663 Master of Teachin g (Primar y)

UG/PG Units 1609 Master of Teachin g

101579 Primary English and Literacy 1

101583 Primary Science & Technology

101639 Introduction to Teaching and Learning

101581 Learning for Teaching

101583 Primary Science & Technology

100348 Secondary Method 1A

101582 Primary Human Society and its Environme nt

101585 Primary Creative Arts

100349 Secondary Method 1B

101587 Teaching in New Times

101613 Educational Psychology for Primary Teaching

101578 Education Knowledge Society and Change

101286 Inclusive Teaching for Effective Learning

101288 Professio nal Practice II: Engaging in the Professio n

100350 Secondary Method 2A

100351 Secondar y Method 2B

101584 Primary Mathematics and Numeracy 2

101580 Primary Mathematics and Numeracy 1

101289 Profession al Practice 1

101576 Primary Personal Development, Health & Physical Education (PDHPE)

101577 Classroom s Without Borders

100984 Inclusive Education: Principles and Practices

101641 Diversity, Social 100345 Justice and Professional Equity Experience 1

100346 Profession al Experience II

21

(Seconda ry)

UG/PG Units 1609 Master of Teachin g (Seconda ry)

100347 Professional Experience III

101642 Positive Learning Environments

101640 Pedagogies in Practice

22

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND LANGUAGES BA 1604 Core Units contributing to Indigenous Graduate Attribute across CoA UG Programs UG Programs

100958 Australia and the World

100960 Contemporary Society

101182 Behaviour and Environment

100928 Linguistics

101449 Bilingualism & Biculturalism

100965.2 Media and Visual Cultures

BA1604 BA1651 Pathway to Teaching Primary BA1652 Pathway to Teaching Secondary BA1655 BA (Dean‟s Scholars) BA 1519 Interpreting and Translation BA 1692Interpreting and Translation (Dean‟s Scholars) BA1658 Bachelor of International Studies B Education 1670 (Birth to 5 Years)

23

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES 1667 Bachelor of Social Science Core Units Contributing to Indigenous Graduate Attribute across CoA UG Programs UG Programs

101553 Organisations, Communities & Communication

101551 Understanding Society

101556 Geographies of Social Difference

101557 The Individual and Society

101554 Contemporary Issues in Social Science

1667 B Social Science 1664 B Tourism Management 1665 B Community Welfare 1662 B Policing 1666 B Social Work 1678 B Social Science Pathway to Urban Mgt and Planning 1671 B Social Science Pathway to Early Childhood Teaching 7011 Diploma of Social Science (UWS College) 7012 Diploma of Social Science Fast Tract (UWS College) B Education 1670 (Birth to 5 Years)

24

CoA Units available within Major Areas or available as Elective Contributing to the Indigenous Graduate Attribute, 2010 UG Program 1500.5 B Psychology 1604.6 BA

Unit 101184 Psychology: Human Behaviour 101685 Indigenous Australian History 101409 Indigenous Cultural Texts 100990 Cinema, Culture, Memory 100877 Multicultural Studies 100908 Race Politics 101650 Race in Literature 101007 Story Links and Indigenous Knowledge G2006.1 Race, Community and National Identity 100025 Australian History – Cultures, Conflict and Conciliation 100986 Australian History 1860 – 1920 100995 Dangerous Visions 101008 Technologies of Racism 101009 The Body in Culture 101666 Race, Identify and Globalisation 63118 Contemporary Aboriginal Issues G1004 Aboriginal Identity and Culture G2004 Indigenous Cultural Texts

25

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute APPENDIX 5: UWS COLLEGE OF HEALTH & SCIENCE STEM WORKING PARTY REPORT 2011

Appendix 5

UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY College of Health & Science COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND SCIENCE STEM INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES(IGA) WORKING PARTY

Draft Minutes

For the meeting on Wednesday 27 July, at 2:00 pm, in XB305, Building X, Kingswood Campus.

Present Gu Fang (Chair); Sasha Alexander; Berice Anning; Carmel Coady; Fidelis Mashiri; Charles Morris; Rosemary Nicholson; Vivian Tam; Apologies: Graeme Salter, Trevor Bailey, Betty Gill, Cindy Kersaitis, Wendy Holland 1.

PROCEDURAL MATTERS

1.1 Welcome & Apologies Gu Fang chaired the meeting and welcomed members for attending the meeting.

1.2 Other Business No other business was raised.

1.3 Minutes of previous meeting The minutes of the last meeting (held on 11/11/2010) has been endorsed by members via email and has been forwarded to the College EAPC for record and action.

2.

2.1



GENERAL BUSINESS Desk audit result on units with IGA- related contents in CHS In the last meeting, it was decided that a desk audit should be conducted to ascertain what exists in relation to the IGA in STEM arena. An audit has been completed and members have reported progress in the meeting.

School of Biomedical & Health Science (SBHS): As the representatives from SBHS sent their apologies, Berice gave a brief on what has happened in the school: The unit 400866 Culture, Diversity and Health is a core unit in all Health Science programs. This is a 1st year 1st semester unit. This year it was offered across 3 campuses. It is about cultural competency / communication with diverse groups of people. It also addresses Indigenous content (50%). It relates to other cultural groups as well. Students can also choose an Indigenous sub-major for their electives.

The co-delivery model is working well – the unit is coordinated/administered by the School, but the academic development with 50% delivery etc are dealt with by

Badanami. It is recognised that good communication skill is important to all discipline areas 

School of Computing and Mathematics (SCM): o The statistics units, 300700 Statistical Decision Making – common to all Computer Science students, 200032 Statistics for Business, and 200263 Biometry – available to all Science students are looking to use data sets which reflect information about Indigenous communities, for analysis. Assoc Professor Wendy Holland from Badanami has been asked to help in finding these data sets. – Nothing has been done yet in these three units as no data sets have been received. o The project-based units in SCM will also be endeavouring to find potential projects dealing with Indigenous communities and organizations. Potential projects in relation to IGA area. Quantitative project in math area – nothing happened either there.

Further discussions are needed with unit coordinators and Badanami to find out where to source such projects.

Comments was made that by only introducing the project that contains Indigenous contents may not address IGA for all students as students will choose different projects.

Therefore a more systemic approach should be introduced – maybe having some common classes for all project students where the Indigenous awareness issue can be included. o The unit 100483 Principles of Professional Communication 1 is a core unit within all three computing courses. This unit is not taught by SCM. There have been preliminary discussions about replacing this unit with a unit directly related to the needs of computing students. In these discussions, it was suggested that Indigenous content be included – not sure of the progress in this area.



School of Engineering (SoE) o There is a school wide common first year unit 300674 Engineering Design and Construction Practice with more than 700 students enrolled. This unit includes guest lectures that are coming from remote aboriginal areas. Students are required to do journal article research in relation to Indigenous perspective. o In Industrial Design (ID) degree, case studies are used where Aboriginal designers were used in giving design educations. o Sub-major may be chosen in Indigenous studies by SoE students.

Comments were made that currently there is a large building construction project planned in Campbelltown area. This will be a good source to tap into if some projects can be setup in relation to this, as there are many issues in this construction project that are related to Indigenous community. o Construction and ID have more opportunity to include IGA related contents into the courses. o Engineering may include Indigenous related issues into the Professional Practice and maybe the new Risk and sustainability unit. 

Comments were made that Badanami have two level 300 units – honours students may be able to use these from Badanami, they will be available in 2012-13: o Learning through Indigenous Australian Community Service o Rethinking Research with Indigenous Australians: Independent Study Project

School of Natural Sciences (SNS) Science review has consumed most of the effort from the School. Therefore not much has happened since the desk audit was conducted.

However, it is identified that more units have already contained Indigenous contents: • 300631 Indigenous Landscapes – this year it is run by Badanami staff.

• 300632 Living in Country – it is going to be cancelled?? Not sure of its future.

• • • • • •

300498 Food Science (embedded content in food context) 300362 Environment and Health – only to environmental science students 300626 Epidemiology – may have some example – 2nd year unit Urban environment – 3rd year unit.

300661 Integrated Science (on-line, UWS-wide) – but the Indigenous content is currently empty 300232 Introduction to Wildlife Studies (Hawkesbury)

2.2 Strategies to start implementing the IGA into each course  School of Biomedical & Health Science (SBHS): As the representatives from SBHS sent their apologies, nothing was said for SBHS. 

School of Computing and Mathematics (SCM): The representative from SCM will go back to School and follow on the three areas that were mentioned in the Desk Audit report to push for progression.



School of Engineering (SoE) Will keep looking into the possibilities of addressing IGA in the units identified in the audit report.



School of Natural Sciences (SNS) The SNS representatives have stated that the following units may be able to used to include the IGA contents: • 300232 Introduction to Earth Sciences (Parramatta) • Ecology – potentially having contents to address • Botany– 2nd level - maybe • Conservation Biology – 3rd level – maybe • Chemistry and Mathematics major has nothing at the moment – maybe a problem area.

• Academic skills unit – 1st year unit, this can be used for communication skills.



General Strategy 1. In implementing IGA to the course, the level of competency should be kept in mind.

The UWS IGA contains four areas: a. Knowledge base; b. communication; c. social and cultural; d. leadership and partnership. Therefore, we should not have all units only addressing a single aspect of the IGA such as communication or knowledge base. We should aim to build students competency from lower base towards the ‘leadership’ level within the course structure. Clearly, it will be very difficult for some courses.

2. Badanami should be a resource in helping Schools in achieving the goal of embedding IGA into STEM courses. In particular, Badanami can be utilised in the following ways: o Provide expert advice in relation to unit structure and Indigenous experts in discipline areas. o Provide guest lectures to the classes o Use units from Badanami Centre’s IASM: http://studyias.com.au/ o Provide training to staff in relation to indigenous issues.

3. Badanami is looking at consolidate all library resources available in Indigenous areas including developing a learning repository of Indigenous content (current project).

4. Make Indigenous major/sub-major more visible on the UWS webpage so that Head of Programs or Course Advisors can easily direct interested students to them.

2.3

Actions to be taken

1. It is agreed that School should be moving more quickly in this area. It may be a good idea for the CEAPC to issue another request SACs to report on the progress in areas they have addressed in the Desk Audit Report.

2. The School representatives will work with their SACs to implement the strategies identified in the Desk Audit.

3.

OTHER BUSINESS No other business

4.

NEXT MEETING & CLOSE A meeting will be called within the next 2 months.

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute APPENDIX 6 UWS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS WORKING PARTY REPORT 2011

Appendix 6 Report from the College of Business IGA Working Party - 12 April 2011 As requested at the UWS Executive retreat in late February I am writing to report on progress in COBL with respect to the implementation of the IGA. The original plan was that the IGA would be incorporated into a core unit in each of the following four COBL undergraduate degree programs: 2501 / 2502 Bachelor of Laws (LLB) 2504 Bachelor of Economics (B Ec.) 2727 Bachelor of Financial Advising 2739 Bachelor of Business and Commerce 2501 / 2502 The IGA has been fully incorporated into 2501 / 2502 LLB via the core units 200006 Introduction to Law and 200020 Professional Responsibilities and Legal Ethics. Unit variations for both units reflecting the incorporation of the IGA were approved at the COBL CEPAC in March and February 2010 respectively. A separate mapping document prepared by the School of Law additionally details the incorporation of the IGA into the LLB core units 200015 Criminal Procedure and Evidence and 200018 Law of Associations. The mapping document also shows the course mapping of the IGA in the LLB. 2504 As at April 2010, A/Prof Brian Pinkstone in the School of Economics and Finance reports that considerable progress has been made with incorporating the IGA into the B Ec. core unit 200540 Globalisation and Australia. A new unit template for 200540 is expected to be presented to the COBL EAPC in the next 2-3 months.

2727 The IGA has been fully incorporated into the core unit 200184 Introduction to Business Law. The unit variation for 200184 reflecting the incorporation of the IGA was approved at the COBL CEPAC in April 2010.

As at April 2010, A/Prof Phil Ross in the School of Accounting reports that after considering a number of alternatives the School is incorporating the IGA in the unit 200747 Professional Relationships and Communication in Business. The unit considers the impact of individual characteristics and culture on the communication process and also the client-advisor relationship. Specific reference will be made in this part of the curriculum to communication and client relationships with indigenous clients. No date line for the finalisation of the IGA in 200747 has been agreed with the School of Accounting.

2739 The IGA has been fully incorporated into the core unit 200184 Introduction to Business Law. The unit variation for 200184 reflecting the incorporation of the IGA was approved at the COBL CEPAC in April 2010.

As at April 2010, George Rosier in the School of Management reports that he is following up the offer of teaching materials from Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education to assist in incorporating the IGA in the unit 200571 Management Dynamics. No date line for the finalisation of the IGA in 200571 has been agreed with the School of Management.

Associate Professor Craig Ellis Acting Executive Dean College of Business and Law University of Western Sydney Locked Bag 1797 Penrith NSW 2751 Phone: +61 2 9685 9083 Fax: + 61 2 9685 9400

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute

APPENDIX 7: UWS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE ACADEMIC STAFF SURVEY 2011

Appendix 7

Report on the findings of the UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute Academic Staff Survey In 2008, UWS introduced an initiative to contribute to the National process of Reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. This unique initiative, influenced by the 2006 Australian University Quality Agency (AUQA) audit of UWS, took the form of developing and implementing an Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA).

To evaluate the implementation of the IGA a survey was conducted between 23 November and 9 December 2011 and was open to all UWS academic staff who held an active contract during that period (approximately 13,000 academic staff).

Respondents were asked questions related to four major themes:    

awareness of the IGA; awareness of the process of implementation of the IGA by their School; perceived capacity to effectively teach the IGA knowledge and generic skills; insight of where the process of implementation went well and how it could be improved.

Limitations of the survey include the following considerations: some sessional/casual academic staff whose contracts for the semester had finished by 23 November would not have had access to the survey - thus the survey was not available to all academic staff who might have been aware of the IGA and who might have had a role to play in its implementation; the survey was distributed at a busy time of year just after the assessment period and just prior to Christmas; and the survey was optional rather than compulsory - thus the sample was self-selecting. The findings therefore are not representative, but rather a descriptive snapshot of the implementation of the IGA at UWS. Below a description of the survey questions and findings can be found. This is followed by a discussion and recommendations.

1

Demographic information Of the approximately 13,000 academic staff on the distribution list, 132 responded to the survey.

Table X below reflects their location within the university.

Table X. Number of responses to the IGA survey and location of respondents within UWS Q1a. With which UWS school/centre/institute are you affiliated?

Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education School of Accounting School of Biomedical & Health Sciences School of Communication Arts School of Computing & Mathematics School of Economics & Finance School of Education School of Engineering School of Humanities & Languages School of Law School of Management School of Marketing School of Medicine School of Natural Sciences School of Nursing & Midwifery School of Psychology School of Social Sciences Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) Civionics Research Centre MARCS Auditory Laboratories Centre for Complementary Medicine Research (CompleMED) Centre for Educational Research Other (College of Business and Law) TOTAL

Frequency 25 2 12 5 4 4 10 5 13 5 8 5 2 5 7 5 7 1 1 2 1 2 1 132

Theme One: Awareness of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA).

Question 1 of the survey sought to gauge the general level of IGA awareness of respondents.

Table 1. Rating the level of IGA awareness amongst respondents Q1. How would you rate the level of your awareness of the IGA? Please rate this on a scale of 1-5 Frequency Percent 1 = unaware 35 26.5 2 24 18.2 3 25 18.9 4 12 9.1 5= highly aware 36 27.3 TOTAL 132 100.0

2

As evident in Table 1, 35 of the 132 respondents were unaware of the IGA. This cohort (n=35) was thanked for their participation at this stage of the survey and the remaining questions were open only to the 97 respondents who had some level of awareness of the IGA. Thus the following descriptive analyses relate only to this ‘IGA aware’ cohort (n=97).

Question 2 relates to the year during which respondents became aware of the IGA. The rationale supporting the question was that it was important to know whether the number of aware academic staff increased over the period within which the IGA was developed and implemented. The development phase occurred from 2006 following the Australian Universities Quality Agency Audit of UWS that year. The IGA was endorsed in 2008 and implementation began from 2009.

Table 2: The year during which respondents (n=97) became aware of the IGA. Q2. When did you become aware of the IGA? Frequency Percent 2006 3 3.1 2007 7 7.2 2008 14 14.4 2009 21 21.6 2010 24 24.7 2011 28 28.9 Total 97 100.0 Question 3 sought to assess the mechanisms through which knowledge about the IGA was disseminated within the university, as it was important to gauge how academic staff was becoming aware. Table 3 below indicates the different channels of communication through which their awareness might have been facilitated. Respondents were offered these options, along with an ‘other’ category and a text box to capture other means of communication.

Table 3: How knowledge about the IGA was disseminated within UWS. Q3. How did you become aware of the IGA? Please tick as many responses as you see relevant.

Frequency Senior staff forum 6 Executive meeting 9 School meeting 21 Advice from Head of Program 10 Information from Badanami 26 Informally, e.g. From conversation with a colleague 38 Other 26 Total 136 Table 3a below elaborates on the ‘other’ category of Q3 and shows the wide array of responses provided by respondents.

3

Table 3a: How knowledge about the IGA was disseminated: Elaborating the ‘Other’ category.

Q3. ‘Other’ category Frequency As Head of Program 1 1 AUQA 1 Badanami Colleagues at Yarramundi Annual lecture 1 As Chair of IGA implementation committee in my college 1 Brochures about New U/G course and also NAIDOC event 1 Curriculum review discussed IGA within Law curriculum 1 Head of Program forum 1 Can’t recall 1 Indigenous advisory member 1 Indigenous staff 1 Course/unit proposals 1 Knowledge about Graduate Attributes on WEB 1 Own investigation of UWS Graduate attributes 1 General information sent by various uni initiatives 1 Reading Graduate Attributes 1 Reading the AUQA final audit report 1 Recommended from the 2005-6 Indigenous education review 1 School of Law developed it within curriculum 1 Searched new Indigenous program 1 Senate Education committee 1 Student 1 New course development process 1 University staff email 1 University website 2 Working with curriculum 1 Total 26 When responses from Tables 3 and 3a are taken together and then grouped within the following categories, the total number of responses for each are as indicated in brackets below:        

1

F = via formal means (50); I = via informal means (38); B = via Badanami (31); R = via own reading (8); C = via curriculum development (5) ; U = via university initiated material (2); S = via a student (1); D = don’t know (1).

Australian Universities Quality Agency Audit of UWS in 2006

4

Question 4 related to awareness of the rationale for the development of an IGA at UWS, as it was thought important to know if staff knew the rationale. The underlying assumption being that if we know why we are doing something, we are more likely to achieve the expected outcome.

Table 4: Awareness of rationale for IGA development amongst respondents.

Q4. Are you aware of why UWS established the IGA? Frequency YES 58 NO 39 Total 97

The 58 respondents who answered ‘yes’ to Q4 were then asked to complete the following question: ‘UWS established the IGA because ...’. Respondents were invited to submit more than one reason for establishing the IGA, if that is how they perceived the situation. This question elicited the following responses, which have been grouped dependent upon the responses:         

To assist reconciliation (n=24) Due to Indigenous Education policy or because it’s important to learn about Indigenous knowledge (n=10).

Due to the Australian Universities Quality Agency Audit of UWS in 2006 (n=10) Due to the Indigenous Population of Greater Western Sydney (n=6) To ensure an inclusive National identity (n=6) To improve service delivery to the Indigenous population (n=5) To appreciate the contribution of Indigenous people to Australian life (n=5) It is important to acknowledge the past (n=4) Due to a feeling of guilt (n=1).

Theme Two: Awareness of the process of IGA implementation within a School.

Question 5 asked respondents to indicate whether they were aware of how their school approached implementation of the IGA. Table 5: Awareness levels of school approach to IGA implementation Q5. Are you aware of how your school approached the implementation of the IGA? Count YES 53 NO 44 Total 97

5

Question 6 provided the 53 respondents who answered ‘Yes’ to the above question with the opportunity to provide detail about the approach taken by their school. Respondents could choose from the options listed in Table 6 below.

Table 6: Ways in which schools approached IGA implementation Q6. How has your school approached the implementation of the IGA generic skills?

Please tick all relevant boxes Count The IGA generic skills were addressed within a number of units 25 throughout the course The generic skills were addressed in a stand-alone unit 21 Other 19 Total 65 The responses listed below are those given by respondents who elaborated the ‘Other’ category for Q6. The responses have been arranged here in three groupings: one consisting of comments with specific detail (n=9); one where the detail provided is non-specific or where there is only an intention expressed to implement the IGA (n=5); one consisting of comments that indicate support to implement the IGA is needed (n=5).

Q6a: How has your school approached the implementation of the IGA generic skills? Elaborating the ’Other’ category.         

generic skills were addressed in a number of dedicated pilot units IGA matters were addressed in two specific units, besides other less directly. those units are: Indigenous Landscapes and Living in Country. included in another unit that deals with cross-cultural issues overseeing the development and implementation of the IGA. the IGA generic skills have so far been included in one unit but the intention is to also include them in a second unit each discipline designed graduate attributes and music has Indigenous knowledge as one, drawing on the UWS grad attributes answer dependent on particular course. My school offers and contributes to a number of different courses. in some cases skills spread through units within a course, in other courses the majority of the IGA is addressed by a specific unit identified to ... combination of the above [ a stand-alone unit and embedded across the course] development of the university-wide Indigenous Australian Studies major as a key strategy in the implementation of the UWS IGA.

    

new LLB alternate unit and core units to incorporate Indigenous content it is integrated in our course p/g is different from u/g our research program has a lot to do with such skills school has had a discussion about the possibility of implementation of IGA in various units

   

we are still working on it with little interest at a formal level addressing IGA has lapsed my school has at best paid lip service. Nothing substantive has been done2.

This respondent indicated that ‘... the one unit that was designed to meet the IGA skills was cancelled’. Whether this was due to the fact that the unit did not specifically address the generic IGA skills and knowledge is unclear.

2

6



nothing at all at school level!

Question 7 sought to assess whether the 53 respondents who were aware of how their school approached the implementation of the IGA were also aware of whether the IGA generic skills had been measured/assessed directly by their school.

Q7: Have the IGA generic skills been assessed by your school?

Frequency Yes 18 No 15 Don’t know 20 Total 53 The 18 respondents who answered ‘yes’ to question 7 were then asked to provide detail about how the school had measured the IGA generic skills. The sixteen responses provided appear in the table below.

Table 7a: How IGA generic skills have been assessed within schools Q 7a: Please describe how the school has measured the IGA generic skills3 1. Knowledge base: appreciate the culture, experiences and achievements of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging an Australian identity inclusive of Indigenous Australians.

2. Communication: communicate ethically and effectively within Indigenous Australian contexts.

3. Social and cultural: understand and engage effectively with the culturally and socially diverse world in which they live and will work.

4. Leadership and partnership: understand the circumstances and needs of Indigenous Australians, thereby encouraging responsibility in raising the standard of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians; possess a capacity to engage and partner with Indigenous Australians.

Curriculum review to provide Indigenous content across LLB; LTAP; addition of new LLB alternate unit Formal assessment in a unit I was not in the school at this time, am following this up now Learning outcomes mapped in assessment Mid-semester tests and/or other assessment tasks aligned with the relevant Indigenous unit learning outcome Students all attend attachment [to] an AMS [Aboriginal Medical Service] and are assessed in multiple ways during this time.

Survey & responses in meetings, information gathered for AUQA, school review processes, questions asked...

The BBC [Bachelor of Business & Commerce] includes a unit to assure IGA and many of the majors include an aspect of the IGA in selected units. At p/g level the implementation of the IGA has been more patchy however some now include specific consideration of the IGA. The curriculum review involved embedding all graduate attributes, including the Indigenous attribute, across the law curriculum.

An example involves teaching Indigenous legal tradition and perspectives in Introduction to Law, which students discuss and write about.

The School of Law developed its own law Indigenous graduate attribute in 2007 which captures some of the elements of the IGA skills: knowledge of Indigenous Australian law and impact of Australian laws on this; awareness of impact of Australian laws on Indigenous Australians

3

The comments in Table 7a are listed as in the survey database and are not in any particular disciplinary order.

7

The students are assessed on their capacity to understand the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people from pre invasion to today.

The link between the determinants of health and the impact of colonisation are assessed.

The tutorials employ a discussion and critical analytical framework to understand the reason that Aboriginal and Torres strait islander people have a higher level of health breakdown, than the nonIndigenous population.

Communication appropriately, as a health professional is applied through case studies and students deconstruct these case studies. Students are assessed on clinical placement and they have many patients who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait islanders.

To my knowledge, compulsory unit in the p/g program has IGA content optionally examined via a presentation assessment and via two questions in the final exam. Class discussion activities, three compulsory readings and a video for the basis of lessons.

Tried to introduce IGA in additional units Via assessment task - exam or essay Via formal assessment related to the IGA

Question 8 was designed to assess whether respondents who were aware of the IGA generally felt that they had had a role to play in the process of implementing the IGA. Table 8: Respondents’ perception of whether they had played a role in implementing the IGA within their school.

Q8: Do you feel that you have had a role to play in the process of implementing the IGA? Frequency Percent Yes 56 57.7 No 41 42.3 Total 97 100

The 56 respondents who answered ‘yes’ to Q8 were then provided with a question about the degree to which they thought they had played a role (Q8a).

Table 8a: Respondents’ perceptions of the degree to which they had played a role in implementing the IGA within their school (n=56).

Q8a: Please assess to what degree you have contributed to implementing the IGA in your school or unit/s. Please rate this on a scale of 1-5 (1 = very little, 5 = a great deal) 1 = very little 2 3 4 5 = a great deal Total

Frequency

Percent

11 6 23 6 10 56

19.6 10.7 41.1 10.7 17.9 100.0

Following Q8a respondents were provided with options of various roles that could be played, including an ‘Other’ category. See Table 8b below.

8

Table 8b: Ways in which respondents (n=56) were involved in implementing the IGA within their school.

Q8b: In what capacity were you involved? Please indicate all that are relevant.

Count % of responses % of cases College Education, Assessment and 14 11.3 (i.e. 14/124) 25.0 (i.e. 14/56) Progression Committee Course committee 13 10.5 23.2 School committee 23 18.5 41.1 Unit development 17 13.7 30.4 Unit coordinator 16 12.9 28.6 Teaching in the classroom 28 22.6 50.0 Other 13 10.5 23.2 Total 124 100.0 221.5

In order to obtain further detail, text boxes were provided if respondents indicated that they were involved in either: unit development; unit coordinator; teaching in the classroom, or; the ‘other’ category.

Table 8b1: Ways in which respondents were involved in Unit Development Q8b1: In what capacity were you involved? – UNIT DEVELOPMENT 400760 FAMILY HEALTH CARE: CHILD AND ADOLESCENT NURSING offered by School of Nursing 400866 CULTURE, DIVERSITY AND HEALTH 2 RESPONSES offered by School of Biomedical and Health Science 200010 CRIMINAL LAW offered by School of Law 200006 INTRODUCTION TO LAW offered by School of Law 200540 GLOBALISATION AND AUSTRALIA offered4 by School of Economics and Finance 101600 INDIGENOUS CULTURES AND TOURISM: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE offered by School of Social Sciences 400870 POPULATION HEALTH & SOCIETY offered by School of Biomedical and Health Science 300578 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT to be offered in 2013 by School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics TEACHING INDIGENOUS CINEMA To be offered in 2013 when IGA content integrated by School of Humanities and Languages Have included Indigenous content in a new unit I will teach in 2013 (I am a new appointment, so am just learning about the IGA) Ensuring Indigenous content is integrated into unit [unit unspecified] Advising on content Feedback to school developers [of unit/s] Responsible for the development of the [units of the] university-wide Indigenous Australian Studies major.

4

GLOBALISATION AND AUSTRALIA taught to 137 students in 2011- Source: School of Economics and Finance – 2011 Annual Report.

9

Table 8b2: Ways in which respondents were involved as Unit Coordinator Q8b2: In what capacity were you involved? – UNIT COORDINATOR 100321; Children with Additional Needs and their Families 101648; Early Intervention and Prevention in Early Childhood Contexts 101099; Engaging Children in Curriculum 101655; Transformative Leadership [all within School of Education] 200540 GLOBALISATION AND AUSTRALIA [School of Economics and Finance] 200010 CRIMINAL LAW [School of Law] 200006 INTRODUCTION TO LAW [School of Law] EQUITY AND TRUSTS AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE AND EVIDENCE 400870 POPULATION HEALTH & SOCIETY [School of Biomedical and Health Science] 101530 MUSIC COMPOSITION: CONCEPTS AND CREATIVITY [School of Humanities and Communication Arts] 101600 INDIGENOUS CULTURES AND TOURISM: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE [School of Social Science] SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY [School of Social Science] SECONDARY METHODS [School of Education] Including a lecture on contemporary experience of racism by Dr Bodkin-Andrews Working in Badanami Teaching preparation Development control [of units] Ensuring appreciation of policy and approach is understood P/g unit [unspecified unit]

Table 8b3: Ways in which respondents were involved in Teaching in the Classroom Q8b3: In what capacity were you involved? – TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM 101428: MULTILITERACIES 100321: CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS AND THEIR FAMILIES 101648: EARLY INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CONTEXTS 101099: ENGAGING CHILDREN IN CURRICULUM 101655: TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP [all within School of Education] 200540: GLOBALISATION AND AUSTRALIA 200010: CRIMINAL LAW (2 RESPONSES) 200006: INTRODUCTION TO LAW [2 RESPONSES] 400870: POPULATION, HEALTH & SOCIETY 101184 PSYCHOLOGY: HUMAN BEHAVIOUR [School of Psychology] Tutoring on CULTURE, HEALTH AND DIVERSITY unit Tutor in partnership with Badanami and the Biomedical School Health Sciences course [CULTURE, HEALTH AND DIVERSITY unit] PSYCHOLOGY Including Indigenous content in my lectures when still a casual (I wasn't aware of the IGA at this stage) [unspecified unit] Songs from the heart, a dvd made by UWS of Indigenous music performers is used in one part of my teaching into one unit.

In the course of tutorials [unspecified] I include the IGA in our discussions of graduate attributes in general Development control [of IGA units] Creating & supporting an atmosphere of awareness, enquiry and welcome in the classroom Consumer behaviour Bring in Indigenous issues appropriately As part of subject content 10

Teaching [unspecified unit] Teaching tutorial groups and campus coordinating [unspecified unit] Personal contact with the students Lecturer [unspecified unit] Responsible for the delivery of the university-wide Indigenous Australian Studies major.

Respondents were also asked whether there were ‘other’ ways in which they were involved in implementing the IGA. Table 8 b 4 below lists these other ways, which in some cases were higher level roles.

Table 8b4: Ways in which respondents were involved in implementing the IGA: Elaborating the ‘other’ Q8b4: In what capacity were you involved? – ‘other’ Advising on development of content Chair of IGA committee Developing an academic literacy program for Indigenous students transitioning to study at UWS Editorial committee of the UWS law review Evaluation of the units ‘living in country’ and ‘Indigenous landscapes’ First year advisor First year coordinator Head of program Managed development of Indigenous law unit Research Social justice unit lectures and tutorials Student meetings

Picking up now on the ‘No’ responses to Q.8:‘Do you feel that you have had a role to play in the process of implementing the IGA?’ - there were 41 responses. As a way of gauging untapped capacity amongst academics, these respondents were given the opportunity to say whether they would have liked to have played a role.

Table 8c: Untapped capacity for implementing the IGA Q8c: If you were not involved, would you have liked to have played a role?

Frequency Percent YES 31 75.6 NO 10 24.4 TOTAL 41 100.0

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Theme three: Perceived capacity to effectively teach the IGA knowledge and generic skills Questions 9 and 10 of the survey were related to assessing academics’ self-perceptions of confidence levels with regard to teaching IGA content

Table 9: Self-assessment of teacher confidence in IGA implementation Q9: How confident are you in implementing the IGA knowledge and generic skills in your teaching?

Frequency Percent Very confident 16 16.5 Confident 19 19.6 Somewhat confident 26 26.8 Marginally confident 20 20.6 Not confident 16 16.5 Total 97 100.0

Respondents were invited to provide comments on this question. Many took up the invitation.

The responses are listed in Table 9a below and have been grouped together into the following subthemes:          

responses expressing confidence in teaching IGA preferred delivery options for IGA skills and knowledge suggestions for embedding IGA assessment of IGA greater awareness of the IGA within schools needed need to highlight the relevance of IGA need for more information and resources for IGA implementation expressed frustration lack of visibility of the IGA at the unit level other comments

Table 9a: Academics’ comments related to confidence in teaching the IGA Q9a: How confident are you in implementing the IGA knowledge and generic skills in your teaching? Comments RESPONSES EXPRESSING CONFIDENCE I have a long background but much more to learn I have taught in this area throughout my career and worked tirelessly for the last twenty years to raise the profile of Indigenous scholarship within the academy.

I teach in units that address cultural competency I would like to incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing in all my approaches to teaching as a matter of course, no matter who is in the room As a consequence of my own degree and professional experience prior to UWS PREFERRED DELIVERY OPTIONS I have the belief that all students need to develop skills with respect to a range of cultures and that 12

this can be enhanced through development of these skills within the context of the course the student is pursuing rather than through large common units that are largely theoretical in nature.

Application within the major discipline of the student in community engagement type activities that is really left out of our programs. Though we have involved some of our students in the heartbeat initiative this is the exception rather than the rule.

I think IGAs are very important but should be concentrated on a small number of units. We should also ensure that our graduates take at least one of those units.

I would like to see a combination of both stand alone units (with at least one focused on content and awareness raising taught by aboriginal people and the other focused on teaching pedagogy for preservice teachers) as well as focused embedded learning opportunities within the course.

It works best in my view, when integrated with unit content. Also an opportunity to reach larger groups than in electives? Although I haven't explored dedicated units in depth.... Thank you SUGGESTIONS FOR EMBEDDING IGA The elements of the IGA can be embodied into the composition course to bring about an introduction to Indigenous musical engagement as part of a sensitive multi-cultural awareness that is part of the unit's design.

The process of developing the unit Globalisation and Australia as a unit in the economics degree which will provide students with a strong background in the political economy of the Indigenous contribution to Australian economic development, along with the prospects and possibilities for Indigenous economic development in the future has been a rewarding task that has greatly enhanced the scope and relevance of the unit for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

ASSESSMENT OF THE IGA IGA implementation within Llb core and alternate units has not been externally assessed which may be required for validity. Scholarship (Marsden’s law group) for Indigenous students was problematic as Indigenous students do not self-identify and Badanami appeared reluctant to assist.

I think this an important attribute, but few schools; including school of law, seem to have implemented measures to implement the full range of the generic IGA. GREATER AWARENESS OF THE IGA WITHIN SCHOOLS NEEDED Thank you for making me aware of this. I think it would be good if all the staff become aware of such and contribute in some way or other. Regards, I think one important question is missing from this survey, which is when the staff member did first arrive at US? I was made aware of the IGA when I first arrived in 2010.

It sounds like a good idea, but I have been teaching at UWS for 6 years and have never heard of it. I sure hope it isn't tokenism. If implemented well it would add a very healthy, worthwhile and unique benefit and awareness to our students, university and society.

Just to clarify what might seem a contradiction in my answers about my school's implementation of the IGA, my answer to the last question 'somewhat confident' reflects my general approach to recognising Indigenous needs and experience. There has been no attempt by my school to have me engage with the IGA. I am a new appointment (full-time position began july 2011), so I am just catching up with this.

Thankyou.

NEED TO HIGHLIGHT RELEVANCE OF IGA Relevance of the IGA to my teaching and research has not been made clear.

NEED FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT THE IGA I applaud this initiative and would like to see it implemented to a greater extent than what it has been in my school. It’s critical that all staff are aware of this initiative and have received some suggestions for implementation of strategies to achieve effective implementation of this initiative.

I feel that this important issue needs to include to raise the awareness of all staff in the university, in particular teaching staff, so that there are real possibilities to integrate it in multiple units where 13

relevant, and not just as a ticking good will exercise I would really like more information on the IGA initiative. Had I access to more information I would certainly do all that I could to apply these principles within my units and through my teaching. I do not know whether my lack of knowledge of the initiative is due to my own laxity in reading everything which comes through my inbox, failure on the part of the school of law to make information available to teaching staff of the school's role in implementing this as part of school policy or a failure to publicise the initiative by the university powers that be. Whatever the reason, the initiative itself is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but unless there is more awareness of the IGA amongst all members of the UWS community, there can be no progress.

It is objectively difficult to discuss IGA in the context of economics and finance particularly in light of the state the dismal science is in. This would need resources in terms of staff time, but also of input from Aboriginal people themselves. The new school of Business might provide an opportunity to get some colleagues talking with each other, which could be used by Badanami and others I worked with a member of Badanami in deciding how to approach the IGA. That was a great experience. I would like greater opportunities for collaboration in ways that are sustainable.

Much more can, and should be done.

Music is interested in finding ways of including Indigenous knowledge into the units. We have invited the head of Badanami to come and talk to staff at a cmc and while this hasn't been able to occur yet, will ask in 2012. Music used to offer a unit of Aboriginal music in the 1990s but it was then thought that this information should be taught by Indigenous musicians/scholars and there are very few available in the music area.

Only have 'gut feel' and humanity to base my approach on Still more needs to occur. One person in a single program cannot ensure the integrity or intent is consistent.

Consultation for and scaffolding of both teaching in assessing of all GA has lapsed in the last few years.

EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION The school of education has been totally remiss in its responsibility for the IGA. This is largely due to ignorance on the part of heads of program and low priority given to it at the school level.

This has been a complete waste of time. It serves no value and re-enforces existing stereotypes.

I feel that the Badanami has been remiss in responding to requests for support when it has been seen appropriate to include Indigenous graduate attributes in unit content. Requests for support or advice go largely unanswered and ignored and so individual staff members tend to lose interest in supporting the implementation of IGA. Such has been the case in the first year unit which sought to support the introduction of the IGA in the Bachelor of Business and Commerce. This unit regularly has 1100 student each semester. I currently co-ordinate this unit however the previous unit coordinator expressed the frustration that I have indicated above.

LACK OF VISIBILITY OF THE IGA AT THE UNIT LEVEL. This is an important issue and the survey has been really useful in reminding me of the importance. I do think though that the IGA also suffers from being a GA and what I mean by that is that I suspect most academics in my school could not detail many of the GAs - we almost never talk about any GA. The only thing that brought GAs to my attention was a stint as a Head of Program. I'm afraid GAs just isn’t on the immediate horizon unless there's regular course and curriculum discussions.

GAs don't appear in unit outlines so staff who aren't involved in course/degree design have very little institutional reason to think about the issues.

OTHER COMMENTS An important academic /learning and teaching project recognising Indigenous Australian knowledge as important for students to gain before they graduate as professional nurses; teachers; social workers etc.

I believe that every educator and student have the capacity to integrate and utilise Indigenous resources in their teaching, learning and study 14

As a nzer [New Zealander?] I am acutely aware of my lack of Indigenous knowledge. I have taken opportunities to become more familiar with Indigenous Australian cultures and have had the opportunity to change the textbook I co-author to include a wider Indigenous perspective (in consultation with the UWS then dean of Indigenous studies).

Question 10 asked respondents to indicate what would help them to feel more confident in teaching the IGA. The responses have been grouped in the following subthemes:       

expressions of confidence need for more human resources need for more information and financial resources to implement the IGA suggestions for increasing confidence suggestions involving Badanami need to highlight relevance of IGA other responses

Table 10: Suggestions for increasing confidence levels related to teaching the IGA Q10: What would help you feel more confident in teaching the IGA? EXPRESSIONS OF CONFIDENCE I am quite confident in teaching the IGA in my unit because of the support I have received from Badanami and in particular from Professor Wendy Holland.

NEED FOR MORE HUMAN RESOURCES The appointment of more qualified Indigenous academics and at the same time real support from the university to employ and mentor 'young' Indigenous academics. The appointment of appropriately qualified and culturally competent non-Indigenous academics to teach into Indigenous Australian Studies ... Reconciliation is everyone's responsibility!

Indigenous colleagues NEED FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT THE IGA A brief introduction to recommended strategies.

A clearer understanding of how it can be contextualised in my discipline area.

Clear guidelines and materials.

Clear understanding about what outcomes are trying to be achieved Info kit Information It is hard to know how IGA can be incorporated easily and directly into my area of teaching Knowing about it. Being trained in the concepts and teaching skills and processes that are relevant.

Knowing more about it Knowing something about it.

Knowledge about the IGA More information!!

More knowledge about how it currently fits in our program Not an issue of confidence is of opportunity in busy program.

Professional development in their importance, how to include them in syllabus and how to assess them. However, there is already too much professional development that has to be done in time not included in workload.

Short video vignettes available for use in class, with Indigenous people speaking directly - it is not feasible to have guest lecturers when we use small group teaching as we may have 20 different groups in a given week and a guest cannot reach them all.

Some kind of education about IGA and how to implement their program in teaching 15

Suggestions of strategies to use.

Assistance in developing engagement opportunities for a greater number of students SUGGESTIONS FOR INCREASING CONFIDENCE A presentation to a school meeting about the IGA followed by discussion. Followed by the chance for one-to-one discussion about implementing the IGA in specific units.

A process that included collegial auditing of my unit and then mentoring and coaching to embed relevant experiences and learning in the unit. Guest lectures and co-teaching would also be helpful.

Article in school magazine or similar Attending a meeting or educational session where IGA is discussed Attending facilitated discussions on how the units I teach in could lend themselves to teaching IGA Continuing discussion of the attributes and working on integrating them into more lectures which I teach.

Effective in-servicing provided to all staff that ensures that there is a systematic and thorough approach to including Aboriginal content across the education units.

External presentation to school meeting on topic.

Workshops Open discussion within the school - perhaps a workshop for all academics Some training and workshops Specific workshops re Indigenous attitudes to this, especially how not to 'takeover' or coopt Indigenous knowledge. This is a difficult area, as one can do nothing and so nothing will be done, but to be sensitive towards Indigenous sensibilities is essential To include basic understanding of Indigenous issues in the programs of professional development.

More time to learn myself and do some web based research Train the trainer and teach beside opportunities (note I am not currently in a teaching role).

Training Training briefing meeting Use of some supporting teaching material such as videos that were created by IGA experts Understanding where the availability of different pathways and resources that relate to Aboriginal culture are to better utilise them that exist within uws resources and uws library system and externally of uws.

Up to date information from Indigenous groups. Regular in-services tailored to our needs Links to resources for further reading, contact centre to bounce ideas.

Maybe a collection of dedicated resources? Although, there is much in the library Written information, peer mentoring in staff meetings and inclusion in staff evaluations SUGGESTIONS INVOLVING BADANAMI Greater collaboration with Badanami/networking between our students and community members.

Further education from the uws/Badanami centre for Indigenous education More interaction with Badanami Perhaps some consultation with members of staff from Badanami.

Support from the Badanami as was previously requested but largely ignored.

Discussion with someone from Badanami; resources; funds to invite Indigenous performers to uws; resources.

NEED TO HIGHLIGHT RELEVANCE OF IGA A feeling that this was relevant OTHER RESPONSES Please see answer to previous question.

Getting rid of it entirely.

I organise the time and space for the IGA but others (appropriately) do the teaching

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Theme four: the process of implementation - what worked/what didn’t?

Questions 11 relates to respondents’ perceptions about the effectiveness of their schools approach in fostering IGA skills in students.

Table 11: Respondents’ perceptions of effectiveness of the approach taken by their school Q. 11: How effective was the approach taken by your school in fostering the IGA skills in students? Please rate how you perceive the degree of effectiveness on a scale of 1-5 (1= not effective, 5= very effective). Alternatively, if you are unable to answer this questions please tick ‘Don’t know’.

Frequency Percent 1 = not effective 16 16.5 2 8 8.2 3 21 21.6 4 7 7.2 5 = Very effective 3 3.1 Don't know 42 43.3 Total 97 100.0

Question 12 asked respondents to comment on the best aspects of their schools’ approach with respect to student learning. The responses have been grouped below in Table 12, using the following subthemes:        

doing okay mode of delivery philosophical underpinning collaboration with Badanami monitoring role challenges negative responses other responses

Table 12: Respondents’ perceptions of the best aspects of the approach taken by their school Q12: Please identify the best aspects in the approach taken by your school when fostering the IGA in students DOING OKAY Commitment to the content understanding of the importance Awareness of hte[?] issue Developing partnerships between different academic schools to integrate teaching and learning curriculum material, topics and issues relating to Aboriginal culture (both historical and contemporary) MODE OF DELIVERY Stand alone unit The best aspect was to introduce them in a core unit first year where all students in the common program need to enrol The learning is authentic and contextualised because it is embedded within several units. Students are encouraged to consider implications in a range of experiences.

Trying to integrate the IGA generic skills across the three years of a course.

Integration across the 5 year program Integrated with other topics, not presented as a stand-alone or add-on.

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Direct incorporation into units to which it is most relevant.

A willingness to encourage aspects of this development within a specific unit.

Allowing us to explore and add relevant content ourselves. Could be helped perhaps with a school visit by some of the Badanami people to one of our meetings?

Establishing the two units mentioned.

Excellent stand alone units. Strong plans for implementation at core unit level.

Used a unit that already had sizeable Indigenous content Weaving the content into learning about students' future professional roles as well as using IGA as the application for learning about diversity and cross-cultural communication.

Had to be embedded in some units as it also met institute of teachers requirements PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNING The development of a new/fresh approach to Indigenous Australian Studies, which moves beyond a binary oppositional politics Placing the IGA skills within a unit that covers the historical contribution of Indigenous people to past, present and future Australian economic development, with an emphasis on critical thinking and applying the values of scholarly inquiry in both verbal and written forms of communication.

COLLABORATION WITH BADANAMI Drawing on Indigenous expertise, including from Badanami Collaboration with Badanami on unit development MONITORING ROLE Overseeing the implementation of the IGA at course and unit level; advising on the content/Indigenous people and Indigenous resources.

CHALLENGES New unit is excellent - as it is optional few students will be able to engage with the unit. See Indigenous Australian and the Law - http://handbook.uws.edu.au/hbook/unit.aspx?unit=200741.1 more integration required for core LLB units for the IGA initiative to be relevant and meaningful within the LLB. Identifying the units that can naturally fit in IGA into the curriculum, rather than trying to artificially enforce them to some units, which are not clearly applicable.

A few staff attempt to teach aspects of Aboriginal education. The approach is ad hoc and insufficient to equip students with the requisite skills and cultural competency, particularly for teaching Aboriginal students in schools.

We have a stand alone unit to educate students in Indigenous culture however this is not enough We endeavoured to support the introduction of the IGA however this was largely ignored. Requests went unanswered Only has it been embraced in two units fully. In secondary method (history) which I am the coordinator and deliverer of materials it is both examined in tasks but embraced as a perspective and content area as a result of NSW curriculum requirements. The NSW Institute of Teachers requires a Large amount of outcomes/experiences for teachers however it is uncertain that we really meet the requirements in a real and purposeful way. More needs to be perhaps addressed in units but more as a stand alone and not as what is being suggested ----an online one size fits all module.

There are examples of good practice in Business courses however we have a long way to go.

To develop and embed a law IGA in specified units with specified assessment tasks to ensure it remains relevant and current. School of law has not developed/embedded all the generic IGA which post-date the 2007 law curriculum review.

NEGATIVE RESPONSES There were no [best] aspects to rank.

No approach as it was left up to individuals.

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No efforts were made to my knowledge Not aware Only chatted about it Unaware of any approaches taken by the school.

There has been no awareness raising of this to me, and I haven't picked up any particular competences or awareness in my students beyond what is generally known in society in general.

N/a I am not aware of any school discussion or action on this.

Don't know As knowledge of attribute is limited this question can't be answered It is something - a starting point though in my view a poor one OTHER RESPONSES I'm sorry, but the relatively short length of my appointment to date means I can't really answer this with accuracy. Thank you.

The only aspect I know was my introduction of Archie Roach in my own teaching in a third year class, but this was very small.

Question 13 asked respondents to comment on what most needs improvement in the approach taken by their school with respect to student learning. The responses have been grouped below using the following subthemes:  

 

doing okay suggestions for improvement o information dissemination about relevance of IGA o information dissemination about approach taken by school o curriculum development issues o human and financial resources o need for staff education o collaboration challenges don’t know

Table 13: Respondents’ perceptions of what most needs improvement in the approach taken by their school regarding student learning Q13: Please identify what most needs improvement in the approach taken by your school when fostering IGA generic skills in students DOING OKAY I think the school does a pretty good job I believe the school is doing what it can within the current constraints such as the timelines involved in making course changes.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT  INFORMATION DISSEMINATION ABOUT RELEVANCE OF IGA A reason to foster these skills Better promotion across units of what we should work towards Maybe buy- in from all staff and better awareness and understanding Stronger program of awareness of the role that individual staff can have in introducing or implementing material Whole of school recognition and understanding would be a good start but the HOS and associate HOS teaching and learning with the HOP[rogram] should take the lead.

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 INFORMATION DISSEMINATION ABOUT APPROACH TAKEN A clear dissemination of information on the school's approach.

Need to put into the school agenda to discuss among staff.  CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ISSUES Identifying the units that are suitable for the task For them [IGAs] to be aligned with the outcomes wanted by the university and not just being tokenism Greater attention across all years of health programs. Better understanding by science students and staff of where this fits with science degrees.

Identify these [IGAs] as learning objectives in each tutorial and integrate content As previously commented the current approach is to imbed these skills in largely or totally theoretically based common units. They need to be taught in discipline specific context with some real application in working with real individuals within a discipline specific context so that students can actually show that they can and do implement the theory More awareness and consistent implementation of IGA across the units, and not just in one or two units.

Embed all skills across law curriculum - though may not all be incorporated and assessed in compulsory units - thus diluting its importance.

Could have some more practical applications through musical performance within the student cohort.

Expanding the use of the two units throughout the school.

More systematic implementation of IGA It is my view that a core unit in all degrees should be related with Indigenous issues associated with the program. For example in the degree of management there should be a unit on management of Indigenous organisations and services Still regarded as an add-on in some units - not fully integrated Well constructed material. Don't try to shovel everything into one unit See previous and refer to the NSW Institute of Teachers requirements. If mapping was to be undertaken in a serious way most of the preservice teachers at best get 2 lectures and 2 tutorials to cover all of the outlined NSWIT requirements. It’s a joke  HUMAN AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES Human and financial resources and staff to help broker these relationships to integrate Aboriginal resources and issues across more widely at UWS so it is just not the role of Badanami to develop a more collaborative approach and nurture a community of practice amongst peers that is across disciplines. More professional development in practical workshops for academic staff.

More resources  NEED FOR STAFF EDUCATION By having a staff development workshop on IGA can best fit into our respective units. Share some models and case studies on how others have done it Communication, professional development Consultation, training, communication Better education/awareness Awareness of all staff of the new attribute and strategies to implement this initiative.

Implementation of the IGA generally.

Information available to academics More implementation More knowledge Techniques and knowledge; resources To actually implement it, and to train us all. Even if I’m not teaching a unit in this I would like to be trained and empowered so that my consciousness is raised and I am able to incorporate actions and 20

attitudes as relevant and applicable to my teaching.  COLLABORATION Direct contact with Badanami people perhaps?

CHALLENGES Thinking about the issues involved in IGA not just approaching it as something that needs to be complied with.

It is dependent on the knowledge and motivation of staff to consider how relevant learning can be fostered.

Attributes are at a course level not unit level therefore are easily lost in the scheme of things.

There has been little commitment to Indigenous scholarship within Badanami. The reason for this is that there has been little time for Badanami academics to engage in any real dialogue around academic issues due to the incredible pressures e.g. Supporting mainstream academics with their unit/course development, attendance at so many meetings and having to do all our own administration. The IGA team have had to be super human working from the fringes of the university.

What other academics in the mainstream take for granted we cannot. For Badanami Indigenous academics to feel supported then we have to be relocated from working on the fringes to the centre of the university i.e. Placed within schools. This would free Indigenous academics up to work more effectively with colleagues to develop units and courses in implementing the IGA. I am tired of struggling from the fringes without experiencing the same rights as other academics! In saying this, I understand that with rights come responsibilities!

An interest to engage with those academics supportive of the introduction of IGA generic skills. Many have become disillusioned and see it as a paper exercise that appears to waste their time once they wish to start any implementation.

As previously indicated, there is a lack of awareness and competence. The Aboriginal academic in our school who was employed to teach Aboriginal studies has been coopted into various teaching and administrative responsibilities that have nothing to do with her portfolio. In addition she has been subjected to racist attitudes and silencing when she has attempted to raise the issues. The unit she taught, which was highly valued by students, was scrapped because the head of program believed it unnecessary. This was done with the consent of the head of school and despite explicit requirements for teaching degrees to include a significant component on Aboriginal education.

More time - there's 'content' pressure in compulsory units, because of accreditation pressures.

Everything [needs improvement].

It [the school] could make a start.

Discussions need to start.

Most staff think that this has nothing to do with them DON’T KNOW don't know don't know

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Discussion Demographic data: While the ten percent response rate might on the surface appear to be poor, it is positive that so many academic staff responded to the survey given the busy time of year that it was sent to them and given that only a small proportion of academic staff had had direct involvement in the implementation of the IGA, be that in the form of curriculum development or teaching. Clearly, however, there is much room for the effort of implementation to be more broadly distributed.

Theme One: Awareness of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute (IGA).

Q1. Rating the level of awareness of the IGA Responses indicate that 35/132 respondents were unaware of the IGA, although this ‘unaware’ cohort most probably have an interest in the IGA or they would not have taken part in the survey.

Alternatively, the ‘unaware’ cohort might have felt obligated to fill in the survey. It is not possible to say.

It is recommended that an awareness campaign be conducted to improve overall levels of awareness of the IGA across the university.

Q1b. Which category reflects your employment contract?

I have not included this data in the report to date, due to the fact that we would need to analyse it in more depth before making any statements about it. As shown below, the greatest number of respondents who were unaware of the IGA were sessional staff and level Bs. But this might just reflect the fact that more of these categories actually conducted the survey. It is perhaps a concern that only 4 level As conducted the survey.

Note: because of the timing of the survey, we are probably not capturing all sessional staff as many of their contracts might have concluded by end November.

Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E Casual/Sessional Total

Unaware Frequency Percent of IGA Percent 4 3.0 1 2.9 48 36.4 12 34.3 25 18.9 5 14.3 19 14.4 3 8.6 3 2.3 33 25.0 14 40.0 132 100.0 35 100.0

It is recommended that the level of employment category be analysed in greater depth.

Q2. The year during which academics became aware of the IGA It is a positive finding that the number of academic staff who responded to the survey and were aware of the IGA increased each year between 2006 and 2011.

It is recommended that the survey be taken again for the next three years to evaluate whether the number of academic staff aware of the IGA increases as it needs to, if implementation is to be successful.

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Q3. How knowledge about the IGA was disseminated within UWS There were a wide variety of responses to this question.  F = via formal means (50);  I = via informal means (38);  B = via Badanami (31);  R = via own reading (8);  C = via curriculum development (5) ;  U = via university initiated material (2);  S = via a student (1);  D = don’t know (1).

However, it is clear from some of the responses to other questions that there is a great need for dissemination of information about the IGA and how to implement it.

Q4. Awareness of the rationale for the IGA Responses to this question indicate that the reasons for implementation of the IGA are accurate.

It is recommended that mechanisms are put in place in order that the remainder of staff become aware of and understand the importance and relevance of the IGA.

Theme Two: Awareness of the process of IGA implementation within a School.

Q5. Awareness of process of IGA implementation taken by school Of the 97 respondents who were aware of the IGA generally, just under half of these (n-= 44) were unaware of exactly how their school had approached implementing the IGA generic skills and knowledge within the schools’ courses. Given that this cohort were not aware of the approach used, it would tend to indicate that they would not necessarily have been able to contribute to achieving the desired outcome.

It is recommended that all schools ensure that knowledge about the approach taken by the school is disseminated and discussed within school fora at regular intervals.

Q6. How has your school approached the implementation of the IGA generic skills?

The 53 respondents who answered ‘yes’ to Q5 provided 65 responses when provided with 3 options to choose from – each respondent could choose more than one option. The options were   

Stand-alone unit (25) Addressed within a number of units throughout the course (21) ‘other’ (19)

Some of the responses provided specific detail, while others were non-specific such as: ‘it is integrated in our course’, or ‘p/g is different from u/g’.

23

Q7. Have the IGA generic skills been assessed by your school?

Of the 53 who were aware of the approach taken by their school (see Q5), 18 understood that their school had assessed the IGA skills; 15 understood this not to be the case; and 20 did not know whether the IGA skills had been assessed or not.

It is recommended that better dissemination of information about the school’s processes for implementation and assessment of the IGA is required.

Q8b. In what capacity were you involved in implementing the IGA? Responses indicate that half of the respondents who perceived that they had played a role in implementing the IGA were involved through teaching in the classroom (28/56). It is interesting that at least one respondent who was employed on a casual contract had commented that he/she had been unaware of the IGA during this period. In answer to the question about their involvement in teaching in the classroom this respondent noted that he/she had been: ‘Including Indigenous content in my lectures when still a casual (I wasn't aware of the IGA at this stage) [unspecified unit]’.

This comment tends to indicate that the IGA knowledge and skills have not been explained to all academic staff.

It is recommended that greater attention is given to ensuring that all academic staff are aware of the IGA knowledge and skills and exactly how they are embedded within units and how they are being assessed.

Q8b1. In what capacity were you involved in IGA implementation – unit development Responses indicate that 7 units have been developed or are being taught with IGA content embedded, and that 2 more units are being developed and will be offered in 2013.

Please note that the survey is not capturing all of the work that has been carried out within the university in relation to the IGA implementation process. For example, a separate report obtained from the School of Nursing indicates that IGA content has recently been scaffolded across the degree programs and a core unit has been developed specifically with the IGA in mind; and yet this core unit is not mentioned within the survey dataset, while a different unit is mentioned: Family Health Care: Child And Adolescent Nursing, which only indirectly focuses on Indigenous content, according to the school report.

Q8b2. In what capacity were you involved in IGA implementation – unit coordinator Responses to this question indicate that there are 13 units being coordinated with IGA content. Some of these units are in the process of development while others have been developed and offered to students.

Please note that it is not possible to ascertain exactly from the survey dataset which units have been offered, which are in the process of development, and which units are targeted for future inclusion of IGA knowledge and skills. For this to become visible, the dataset would need to be 24

reconstructed, so that one person’s entire dataset could be read, rather than simply reading their response to a particular question, along with all other responses to that question.

It is recommended that the data is reconstructed in order to provide a better picture of where each school is placed with regard to its implementation responsibilities, and where the most support is required.

Q8c. Tapping untapped capacity There are at least 31 academics willing to be involved in implementing the IGA in some way, who are not at present being given this opportunity. This represents an untapped capacity at UWS that could well be utilised. Given that there were 1300 staff on the survey distribution list, and given that around 10% of academics responded to the survey, if we multiply the figure of 31 by 10, this might mean that there are around 300 academics with skills and knowledge to contribute to the implementation of the IGA. On the other hand, it might be the case that most of the academics with an active interest in the IGA actually responded to the survey and thus it is not valid to surmise about the extent of the untapped capacity. Nevertheless, it is valid to say that there are at least 31 academics who are willing to contribute, who are not doing so at present.

It is recommended that a mechanism is put in place at the school level to bring together those interested in the process of implementation.

It is recommended that a mechanism be found so that all academic staff directly involved in implementing the IGA can communicate with each other across different schools, in order to share experiences, information and techniques.

Theme three: Perceived capacity to effectively teach the IGA knowledge and generic skills Q9. Teacher confidence in implementing the IGA Responses indicate that with regard to the confidence levels of academics related to their capacity to teach IGA generic skills and knowledge, there was almost a normal distribution curve represented, with the same number feeling ‘very confident’(n=16) as those feeling ‘not confident’(n=16), and almost equal numbers around the central position of feeling ‘somewhat confident’. This indicates that more support is required for those academics who are not feeling confident about their capacity to teach Indigenous content, a point reflected also in the ‘comments’ section of Q9 (see below at Q9a).

It is recommended that resources are obtained for staff development in order to increase teacher confidence levels.

Q9a. Academics’ comments related to confidence in teaching the IGA Responses indicate a need for more information dissemination about the importance and relevance of the IGA. Also there is a need for resources and information about how to implement the IGA and for more people to become involved. While there was some frustration recorded, there was also a confidence expressed by some respondents and willingness to engage with the process by others. One response indicated that Graduate Attributes need to be made visible at the UNIT level, rather than just 25

at the course level, in order for all academics to understand their relevance and importance (see also Q13 under ‘challenges’ for similar sentiment).

It is recommended that information about the IGA needs to be disseminated more widely and more often than it is at present in order to increase the number of people involved in the process.

It is recommended that mechanisms are found in order to make the Graduate Attributes more visible at the unit level.

Q10. Suggestions for increasing confidence levels related to teaching the IGA Responses indicate a great need for more staffing (Indigenous & non-Indigenous); more resources (financial & material); and more education for academics about how to implement the IGA. Increased collaboration with Badanami was also suggested.

It is recommended that more effort be put into staff development.

It is recommended that financial resources are obtained to increase teaching confidence related to IGA implementation.

Theme four: the process of implementation - what worked/what didn’t?

Q11. Respondents’ perceptions of effectiveness of the approach taken by their school in fostering IGA skills in students.

The response of most concern is that only 3/97 respondents indicated that the approach taken by their school had been ‘very effective’. Equally concerning is that 42/97 did not know whether the approach taken had been effective.

It is recommended that mechanisms be put in place for discussion within schools about the approach taken to implement the IGA. It is recommended that mechanisms be put in place to continuously monitor the effectiveness of the approach.

It is recommended that further research on the survey dataset take place to identify the three respondents who perceive implementation of the IGA to be very effective. It might then be possible to understand why effectiveness has been enhanced in these cases.

Q12. Respondents’ perceptions of the best aspects of the approach taken by their school regarding student learning Many of the responses to this question discuss modes of delivery. From these it is apparent that different modes of delivery have worked within different contexts. It would be necessary to conduct further research on the dataset before understanding what has worked in which context. Two respondents indicated that collaboration with Badanami was the best aspect. Nevertheless, responses indicate that while the question asked for comments about what worked, many respondents provided comments about challenges to the process of IGA implementation.

26

It is recommended that the dataset be re-constructed in order to find out what modes of delivery worked best in which contexts.

Q13. Respondents’ perceptions of what most needs improvement in the approach taken by their school regarding student learning Responses indicate that there are many challenges present regarding the implementation of the IGA. One telling comment is that ‘Most staff think that this has nothing to do with them’.

Yet as one respondent noted at Q10, ‘Reconciliation is everyone's responsibility!’.

Overall impression: The responses to the IGA academic staff survey suggest that despite many challenges there is still much goodwill and many suggestions about how to improve.

There is a great need for educative processes for academic staff a) about the relevance of the IGA for the future lives of Indigenous people and b) about how to develop units with IGA content relevant for students in varying disciplines. The latter will not be achieved without considerable time and effort on the part of academics who will need to become familiar with elements of Australian histories and cultures that impact on the lives of Indigenous people. This is required if effective teaching is to be achieved. The challenge is how to engage more non-Indigenous academics to be a part of this process.

Following on from the findings of Q8c, it is clear that there are at least 31 academics who have expressed an interest in becoming more engaged. Untapped capacity therefore is already available.

Information about the IGA could be better disseminated particularly at the School and unit level. It would be useful to have fora where processes useful for implementation can be discussed. For example, by putting the approach taken by the school on the agenda of school meetings where a review of progress to date could take place.

Given that much of the teaching is carried out by Level A and sessional staff, there is a need to ensure that information about the IGA is provided also to these members of staff, as they might not be a part of meetings to the same extent as higher level academics.

27

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute 2012 APPENDIX 8: UWS STUDENT FEEDBACK SURVEY (SFU) ANALYSIS OF THE INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDIES MAJOR (IASM) UNITS 2011

Appendix 8

Key:

Student Feedback on Units (SFU) Indigenous Australian Studies Major Units 2009 - 2012 (Summer School)

Colour

n.a

Average >= 4.0

Unit ID 101751 101751 101751 101753 101754 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Unit Name Contextualising Indigenous Australia Contextualising Indigenous Australia Contextualising Indigenous Australia Revaluing Indigenous Economics From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers

3.5 to < 3.5 < 4 resp. < 4.0

Session

Issued

Returned

Rate

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q5

Q6

Q7

Q8

Q9

Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13

2011.Au 2011.Sp 2012.Su 2011.Sp 2011.Sp

51 11 75 37 40

31 9 50 15 21

61% 82% 67% 41% 53%

4.42 4.89 4.56 4.53 4.05

4.45 4.78 4.40 4.27 4.10

4.35 4.67 4.50 4.53 4.19

4.35 4.67 4.40 4.67 4.33

3.65 4.22 4.20 4.47 4.10

4.13 4.33 4.40 4.53 3.25

4.39 4.67 4.52 4.53 4.14

4.48 4.89 4.54 4.60 4.21

4.29 4.67 4.48 4.47 4.21

4.48 4.89 4.58 4.67 4.05

[Unit Content] - The unit covered what the unit outline said it would.

[Relevance] - I was able to see the relevance of this unit to my course.

[Learning Design] - The learning activities in this unit have helped my learning.

[Assessment Activities] - The assessments in this unit have helped me learn.

[Assessment Feedback] - I was able to learn from feedback I received in this unit.

[Assessment Guidelines] - There were clear guidelines for all assessment tasks in this unit.

[Learning Resources] - The learning resources provided for this unit helped me to engage in learning.

[Learning Flexibility] - The unit provided a reasonable amount of flexibility for study.

[Learning Spaces] - The teaching and learning spaces used for this unit were adequate.

[Workload] - The amount of work required in this unit was reasonable.

[Equity/Fairness] - In this unit, people treated each other fairly and with respect.

[Generic Skills] - This unit helped me develop my skills in critical thinking, analysing, problem solving and communicating.

[Overall Experience] - Overall, I've had a satisfactory learning experience in this unit.

4.55 4.56 4.66 4.53 4.30

4.45 4.89 4.46 4.60 4.40

4.60 4.89 4.64 4.60 4.40

101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia Student Feedback on Unit Autumn 2011 Best Aspects Needs Improvement Field trip.

Not much.

The content. Teaching..

Everything was good The lecturers are fantastic.

Feedback was too slow.

Understanding Indigenous knowledge.

More information on land rights.

Very intensive but everything was excellent.

The feedback from assessments, didn't get any.

Enriching my education on Indigenous Australians.

Online learning would be very influential for students.

Hearing from others experiences and learning from them.

The unit needs to become more accessible for unit The unit co-ordinators approach. The online content was registration. well done.

Needs to be more accessible online and for more courses eg Learning about Aboriginal history, the truth and how we fit education. into society.

I think the references expected in some of the assessments All this unit has been outstanding and educational. Website was a bit much. was excellent.

Possibly getting Indigenous guest speakers from community I thought the online site was good and provided great to share experiences. information. Thank you.

More computers and improve virtual learning. Maybe give It was great because I am Aboriginal, however, I learnt us hard copies of what is on the net. things that I didn't know.

Needs to be easily accessible on registration / platform web.

I enjoyed hearing the teachers stories. Also very much Policing students should do this unit as a core. enjoyed the performance teacher.

Lecture time could be longer than one hour and tutorial time Canberra trip, black fellas in education. Chance to study our could be shortened to one hour as there are online activities history and collective futures. that compliment the tutorial.

Attending Jack teacher Versus the Crown. Lecturers were Being more creative during tutorials, ie. Activities, perhaps very knowledgeable and willing to share culturally sensitive acting out something. Little bit more feedback for information. assignment. Clearer instructions for assessments.

Readings and resources were extremely useful. Online I would have liked to have had the lectures recorded on modules were very well thought out and encouraged vUWS to listen to again. I would have liked to have thinking about relevant topics. assessment marks back earlier so we know how we were The unit was very flexible. The unit has increased my going. learning. The assessment tasks in this unit where very clear.

Sometimes needed more structure in some tutorials. At times Help was there when needed. as a class we were spoken to about things rather than Friendly atmosphere during tutorials and different sort of encouraged in a way that would increase class participation. information about Indigenous culture, peoples and their The online modules were good topics, although I think the relations in different fields. students they interviewed didint contribute much to the The best aspects of the unit, tutorials were very helpful to topic. I think having more informed students to comment understand the subject. We found opportunity to ask would make it better. questions and understand subject.

I think everything needs to be in the learning guides in Engaging with others in tutorials. Allowing creativity with relation to the journals. There was only one person in class assignments. who was disruptive at times but I hope this changes for the Honest, respectful and freedom of sharing in class. Covered rest of semester. a wide range of topics.

For registrations it needs to be advertised more profilitically.

The best aspect were the teachers and lectures, they were The journal responses could be posted online and informative and supportive. The excursion was great and discussions following -would be a way to keep the dialogue gave us a taste of real Aboriginal talent. going on a weekly basis .

The online learning resources. The viewing of the First The timetable was complicated at first and I don't think the Australians. tutorial should be a two full hours. Maybe a two hour lecture The tutors stories of their upbringing. The freedom to speak and one hour tutorial. I would have liked to learn more facts and he respected with you point of view. and history. I felt like most of the course was a debate on The staff and fellow students were supportive. The ethics and who was right or wrong. I would have liked to atmosphere of the class was always of a high energy and learn more of the positives instead of focusing mostly on the covered thought provoking topics. I had a ball and learned a negatives. lot.

More structure in tutorials. Linked to readings and topics.

I liked the modules on vUWS. They were convenient to One hour tutorials; two hours was too long. Assignment access and interactive. I also enjoyed the cultural turnaround was poor. performance and I think that the assessments were good We handed in our journals in week three to be checked we learning tools. were on the right track, however these were not returned Performance and linked assignment mode for a change from until week 12 and our performance review was not returned usual essays, literature reviews and reports. Assignments in by semester end. Some links to reading material in vUWS general were great. Journal was good way to reflect on new was not available due to copyright issues. knowledge. Loved the unit. Learnt lots.

Changes to unit outline were not followed through with.

Learning about indigenous people from a different angle, and really showing their view on what has happened.

Showing us better ways to communicate between cultural and individual and organisation level fantastic teachers.

We went to an Indigenous performance. It was enjoyable and gave me a totally different perspective on modern Indigenous culture. I liked the fact the assessments were more like a journey. It really personalised the learning process.

The online learning vUWS presentation is the best unit coverage I have seen. Teacher, teacher and teacher are great teachers and their personal life experiences helped me get through my own mus guided experience. Great group of people to share with.

It was more creative and personal. The online modules and learning page were set out great! I loved going to a performance and tying it in with what I was learning. I felt a two hour tutorial was way too long and the lectures were not needed. I would prefer the module and online material rather than a lecture and a one hour tutorial to get through the material and ask questions, feedback.

Best Aspects

101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia Student Feedback on Unit Spring 2011 Needs Improvement

The mode of delivery over four Saturdays.

The face to face sessions. The discussions.

Lecturer was outstanding. Content was engaging and informative.

Personal stories and history.

Flexibility. Interactivity. Atmosphere. Diversity of teaching aides.

Spectrum of the content.

The small class, giving everyone the ability to engage with learning and have input to class topics.

The message was helpful. It was very interactive and emotional. The lecturer was excellent in delivering the message.

The whole educational experience. I loved vUWS, it was interactive and informative and helped me write learning journal. I liked and enjoyed being able to access the online content via the front screen. It was lovely to watch the videos over and over. The first Australians CDs were very powerful and the knowledge gained was extensive. I also enjoyed having the teachers that first day.

Emphasis on the Torres Strait Islanders. Feedback from past students of units.

Assessment return for faster feedback. All readings made more readily available.

The online modules need to be relabelled with the correct week and session numbers.

Current events such as constitutional change, the intervention.

Clearer learning guide. Assessment instructions.

For the University of Western Sydney to make it a compulsory subject for all students. The video tapes need to be upgraded to DVD. Assessment three. Limit the amount of journal entries. This will allow future students to develop and expand on new knowledge gained.

All great for me. I loved the genealogy afternoon and the wonderful stories. It was wonderful to go to different locations in a group! The only think I was wanting, to see the artwork at Blacktown but we were just too late! Maybe next time.

101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia Student Feedback on Unit Summer School 2012 Best Aspects Needs Improvement Everything was great.

Tutorial structure.

Everything was great.

Make the unit run longer.

Performance of I am EORA. Slide notes to be provided.

The stories that are told.

More engaging tutorial sessions.

Teacher was very approachable.

Larger word limits for assignments.

Everything was very interesting.

The slides could be posted on vUWS. One of the best units I have studied.

It could be longer and include more.

The content and the assessment tasks.

The tutorials need more of a structure.

Attending the Indigenous performance.

Maybe having three assignments was a bit much.

Great tutors. Short and good unit. Easy.

Fix the references. A break before the lecture.

The performance and the personal stories.

Five weeks is not enough for this unit, I felt we needed The DVDs, certain topics and information. more time.

It showed me the less known side of the history.

Too many days per week. The unit should be gathered into Everything from teaching to assessments was great. one day per week.

The first Australians DVD and all of the staff members.

Perhaps work on making it more visible to students who Attending a performance as well as interesting lectures. don't know about it.

It is helpful and I now have knowledge about Aboriginals.

Consider recording lectures and uploading to vUWS. Leave It covered everything it said it would and the classes were time to discuss current events. engaging.

Coming from pure science background, I found it to be The teachers. It is another way to learn about Australian difficult to write essays in an Arts format.

Indigenous people.

If we could have access to the lecture slides. It would be Overall the amount of effort and commitment given by the helpful to have guidelines on how assessments should be staff were excellent. presented.

The diversity of topics covered in the unit, from colonisation I think more detail needs to go into the oppression the to present day. aboriginals face like learning history from an aboriginal The unit gave up to date and interesting information. I would point of view. recommend this to others.

Some students are new to this country so it is hard for them The I am eora performance. The range of learning sources to engage, especially in a discussion, if they do not know and videos. Simple assessments. about Aboriginal history.

The visit to carriage works at Redfern, gave us a good The online resources weren't ready, like the reading links, insight into Aboriginal drama and history. but I do understand the problems with technology and the The I am Eova performance and all the different videos we migration to the new E-Learning environment. watched.

Also all of the teachers were great.

The best aspects of this unit were SBS video, journal and performance. Staff were very friendly and co-operative.

This was a wonderful unit to do as an elective. I can definitely see the relevance of this unit for my career path.

I gained more learning about Indigenous Australian Culture and became more aware of the nations history. I enjoyed this unit.

The openness of the lecturer and the tutor. It was great to hear about their own experiences in the present, not only in the past.

I liked the summer school format. The content was well thought out and presented in an easy well managed way that made it fun to learn.

I have learnt so much that cannot be learnt from the textbook. This unit provides a great opportunity to understand the Indigenous Australian.

The teachers were positive and I enjoyed the performance. It challenged my assumptions and gave me a better understanding of indigenous australians.

Best aspects were group work, learning about different cultures, videos of writing journals. Staff were helpful, cooperative and very understanding.

The great attitude of the teachers and how they really could all add a personal story of their own experience. One of the best units I have done at uni.

That it was not just theory. We learnt about the everyday, the things that are affecting our next door neighbours, by giving us an insight into the lives of the aboriginal people.

Every single thing in this unit was good. I believe it should

be compulsory. This unit taught us all a lot. The tutors are the best and should have a complete 14 week unit running.

The realistic approach to learning about Indigenous people was not only the best aspect but it brought along with it a freshness and new information to be learnt and shared with others.

The teaching was really enjoyable, as well as going to see the performance. I felt the tutors were approachable and listened to everyone's opinions without judgement. It was very enjoyable.

The overall best aspects of contextualising indigenous studies were the class discussions. All of the tutors coming together and sharing their personal experiences was really valuable lesson to lean.

The fact that Australian history is taught by Aboriginal professors whom are able to critically assess the truth of our past and teach Indigenous laws history, art and things that would not be taught otherwise. I am now more culturally aware.

Gaining an understanding of the Indigenous Australian history. Also it was a very informative course which allowed me to put into context my future career. The vUWS site allowed it to be fun and exciting. All lectures were good, well presented and easy to.

This unit was one of the most interesting and informative and enjoyable subjects that I have completed. The course was carefully and well thought through and the teaching staff were excellent. It was thought provoking and introduced many Aboriginal and in.

The intensity with which it was delivered. I also enjoyed going to the performance and seeing things through a different perspective as well as meeting with people. The inline modules were great because I could watch and complete them in my own time and m.

This unit was a long needed unit as it taught me a great deal of the true Aboriginal history and English colonisation. This unit I believe should be compulsory in the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences degree. Indigenous people are this countries history.

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute 2012 APPENDIX 9: UWS STUDENT FEEDBACK SURVEY ANALYSIS OF THE INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDIES MAJOR (IASM) UNITS AND THE INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE (IGA) UNITS 2011

Appendix 9

Key:

Student Feedback on Units (SFU), Indigenous Graduate Attribute and Indigenous Australian Studies Major Units, 2009 - 2012 (Summer School)

Colour

n.a

Average >= 4.0

Unit ID 101751 101751 101751 101753 101754 400756 400756 400756 300631 300631 300632 200010 200010 200010 200006 200006 200006 200006 200006 200006 400866 400866 101577 101577

3.5 to < < 4.0 3.5

< 4 resp.

Unit Name

Session

Issued

Returned

Rate

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q5

Q6

Q7

Q8

Q9

Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13

Contextualising Indigenous Australia Contextualising Indigenous Australia Contextualising Indigenous Australia Revaluing Indigenous Economics From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers Family Health Care: Health Issues and Australian Indigenous People Family Health Care: Health Issues and Australian Indigenous People Family Health Care: Health Issues and Australian Indigenous People Indigenous Landscape Indigenous Landscape Living in Country Criminal Law Criminal Law Criminal Law Introduction to Law Introduction to Law Introduction to Law Introduction to Law Introduction to Law Introduction to Law Culture, Diversity and Health Culture, Diversity and Health Classrooms Without Borders Classrooms Without Borders

2011.Au 2011.Sp 2012.Su 2011.Sp 2011.Sp 2009.1

51 11 75 37 40 874

31 9 50 15 21 696

61% 82% 67% 41% 53% 80%

4.42 4.89 4.56 4.53 4.05 3.87

4.45 4.78 4.40 4.27 4.10 3.42

4.35 4.67 4.50 4.53 4.19 3.53

4.35 4.67 4.40 4.67 4.33 3.57

3.65 4.22 4.20 4.47 4.10 3.48

4.13 4.33 4.40 4.53 3.25 3.53

4.39 4.67 4.52 4.53 4.14 3.54

4.48 4.89 4.54 4.60 4.21 3.44

4.29 4.67 4.48 4.47 4.21 3.62

4.48 4.89 4.58 4.67 4.05 3.29

4.55 4.56 4.66 4.53 4.30 4.02

4.45 4.89 4.46 4.60 4.40 3.47

2010.Au

837

590

70%

3.73

3.37

3.40

3.55

3.19

3.48

3.39

3.54

3.67

3.66

3.93

3.35 3.39

2011.Au

892

669

75%

4.05

3.73

3.77

3.75

3.51

3.78

3.81

3.73

3.84

3.69

4.10

3.71 3.78

2009.2 2011.Au 2010.Au 2009.2 2010.Sp 2011.Sp 2009.1 2009.2 2010.Au 2010.Sp 2011.Au 2011.Sp 2010.Au 2011.Au 2010.Au 2010.Sp

16 25 10 568 865 675 534 244 660 240 740 301 244 875 582 195

14 15 9 386 412 425 257 145 346 115 332 128 0 598 229 152

88% 60% 90% 68% 48% 63% 48% 59% 52% 48% 45% 43% 0% 68% 39% 78%

4.36 3.80 4.22 4.26 4.33 4.44 3.91 4.23 4.02 4.17 4.02 3.87 n.a 3.92 3.78 3.62

4.43 3.67 4.67 4.47 4.41 4.62 3.96 4.24 4.06 4.28 3.93 3.92 n.a 3.64 3.82 3.68

4.43 3.67 4.44 4.14 4.07 4.32 3.76 4.11 3.86 4.12 3.75 3.84 n.a 3.50 3.50 3.34

4.43 4.13 4.00 4.14 4.12 4.30 3.69 4.03 3.74 3.89 3.49 3.64 n.a 3.47 3.40 3.26

3.64 3.67 4.11 3.76 3.73 4.07 3.36 3.78 3.40 3.87 3.22 3.60 n.a 3.48 3.00 3.05

4.00 3.73 4.00 4.07 4.02 4.11 3.46 3.83 3.61 3.95 3.36 3.65 n.a 3.41 3.42 3.13

4.00 3.60 4.00 3.92 3.97 4.16 3.56 3.92 3.74 4.04 3.62 3.61 n.a 3.61 3.52 3.22

4.43 4.33 4.67 3.89 3.93 3.89 3.49 3.78 3.85 3.90 3.67 3.79 n.a 3.81 4.03 3.65

4.50 4.07 4.44 4.00 4.07 4.18 3.56 3.99 3.94 4.13 3.94 3.94 n.a 3.88 3.74 3.61

4.50 4.33 4.56 3.98 4.03 4.08 3.74 3.92 3.99 3.97 3.83 3.81 n.a 3.87 3.74 3.66

4.43 4.40 4.78 4.21 4.18 4.39 3.97 4.19 4.15 4.02 4.10 4.10 n.a 4.09 4.26 3.95

4.36 4.00 4.56 4.10 4.17 4.27 3.70 4.02 3.83 4.10 3.80 3.83 n.a 3.52 3.77 3.58

4.60 4.89 4.64 4.60 4.40 3.50

4.57 4.07 4.67 4.21 4.16 4.35 3.72 4.13 3.90 4.18 3.80 3.76 n.a 3.59 3.64 3.34

101577 101577 200540 200540 200540 200020 200020 200020 200015 200015 200015 200015 200015 200015 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Classrooms Without Borders Classrooms Without Borders Globalisation and Australia Globalisation and Australia Globalisation and Australia Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics Criminal Procedure and Evidence Criminal Procedure and Evidence Criminal Procedure and Evidence Criminal Procedure and Evidence Criminal Procedure and Evidence Criminal Procedure and Evidence

2011.Au 2011.Sp 2009.2 2010.Sp 2011.Sp 2009.2 2010.Sp 2011.Au 2009.1 2009.2 2010.Au 2010.Sp 2011.Au 2011.Sp

360 274 158 130 137 590 400 505 125 135 150 190 130 210

311 197 84 81 56 315 44 260 94 66 88 95 70 75

86% 72% 53% 62% 41% 53% 11% 51% 75% 49% 59% 50% 54% 36%

3.48 2.64 4.07 4.19 4.20 4.14 4.12 4.27 4.49 4.05 4.35 4.37 4.47 4.23

3.58 2.91 3.83 3.80 4.05 4.31 4.33 4.50 4.60 4.31 4.51 4.54 4.61 4.44

3.22 2.51 3.88 3.99 3.93 3.98 3.98 4.19 4.18 3.80 4.31 4.19 4.50 3.97

3.12 2.54 3.85 3.93 3.98 4.01 3.86 4.18 3.77 3.37 4.11 3.93 4.41 4.01

2.81 2.09 3.70 3.68 3.72 3.81 3.88 4.12 3.95 3.22 3.95 3.31 4.37 3.41

3.02 2.04 4.06 4.08 4.14 3.88 4.02 4.00 4.14 3.09 4.07 3.85 4.24 4.00

[Unit Content] - The unit covered what the unit outline said it would.

[Relevance] - I was able to see the relevance of this unit to my course.

[Learning Design] - The learning activities in this unit have helped my learning.

[Assessment Activities] - The assessments in this unit have helped me learn.

[Assessment Feedback] - I was able to learn from feedback I received in this unit.

[Assessment Guidelines] - There were clear guidelines for all assessment tasks in this unit.

[Learning Resources] - The learning resources provided for this unit helped me to engage in learning.

[Learning Flexibility] - The unit provided a reasonable amount of flexibility for study.

[Learning Spaces] - The teaching and learning spaces used for this unit were adequate.

[Workload] - The amount of work required in this unit was reasonable.

[Equity/Fairness] - In this unit, people treated each other fairly and with respect.

[Generic Skills] - This unit helped me develop my skills in critical thinking, analysing, problem solving and communicating.

[Overall Experience] - Overall, I've had a satisfactory learning experience in this unit.

NB. This chart is a living document and does not contain all UWS units that might have embedded Indigenous content.

3.11 2.31 3.86 3.88 3.93 3.84 3.79 4.06 4.22 3.69 4.22 4.10 4.36 4.03

3.33 2.50 3.70 3.88 3.98 3.81 4.07 3.98 4.08 3.28 4.13 4.00 4.29 4.15

3.34 2.82 3.89 4.06 4.13 4.02 4.00 4.18 4.26 3.82 4.18 4.11 4.43 4.24

3.24 2.46 3.51 3.90 4.09 3.71 3.95 3.94 4.06 3.42 4.10 4.01 4.33 4.18

4.08 3.15 4.11 4.15 4.25 4.24 4.21 4.33 4.50 3.74 4.33 4.36 4.47 4.29

3.46 2.54 3.93 3.98 4.18 4.04 3.93 4.13 4.38 3.88 4.25 4.17 4.46 4.07

3.20 2.07 3.93 3.96 4.04 4.03 3.98 4.18 4.47 3.54 4.26 4.16 4.53 4.19

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute APPENDIX 10: UWS

INDIGENOUS

SCHEDULE 2009

GRADUATE

ATTRIBUTE

COMPETENCY

TRAINING

Appendix 10

Indigenous Graduate Attribute Competency Training

Day 1 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Purpose and history and features of the UWS Indigenous graduate Attribute.

Australia’s Indigenous demography.

Indigenous identities and terminology.

Understanding Indigenous value systems Classical Indigenous social structures and relationships to Country.

Required post-session reading and viewing:

Day 2 1. Overview of major themes and events in Indigenous/non-Indigenous Australian history.

2. Understanding the contemporary and mutual legacy of the past.

3. Significant major movements: Land Rights, Native Title, the “Bringing them Home” report and National Reconciliation.

4.    

Considerations and expectations concerning Indigenous content development and delivery: Student and staff emotional safety, Indigenous student in the classroom, managing difficult questions, maintaining appropriate levels of student discussion.

Required pre-session reading and viewing:

Day 3 12 month later: Guided tour of the Art Gallery of NSW’s Indigenous collection in the Yirrabanna Gallery. This session would include a guest lecture from a prominent Indigenous person as well as A debrief of the previous year’s experiences and questions.

(written in 2009)

Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate 2012 Attribute APPENDIX 11: UWS INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDIES MAJOR PROMOTIONAL FLYER 2010

Appendix 11

Appendix 11