Equity Fair
The Equity Fair was an initiative of the EAS Equity Working Group and was held on Thursday 11 November 2004, in Auditorium at Magill Campus. It was organised to:
- showcase and encourage Divisional equity practices, initiatives and activities that increase and support the access, participation, retention and success of equity category students
- raise awareness and promote discussion of equity issues within the Division
Presentations and photo gallery are available for viewing
Further Information
- Presentations
- Photo gallery
- Program
- Equity at UniSA
- Student participation
Equity at UniSA
Equity in higher education refers to equality of access and outcomes for students who have been traditionally under-represented at university, especially those who have experienced prior educational disadvantage. There are six target groups that are recognised nationally as experiencing disadvantage in their access to education, and outcomes for these students are measured through the use of four nationally adopted performance indicators.Equity considerations have been embedded into all aspects of the University’s planning, quality assurance, reporting and review processes and into its core areas of teaching and learning, research, consultancy and community service (see the University of South Australia’s Equity Strategic Plan 2005-2007).
Student participation - equity and cultural diversity presentations
Academic staff were asked to encourage students to undertake an assignment/group project either looking at concepts of equity or utilising one of the following concepts:
- The idea of the university
This could explore whether students feel that they belong to the university community. Are their ideas different from one another? Do they reflect the traditional idea of the university? How strong are these traditional ideas of the university and how they might have changed in a culturally diverse context? How do students envision the 'perfect university' in which diversity was not only acknowledged but also highly valued? - Social spaces
This theme explores how social spaces affect a student’s sense of belonging to the university community. A substantial part of student life takes place in the social spaces of the campus. Some of these shared spaces are purpose built, like the café or the union bar. Other spaces like steps or grassy areas are 'made' into social spaces by students because they use them on a daily basis. The community life of the campus often unfolds across these campus spaces. How do students from a range of cultural background experience and negotiate these spaces differently? - Curricula
The content of courses studied at university can affect a student’s sense of belonging. How do students from a range of cultural backgrounds see themselves reflected in the university curriculum? Do students feel their experiences are represented in the content of the courses they study? - Learning environments
Just as the content of courses can affect a student’s sense of belonging, so too might the way in which knowledge is transferred. In other words, it matters not only what students are taught, but how they are taught. The particular learning practices might include some students while inadvertently excluding others. How do differences in life experience and cultural background impact on the way students experience these learning situations? How do teaching practices and learning environments add to, or detract from, a sense of belonging?