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 Attribute
2012
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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: [email protected] 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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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
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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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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
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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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CONTENTS Page
Acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of Greater Western Sydney 2 Synopsis 3 Acknowledgements 5 Contents 7 List of Tables and Appendices 9 Acronyms 10 Section 1
Introduction 11 Section 2
Setting the Scene 12 2.1 Why develop an Indigenous Graduate Attribute? 12 2.2 Developing an Indigenous Graduate Attribute: Preliminary work 14
2.3 The IGA Discussion Paper 17 2.4 Defining Terms 23
Section 3 How the Outcomes Support the Program Description 26
3.1 Making the IGA a mandatory component 27 3.2 Developing a Learning & Teaching Framework 28 3.3 Implementation of the IGA 29
Section 4 Activities and Outcomes: Performance indicators 37 4.1 Staff appointments 38 4.2 Collaboration and consultation 40 4.3 Governance protocols and adherence guidelines 44
4.3.1 The purpose of the IGA 45 4.3.2 Strategies 45 4.3.3 Roles of the Dean and Associate Director (Academic) 46 4.3.4 Expectations of Colleges/Schools 46 4.3.5 Assessing implementation 49 4.3.6 Governance 53
4.4 IGA Learning and Teaching Framework 58 4.4.1 Commitment 63 4.4.2 Governance 63
4.4.3 Human Resources 63 4.4.4 Collaboration 63 4.4.5 Pedagogy & Guiding Principles 65 4.4.6 Implementation 66 4.4.7 Review 67 4.5 Second tranche of IGA units 69 4.6 Indigenous Australian Studies Major (IASM) 71 4.7 Full implementation of IGA units 77 4.8 Indigenous learning database 78
4.9 Evaluation of the project 83
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4.10 Dissemination of the Final Report to Peak Indigenous Bodies 85 4.11 Final Report 85
Section 5 How Outcomes have helped to address the Need for the Project 86
Section 6. 6.1 Lessons Learned 90 6.2 Building Indigenous cultural competency of academic staff 90 6.3 The issue of relevance for Core IGA units and large mixed
student cohorts 92 6.4 The issue of relevance of the IGA for some academic staff 94
6.5 The issue of loss of a person of influence associated with an IGA Unit 94
6.6 The issue of loss of an IGA unit due to a school review process 95 6.7 The issue of placement of the graduate attributes:
unit versus course level 95 6.8 Funding implications for implementation of IGA units 95 6.9 Structural issues and invisibility of IASM units 97
6. 10 Resourcing Indigenous Academics 104
Section 7 Concluding Remarks 106
7.1 UWS Badanami Centre response to the Guiding Principles of the Indigenous Cultural Competency Framework in Australian Universities 109
Section 8
Recommendations 119
Section 9
Financial Statement 123
Bibliography 125
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LIST OF TABLES Page
Table 1 Options for embedding IGA within a degree program and positive and negative aspects of each 18 Table 2 UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute - wording 23 Table 3 Extract from UWS Learning and Teaching
Action Plan (2009-2011) 27 Table 4 IGA Units approved by College Education,
Assessment & Progression Committees 29 Table 5 IASM IGA Units approved by College Education,
Assessment & Progression Committees 32 Table 6 Relationship between project description and outcomes 34 Table 7 Assessing IGA Implementation 51 Table 8 UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute Framework to
embed Indigenous content in curricula and to support learning and teaching outcomes 60
Table 9 Strategies to support learning and teaching of IGA 65 Table 10 Pedagogic Principles to support IGA Implementation 65 Table 11 Mapping UWS IGA Implementation against the
Five Guiding Principles and Recommendations of the UA Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency 112
APPENDICES Appendix 1 IGA Learning & Teaching Framework (early version 2010) Appendix 2 Report by the School of Nursing & Midwifery 2012 Appendix 3 Report by the School of Medicine 2012 Appendix 4 College of Arts Working Party Report 2010 Appendix 5 College of Health & Science STEM Working Party Report 2011 Appendix 6 College of Business Working Party Report 2011 Appendix 7 IGA Academic Staff Survey 2011 Appendix 8 Student Feedback Survey Analysis IASM units 2011 Appendix 9 Student Feedback Survey Analysis IASM and IGA units 2009-2011 Appendix 10 Indigenous Graduate Attribute competency training schedule 2009 Appendix 11 IASM promotional flyer 2010
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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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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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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 2006-
2008; 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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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”. 5 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.
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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
7 UWS Indigenous Education Policy Section 2.pt.6.b.
This does not exclude
the possibility that more Indigenous content was available to students than was visible from
http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00229 8 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.
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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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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 UWS Academic Senate Education Committee May 5, 2008 unconfirmed minutes of meeting. 14 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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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.
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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
All students exposed to Indigenous content
Unit might not be relevant to the specific degree program
Embedded content within existing units
Students exposed to Indigenous knowledge throughout the degree program
All students might not be exposed to units with embedded content depending on whether they are compulsory units
Elective Unit The Indigenous content is very focused
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
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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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 Ibid. 6. 17 Ibid. 4.
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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. 19 Ibid. 4. 20 Ibid. 6-7.
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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.
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• 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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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:
A UWS Graduate will:
“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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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3.2 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.
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3.3 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 Student Feedback Unit (SFU) survey
School
No of students enrolled
No of SFU responses
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
874 696/874 School of Nursing
300631 Indigenous Landscapes
2009 Spring
16 14/16 School of Natural Science
200006 Introduction to Law
2009 Autumn
534 257/534 School of Law
200006 Introduction to Law
2009 Spring
244 145/244 School of Law
200010 Criminal Law 2009 Autumn
568 386/568 School of Law
400756 Family Health Care: Issues and Australian Indigenous People
2010
837 590/837 School of Nursing
300632 Living in Country
2010 Autumn
10 9/10 School of Natural Science
400866 Culture, Diversity and Health
2010 Autumn
CORE unit for all Bachelor of Health
244 n/a School of Biomedical & Health Sciences in
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Science degree programs
collaboration with Badanami
101577 Classrooms without Borders
2010 Autumn
8 hour component of Indigenous content within Master of Education (Primary)
582 229/582 School of Education in collaboration with Badanami
101577 Classrooms without Borders
2010 Spring
195 152/195 School of Education
200006 Introduction to Law
2010 Autumn
660 346/660 School of Law
200006 Introduction to Law
2010 Spring
240 115/240 School of Law
200010 Criminal Law 2010 Spring
865 ◄
412/865 School of Law
200540 Globalisation & Australia
2010 Spring
Contains 10% Indigenous content. As of 2012 will contain 30%.
130 81/130 School of Economics and Finance
400756 Family Health Care: Issues and Australian Indigenous People
2011 Autumn
A new CORE unit is to be delivered beg. 2014
892 669/892 School of Nursing
400866 Culture, Diversity and Health
2011 Autumn
A CORE unit for the 9 Bachelor of Health Science degree programs
875 598/875 School of Biomedical & Health Sciences in collaboration with Badanami
101577 Classrooms without Borders
2011 Autumn
360 311/360 School of Education
101577 Classrooms without Borders
2011 Spring
274 197/274 School of Education
200006 Introduction to Law
2011 Autumn
740 332/740 School of Law
200006 Introduction to 2011 301 128/301 School of
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Law Spring Law 200010 Criminal Law 2011
Spring 675
◄ 425/675 School of
Law 200540 Globalisation &
Australia 2011 Spring
Contains 10% Indigenous content. As of 2012 will contain 30%.
137 56/137 School of Economics and Finance
101750▲
Contextualising Indigenous Australia
2011 Autumn
51 31/51 Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education
101751▲
Contextualising Indigenous Australia
2011 Spring
11 9/11 Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education
101753▲
Revaluing Indigenous Economics
2011 Spring
37 15/37 Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education
101754▲
Corroborees to Curtain Raisers
2011 Spring
40 21/40 Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education
101751▲
Contextualising Indigenous Australia
2012 Summer
Summer School
67 50/67 Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education
Total student number enrolled in specific units
8919
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 2009-2011
School of Medicine
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3 Overall total
9319
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
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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.
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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.
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 within UWS to develop core Indigenous units and content.
Establish consultative mechanisms and broad level of support from Indigenous communities and professional groups about appropriate Indigenous knowledge to be developed within courses.
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. 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.
Establish governance protocols and guidelines on adherence to protocols for the development of the Indigenous content within the UWS curriculum.
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.
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.
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
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UWS and for any other institution that seeks to go down the same path.
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.
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.
Develop core Indigenous units and a major that is owned and delivered by Badanami Centre staff. Approval of these through UWS academic governance structures.
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 SUB-MAJOR. 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). The 9 IAS Major units were approved in June 2011 as an elective Major in 6 Bachelor of Arts degree programs.
Prepare lecture notes, deliver The units developed and offered during the life of the
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content in units to UWS students.
IGA project are listed in Table 4.
Develop a database for collection of materials and curriculum developed. Input data into the database for provision to UWS academic staff.
The data-base is being developed to provide a resource for academics who are developing IGA units of study in the future.
Prepare and conduct a survey of staff and students involved in the teaching and learning of Indigenous content.
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.
Final Report for UWS evaluation and refinement of the Indigenous Attribute and for external promotion of the project and its lessons.
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.
Final Report in accordance with clause 4 and 7
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.
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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.
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4.1 Staff appointments
Activity 1 Output / Outcome Due Date
Performance Indicator
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 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”.
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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
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4.2 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 Performance Indicator
2.1 Consultation with staff in UWS Colleges and Schools and relevant Committees. 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.
Establish consultative mechanisms and broad level of support from within UWS to develop core Indigenous units and content. Establish consultative mechanisms and broad level of support in developing appropriate Indigenous knowledge into courses.
1/07/2009
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.
2.1 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:
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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
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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.
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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 Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC)
The
EAC was formed through the
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
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.
Further detail about the Advisory paper can be found at Section 4.3.
The performance indicators
29 The names of the External Advisory Committee can be found on page 6.
(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
30 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).
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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 Output / Outcome Due Date Performance Indicator Establish Indigenous governance protocols to inform consultation, collaboration and development of curriculum and develop pilot units.
Establish governance protocols and guidelines on adherence to protocols for the development of the Indigenous content within the UWS curriculum.
1/07/2009 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.
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The Advisory Paper provided specific advice to UWS academics on areas related to IGA
implementation including:
1. The purpose of the IGA 2. Implementation strategies 3. Roles of Badanami staff 4. Expectations of Colleges/Schools 5. Assessing implementation 6. Governance procedures.33
4.3.1 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:
• To raise the level of professional service delivery to Indigenous Australians • To encourage the development of a National Identity inclusive of Indigenous
Australians.34
4.3.2 Strategies
The across-university implementation of the IGA required a range of strategies. The Advisory
Paper considered 4 strategies:
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.
33 Ibid. 34 Ibid.
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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
4.3.3 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
• identify opportunities for the inclusion of Indigenous content into courses and units
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:
• 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.
4.3.4 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. 36 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.
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• 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.
38 Ibid 39 Ibid. Emphasis added.
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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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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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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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Table 7 Assessing IGA implementation44
Theme
Example of theme Principle
Commitment
Policy level That the university commitment to Indigenous consultation is incorporated into the university’s Indigenous Education Policy.
IGA awareness
Within high-level committees
That all relevant committees are aware of the IGA and seek to promote its inclusion within curricula.
Within schools or research centres or institutes
That someone has responsibility within schools for ensuring that all their academic staff is aware of the IGA skills and knowledge.
Indigenous Consultation
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.
Human Resourcing
Indigenous 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. 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.
Non-Indigenous 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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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.
IGA compatibility with external professional associations or bodies
That the content meets the requirements of external professional associations or bodies.
Relevant Indigenous content
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.
Inclusion of International Indigenous knowledge as content
That the College/School include international Indigenous case studies and comparative Indigenous material.
Inclusion of Indigenous events as content
That the College/School encourage Indigenous engagement initiatives which might feed into the IGA skills and knowledge.
IGA assessment That IGA skills and knowledge are assessable within each degree program.
Implementation approaches
Special status degree programs
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.
Non-special status degree programs
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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Research Within units That Indigenous related research is encouraged within the College or School, as this can contribute to the development or currency of Indigenous content.
Quality management
IGA benchmarking
That College/School benchmarks Indigenous content against other Australian universities with similar courses.
Emotional safety of staff and students
That staff and student emotional safety is 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:
For detail about the IAC please see Section 4.1.
The UWS Board of Trustees Indigenous Advisory Council
45 Advisory Paper, 2009.
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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 Standing Committees of Academic Senate
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 Performance Management and Planning Policy
Monitoring of IGA implementation via the mechanism of School Reviews will be taken up in
Sections 4.4.7.
The UWS School Review Process
Section 2 pt 13 of this policy defines:
The Course and Unit Approval Policy
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:
Course External Advisory Committees (EAC)
School Advisory Committees (SAC)
46 UWS Award courses and units approval policy http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00117
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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
Badanami staff are members of the College Education, Assessment and Progression
Committees (EAPC) and Academic Senate.
UWS Graduate
Attributes and the EAPC requests information from the SACs on implementation of the
Indigenous Graduate Attribute.
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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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 February49 and 8 March50
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
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.
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:
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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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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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 Performance Indicator
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 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. 55 Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund: “UWS Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute, 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010 Progress Report 2”.
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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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Table 8 UWS Indigenous Graduate Attribute Framework to successfully embed Indigenous content in curricula and to support teaching and learning outcomes
Theme Action Accountability Team 1 Commitment Embed the Indigenous
Graduate Attribute within UWS Policies and UWS Strategic Plans
UWS Executive and Senior staff Key UWS committees
Committee members Senior Academic Managers Dean, Indigenous Education
Endorsement of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute by UWS Academic Senate and Board of Trustees
2 Governance & Quality structures
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 College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees Academic Programs College Advisory Committees
Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team UWS academics
Include the levels of achievement of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute in all School Reviews
School Review Committees
3 Human Resources Recruit Indigenous academics with capacity to develop curricula and to act as consultants for schools that are developing Indigenous content
UWS Executive and Senior staff Deans, UWS Schools
Senior Academic Managers Deans, UWS Schools
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Build capacity of non-Indigenous academics within schools, to enable them to effectively develop curricula and teach and assess IGA skills and knowledge
Dean, Indigenous Education
Dean, Indigenous Education Director, Indigenous Employment
4 Collaboration Schools to consult with Indigenous (Badanami) Centre academic staff: to identify courses and units where Indigenous content can be developed to discuss teaching and learning strategies that identify Indigenous content, resources, delivery modes and models, assessment, and review, including student feedback mechanisms
Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for School Advisory Committees College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees Academic Programs College Advisory Committees Academic Senate
Heads of Schools Heads of Programs Associate Deans Academic Unit Coordinators Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team
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
Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute Working Parties Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for School Advisory Committees College Education, Assessment & Progression Committees Academic Programs College Advisory Committees Academic Senate Dean, Indigenous Education
Heads of School Heads of Program Associate Deans Academic Unit Coordinators Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team Students
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6 IGA 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 Dean, Indigenous Education PVC-Learning and Teaching
Heads of Schools Heads of Programs Associate Deans Academic Unit Coordinators Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team Students
7 IGA Review 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 Academic Programs College Advisory Committees Academic Senate Dean, Indigenous Education Chairs of School Review Committees
Heads of Schools Heads of Programs Associate Deans Academic Unit Coordinators Badanami Centre’s Indigenous Graduate Attribute team Students
Below, a brief summary can be found of the elements that comprise the UWS Learning and
Teaching Framework.
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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 (2008-2010) 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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The overall aim of the collaborative model is to enable the creation of a network of like-
minded 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 unit executive staff; Badanami Centre staff
Indigenous community members of Greater Western Sydney
Students
o incorporates cooperation and consultation with Indigenous and non-Indigenous 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 Pedagogic Principles to support IGA Implementation
Principle 1 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.
2 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.
5 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.
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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6 That Indigenous related case studies and problem-based learning is used in the curriculum, in order to develop critical thinking; creative skills; improve problem-solving 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; e-learning 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 New units which form part of the core or compulsory program o New elective units o New content, assessments and /or student clinical placements o Delivery to large numbers of students and to smaller groups of students o 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 Due Date Performance Indicator
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.
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 Indigenous Australian Studies Major (IASM)
Activity 6 Output / Outcome Due Date Performance Indicator
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.
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
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.
Approval process
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.
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.
Availability
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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.
Delivery of the IAS Major units
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia was delivered on two campuses in fulltime mode to students enrolled in various degree programs.
Autumn 2011
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.
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia was delivered on four Saturday’s on one campus as a strategy to attract more students. Eleven fulltime students enrolled.
Spring 2011
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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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:
Summer School 2012
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 & semester
Comment Student Feedback Unit (SFU) survey
School
No of students enrolled
No of SFU responses
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
2011 Autumn
Delivered to 31 students studying in f/t mode
51
31/51
Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
2011 Autumn
Delivered to 20 Indigenous students studying in block mode
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
2011 Spring
Delivered to f/t students in intensive mode on 4 Saturdays over the semester
11 9/11 Badanami
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
2012 Summer
Delivered in Summer School mode in Jan/ Feb, 3 days/week for 5 weeks
67 50/67 Badanami
Total 129
For qualitative student feedback on the unit please see Appendix 8.
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The chart below tabulates the teaching responsibilities of the IGA Team60
for the delivery of the IASM units in 2011.
IASM Unit Date of delivery Delivery Mode
Student cohort Degree Program/s
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Autumn 2011 Face to face
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Autumn 2011 Face to face Block
Indigenous Fulltime students
BSCD
101762 ‘Who do you think you are?’
Autumn 2011 Face to face Block
Indigenous Fulltime students
BCSD
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Spring 2011 Face to face Intensive weekend
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics
Spring 2011 Face to face
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics
Spring 2011 Face to face Block
Indigenous Fulltime students
BCSD
101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers
Spring 2011 Face to face
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers
Spring 2011 Face to face Block
Indigenous Fulltime students
BCSD
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Summer School 2011-2012
Face to face Summer School
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
60 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 Full implementation of IGA units
Activity 7 Output / Outcome
Due Date Performance Indicator
Implement delivery of the Indigenous Graduate Attribute to all UWS students.
Prepare lecture notes deliver content in units to UWS students.
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 Indigenous learning database
Activity 8 Output / Outcome Due Date Performance Indicator
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.
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
61
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.
http://library.uws.edu.au/ 62 http://library.uws.edu.au/nResources.php 63 http://subjectguides.library.uws.edu.au/indigenous_studies
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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 re-
structured 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 system64
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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“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 cross-
disciplinary 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 Evaluation of the project
Activity 9 Output / Outcome Due Date Performance Indicator
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.
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 Output / Outcome Due Date Performance Indicator Compile the Final Report on the Project and disseminate it through Indigenous peak higher education bodies.
Final Report for UWS evaluation and refinement of the Indigenous Attribute and for external promotion of the project and its lessons.
31/12/2011 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 Performance Indicator
Final Report for Project.
Final Report in accordance with clause 4 and 7.
27/01/2012 Extension granted until 30/4/2012
Report submitted by the due date
This is the Final Report for submission to DEEWR on 30 April 2012.
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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
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• 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.
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 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.
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
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outcomes have improved. However, while the IGA is about providing access to Indigenous
Knowledge for all
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.
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.
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
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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.
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6.6 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,
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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
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:
Structural issues
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
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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
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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
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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
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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 Date of
delivery Delivery Mode
Student cohort Degree Program
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Autumn 2011 Face to face
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Autumn 2011 Face to face Block
Indigenous Fulltime students
BSCD
101762 ‘Who do you think you are?’
Autumn 2011 Face to face Block
Indigenous Fulltime students
BCSD
400866 Culture, Diversity and Health
Autumn 2011 Face to face
Non-Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101878 Indigenous Landscapes
Autumn 2011 Face to face
Non-Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Spring 2011 Face to face Intensive weekend
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics
Spring 2011 Face to face
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics
Spring 2011 Face to face Block
Indigenous Fulltime students
BCSD
101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers
Spring 2011 Face to face
Non-Indigenous & Indigenous Fulltime students
Mixed
101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers
Spring 2011 Face to face Block
Indigenous Fulltime students
BCSD
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101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Summer School 2011-2012
Face to 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.
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 non-
Indigenous 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.
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.
72
72 See Appendix 2 regarding an example of challenges related to recruitment of Indigenous academics.
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SECTION 7
Concluding remarks73
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 re-
establishing 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
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.
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 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
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.
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 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
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”.
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
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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
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.
The thirty-two recommendations
incorporated across the five guiding principles are also occurring to some degree in each
university.
80
78 Universities Australia, Guiding Principles for the Development of Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities, 2011.
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
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 Vice-
Chancellor (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
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.
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 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
UWS Action that meets Recommendation/s
UWS Date of Implemen-tation
1 Embed the Guiding Principles of the National Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities
Developed an Indigenous Education Policy and Indigenous Education Strategy Actioned the Indigenous Education Strategy through the UWS Learning and Teaching Action Plan (2009-2001)
2008 2009 – 2011
2 Make Indigenous appointments at Senior Executive, Director and Managerial levels to lead Indigenous education
Established senior management positions and recruited Indigenous staff: Dean, Indigenous Education / Director, Badanami Centre Associate Director (Academic) Associate Director (Administration & Student Services) Director, Indigenous Employment Manager, Indigenous Outreach Elder-in-Residence
2006 – 2008 - all positions remain current
3 Provide for Indigenous representation on university governing bodies, including Council, Academic Senate, Faculty Board(s) and Committees
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
2008 – 2009
4 Establish protocols and procedures for seeking
Re-established the Indigenous Advisory Council and
2007 –
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Indigenous representation on university governing bodies, Boards and Committees
Indigenous Employment and Engagement Board
2008 –
5 Create a framework for regular and robust reporting of Indigenous staff and student outcomes
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 Annual Indigenous Education Statement evidences the programs and services for Indigenous staff and student outcomes Office of Quality and Strategy report on Indigenous outcomes
Ongoing with establishment of senior Indigenous management positions. Ongoing as per DEEWR funding requirements Ongoing as per funding requirements
6 Include Indigenous student and staff outcomes in the Key Performance Indicators of University organisational units and senior staff
Indigenous Students’ KPIs for senior staff Indigenous Staff KPIs still to be actioned at Unit and School level
2009 – Ongoing –
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
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
From 2007 – 2011 2009 – 2011 2008 – 2008 – 2008 – 2007 –
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
UWS in collaboration with Badanami Centre has been developing Indigenous content into core units of courses 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
2007 – 2008 2007 –
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2 Embed Indigenous cultural competency as a formal Graduate Attribute or Quality
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
Endorsed in 2008 2009 – 2011 and ongoing as reported in this, the Final IGA Report
3 Incorporate Indigenous Australian knowledges and perspectives into programs according to a culturally competent pedagogical framework
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 UWS Student Feedback on IGA Units undertaken This IGA Report evidences courses and units across disciplines that have developed Indigenous content into the curricula to achieve the IGA Badanami Centre developed the IAS Major units as a key strategy as per the IGA implementation process
Developed in 2010 – reviewed in 2011 2009 to 2011 2008 – 2011 2009 approved 2010 – development of content and delivery of units
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
Advising staff on development and implementation of Indigenous pedagogy/curriculum in teaching and learning – this has occurred through the period 2007- current time IGA is currently included in UWS Foundations of University Learning and Teaching Program (3-4 hours) 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
2007 – 2011 – 2011 –
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5 Create reporting mechanisms and standards which provide quality assurance and accountability of Indigenous Studies curricula
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 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
2009 – 2011 – recommend-ation in IGA Report
Recommendations for: 3. Indigenous Research 1 Create an adequately funded
Indigenous Research Strategy to build Indigenous research capacity
Collaborative Indigenous Research Strategy developed and presented to Academic Senate Research Committee – Funding of Strategy still to be actioned
2009 –
2 Appoint an Indigenous senior executive or Professorial level position to lead and coordinate Indigenous research
Recommended Still to be actioned
2008 2011
3 Identify Indigenous issues as key research themes within the university
To be actioned as part of / when the Research Strategy is resourced
4 Create mechanisms, guidelines and protocols to ensure that Indigenous research and research with Indigenous participants is culturally safe and methodologically sound
Dependent on implementation of the Collaborative Indigenous Research Strategy
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,
Established within each UWS Staff Agreement 2009-2012
2009 –
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both in number and level of classification
2 Appoint an Indigenous Employment Coordinator to lead and coordinate Indigenous employment
Director, Indigenous Employment and Engagement appointed
2008 –
3 Identify programs that target recruitment of Indigenous staff across all levels and classifications
Focus is on indigenising the Indigenous Centre but not at whole of university level Discussions occur regarding training and mentoring Indigenous academics but still to be resourced and implemented
2009 – 2008 –
4 Establish programs for the career development of Indigenous staff
Some programs beginning to be developed for professional staff
2009 –
5 Develop processes to encourage promising Indigenous students and staff into research training
Occurring in a few areas of UWS but is not consistent for all disciplines or for Badanami 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
Centres for Educational Research and Cultural Research Centre Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education
6 Develop induction processes which include Indigenous cultural competency training for all new 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) Progress towards the development of a cultural awareness program for all UWS staff
2009 – 2010 – 2011 –
7 Provide professional development opportunities for university staff in advanced Indigenous cultural competency
Refer pt. 6 above Refer to Rec. 2 pt. 4 above 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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8 Train senior management to support and work effectively with Indigenous staff and trainees
Some evidence of training/mentoring supervisory staff of Indigenous trainees at the general staff level
2009 –
9 Create Indigenous staff awards which celebrate and reward the achievements and contributions of Indigenous academic and general staff
Occurs to some degree – eg. the VC Indigenous Staff Scholarship
Ongoing
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
Reconciliation Statement developed as is the Indigenous Education Policy
2007 – 2008
2 Establish mechanisms, cultural protocols and codes of conduct to guide the University in its engagement with Indigenous peoples and communities
Not consistent across the university – mainly established within the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education
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
UWS has established the Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) and the Indigenous Employment and Engagement Board
2007 – ongoing 2008 – ongoing
4 Establish procedures and protocols to ensure the inclusion of Indigenous Elders and community members in formal and ceremonial university occasions
Established protocols / Acknowledgement and Welcome to Country; Elders functions; Elder-in-Residence position in Badanami Centre; Elders on Campus
2006 – 2007
5 Create campus environments which are culturally welcoming and inclusive of Indigenous cultures, such as prominent displays of Indigenous art and language and the
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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establishment of on-campus community events
6 Display an “Acknowledgement of Country” in a prominent location on major university documents and marketing materials and university websites
Displayed on UWS website and in marketing materials Verbalised Welcomes to Country or Acknowledgements of Country at significant events by Elders or senior staff in opening events
2006 – Ongoing
7 Create a centralised university website for information and Indigenous activities undertaken by the university that is easily accessible, well presented and regularly updated
Badanami Centre website established and maintained Website for Indigenous Employment developed
2007 – 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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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 April-
July 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
Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute 2012
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
Action Accountability Team
1 Commitment Identify the embedding of an Indigenous
Graduate Attribute into UWS Policies and
UWS Strategic Plans.
Endorsement of the Indigenous Graduate
Attribute by UWS Academic Senate and
Board of Trustees.
UWS Executive and Senior staff;
Key UWS committees
Committee members;
Senior Academic Managers;
Dean, Indigenous Education
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;
Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for
SACs;
College EAPCs;
APCAC;
and Academic Senate.
Badanami Centre’s Indigenous
Graduate Attribute team;
UWS academics;
School Review Committees.
Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute 2012
3 Collaboration Identify courses and units where Indigenous
content can be developed.
Consult on teaching and learning strategies
that identify Indigenous content; resources;
delivery modes and models; assessment and
review including student feedback.
Badanami Centre staff to attend and consult
with UWS academic governance committees
and each College Indigenous Graduate
Attribute Working Parties.
Chairs of College Indigenous Graduate Attribute
Working Parties;
Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for
SACs;
College EAPCs;
APCAC;
Academic Senate;
Dean, Indigenous Education.
Heads of Schools;
Heads of Programs; Associate
Deans Academic;
Unit Coordinators;
Badanami Centre’s Indigenous
Graduate Attribute team.
4 Pedagogy 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;
Chairs of Academic Governance Committees for
SACs;
College EAPCs;
APCAC;
Academic Senate;
Dean, Indigenous Education.
Heads of School;
Heads of Program; Associate
Deans Academic;
Unit Coordinators;
Badanami Centre’s Indigenous
Graduate Attribute team;
Students.
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;
Dean, Indigenous Education;
PVC-Learning and Teaching.
Heads of Schools;
Heads of Programs; Associate
Deans Academic;
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;
College EAPCs;
APCAC;
Academic Senate;
Dean, Indigenous Education.
Heads of Schools;
Heads of Programs; Associate
Deans Academic;
Unit Coordinators;
Badanami Centre’s Indigenous
Graduate Attribute team;
Students.
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;
College EAPCs; APCAC;
Academic Senate;
Dean, Indigenous Education;
Chairs of School Review Committees.
Heads of Schools;
Heads of Programs; Associate
Deans Academic;
Unit Coordinators;
Badanami Centre’s Indigenous
Graduate Attribute team;
Students.
Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute
2012
APPENDIX 2:
UWS SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY IGA REPORT 2012
1
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
2
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.
Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute
2012
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.
Application for a LIMElight award – awarded to the School of Medicine
for community engagement in November 2011. (attached)
Resources developed –
students; library;
community resources
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 [email protected] 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 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
• Discourteous, Inconsiderate of patients views, dignity & privacy. Unable to reassure, subject of repeated complaints.
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.
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.
Please add any other comments or feedback you wish to make below.
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 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Unable / refuses to communicate with colleagues. Can’t work to common goal, argues.
Listens to colleagues– accepts the views of others. Flexible– ability to change in the face of valid argument. Respects different roles in service.
Able to bring together views for a common goal. Team goal is put before personal agenda. Contributes to service.
Please add any other comments or feedback you wish to make below.
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: [email protected]
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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] Phone: 0414017374
Nominator (1B) Contact Details:
Name: Jenny Akers Position: Rural Program Manager University/Organisation: University of Western Sydney Email: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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 Māori
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: [email protected]
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
1
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
2
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.
3
College of Arts
Indigenous Graduate Attribute: Core Units
October 2010
SCHOOL: Humanities and Languages
Program
Evidence Type
Knowledge Base
Communication
Social and
Cultural
Leadership and
Partnership (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
Contemporary Society
(100960)
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
leaders‟ 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
4
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.
The aim is to
contextualise
contemporary issues
Australians is discussed.
Students are given an
array of tools to confront
these issues
5
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.
6
and Australia‟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
7
SCHOOL: Psychology
Program Evidence Type Knowledge Base Communication
Social and
Cultural
Leadership and
Partnership
(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
Bachelor of
Arts
(Psychology);
Bachelor of
Psychology,
Graduate
Diploma of
Psychology
101184:
Psychology
Human
Behaviour
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)
8
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
101681:
Abnormal
Psychology
Bachelor of
Arts
(Psychology);
Bachelor of
Psychology,
Graduate
Diploma of
Psychology
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
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
Unit: 101682
Developmental
Psychology
Bachelor of
Arts
(Psychology);
Bachelor of
Psychology,
Graduate
Diploma of
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
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
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
9
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
10
SCHOOL: Communication Arts
(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
Bachelor of
Communication
(1613)/Bachelor
of
Communication
Studies (1614)
Learning Experience Recommended reading
and/or Assessment tasks
(varies according to unit
and student)
Readings and
selection of areas
within assessment
tasks
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
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.
11
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.
12
SCHOOL: Social Science
(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
BSocSc – Core
Unit –
Geographies of
Social
Difference
101556
Lecture and reading Indigenous and invasion
geographies (Waitt et al,
157 – 199) on
Indigenous and invasion
geographies of Australia
and Aotearoa/New
Zealand
To be conversant
with Indigenous
welcome protocols.
Indigenous
knowledges and
perspectives on the
land. Post-colonial
takes on Australia
Welcome to, and
acknowledgement of,
country by Uncle Greg
Sims and Auntie Margaret
Gonez
Lecture and reading Reading social
difference in the
landscape (Winchester,
et al (2003) Landscapes:
ways of imagining the
world Ch 2.
Methods for reading
the landscape for
Indigenous presence
To be able to
demonstrate that
Indigenous
Geographies are a
core layer in the
landscape, and that
this can remain
perceptible today
Lecture Australia‟s migration
story: flows and migrant
fortunes
To acknowledge that
the first migration to
Australia was
Australia‟s
Indigenous people at
To see Indigenous
culture as a core
component of
Australia‟s cultural
history
Respect for Indigenous
Australians as first nations
people
13
least 40000 BP
Tutorial and reading 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.
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)
Examination. Multiple choice and
open response
Knowledge of
Indigenous issues,
history, perspectives,
and also colonial
concepts (terra nullius)
and „white-washing‟.
14
The Individual in
Society
101557
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.
Prejudice & Discrimination includes a reading on how „false
beliefs‟ about Indigenous
Australians promote prejudice.
Lecture on: Language,
communication and
culture.
Communicaiton,
language, non-
verbal
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.
15
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.
16
COLLEGE OF ARTS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES - MARCH 2010
SCHOOL: COMMUNICATION ARTS
UG Units 101472
Music
Project
101054
Screen and
Sound
Concepts
100709
Television
Journalism
101051
Radio
Journalism
101548
Setting
the
Agenda
101243
Communication
Law and Ethics
101025
Australian
Design
100949 Interactive Design II
1613 Bachelor of Communication
1571 Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication)
1659 Bachelor of Music
17
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)
18
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)
19
COLLEGE OF ARTS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE UNITS - MARCH 2010
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
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
101625
Inclusive
Practices
101627
Connecting
Communities
in Early
Childhood
Education
(Community
Placement)
101647
Play
Develop
ment and
Learning
1672
Master
of
Teachin
g (Birth
- 5
Years)
UG/PG
Units
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
20
1672
Master
of
Teachin
g (Birth
- 5
Years)
UG/PG
Units
100309
Contempora
ry
Perspectives
of
Childhoods
100321 Children
with Additional
Needs and their
Families
100056
Chinese
101
100085
Japanese 101
101112
Diversity
and
Difference
101690 Early
Mathematics
Science and
Technology
101551
Under
standing
Society
101428 Multi
literacies
101106
Literacy 0-
8
1673
Master
of
Teachin
g (Birth-
12
Years)
1673
Master
of
Teachin
g (Birth-
12
Years)
101682
Developmen
tal
Psychology
101620
Professional
Portfolio 1:
Pedagogy of
Relationships
101622
Profession
al Portfolio
2:
Curriculu
m
Connectio
ns
101624
Professional
Portfolio 3 :
Management
and
Leadership
101623
Ethical
Futures
101451 Second
Language
Acquisition
101113
Early
Interventio
n and
Prevention
in Early
Childhood
Contexts
101105
Prosocial
Learning
Environments
101098
Curriculu
m for
Under
Threes
21
UG/PG
Units
101579
Primary
English and
Literacy 1
101581 Learning
for Teaching
101582
Primary
Human
Society
and its
Environme
nt
101584
Primary
Mathematics
and
Numeracy 2
101587
Teaching
in New
Times
101613
Educational
Psychology for
Primary
Teaching
101578
Education
Knowledge
Society
and
Change
101580
Primary
Mathematics
and
Numeracy 1
101289
Profession
al Practice
1
1663
Master
of
Teachin
g
(Primar
y)
1663
Master
of
Teachin
g
(Primar
y)
101583
Primary
Science &
Technology
101583 Primary
Science &
Technology
101585
Primary
Creative
Arts
101286
Inclusive
Teaching for
Effective
Learning
101288
Professio
nal
Practice
II:
Engaging
in the
Professio
n
101576
Primary
Personal
Development,
Health &
Physical
Education
(PDHPE)
101577
Classroom
s Without
Borders
UG/PG
Units
101639
Introduction
to Teaching
and
Learning
100348
Secondary
Method 1A
100349
Secondary
Method 1B
100350
Secondary
Method 2A
100351
Secondar
y Method
2B
100984
Inclusive
Education:
Principles and
Practices
101641
Diversity,
Social
Justice and
Equity
100345
Professional
Experience 1
100346
Profession
al
Experience
II
1609
Master
of
Teachin
g
22
(Seconda
ry)
UG/PG
Units
100347
Professional
Experience
III
101642 Positive
Learning
Environments
101640
Pedagogies
in Practice
1609
Master
of
Teachin
g
(Seconda
ry)
23
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)
24
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)
25
CoA Units available within Major Areas or available as Elective Contributing to the
Indigenous Graduate Attribute, 2010
UG Program Unit
1500.5 B Psychology 101184 Psychology: Human Behaviour
1604.6 BA 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
Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute
2012
APPENDIX 5:
UWS COLLEGE OF HEALTH & SCIENCE STEM WORKING PARTY REPORT 2011
A p p e n d i x 5 U N I V E R S I T Y O F W E S T E R N S Y D N E Y College of Health & Science C O L L E G E O F H E A L T H A N D S C I E N C E S T E M I N D I G E N O U S G R A D U A T E A T T R I B U T E S ( I G A ) W O R K I N G P A R T Y
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. GENERAL BUSINESS 2.1 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 Attribute
2012
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 Attribute
2012
APPENDIX 7:
UWS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE ACADEMIC STAFF SURVEY 2011
1
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.
2
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?
Frequency
Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education 25
School of Accounting 2
School of Biomedical & Health Sciences 12
School of Communication Arts 5
School of Computing & Mathematics 4
School of Economics & Finance 4
School of Education 10
School of Engineering 5
School of Humanities & Languages 13
School of Law 5
School of Management 8
School of Marketing 5
School of Medicine 2
School of Natural Sciences 5
School of Nursing & Midwifery 7
School of Psychology 5
School of Social Sciences 7
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) 1
Civionics Research Centre 1
MARCS Auditory Laboratories 2
Centre for Complementary Medicine Research (CompleMED) 1
Centre for Educational Research 2
Other (College of Business and Law) 1
TOTAL 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
3
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.
4
Table 3a: How knowledge about the IGA was disseminated: Elaborating the ‘Other’ category.
Q3. ‘Other’ category
Frequency
As Head of Program 1
AUQA 1 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:
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).
1 Australian Universities Quality Agency Audit of UWS in 2006
5
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
6
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
throughout the course
25
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.
2 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.
7
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.
8
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 non-
Indigenous 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)
Frequency Percent
1 = very little 11 19.6
2 6 10.7
3 23 41.1
4 6 10.7
5 = a great deal 10 17.9
Total 56 100.0
Following Q8a respondents were provided with options of various roles that could be played,
including an ‘Other’ category. See Table 8b below.
9
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
Progression Committee
14 11.3 (i.e. 14/124) 25.0 (i.e. 14/56)
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
offered by School of Biomedical and Health Science
2 RESPONSES
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.
10
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
11
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
12
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
13
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 pre-
service 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
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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 co-
ordinator 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
15
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
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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
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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.
Frequency Percent
Unaware
of IGA Percent
Level A 4 3.0 1 2.9
Level B 48 36.4 12 34.3
Level C 25 18.9 5 14.3
Level D 19 14.4 3 8.6
Level E 3 2.3
Casual/Sessional 33 25.0 14 40.0
Total 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’.
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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
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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
26
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.
27
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.
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
Student Feedback on Units (SFU) Indigenous Australian Studies Major Units
2009 - 2012 (Summer School)
Key: Colour n.a
Average >= 4.0
3.5 to < 4.0
< 3.5 < 4 resp.
Unit ID
Unit Name Session Issued Returned Rate Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 2011.Au 51 31 61% 4.42 4.45 4.35 4.35 3.65 4.13 4.39 4.48 4.29 4.48 4.55 4.45 4.60
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 2011.Sp 11 9 82% 4.89 4.78 4.67 4.67 4.22 4.33 4.67 4.89 4.67 4.89 4.56 4.89 4.89
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 2012.Su 75 50 67% 4.56 4.40 4.50 4.40 4.20 4.40 4.52 4.54 4.48 4.58 4.66 4.46 4.64
101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics 2011.Sp 37 15 41% 4.53 4.27 4.53 4.67 4.47 4.53 4.53 4.60 4.47 4.67 4.53 4.60 4.60
101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers 2011.Sp 40 21 53% 4.05 4.10 4.19 4.33 4.10 3.25 4.14 4.21 4.21 4.05 4.30 4.40 4.40
1
[Unit Content] - The unit covered what the unit outline said it would.
2 [Relevance] - I was able to see the relevance of this unit to my course. 3 [Learning Design] - The learning activities in this unit have helped my learning. 4 [Assessment Activities] - The assessments in this unit have helped me learn. 5 [Assessment Feedback] - I was able to learn from feedback I received in this unit. 6 [Assessment Guidelines] - There were clear guidelines for all assessment tasks in this unit. 7 [Learning Resources] - The learning resources provided for this unit helped me to engage in learning. 8 [Learning Flexibility] - The unit provided a reasonable amount of flexibility for study. 9 [Learning Spaces] - The teaching and learning spaces used for this unit were adequate. 10 [Workload] - The amount of work required in this unit was reasonable. 11 [Equity/Fairness] - In this unit, people treated each other fairly and with respect. 12 [Generic Skills] - This unit helped me develop my skills in critical thinking, analysing, problem solving and communicating. 13 [Overall Experience] - Overall, I've had a satisfactory learning experience in this unit.
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Student Feedback on Unit
Autumn 2011
Best Aspects Needs Improvement
Field trip.
The content. Teaching..
The lecturers are fantastic.
Understanding Indigenous knowledge.
Very intensive but everything was excellent.
Enriching my education on Indigenous Australians.
Hearing from others experiences and learning from them.
The unit co-ordinators approach. The online content was
well done.
Learning about Aboriginal history, the truth and how we fit
into society.
All this unit has been outstanding and educational. Website
was excellent.
I thought the online site was good and provided great
information. Thank you.
It was great because I am Aboriginal, however, I learnt
things that I didn't know.
I enjoyed hearing the teachers stories. Also very much
enjoyed the performance teacher.
Canberra trip, black fellas in education. Chance to study our
history and collective futures.
Attending Jack teacher Versus the Crown. Lecturers were
very knowledgeable and willing to share culturally sensitive
information.
Readings and resources were extremely useful. Online
modules were very well thought out and encouraged
thinking about relevant topics.
The unit was very flexible. The unit has increased my
learning. The assessment tasks in this unit where very clear.
Help was there when needed.
Friendly atmosphere during tutorials and different sort of
information about Indigenous culture, peoples and their
relations in different fields.
The best aspects of the unit, tutorials were very helpful to
understand the subject. We found opportunity to ask
questions and understand subject.
Engaging with others in tutorials. Allowing creativity with
assignments.
Honest, respectful and freedom of sharing in class. Covered
a wide range of topics.
The best aspect were the teachers and lectures, they were
informative and supportive. The excursion was great and
gave us a taste of real Aboriginal talent.
The online learning resources. The viewing of the First
Australians.
The tutors stories of their upbringing. The freedom to speak
and he respected with you point of view.
The staff and fellow students were supportive. The
atmosphere of the class was always of a high energy and
covered thought provoking topics. I had a ball and learned a
lot.
I liked the modules on vUWS. They were convenient to
access and interactive. I also enjoyed the cultural
performance and I think that the assessments were good
learning tools.
Performance and linked assignment mode for a change from
usual essays, literature reviews and reports. Assignments in
general were great. Journal was good way to reflect on new
knowledge. Loved the unit. Learnt lots.
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.
Not much.
Everything was good
Feedback was too slow.
More information on land rights.
The feedback from assessments, didn't get any.
Online learning would be very influential for students.
The unit needs to become more accessible for unit
registration.
Needs to be more accessible online and for more courses eg
education.
I think the references expected in some of the assessments
was a bit much.
Possibly getting Indigenous guest speakers from community
to share experiences.
More computers and improve virtual learning. Maybe give
us hard copies of what is on the net.
Needs to be easily accessible on registration / platform web.
Policing students should do this unit as a core.
Lecture time could be longer than one hour and tutorial time
could be shortened to one hour as there are online activities
that compliment the tutorial.
Being more creative during tutorials, ie. Activities, perhaps
acting out something. Little bit more feedback for
assignment. Clearer instructions for assessments.
I would have liked to have had the lectures recorded on
vUWS to listen to again. I would have liked to have
assessment marks back earlier so we know how we were
going.
Sometimes needed more structure in some tutorials. At times
as a class we were spoken to about things rather than
encouraged in a way that would increase class participation.
The online modules were good topics, although I think the
students they interviewed didint contribute much to the
topic. I think having more informed students to comment
would make it better.
I think everything needs to be in the learning guides in
relation to the journals. There was only one person in class
who was disruptive at times but I hope this changes for the
rest of semester.
For registrations it needs to be advertised more profilitically.
The journal responses could be posted online and
discussions following -would be a way to keep the dialogue
going on a weekly basis .
The timetable was complicated at first and I don't think the
tutorial should be a two full hours. Maybe a two hour lecture
and one hour tutorial. I would have liked to learn more facts
and history. I felt like most of the course was a debate on
ethics and who was right or wrong. I would have liked to
learn more of the positives instead of focusing mostly on the
negatives.
More structure in tutorials. Linked to readings and topics.
One hour tutorials; two hours was too long. Assignment
turnaround was poor.
We handed in our journals in week three to be checked we
were on the right track, however these were not returned
until week 12 and our performance review was not returned
by semester end. Some links to reading material in vUWS
was not available due to copyright issues.
Changes to unit outline were not followed through with.
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.
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia
Student Feedback on Unit
Spring 2011
Best Aspects 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.
Everything was great.
Performance of I am EORA.
The stories that are told.
Teacher was very approachable.
Everything was very interesting.
One of the best units I have studied.
The content and the assessment tasks.
Attending the Indigenous performance.
Great tutors. Short and good unit. Easy.
The performance and the personal stories.
The DVDs, certain topics and information.
It showed me the less known side of the history.
Everything from teaching to assessments was great.
The first Australians DVD and all of the staff members.
Attending a performance as well as interesting lectures.
It is helpful and I now have knowledge about Aboriginals.
It covered everything it said it would and the classes were
engaging.
The teachers. It is another way to learn about Australian
Indigenous people.
Overall the amount of effort and commitment given by the
staff were excellent.
The diversity of topics covered in the unit, from colonisation
to present day.
The unit gave up to date and interesting information. I would
recommend this to others.
The I am eora performance. The range of learning sources
and videos. Simple assessments.
The visit to carriage works at Redfern, gave us a good
insight into Aboriginal drama and history.
The I am Eova performance and all the different videos we
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, co-
operative 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
Tutorial structure.
Make the unit run longer.
Slide notes to be provided.
More engaging tutorial sessions.
Larger word limits for assignments.
The slides could be posted on vUWS.
It could be longer and include more.
The tutorials need more of a structure.
Maybe having three assignments was a bit much.
Fix the references. A break before the lecture.
Five weeks is not enough for this unit, I felt we needed
more time.
Too many days per week. The unit should be gathered into
one day per week.
Perhaps work on making it more visible to students who
don't know about it.
Consider recording lectures and uploading to vUWS. Leave
time to discuss current events.
Coming from pure science background, I found it to be
difficult to write essays in an Arts format.
If we could have access to the lecture slides. It would be
helpful to have guidelines on how assessments should be
presented.
I think more detail needs to go into the oppression the
aboriginals face like learning history from an aboriginal
point of view.
Some students are new to this country so it is hard for them
to engage, especially in a discussion, if they do not know
about Aboriginal history.
The online resources weren't ready, like the reading links,
but I do understand the problems with technology and the
migration to the new E-Learning environment.
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
Student Feedback on Units (SFU), Indigenous Graduate Attribute and
Indigenous Australian Studies Major Units,
2009 - 2012 (Summer School)
Key: Colour n.a
Average >= 4.0
3.5 to < 4.0
< 3.5
< 4 resp.
Unit ID
Unit Name Session Issued Returned Rate Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 2011.Au 51 31 61% 4.42 4.45 4.35 4.35 3.65 4.13 4.39 4.48 4.29 4.48 4.55 4.45 4.60
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 2011.Sp 11 9 82% 4.89 4.78 4.67 4.67 4.22 4.33 4.67 4.89 4.67 4.89 4.56 4.89 4.89
101751 Contextualising Indigenous Australia 2012.Su 75 50 67% 4.56 4.40 4.50 4.40 4.20 4.40 4.52 4.54 4.48 4.58 4.66 4.46 4.64
101753 Revaluing Indigenous Economics 2011.Sp 37 15 41% 4.53 4.27 4.53 4.67 4.47 4.53 4.53 4.60 4.47 4.67 4.53 4.60 4.60
101754 From Corroborees to Curtain Raisers 2011.Sp 40 21 53% 4.05 4.10 4.19 4.33 4.10 3.25 4.14 4.21 4.21 4.05 4.30 4.40 4.40
400756 Family Health Care: Health Issues and Australian Indigenous People
2009.1 874 696 80% 3.87 3.42 3.53 3.57 3.48 3.53 3.54 3.44 3.62 3.29 4.02 3.47 3.50
400756 Family Health Care: Health Issues and Australian Indigenous People
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
400756 Family Health Care: Health Issues and Australian Indigenous People
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
300631 Indigenous Landscape 2009.2 16 14 88% 4.36 4.43 4.43 4.43 3.64 4.00 4.00 4.43 4.50 4.50 4.43 4.36 4.57
300631 Indigenous Landscape 2011.Au 25 15 60% 3.80 3.67 3.67 4.13 3.67 3.73 3.60 4.33 4.07 4.33 4.40 4.00 4.07
300632 Living in Country 2010.Au 10 9 90% 4.22 4.67 4.44 4.00 4.11 4.00 4.00 4.67 4.44 4.56 4.78 4.56 4.67
200010 Criminal Law 2009.2 568 386 68% 4.26 4.47 4.14 4.14 3.76 4.07 3.92 3.89 4.00 3.98 4.21 4.10 4.21
200010 Criminal Law 2010.Sp 865 412 48% 4.33 4.41 4.07 4.12 3.73 4.02 3.97 3.93 4.07 4.03 4.18 4.17 4.16
200010 Criminal Law 2011.Sp 675 425 63% 4.44 4.62 4.32 4.30 4.07 4.11 4.16 3.89 4.18 4.08 4.39 4.27 4.35
200006 Introduction to Law 2009.1 534 257 48% 3.91 3.96 3.76 3.69 3.36 3.46 3.56 3.49 3.56 3.74 3.97 3.70 3.72
200006 Introduction to Law 2009.2 244 145 59% 4.23 4.24 4.11 4.03 3.78 3.83 3.92 3.78 3.99 3.92 4.19 4.02 4.13
200006 Introduction to Law 2010.Au 660 346 52% 4.02 4.06 3.86 3.74 3.40 3.61 3.74 3.85 3.94 3.99 4.15 3.83 3.90
200006 Introduction to Law 2010.Sp 240 115 48% 4.17 4.28 4.12 3.89 3.87 3.95 4.04 3.90 4.13 3.97 4.02 4.10 4.18
200006 Introduction to Law 2011.Au 740 332 45% 4.02 3.93 3.75 3.49 3.22 3.36 3.62 3.67 3.94 3.83 4.10 3.80 3.80
200006 Introduction to Law 2011.Sp 301 128 43% 3.87 3.92 3.84 3.64 3.60 3.65 3.61 3.79 3.94 3.81 4.10 3.83 3.76
400866 Culture, Diversity and Health 2010.Au 244 0 0% n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a n.a
400866 Culture, Diversity and Health 2011.Au 875 598 68% 3.92 3.64 3.50 3.47 3.48 3.41 3.61 3.81 3.88 3.87 4.09 3.52 3.59
101577 Classrooms Without Borders 2010.Au 582 229 39% 3.78 3.82 3.50 3.40 3.00 3.42 3.52 4.03 3.74 3.74 4.26 3.77 3.64
101577 Classrooms Without Borders 2010.Sp 195 152 78% 3.62 3.68 3.34 3.26 3.05 3.13 3.22 3.65 3.61 3.66 3.95 3.58 3.34
101577 Classrooms Without Borders 2011.Au 360 311 86% 3.48 3.58 3.22 3.12 2.81 3.02 3.11 3.33 3.34 3.24 4.08 3.46 3.20
101577 Classrooms Without Borders 2011.Sp 274 197 72% 2.64 2.91 2.51 2.54 2.09 2.04 2.31 2.50 2.82 2.46 3.15 2.54 2.07
200540 Globalisation and Australia 2009.2 158 84 53% 4.07 3.83 3.88 3.85 3.70 4.06 3.86 3.70 3.89 3.51 4.11 3.93 3.93
200540 Globalisation and Australia 2010.Sp 130 81 62% 4.19 3.80 3.99 3.93 3.68 4.08 3.88 3.88 4.06 3.90 4.15 3.98 3.96
200540 Globalisation and Australia 2011.Sp 137 56 41% 4.20 4.05 3.93 3.98 3.72 4.14 3.93 3.98 4.13 4.09 4.25 4.18 4.04
200020 Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics 2009.2 590 315 53% 4.14 4.31 3.98 4.01 3.81 3.88 3.84 3.81 4.02 3.71 4.24 4.04 4.03
200020 Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics 2010.Sp 400 44 11% 4.12 4.33 3.98 3.86 3.88 4.02 3.79 4.07 4.00 3.95 4.21 3.93 3.98
200020 Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics 2011.Au 505 260 51% 4.27 4.50 4.19 4.18 4.12 4.00 4.06 3.98 4.18 3.94 4.33 4.13 4.18
200015 Criminal Procedure and Evidence 2009.1 125 94 75% 4.49 4.60 4.18 3.77 3.95 4.14 4.22 4.08 4.26 4.06 4.50 4.38 4.47
200015 Criminal Procedure and Evidence 2009.2 135 66 49% 4.05 4.31 3.80 3.37 3.22 3.09 3.69 3.28 3.82 3.42 3.74 3.88 3.54
200015 Criminal Procedure and Evidence 2010.Au 150 88 59% 4.35 4.51 4.31 4.11 3.95 4.07 4.22 4.13 4.18 4.10 4.33 4.25 4.26
200015 Criminal Procedure and Evidence 2010.Sp 190 95 50% 4.37 4.54 4.19 3.93 3.31 3.85 4.10 4.00 4.11 4.01 4.36 4.17 4.16
200015 Criminal Procedure and Evidence 2011.Au 130 70 54% 4.47 4.61 4.50 4.41 4.37 4.24 4.36 4.29 4.43 4.33 4.47 4.46 4.53
200015 Criminal Procedure and Evidence 2011.Sp 210 75 36% 4.23 4.44 3.97 4.01 3.41 4.00 4.03 4.15 4.24 4.18 4.29 4.07 4.19
1 [Unit Content] - The unit covered what the unit outline said it would. 2 [Relevance] - I was able to see the relevance of this unit to my course. 3 [Learning Design] - The learning activities in this unit have helped my learning. 4 [Assessment Activities] - The assessments in this unit have helped me learn. 5 [Assessment Feedback] - I was able to learn from feedback I received in this unit. 6 [Assessment Guidelines] - There were clear guidelines for all assessment tasks in this unit. 7 [Learning Resources] - The learning resources provided for this unit helped me to engage in learning. 8 [Learning Flexibility] - The unit provided a reasonable amount of flexibility for study. 9 [Learning Spaces] - The teaching and learning spaces used for this unit were adequate. 10 [Workload] - The amount of work required in this unit was reasonable. 11 [Equity/Fairness] - In this unit, people treated each other fairly and with respect. 12 [Generic Skills] - This unit helped me develop my skills in critical thinking, analysing, problem solving and communicating. 13 [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.
Final Report: Embedding an Indigenous Graduate Attribute
2012
APPENDIX 10:
UWS INDIGENOUS GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE COMPETENCY TRAINING
SCHEDULE 2009
Appendix 10
Indigenous Graduate Attribute Competency Training
Day 1
1. Purpose and history and features of the UWS Indigenous graduate Attribute.
2. Australia’s Indigenous demography.
3. Indigenous identities and terminology.
4. Understanding Indigenous value systems
5. 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 Attribute
2012
APPENDIX 11:
UWS INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDIES MAJOR PROMOTIONAL FLYER 2010
Appendix 11
Appendix 11
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