Jen Evans, Aboriginal Health Leadership, CoHM*
Rachel Butler, College Office, CoHM
Christine Padgett, School of Psychological Sciences, CoHM
The Indigenisation of university curricula has the potential to create safer learning environments and health workforces, but must be underpinned by university leadership, cultural competency, anti-racism and decolonisation (Fredericks et al., 2023; McCubbin et al., 2023; Page, Trudgett & Bodkin-Andrews, 2018). Success has varied and the processes for Indigenisation and decolonisation of the curricula are complex and challenging (Anderson, Yip & Diamond, 2023; Williams et al., 2022).
In the College of Health and Medicine we commenced a content mapping exercise to gather initial information on the extent to which Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ perspectives and knowledges are embedded and reflected in the curriculum. We established an Aboriginal Engagement Working Group within the College to co-design a survey of all units. The survey asked the unit co-ordinators to critically reflect on the appropriateness of the resources in the unit on a spectrum between ‘by mob’ and ‘against mob’ (AIATSIS, 2022), and their levels of confidence, barriers and aspirations in embedding knowledges and perspectives.
The preliminary results indicate that 65% of units have no engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives or knowledges. Of those that do, 34% incorporate palawa perspectives, and 29% assess the content. Up to 42% of staff felt that they were not confident at all at embedding Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples knowledges and perspectives. When asked what resources would be required, these included: advice and guidance on culturally safe engagement with Aboriginal communities, digital and library resources, and training and support were selected.
Australian Institute Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. (2022). AIATSIS guide to evaluating and selecting educational resources. AIATSIS. https://aiatsis.gov.au/education/guide-evaluating-and-selecting-education-resources
Anderson, P. J., Yip, S. Y., & Diamond, Z. M. (2023). Universities Australia 2017–2020 Indigenous Strategy: a meta-synthesis of the issues and challenges. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(4), 785-800. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.2123899
Fredericks, B., Barney, K., Bunda, T., Hausia, K., Martin, A., Elston, J., & Bernardino, B. (2023). Calling out racism in university classrooms: The ongoing need for indigenisation of the curriculum to support Indigenous student completion rates. Student Success, 14(2), 19-29. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.2874
McCubbin, L. D., Town, M. A., Burns-Glover, A., & Butay, E. M. (2023). Creating Spaces for Decolonization and Indigenization Among Mental Health Professionals in Higher Education. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2023.2220802
Page, S., Trudgett, M., & Bodkin-Andrews, G. (2019). Creating a degree-focused pedagogical framework to guide Indigenous graduate attribute curriculum development. Higher Education, 78, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0324-4
Williams, S., Anders, R., Vreugdenhil, R., & Byrne, J. (2022). Indigenising the curriculum: Transcending Australian geography’s dark past. Geographical Research, 60(1), 100-112. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-5871.12504