Definitions
Definitions used in equity planning and policy formulation
The equity indicators and target groups defined below are adopted nationally for use across the higher education sector.
Equity Performance Indicators
Access
The number of commencing students from each of
the equity groupings as a percentage of all commencing students.
Participation
The total number of students from each
of the equity groupings as a proportion of the total student population.
Apparent Retention
The proportion of students enrolled
in the institution in a given year who re-enrol in the following year, less
the students who completed their program.
Success
The study load passed by a student as a
proportion of the load for which the student enrolled in a given year. This
gives an indication of success within a year.
Equity Target Groups
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Defined through self-identification by a positive response to the
following question used to collect the DEST students data at enrolment:
‘Are you an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander?’
People with disabilities
Those students who respond positively to the following questions (on
the enrolment form): ‘Do you have disability, impairment or long term
medical condition which may affect your studies?’
People from Non-English Speaking Backgrounds (NESB)
Students
who are Australian residents but were:
- born overseas and arrived in Australia less than 10 yrs ago and
- speak a language other than English at home
People from regional and remote areas
Students’ geographic status is determined from the postcode of home
location and identified as one of three groups: regional, urban, and remote.
From 2001 the classification of postcodes is derived from the 1996
Australian Bureau of Statistics census data. Prior to this the 1993
classification of postcodes devised by the Department of Primary Industry
and Energy was used.
People from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Low SES)
Those whose postcodes of home location fall within the lowest quartile
of the population of a given catchment region (national, state or urban),
determined by the value of the ABS Index of Education and Occupation (EdOcc).
Women in Non-Traditional Study (WINS)
Women students enrolled in a field of education or level of program for
which the percentage of female enrolments is less than 40%. Originally, at a
national level, these fields were: Agriculture, Architecture and Building,
Business Administration and Economics, Engineering and Surveying, and
Science. By 2003 the fields of education at a national level with less than
40% female participation were Architecture, Engineering and Information
Technology In relation to level of program, at a national level research
degrees have been identified as WINS.