ORCID Profile
0000-0003-4031-3709
Current Organisations
Curtin University
,
Deakin University
,
University of Tasmania
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Publisher: Routledge
Date: 08-12-2022
Publisher: Queensland University of Technology
Date: 06-07-2022
DOI: 10.5204/SSJ.2313
Abstract: For Australian university students living out of reach of a c us and studying online, the growing presence of Regional University Centres (RUCs) is changing their student experience for the better. People from regional areas of Australia are historically under-represented at university. Those who begin university are at higher risk of not completing their qualifications than students from metropolitan areas. COVID-19 restrictions in the past two years have added to the continued growth in regional students studying their degrees online. A recent survey of students attending a Country Universities Centre (CUC) within their local community shows these centres to be highly effective in supporting regional students. The participants overwhelmingly reported improvements not only in their academic progress and results, but also in their motivation, confidence, and likelihood of completing their qualification.
Publisher: Queensland University of Technology
Date: 03-02-2018
DOI: 10.5204/SSJ.V9I1.430
Abstract: Students in enabling programs bring richness, ersity, and complexity to the teaching and learning environment. They are often from under-represented backgrounds, have experienced educational disadvantage or disruption, belong to multiple equity groups, and face academic and non-academic challenges, including mental ill-health. This pilot study explored academic staff experiences in teaching and supporting students in enabling programs. Using a collaborative autoethnographical approach, four members of a multi-institutional research group wrote first-person reflections in response to guiding questions. From generative and reflective discussions, different themes arose. A major theme was the high ‘emotional labour demands’ of teaching a vulnerable cohort, with both positive and negative effects on staff. Other major themes included: the ersity of emotional responses and coping strategies the complex, sometimes contradictory, role of the enabling educator the importance of communities of care and support and the impact of witnessing students’ transformations. Within these themes, the challenges, rewards, and protective factors, which mitigate stress among enabling educators, were identified.
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 08-12-2022
Publisher: The Open University
Date: 07-2022
DOI: 10.5456/WPLL.24.2.30
Abstract: University students who live and work in regional, rural and remote areas face challenges in studying at a distance from their institution's metropolitan or satellite c us. For mature-aged students in particular, relocating to a city c us is unrealistic, due to their family and employment commitments, and travel time and costs. A pragmatic alternative embraced by high proportions of mature-aged students is to study online. However, learning online has welldocumented difficulties. This article explores the online learning experiences of mature-aged university students in regional and remote Australia via students' in idual stories in the form of three vignettes . Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model is employed to analyse the vignettes for systemic and structural factors that condition the students' experiences. This theoretical frame affords new insights into the challenges of learning online. We found that influences beyond the actions of in idual students and staff, such as students' internet access and the casualisation of the university workforce, help explain why staff working 'on the ground' may not always be able to provide 'quality' curriculum and support for online students. Placing experiences of in idual students within larger contexts uncovers how institutional elements and broader higher education policy can influence the learning for students studying online.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-09-2021
DOI: 10.1111/AJR.12788
Abstract: There is a long‐standing undersupply of nursing and allied health professionals in rural Australia. Rural, mature‐aged people form an untapped section of rural communities that could help to address these workforce needs. There is little understanding of the supports required to assist rural, mature‐aged nursing and allied health students to complete their studies and enter the rural health workforce. To scope factors influencing rural, mature‐aged nursing and allied health students’ ability to access, participate, and succeed in higher education. A scoping review of the international rural nursing and allied health and education literature was undertaken. Five databases (CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, Education Resources Information Center [ERIC], Embase, and Education Research Complete), key peer‐reviewed journals, and Australian grey literature were searched. Fourteen articles were included in the review. Ten studies described rural, mature‐aged nursing and allied health student characteristics, 6 described barriers to students participating and succeeding in higher education, and 4 described student supports. This review found limited evidence to guide higher education providers in attracting, supporting and retaining rural, mature‐aged nursing and allied health students. In particular, evidence of student supports is required beyond those manifested by students themselves or their family, to include offerings from university and government sources. Substantially more research attention is needed to understand the experiences of rural, mature‐aged nursing and allied health students, and supports required for this cohort to access, participate and successfully complete higher education.
Publisher: Queensland University of Technology
Date: 03-08-2021
DOI: 10.5204/SSJ.1919
Abstract: This article shines a light on a little-known cohort of higher education participants, mature-aged students in, and from, regional and remote Australia – the focus of a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education mixed-methods study. Notable patterns were found in the quantitative data for instance, compared to their metropolitan counterparts, higher proportions of regional and remote students were older, female, from low socio-economic status areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and studied online and/or part-time. The presentation of four vignettes from the interviews uncovers the stories behind the numbers, revealing students’ erse and complex circumstances two of the students shared experiences of facing systemic obstacles, while the other two described receiving invaluable institutional support. The obstacles can be attributed to systems designed for “ideal”, “implied” and “traditional” students, and entrenched attitudes that privilege some “types” of students over others and limit the aim of full participation for all students.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-05-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10734-022-00877-X
Abstract: The higher education participation and success rates of students in low socio-economic status (SES), regional, rural, remote, and isolated areas – who often attend university later in life – is a persistent concern in Australia and beyond. This article focuses on mature-aged students in low SES, regional and remote areas in Tasmania, Australia, proposing that universities harness local belonging when providing learning opportunities. It draws on a thematic analysis of 19 semi-structured interviews with current and prospective university students, and community stakeholders. The study identifies time and place-based barriers to studying on c us: students’ commitments outside of university and geographical, cultural, and financial challenges. However, existing local infrastructure, such as libraries, create opportunities for face-to-face interactions and learning support for students who study online in their regional or remote communities, provided by staff and local volunteers. These barriers and solutions are discussed using the concept of ‘belonging’, framed spatially and culturally. Current literature on regional and remote higher education students tends to emphasise ‘not belonging’ in relation to distant urban or metropolitan spaces. We argue that ‘belonging’ can be fostered in local spaces with local people. Utilising ‘untapped’ local learning support and existing physical spaces mitigates geographical, cultural, and financial challenges, and provides academic and emotional support. We propose a coordinated network of physical study places and local people, including: regional ‘satellite’ c uses regional study hubs local public libraries and schools, where online students can be supported, connected, and engaged in their studies whilst located in regional and remote communities.
Publisher: Office of the Academic Executive Director, University of Tasmania
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.53761/1.15.3.2
Abstract: Student wellbeing and mental health are increasingly a concern of universities. Most universities provide central counselling services and, in recent years, some have introduced wellbeing programs. However, an unrecognised source of support and pastoral care for students is academic staff. This pilot research project explored the experiences of academic staff in one university’s enabling programs in terms of the type of support academic staff provide (academic and/or non-academic), how equipped they perceive they are to support their students, and how this role impacts on them. The study is qualitative interviews were conducted and a thematic analysis undertaken. It was found that academic staff viewed supporting their students as part of their role, particularly due to the erse and complex nature of the cohort, and noted that students sought support from them for academic and non-academic issues because they had a rapport with them, trust and regular contact. A positive finding was that the academic staff had clear boundaries and lines of referral, which means they were not taking on pseudo-counselling roles. How equipped staff perceived they were and how the support role impacted on them varied depending on their teaching role. The findings in this exploratory study prompt a re-conceptualisation of the academic role. The article proposes a model of support that is holistic, student and course centred, and that integrates the centrally-located university counsellors. Furthermore, it posits that at the core of the enabling programs is a philosophy of care.
Publisher: Queensland University of Technology
Date: 29-11-2022
DOI: 10.5204/SSJ.2702
Abstract: This special issue of Student Success explores the importance of “connections” that contribute to students embarking upon, participating in and achieving their academic and other goals in higher education. While there are many possible connections and relationships that contribute to student success, this special issue focuses on the pedagogies and practices that contribute to students feeling connected and supported in their journey into and through higher education. In Relationship-rich education: How human connections drive success in college, Felton and Lambert (2020) highlight the importance of human relationships for an “excellent college experience”. Certainly, connection and relationship building is even more vital since COVID-19. Therefore, in this special issue, we explore the multitudes of connections that are two-way and contribute to students transitioning into, participating in and succeeding in higher education, as well as how higher education itself has been enriched by the increasing ersity of students. This includes the attention that has been paid to inclusive practices that has the potential to benefit all students.
Publisher: Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education
Date: 12-06-2011
DOI: 10.14742/AJET.959
Abstract: span E-learning technologies are often seen as a driving force in the democratisation of contemporary education. However, few researchers have focused on inequalities in online learners' access to technologies or their abilities to use them. In 2009, we assessed The University of Western Australia's SmARTS outreach program, investigating the advantages and disadvantages of employing online learning in the local context of Perth, Western Australia. SmARTS uses blended learning techniques, combining both online and face to face methods. However, our discussion here is based primarily on the online component. Our research methods included the collection of 52 student surveys, a group interview with the 2009 tutors, and our own observations and experiences. Our findings suggested that students were not particularly savvy with technology, in contrast to the common assumption. We also found that the location of students' residences and the types of schools they attended had an impact on their self-assessed online participation, the reliability and speed of their Internet connections, and their confidence and ease with using computers and the Internet. Our findings revealed that the social inequalities present in the context of Perth had an impact on whether students were advantaged or disadvantaged by the online component of SmARTS. /span
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2010
Location: Australia
No related grants have been discovered for Nicole Crawford.