EQUITY REPORT 2008

  1. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2007

Briefly identify 2-3 key equity achievements for 2007, including good practice examples that the institution would be willing to share with the sector.

  1. In 2007, the University took steps to encourage diversity among its students by trialling a new entry scheme, uniTEST, designed to support those who have been disadvantaged during their schooling. The new entry pathway considers anumber of factors in the selection process, including the UAI rank, a tertiary study aptitude test and an application advising of disadvantage. A total of 1112 registrations were received, and through a process that confirmed disadvantage and eligibility, 323 participants sat the test. Following a rigorous selection process which included identifying those that would obtain an offer on their own merits, an additional 26 offers were made.
  1. Establishment of Specialist Disability Advisor(Hearing Impaired). This position developed high expertise in supporting accessibility and promotingMacquarieUniversity as the university of choice for hearing impaired students.This initiative aligns with strategic MacquarieUniversitypartnership with Cochlear Limited to move its global headquarters and principal manufacturing facilities to the University's North Ryde campus and in the process establish new research collaboration initiative for implantable hearing solutions.
  2. Improved physical accessfor students with Disabilities to Central Courtyard. This project improved main entry access to an area used for Orientation week, graduation ceremonies and performances through new wide stairs, a ramp and a continuous surface treatment for major pedestrian pathways.

B. EQUITY GROUP FOCUS AND KEY EQUITY STRATEGIES

The ESP Guidelines provide for institutions to tailor equity initiatives appropriate to the demographics of their student population and catchment area.

What equity groups were targeted in 2007?

  1. Low SES students (all ages)
  2. Students with mental health conditions/disabilities
  3. StudentsfromNESB backgrounds
  4. Students disadvantaged backgrounds

What are the major issues faced by each equity group in your area?

  1. Low SES students (all ages) must undertake paid part time employment to self-supportthe costs of daily living expenses, whichinevitablyaffects time available to engage in learning activities outside required face-to-face hours.
  1. Students with mental health conditions/disabilities face the stigma of disclosure and isolation from peers and lack of campus based peer support networks. The nature of their conditions causesepisodic and fluctuating impacts on completion of unit requirements.
  1. Students from NESB backgrounds lack confidence in spoken English and conversational English skills.
  1. Students disadvantaged backgrounds require pathways of entry as alternatives to the UAI.

Identify key strategies your institution plans to implement or is implementing to improve equity performance in 2008.

  1. Low SES students (all ages):
  • Increase support for students in financial need through allocation of scholarships, grants and loans.
  1. Students with mental health conditions/disabilities:
  • allocate mental health specialist welfare worker to support theestablishment of peer support network
  • roll out face to face training for academic staff in responding to students whose behaviour suggest they are distressed or disturbed.
  1. Students from NESB backgrounds:
  • Evaluate faculty based lunchtime English conversation groups with view to university wide program
  1. Students disadvantaged backgrounds that require alternate entry pathways:
  • MacquarieUniversity offers a range of alternate entry schemes to improve access to the University for those who have experienced disadvantage. The Lighthouse Scheme is the University’s Educational Access Scheme for students who advised a disadvantage that affected their HSC results. The Jubilee Scheme is for applicants over 21years who have not undertaken any tertiary education.
  • In 2008 the University will offer another pathway , UniTEST, designed to support those who have been disadvantaged during their schooling

Places offered under special entry schemes

Scheme / 2005 / 2006 / 2007
Jubilee / 191 / 288 / 297
Lighthouse / 127 / 137 / 141

C. EQUITY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT IN 2007

Identify key equity management strategies at your institution.

  1. Equity and Diversity Committee chaired by DVC has participation of senior managers, senior academic, professional staff andstudentrepresentatives.
  2. Establishment of Director Student Well-being position.
  3. Establishment in Human Resource department of Manager,Equity and Diversity
  4. Review of equity and diversity policy, procedures and guidelines as they pertain to staff and students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

How does your governance structure support equity strategies?

  1. Equity is evidenced in each corporate policy and adopted by the University’s Executive and Senate.
  2. MacquarieUniversity’sTeaching and Learning Plan has a student-centred approach that emphasises the identification of, and response to, the needs of students
  3. Executive demonstrate through corporate planning a commitment to a whole of Universitystrategicresponse to Equity and Diversity. Actions to date are:
  • Identification of funding to develop the Disability Action Plan (2008)
  • Theestablishment of two senior manager positions to lead and be accountable for equity and diversity outcomesfor staff and students. Each position reports to DVC to ensure influence at highest level of organisational planning and reporting.

D. PERFORMANCE OF EQUITY GROUPS IN 2006

Do any of the published performance indicators show a major shift in 2006 relative to 2005 or previous years for your institution? How do you account for these trends?

Review of trend data for 2005-2006 indicates a major increase in access for students with disabilities and maintenance of previous good performance in retaining those students. This outcome is attributed to the work of a project officer who implemented a university wide attraction and retention strategy.

Group / Relevant indicator / Key trend or shift in the data / Explanation
Disability / Access / Improvement / MQ project officer who implemented a university wide attraction and retention strategy

E. ESP FUNDED INITIATIVES

In 2007, what key initiatives did the institution undertake with ESP funds? For each key initiative, please provide the following:

Key initiative title / Brief description / Outcomes
Literacy centre / Specialised language support for undergraduate and postgraduate students to assist their progression through higher education / An estimated 1000 undergraduate and postgraduate students attended seminars on writing skills
in 2007.
Audio tapes of the sessions and seminar notes were made available for those students unable to attend.
Two five-week writing courses (Strategies and Structures
and Grammar and Academic Expression) were run each
semester, with close to 1400 students enrolled overall.
An undergraduate unit, Communication for Academic and Professional Purposes, was available for
inclusion in many degree programs.
The Learning Centre for Numeracy Skills / The Learning Centre for Numeracy Skills provides support
services to students enrolled in courses with amathematical component to overcomenumeracy disadvantage and assist their progression through higher education / Preparatory sessions for mathematics, statistics and science were run at the beginning of each semester, and weekly workshops supporting first-year mathematics and statistics courses attracted large numbers of students, with over 3300 student hours spent in workshops.
5,500 student hours spent in Individual consultations available through the drop-in centre.
Approximately half students were 21 or older, two-thirds were female, a quarter from a non-English speaking background and half had entered MacquarieUniversity via
alternate pathways.
The majority of the students were
enrolled in mainstream undergraduate programs.
Outreach students from disadvantaged backgrounds / Outreach programmes to attract disadvantaged students to higher education / Targeted high school outreach activities in the areas of science, engineering and technology that aim to improve the student experience and get students in touch with science, engineering and technology at MacquarieUniversity.
The “Macquarie Experience” Program has been designed by the departments and divisions of MacquarieUniversity to introduce high school students, teachers and parents in the surrounding area to the MacquarieUniversity campus, degree programs and a wide range of extra-curricular initiatives that enhance the student experience.

F. HIGHER EDUCATION DISABILITY SUPPORT PROGRAMME (DSP) FUNDED INITIATIVES

In 2007, what key initiatives did the institution undertake with DSP Performance Funds? For each key initiative, please provide the following:

Key initiative title / Description- objective and target group / Outcomes
Web hosted note-taker service / Target group- students eligible for note-taker support
Objective- evaluate effectiveness of note takers providing notes to students through web posting rather than handwritten copies /
  1. Improved access to timely notes
  2. Improved accessibility for students using adaptive technology

Mental health resources for students and disability advisors / Target Group- students with mental health issues or mental healthconditions
Objective- implement evidenced based guidelines for supporting learning needs for students with high incidence major mental illness /
  1. Students have 24 hour web access links to authoritative evidence based self help strategies
  2. Disability Advisorshavereceived training in the likely impact on learning needs of students with high incidence major mental illness

What examples demonstrate the importance or otherwise to institutions and students of the Additional Support for Students with Disabilities component, and where applicable, the Regional Disability Liaison Officer initiative.

On line accessibility to notes provided by the note- taker service and on line self help resources for student with mental illness used DSP performance enhancement funds to purchase web expertise for host site.Funds for purchase of web expertise to ensure security and ease of accessibility by students using adaptive technology were not available from the operating budget of the host services.

G. COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIPS (CS)

Identify key issues or points for the institution concerning the CS Programme in 2007. For example, was your institution able to allocate all its CS in 2007? ; In what ways, if any, have CS improved the participation of targeted equity groups and Indigenous students?

We have allocated all our regular Commonwealth Education Costs (CECS) and Commonwealth Accommodation Costs (CAS) scholarships. However, we did face some difficulty in allocating our Indigenous Access Scholarships (IAS) as the introduction late in the processing year presented a challenge to alert students to its availability.

One general comment is the inherent inequity in the manner in which Centrelink regards the Commonwealth Scholarships versus our own Institution Equity Scholarships (IES). The Commonwealth Scholarships are not considered income for Centrelink purposes according to the Social Security Act. However, when a student is given an IES they are required to report this to Centrelink and in most cases this alters the amount of support for which they are eligible.

H. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ESP FUNDING IN 2009

To be eligible to receive Higher Education Equity Support Programme funds in 2009, higher education providers must meet all the criteria set out at paragraph 1.45.1(a)-(d) of the programme Guidelines. Providers must: (a) run outreach programmes to attract disadvantaged students to higher education; (b) offer specialised support for disadvantaged students to assist their progression through higher education; (c) administer application and selection processes for the Commonwealth Learning Scholarships Programme; and (d) have established an institutional equity scholarship programme to complement the Commonwealth (Learning) Scholarships Programme.

Please provide evidence of eligibility under the following headings:

1. Outreach programs

Description: Outreach programs are designed to attract people from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to higher education.

The MacquarieUniversitySchool Partnership program provides for students from disadvantagedbackgrounds:

  • preferred Admissions Scheme where a UAI bonus of 5 points is awarded to a limited number of studentsfromtarget schools
  • A scholarship program where students who demonstratefinancial need are eligible for a $2,000 voucher at Coop bookshop to assist with textbooks.
  • Access to the peer-tutoringprogram, which is provided at a target school by volunteer university students one day per week for terms 2 and 3.
  • Presentations for Yr 10, 11 or 12 on University Courses, University Life, Pathways, Motivation to reduce the cultural barriers to studying at University
  • Talented mathematicians programme for female students to encourage study in non-traditional areas
  1. Support services

Support services can be defined as specialised services or programs to support educationally disadvantaged students enrolled at the institution.

University wide services offering

  • Disability Support Services
  • Counselling Servcies by Registered Psychologist and Social Workers
  • Careers Development services
  • Welfare Service provides aassistance in finding accommodation, financial advice, assistance with Centrelink and personal support with tenancy and legal issues.
  • University Bulk billing Medical Practice
  • The Macquarie Transition Program- provides programs for undergraduate and postgraduate students:

-Undergraduate- transition provides a mentor training for second year (or above) students who want to meet and pass on their knowledge of uni life and study to new students. Mentors come from all departments and attend Orientation Days to answer questions, take tours of campus.

-Postgraduate Information and Skills Workshop each semester for commencing postgraduate students. This is aimed at students returning to study after a break or students who have not studied at MacquarieUniversity previously.

-Academic Orientation

MacquarieUniversity also offers faculty specific peer mentor programs. Well established in the Division of Economic and Financial Studies is the EconomicsResource and Information Centre (ERIC). Run by experienced students who act as Peer Advisers to give fellow students friendly, non-judgemental and confidential assistance.Two successful programs are:

  • Peer Assisted Learning program, (PAL), is unit specific weekly workshops led by trained students who have excelled in those particular units.
  • Conversation Groups are a fun and informal way for students to improve their English and make new friends.Run by students, everyone is encouraged to talk about a wide range of topics. These can vary from experiences on campus to getting a job to Australian colloquialisms and slang.

3. Commonwealth Scholarships

• Institutions do not need to provide information for this criterion.

  1. Institutional equity scholarships

List the institution’s equity scholarships, which complement the Commonwealth Scholarships. Show the type of assistance available (including duration and annual financial value), target group(s) and number of students assisted.

In 2007Macquarie offered 16 new Institutional Equity Scholarships. The eligibility for these awards is the same as for the Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarship. Students needed to be enrolled full-time in a Bachelor Degree program and be able to demonstrate financial need. The payment length and schedule are the same as for CECS (4 year duration and payment indexed each year).

In August 2007 MacquarieUniversity reviewed its Scholarship Schemes and announced that in 2008 it would commit an extra $700,000 for scholarships. Scholarship applicants will be ranked on a range of criteria apart from academic merit, including outstanding character, maturity, common sense, eagerness and passion. They may also be awarded a scholarship based upon their capacity to triumph over hardship.

UNIVERSITY CONTACT OFFICERS

Please provide the names, emails and phone numbers of people the Department can contact in relation to the Higher Education Equity Support Programme, the Higher Education Disability Support Programme and Commonwealth Scholarships. This information will be used to update DEEWR’s contact officer lists for the three programme areas.

Name & Title:Ruth Freeman, Director Student Well-being

Phone 0298597495

Email

ESP Contact Officer Ruth Freeman

DSP Contact Officer: Ruth Freeman

CS Contact Officer:

Please submit electronic documents by email to:

DEEWR contact: Bruce Jennings (02) 6219 3561

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