University strategies. Batchelor Institute has a unique place in education in Australia. The Institute has well-established local and regional relationships and communication networks across NT communities, government departments, the social and community service sector and particular industry groups. This has stemmed from our historical role as a remote community trainer for Indigenous Territorians and our geographical footprint across northern and central Australia. In recent years, the significance of Xxxxxxxxx Institute as a specialist VET provider for remote Aboriginal communities has been reinforced through a range of community and local/regional partner level projects including, to name a few:- implementing a range of foundation, literacy and numeracy and employability skills projects with a number of remote communities in the Northern Territory with TAFE South Australia establishing a prisoner ‘action learning’ construction program in partnership with the Northern Territory Correctional Services, where prisoners work on live construction projects as they undertake accredited training creating and implementing an Indigenous mining pre-employment program (which won the 2012 Australian Industry Collaboration Award) with the Minerals Council of Australia NT providing ‘wrap around services’ to support 8,000 Northern Territorian Job Services Australia participants improve their training and employment outcomes establishing a CDEP Resource Unit to improve CDEP community and employment outcomes collaborating on various projects and tenders submissions with the Centre for Appropriate Technology through the Desert Peoples Centre establishing MOUs for the delivery of VET courses and the sharing of resources, including with Tiwi Islands Training and Employment Board, Thamarrurr Development Corporation (Wadeye) and various NT Schools (for VET in Schools training) delivering contracted childcare professional development (DEEWR IPSP funding) alongside Children’s Services training and pathways to Early Childhood professional qualifications to remote communities. At the national scale, the Institute has for approximately 15 years delivered undergraduate and postgraduate programs and outcomes as a self-accrediting higher education provider. Across this period, the Institute has built a reputation among Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Islander peoples nationally as an accessible tertiary education provider and this has enabled many mature age Indigenous Australians who otherwise would not con...
University strategies. Our aspirations and key priorities for enhancing teaching and learning quality We aspire to produce flexible and creative thinkers – leaders for Australia and the wider world. To do this, we need to provide an enriching university experience that equips our graduates with enquiring minds and essential life skills in critical thinking and communication. Our students must have excellent opportunities to participate in co-curricular activities if they wish to do so, and have access to high quality infrastructure and support services. To maintain and build on our success in these areas, our short- to medium-term priorities will focus on three complementary areas. Our plans Renewing our curriculum and learning environments We will continue to implement our curriculum renewal strategy by pursuing a coordinated University-wide process of reform of our courses. At the heart of this strategy lies a commitment to providing an 'engaged enquiry' learning experience for our students, in order to strengthen the development of our graduate attributes. Such learning experiences reflect the University’s reputation for both research and community engagement. They are consistent with our students' expectations as learners and our staff as teachers. 'Engaged enquiry’ provides the vehicle by which we will focus on further enhancing the research and inquiry learning outcomes that are central to our graduate attributes. We are currently mapping students’ reports of research- enriched learning experiences, and working with our Engaged Enquiry Scholars networks to identify and disseminate examples of approaches that xxxxxx effectively the development of research skills by our undergraduate students. The second aspect of our ‘engaged enquiry' curriculum strategy is the embedding of community- engaged learning, including work-integrated learning (WIL), in our curricula. This commitment will involve professional disciplines in particular, in further strengthening the engagement of employers in our teaching and curriculum development, and in further developing our pedagogical expertise in this area to inform curriculum renewal. One example of how we are pursuing this agenda is seen in the establishment of a new WIL research group in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Our approach to curriculum renewal will continue to be both holistic and sustainable. We will use University-wide agreed principles to link our faculties’ curriculum renewal work explicitly to the need for responsiveness to ...
University strategies. La Trobe commissioned a review of Knowledge Transfer and Commercialisation in 2011 and the outcomes of this review have largely been implemented. A draft Knowledge Transfer and Commercialisation Strategy has been developed and externally reviewed by international consultancy company Battelle. The strategy, yet to be formally ratified, commits the University to better resourcing for commercialisation including patent filings, review of existing and emerging intellectual property, greater support for 'proof of concept' and commercialisation applications, and increasing leverage from the University’s Research and Development Park over a 10 year planning horizon. Reviews have commenced of existing products and technologies to ascertain market potential and stage of development that will inform future investments by the University. Resourcing to support researchers and commercialisation was doubled during 2012 and further increases in resources are planned for both 2013 and 2014. A pilot six month commercialisation training program has been completed in the Faculty of Health Sciences and a suite of commercialisation workshops for staff has been developed. As a multi-campus university with a strong regional base in Victoria and in northern Melbourne where urban growth is one of the fastest in Australia, La Trobe has a unique role to play in productivity and innovation, including knowledge transfer and commercialisation. We act as a major leader in Melbourne’s north and in regional communities and play an increasingly central role in the economic well-being and social vibrancy of those regions. Substantial investment has been made in building the University’s capacity to respond to the needs and demands of the regions in which we work. The University has a strong user-driven focus to research and extremely strong links into the communities with which we work. The University has collaborated with State and Commonwealth Governments in the designation of the Northern Biosciences Precinct. The Precinct draws on the Centre for AgriBioscience, a joint venture between La Trobe and the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, and the University’s Research and Development Park. The emerging Northern Biosciences Precinct is a major initiative, based around La Trobe fields of research that are rated at ERA 5 which will drive significant investment and business activity in the north of Melbourne. Future Ready sets out key goal...
University strategies. Our aspirations and major priorities for research performance and capability The University of Sydney is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a breadth and depth of research excellence across the disciplinary range. In the 2012 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative, all of the two-digit fields of research for which we submitted portfolios were rated at or above world standard. We aim to maintain our ERA 2012 result of having 100 percent of our disciplines rated at or above world standard, while we will continue to increase the share of our fields of research rated ‘above’ or 'well above’ world standard. In broad terms, our 'one university' vision for research is disciplinary excellence that enables innovative, cross-disciplinary research of high impact. Fundamental changes in the research environment, both in Australia and internationally, require new approaches to achieve and sustain research excellence in Australia's universities. While our researchers must remain free to pursue the research path they choose, strategic focus is needed to enhance the quality and impact of both our disciplinary and cross-disciplinary work. We will build upon our existing research strengths and respond to community priorities, ensuring our research has the needed scale, scope, and sustainability required to be globally competitive. Our plans Our 2011-15 Strategic Plan, White Paper and 2011-13 Compact Agreement set out our vision and objectives for the University's research agenda. We have made considerable progress since our 2011-13 compact and have reported on this regularly. Over the course of the 2014-16 compact we will continue to implement an integrated package of strategies focussed on enabling us to sustain disciplinary excellence, while developing new multidisciplinary approaches to address important societal problems. Fostering disciplinary excellence While our ERA 2012 results are strong and improved significantly between the 2010 and 2012 exercises, there remains room for improvement. We will continue to enhance the quality of our disciplinary research through strategies that include the following. Transforming our overall approach to research management and support. We will build on the major reforms we have made to our Research Portfolio over the last four years toward implementing a whole-of-University framework for research resource and infrastructure planning, management and support. Promoting focus and excellence in our faculti...
University strategies. Xxxxxxxxx Institute's higher education teaching activity involves delivering an enabling program for Indigenous adult learners and teaching into a select number of professionally accredited undergraduate awards (Nursing and Teaching degrees) as well as other professionally and culturally relevant undergraduate degrees and postgraduate coursework programs hosted by Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx University. CDU takes over-arching responsibility for policies and procedures for course review, industry engagement and quality management and Xxxxxxxxx Institute has agreed to work in collaboration with CDU to ensure appropriate levels of industry and community engagement are sought and responded to within the curriculum. In parallel, the Institute will continue to maintain independent dialogue and relationships with employer groups, community representatives and other key stakeholders invested in the graduate attributes of ACIKE students and will bring this input into interim and major course reviews at CDU. The 'Preparation for Tertiary Success' program remains a centre-piece of the Institute's teaching programs and provides employer groups with an attainable enabling program designed specifically for Indigenous employees within their organisations and acts as an educational stepping stone toward professional qualifications at the undergraduate level. Over the life of this Compact, the Institute will work with government agencies, industry groups and large Indigenous organisations to adopt this program as an essential element of their Indigenous staff career development strategy. This will include developing innovative and responsive course delivery models that enable cohort engagement at an organisational level. The Institute's teaching effort in ACIKE brings into the partnership the Institute's proud and valued history and expertise in delivering nationally recognised undergraduate qualifications especially designed and delivered to strengthen Indigenous identity, achieve learner success and transform lives of Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Islander people and communities. As Batchelor and CDU work to establish market acceptance for the ACIKE programs on offer and build student cohorts across all courses, the partnership will seek to develop new programs of relevance to Indigenous learners in consultation with community, government and industry stakeholders. In terms of research training awards, the Institute accredits and manages its higher degree by research programs - a Mast...
University strategies. In 2012 the Institute developed and released its latest Training, Teaching and Learning Plan 2012- 2015. This strategic document is aligned with the Xxxxxxxxx Institute Strategic Plan 2012-2014 and draws on relevant academic and administrative policies and procedural guidelines and other internal and external documents relating to Teaching and Learning. The Training, Teaching and Learning Plan provides a framework for promoting Xxxxxxxxx Institute’s excellence in all matters pertaining to teaching and learning. In particular it guides teaching and training staff in effective, student-centred and culturally respectful teaching, helps them deliver relevant curriculum and promotes approaches for inspiring students to discover and apply their creative and intellectual potential. Xxxxxxxxx Institute has a proud history of providing training and education to Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Islanders and prides itself with its work in strengthening identity, achieving success and transforming the lives of our students. Through implementation of the Training, Teaching and Learning Plan across the life of this compact, the Institute aims to build on its existing strengths and set the platform for the continuous provision of leadership and quality in Indigenous education and training. Those five key objectives are to:
University strategies. Students Xxxxxxxxx Institute’s mission and strategic plan is entirely focused on providing education and training access and outcomes for Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Islander students and we deliver Higher Education and VET programs aligned to the needs and aspirations of Australia’s Indigenous people. For over 40 years, the Institute’s primary constituency is Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Islander peoples from remote areas. As a specialist Indigenous tertiary education institution, the Institute serves the education and training interests of Indigenous peoples throughout the Northern Territory and across Australia. Improving access, educational experiences and outcomes for Indigenous Australians is central to the mission and business operations of the Institute. The Institute’s equity plans are fully incorporated into our institutional strategic and operational planning cycles. Data from the Institute's 2012 Institutional Performance Portfolio (IPP) (2011 data) position the Institute as having a 77.95% Low SES student profile compared with a national sector average of 14.61%. This data is based on postcode indicators and in the case of Batchelor Institute is comprised exclusively of Indigenous Australian Higher Education students. The remaining 22.05% of the Institute HE enrolment for 2011 would also be made up almost exclusively of Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Island students. Using the same Low SES descriptors for the 2011 year, the Institute 'Access Rate' for all commencing students at Xxxxxxxxx Institute was 53.57% (compared to a sector average of 16.72%) and our 'Participation Rate' was recorded at 52.53% (compared to a sector rate of 15.72%). The Institute 'Attainment Rate' was approximately 58% (compared to a national sector average of approx 14%) however the overall Institute 'Success Rate' (57%) and 'Retention Rate' (57%) were both below sector averages of 84% and 80% respectively. In 2012 Batchelor Institute moved into an arrangement with Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx University (CDU) to deliver undergraduate and coursework postgraduate courses and units through the Australian Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Education (ACIKE). The impetus for the ACIKE partnership was on improving the participation and completion rates of Indigenous students in higher education for both organisations. Enhanced programs, a wider range of delivery options and improved students support services has been central to the partnership. Under the ACIKE arrangement, students who co...
University strategies. Xxxxxxxxx Institute's innovation and engagement efforts will, in line with our core training, education and research business, be based on grounded activities, programs and partnerships that support Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Islander empowerment and socio-cultural and economic development. Our priority is the Australian Indigenous context and our geographical footprint will continue to be national. Our engagement and innovation strategies will draw upon, where relevant, experiences from other First Nations Peoples worldwide, and help to position the Institute as a significant national contributor to Australian and international policy setting and innovations in Indigenous education, research, training and employment. Asian-centric partnerships are not within the scope of the Institute's core business and directions. The Institute will continue to build on our unique positioning and relationships with government, industry and community stakeholders to create engaging and well-supported learning opportunities, meaningful employment pathways and career development programs and quality scholarship and research networking opportunities for Indigenous Australians. In this respect we will continue to support Institute research and innovation within our partner relationship in the Ninti One CRC for Remote Economic Participation (REP) and we will remain active in the planning for the future work of Ninti One, post-CRC REP. Furthermore we will continue to build on our reputation and extensive experience working with Aboriginal communities and Indigenous Language Centres to support language maintenance and language revival projects. Our language project activity, whilst largely not research-based and therefore non-HERDC claimable, complements our research and teaching expertise and capacity and has for many years been core to the Institute's community engagement and cultural maintenance mission. This work has consistently delivered impact and meaningful outcomes for local language speakers in terms of its support of language revival and cultural security on a local and regional scale. Over the period of this Compact we expect to scale up our language project activity through the establishment at Xxxxxxxxx of a language centre and through the doubling of language project income from just over $945,000 in 2013 to approximately $2M in 2016. In parrallel to this development the Institute will also strengthen its internal processes and policy settings for the managemen...
University strategies. As outlined in earlier sections, Xxxxxxxxx Institute's mission and programs centre entirely around the provision of education, training and research development for its core constituency of Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Islander peoples. The Institute is a specialist Indigenous tertiary education institution and the Institute’s equity plans are oriented entirely toward this target group. The Institute does not plan to pursue other under-represented groups into its higher education programs.
University strategies. In 2012 the Institute produced a three-year Research Plan (xxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxx.edu.au/biite/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Research-Plan-v1-7_web.pdf). The Research Plan 2012-2015 is aligned with the Xxxxxxxxx Institute Strategic Plan 2012-2014 and draws on relevant Institute and external publications, guidelines, agreements and standards. The Plan incorporates responses to the Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Islander People: Final Report and in so doing positions the Institute's research and researcher development challenges and directions in a broader national context. The Research Plan sets a framework for concentrating the research focus at the Institute and for building quality and success. It talks specifically about the importance of partnerships in our research development trajectory and outlines detailed strategies for implementation over the life of the Plan, under each of the following six objectives:-
