Critical reflections of Higher Education Praxis and Models of Success: The Need for Multidimensional Frameworks

You are invited to a 2-day workshop that provides opportunities for in-depth explorations of critical theoretical approaches of teaching in higher education.

It has been 15 years since the Bradley Report was mandated as Federal guidelines for universities. The aptly titled review, Transforming Australia’s Higher Education System, outlined Australia’s Widening Participation target, specifically, that by 2020 ‘20 per cent of undergraduate enrolments in higher education should be students from low socio-economic backgrounds’ (Bradley et al. 2008, xiv). The Bradley report led to increased enrolments of students from recognised equity groups in Bachelor level study with undergraduate student enrolment increasing 12.6% nationally between 2013-2018 with low-SES students accounting for 17% of all undergraduates in 2018 (Koshy 2019).

Current Education Minister Clare has stated we are not close to meeting the Bradley target and subsequently Australia is on the precipice of new educational reform with ‘The Universities Accord’ . Disturbingly, Burke et al (2023) show in their ‘International Literature Review of Equity in Higher Education’, ‘entrenched patterns of inequality continue to negatively influence both the breadth and participation and the experience of those students from underrepresented backgrounds who do attend’ (p.7). Just widening university access is not enough, we need a ‘new language, concepts and practices to produce and sustain positive change’ (Burke et al 2023, p. 3).

We also need to re-think how universities define ‘success’ beyond retention and pass/fail grades to consider the diverse contexts of lived experiences (Burke et al 2022). This workshop explores how teachers and higher education institutions can reflect on their praxis, norms, practices and policies to embrace a multi-dimensional framework of success and approach to equity.

This workshop will specifically focus on:

1. Introducing key critical education theories of the reproduction of inequality in universities.
2. Presenting the multi-dimensional framework of equity (Burke et al 2023) and success in HE (Burke et al 2022)
3. Presenting examples of how inclusive and enabling pedagogical approaches can be enacted in higher education

Day 1 : Examining Deficit Imaginaries and Introducing a Multidimensional Framework

The 1-day symposium will enable the four invited guests to present key contributions to the theory workshop theme. In addition, key CRESI researchers will present on their research in areas of higher education theory. This will enable a significant platform for CRESI researchers to present their work alongside esteemed international/national academics.

Day 2: Inclusive and enabling pedagogies in HE

A series of workshops with the invited academics to develop strategies for enacting inclusive and enabling pedagogical approaches; aligning with the multidimensional framework; discuss how they can successfully research, write and publish their studies of teaching in H in two of the leading journals in this area: Teaching in Higher Education (Q1) & Access: Critical explorations of equity in higher education.

How will you apply theory in your own teaching?

Interactive session – How do discourses of success and excellence reproduce deficit imaginaries? Penny, Anna, Matt and Matt to set up an exercise drawing on student accounts from our research for discussion in small groups and then feedback