Indigenous student completion rates lag, but campus space where they can connect with each other, staff and “their own cultural identities” can help.
Bronwyn Fredericks (Uni Queensland) and colleagues talked to Indigenous graduates and university staff about how they succeed, reporting the results in a new paper.
The research examines what occurs at four Group of Eight institutions and another. The five chosen have higher completion rates for Indigenous students over nine years than the national 47 per cent.
Overall they found students value centres for tech support and study space and to connect with others. Staff comments were similar, “safe spaces that provide students with a sense of community and belonging.”
However such centres should not be the sole support and be part of “broader institutional commitments to support Indigenous students.”
Bronwyn Fredericks (Uni Queensland), Katelyn Barney (Uni Queensland), Tracey Bunda (Uni Queensland), Kirsten Hausia (Uni Melbourne), Anne Martin (ANU), Jacinta Elston (Monash U) and Brenna Bernadino (Uni Queensland)
“The importance of Indigenous centres/units for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: ensuring connection and belonging to support university completion,” Higher Education Research and Development HERE
