Strengthening evaluation in Indigenous higher education contexts in Australia

This report aims to unpack ways to strengthen evaluation in Indigenous higher education contexts in Australia. It is based on the outcomes of a 2017 Equity Fellowship funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), and hosted through the Office of Pro Vice-Chancellor - Indigenous Leadership at Charles Darwin University (CDU). The Equity Fellowship was undertaken by James Smith, with the support of Kellie Pollard, Kim Robertson and Fiona Shalley. An Expert Project Advisory Group was established to guide the direction of the project from the outset.

The Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 109.1216) provided a clear mandate for investing in policies and programs that support Indigenous pathways, participation and achievement in higher education in Australia. While there have been notable investments and significant national reforms in Indigenous higher education over the past few years, the recommendation within this report to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework is yet to be actioned. Similarly, in 2015, prior to its abolishment, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Advisory Council (ATSIHEAC) recommended the development of a 'performance framework'. This has also remained unactioned. As such, there remains minimal publicly available evaluation evidence in this space. In particular, there is scant evaluation evidence about program and policy effectiveness - that is, what does or does not work and why.

This report begins by providing a snapshot of Indigenous higher education participation and achievement in Australia. This provides a background as to why evaluation in this context, which draws on Indigenous perspectives, is important now, more than ever. We then draw on recent academic scholarship and grey literature to discuss what we currently know about evaluation in Indigenous higher education. The report then presents our findings from a qualitative research study involving 38 individual interviews and one group interview with two participant groups: (a) Indigenous scholars within higher education institutions; and (b) government policymakers with a role in equity and/or Indigenous higher education program and policy development and reform. The study asked questions about the current challenges and opportunities associated with undertaking evaluation in higher education contexts; the enablers and barriers associated with using evaluation evidence in policy and programs contexts; and ways to strengthen evaluation moving forward. Using our research findings, and in response to participant requests, we developed a conceptual model of potential performance parameters to strengthen Indigenous higher education monitoring and evaluation in Australia. The model has four distinct spheres, each relating to the other. These include: students; families and communities; schools and other organisations; and universities. Seventeen recommendations for strengthening evaluation in Indigenous higher education are presented in this report. These recommendations span research, policy and practice contexts, and often sit at the nexus between them. In parallel with recommendations from previous national reports, we conclude by suggesting that the development of a National Indigenous Higher Education Performance and Evaluation Strategy is urgently required to advance Indigenous student outcomes in Australia.

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