Former National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) Director Professor Sarah O'Shea's overview of NCSEHE's activity for the period 2018 to 2021.

1. CRICOS Provider Code 00301J
Professor Sarah O’Shea, Director 2021
National Centre for Student Equity
in Higher Education

2. Connecting equity policy, research and practice

3. NCSEHE KEY ACTIVITIES (2018-2021)
Improve higher education outcomes (including access, participation, retention, success, and completion
rates) for marginalised and disadvantaged people through:
• strengthening Australia’s student equity in higher education research quality, capability
and capacity;
• supporting the building of a robust evidence base on student equity in higher education;
• informing institutional best practice and enhancing on the ground delivery of equity
measures; and
• informing evidence based public policy design and implementation.
• Establish a strong national presence and engagement with key stakeholders.
• Establish partnerships that enhance the outcomes of the Centre

4. WHAT IS NCSEHE ALREADY KNOWN FOR?
The NCSEHE conducts a broad scope of activities including:
• research-based projects both independently and in collaboration with other organisations, funded through
external grants or through Centre resources
• the NCSEHE Research Grants Program
• submissions related to equity policy and program evaluation
• Research Fellowships and Equity Fellowships
• student equity data analysis and briefing notes
• print and digital publications
• collaborative and independent events
• representation at national and international conferences
• an emphasis on effective communication through channels including: website, electronic newsletters, social
media and general media exposure.

5. NCSEHE WEBSITE
Connecting equity policy, research and practice
NEWS, EVENTS,
PUBLICATIONS,
RESEARCH AND
RESOURCES
NPP PROJECT
DATABASE
&
NCSEHE
RESEARCH
DATABASE
STUDENT
EQUITY DATA
INTERACTIVE
RESOURCE

6. ONLINE RESOURCES
National information sharing and professional collaboration
ENEWS
OVER 3,700
SUBSCRIBERS
TWITTER
OVER 2,700
FOLLOWERS
WEBSITE
UP TO 9,000
VISITORS
A MONTH

7. NCSEHE PUBLICATIONS
Contributing to the national narrative on the importance of equitable access to tertiary education
Case study publications
Research-based publications Issues-based publications
600
PRINT COPIES &
280 DIGITAL
FLIPBOOKS
DISTRIBUTED IN
2020

8. • Submissions and reports for the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and peak bodies inform
national policy development
• 125 publications produced by the NCSEHE, Fellows and staff during 2020, including:
• Journal articles
• Discussion papers
• Research reports
• Briefing notes
• Book chapters
• Professional commentary
• Conference papers
• Editorials
GENERAL PUBLICATIONS
125
PUBLICATIONS
PRODUCED

9. CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS
NCSEHE staff and Fellows delivered 102 presentations and public appearances during
2020, including:
• Conference presentations and keynotes
• Invited expert presentations
• Webinars
• Symposia
• Panel discussions
• Professional development sessions
• Workshops
• Media interviews

10. EQUITY FELLOWS
Establish partnerships that enhance the outcomes of the Centre
Dr Andrea Simpson
La Trobe University
Associate Professor
Tim Pitman
Curtin University
Dr Janine Delahunty
University of Wollongong
Dr Nicole Crawford
University of Tasmania
Dr Katelyn Barney
University of Queensland
Mr David Eckstein
Swinburne University
of Technology
Building a stronger
evidence base to
support effective
outreach strategies for
Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander
students: Increasing
impact and university
participation
2019/20 EQUITY FELLOWS
Articulating pathways
to higher degree allied
health coursework
programs for
Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people
Enhancing student
success: Supporting
the mental wellbeing
of mature-aged,
regional and remote
university students
Meaningful jobs for
graduates with
disability: From luck to
business as usual
Supporting people
with disability from
regional, rural and
remote Australia, to
succeed in higher
education
‘You going to uni?’:
Exploring how
regional people
navigate into and
through higher
education

11. RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM
2019/20 $534,779
2017/18 $501,279
2016 $360,307
2015 $342,819
2020/21 $540,000
Supporting the building of a robust evidence base

12. 2020 RESEARCH GRANTS: FINAL REPORTS DUE AUGUST – DEC 2020
Chief Investigator Lead Institution Project Title
Ian Li University of Western Australia Equity implications of non-ATAR pathways: Participation, academic outcomes and work-readiness
Lynette Vernon Edith Cowan University Understanding wellbeing challenges for university students during crisis disruption
Lisa Andrewartha La Trobe University Supporting student parents to succeed in Australian higher education
Sally Baker University of New South Wales COVID-19 online learning landscapes and CALDMR students: Opportunities and challenges
Tomasz Zajac University of Queensland Investigating the relevance of mental health for the current equity groups framework using multi-agency linked-administrative data
Mary Teague University of New South Wales University responses to enhancing equity in the post-COVID landscape
Bronwyn Fredericks University of Queensland Building the evidence to improve completion rates for Indigenous students
Andrew Harvey La Trobe University Care leavers in Australian higher education: Success and graduate outcomes
Megan O’Connell RMIT University Pathways or goat tracks — Non-ATAR university entrance
Joanna Tai Deakin University Re-imagining exams: How do assessment adjustments impact on inclusion?
Beni Cakitaki La Trobe University Undermatching and underrepresentation: Improving student equity across fields of education
Lucy Mercer-Mapstone University of Sydney Institutional approaches and student perspectives on COVID-19 equity student support initiatives
Bret Stephenson La Trobe University Towards principles for inclusive analytics in Australian higher education
Zhou Jiang Flinders University Supporting careers of LGBTQIA+ students in Australian universities
Andrew O’Loughlin Gippsland East Higher Education Study Hub Building bridges: Increasing WIL opportunities in Gippsland East’s small businesses
Felicia Jaremus University of Newcastle Aspirations, equity and higher education course choice: The path travelled
Bep Uink Murdoch University Interrogating relationships between student support initiatives and Indigenous student progression

13. NATIONAL EQUITY DATA PROJECT
• Promoting public access to data about student
equity outcomes in Australian higher education.
• Users can download and graph data on
undergraduate equity student participation and performance in
Australia, as sourced from the
Australian Government’s Higher Education Student
Data Collection.
• Comparisons can be made at the university,
institutional grouping, state, territory, and national levels. Reporting
occurs across major equity groups
and seven indicators: Access; Participation; Attrition; Success; and
Attainment.
• 5,896 page visits during 2020
• Complements the annual Student Equity Data
Briefing Note

14. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES (2021)
• NCSEHE events engage a broad scope of stakeholder groups
• Online platforms have increased audience reach and accessibility
• Events are conducted independently and in collaboration with other student equity organisations

15. MASS MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
During 2020:
• Regular media exposure includes:
• The Australian
• Times Higher Education
• Campus Morning Mail
• ABC (various)
• Australian Financial Review
• During 2020:
• Advertising Space Rate (ASR) $4,660,514
• 74 media mentions

16. UPCOMING: IMPACT AND DISSEMINATION STRATEGIES
Focus on impact and dissemination for 2021
• Impact reports on major research
• Collating the outputs from 6 years of research
• Emphasis on impact and dissemination in upcoming grant
round
• Ongoing collection of statistics / feedback
• Increasing accessibility of existing resources through
ongoing refinement of new NCSEHE Research Database
and website restructuring

17. CRICOS Provider Code 00301J
Contact
Questions?
Website: ncsehe.edu.au
Email: ncsehe@curtin.edu.au
Twitter: @ncsehe
Facebook: @ncsehe