Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education: From Policy to Practice
About this ebook
This book brings together contributions by researchers, scholars, policy-makers, practitioners, professionals and citizens who have an interest in or experience of Indigenous pathways and transitions into higher education. University is not for everyone, but a university should be for everyone. To a certain extent, the choice not to participate in higher education should be respected given that there are other avenues and reasons to participate in education and employment that are culturally, socially and/or economically important for society. Those who choose to pursue higher education should do so knowing that there are multiple pathways into higher education and, once there, appropriate support is provided for a successful transition.
The book outlines the issues of social inclusion and equity in higher education, and the contributions draw on real-world experiences to reflect the different approaches and strategiescurrently being adopted. Focusing on research, program design, program evaluation, policy initiatives and experiential narrative accounts, the book critically discusses issues concerning widening participation.
About the author
Steven Larkin is a Kungarakany from Darwin in the Northern Territory. He is Pro Vice-Chancellor of Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Newcastle. Professor Larkin has served on numerous national advisory committees on Indigenous affairs. He has chaired the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Advisory Council or Indigenous HEAC (then Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council) for three years (2009-2012), and the Northern Territory Board of Studies for two years (2010-2012), and continues to provide invaluable input as a member of several respected professional affiliations.
James Smith is the program manager for the HEPPP-WCE initiative at the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Indigenous Leadership at Charles Darwin University. Prior to his current appointment, James worked in a variety of executive and senior management roles in the Northern Territory in both health and education sectors. He has a strong background in health promotion and community development, and is a fellow of the Australian Health Promotion Association and associate editor of the Health Promotion Journal of Australia and the International Journal of Men’s Health. He is also an adjunct research fellow at the Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health (CERIPH) at Curtin University.div
