This session will look at what a people-centric, strengths-based approach as implemented at UniSC. While we often talk about a strengths-based approach, metrics often focus heavily on a deficit model and actions lean that way. This model leans in to a genuine strengths-based approach to improve levels of engagement.

Highlights the Murina pathway program's culturally grounded pedagogy, community engagement and holistic student support model.

Exploring what First Nations student success looks like and how culture, belonging, identity, academic capability and strong relationships can support students to succeed and thrive throughout their university journey.

NIKERI's community based delivery model and the role away from base funding in supporting culturally safe, flexible and community centred higher education for ATSI students.

This workshop explores strategies for supporting students enrolled in enabling and pathway programs as they transition into higher education. Participants will gain insights into common challenges faced by pathway students, approaches to building confidence and belonging, and practical support initiatives that help students progress successfully into undergraduate study.

Student feedback plays an important role in shaping responsive and student-centred support services. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, opportunities to share their perspectives can provide valuable insight into their experiences of university services and highlight areas of success, emerging needs and opportunities for improvement. ECU’s Kurongkurl Katitjin Student Satisfaction Survey captures student perspectives over a seven year period on the Centre and wider ECU services, providing an important source of information to guide service delivery and practice. Drawing on survey results, this presentation highlights key trends in student satisfaction and demonstrates how student voice has informed the development and refinement of initiatives currently delivered through Kurongkurl Katitjin, supporting an ongoing commitment to responsive and student-centred practice.

Student success is strengthened when culturally responsive relationships are supported by coordinated systems, meaningful partnerships and the voices of students themselves. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, the transition into and through higher education can be influenced by a range of factors, including navigating unfamiliar university systems, balancing study with family and community responsibilities, and accessing timely and appropriate support. As student cohorts become increasingly diverse and dispersed across campuses and online environments, universities must continue to evolve their approaches to student engagement and success.

This presentation reflects on Kurongkurl Katitjin's evolving Student Success Journey at Edith Cowan University and the development of a holistic, student-centred approach designed to strengthen connection, belonging and educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. It explores the opportunities and challenges associated with building a more proactive, evidence-informed and coordinated approach to student support, while maintaining culture, relationships and student voice at its centre.

This session presents two linked innovations in tutoring for Indigenous students. The first is a lean in, stand back, lean out strategy, which sets the register and level of tutor engagement according to each learner's capacity and stage of study. Commencing students, for example, respond better to a leaning-in approach, with tutors stepping back as independence grows. The second matches tutors to each phase of this strategy by disposition. Some tutors excel at working through detail step by step, suited to leaning in, while others are strongest with abstract concepts and theory, suited to students ready for greater independence. Both are supported by early diagnosis and intervention, drawing on data that sharpen the focus on particular learning areas, including knowledge of the subjects that have historically challenged Indigenous students.

The First Nations Training and Teacher Education Hub at Charles Darwin University is rethinking how First Nations educators access, participate in and succeed in higher education, particularly in regional and remote communities. This presentation explores the Hub's culturally responsive approach to teacher education, highlighting its pathways, student demographics, enrolment and progression data, and integrated student support model. Central to this approach are three interconnected principles: flexibility within institutional systems and learning environments; advocacy to challenge systemic barriers; and building trust, relationships and partnerships between students, communities, educators and institutional stakeholders. Drawing on emerging evidence and practical experiences, the presentation examines how interdisciplinary staffing, First Nations academic leadership and adaptive student support can strengthen participation, retention and progression. It also considers the gradual release of responsibility as students develop confidence, capability and independence. Ultimately, the presentation argues that First Nations student success requires more than supporting students to navigate university systems; it requires universities to transform their systems to better respond to First Nations learners.

Exploring how we strengthen culturally informed pathways into university through schools, communities and enabling programs, and how we support students to transition into higher education.

Everyone sees the sausage sizzle, but not always the planning behind the production. This presentation explores how the University of Sydney's DVC Indigenous Strategy and Services Portfolio brings together the Strategy Team and the Gadigal Centre to strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student success. Through a blend of strategy, data, partnerships and student support, we'll share practical lessons on driving institutional change while keeping students at the centre.

This workshop shares the experience of a case management approach that doubled graduate numbers within four years. We show how needs assessment at entry, individual learning plans, early tutor support, coordinated referral and sustained progress monitoring, informed by leading datasets, allowed staff to act early and keep students progressing towards completion. We also reflect on what worked, what needed rethinking along the way, and the lessons most transferable to institutions considering a similar path.

This presentation explores how data-informed decision-making is used to enhance student engagement and success at James Cook University. Through the analysis of student support, engagement and academic progression data, proactive intervention plans are developed to identify and respond to emerging issues and student needs. The presentation highlights practical approaches to using evidence to guide targeted support strategies, improve service delivery, and strengthen student outcomes.

This presentation is based on my PhD research, which was a critical analysis of knowledge transfer and the way institutional documentation can shape engagement between institutions and Indigenous people.

The Global Indigenous Learning Experience is a collaborative international program between Indigenous Student Services at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Canada) and Kurongkurl Katitjin at Edith Cowan University (Australia). Through a five-week reciprocal learning experience, Indigenous students engage in online cultural exchange, international travel, and community hosting, creating opportunities to explore the similarities and differences between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Students participate in sessions led by Elders, scholars, and community leaders, exploring language, culture, history, identity, and place. The program aims to strengthen cultural identity, foster global Indigenous networks, and develop intercultural understanding through relationship-based learning. This presentation will share the program model, key learnings, and the impact of international Indigenous exchange programs in supporting student leadership, connection to culture and belonging while demonstrating the value of Indigenous-to-Indigenous engagement within higher education.

This presentation explores how Indigenous students transition from study into employment through culturally safe industry partnerships. It examines preparing employers to support Indigenous staff, providing ongoing student support, and ensuring placements build career pathways rather than fill labour needs. Key themes include partnership development, continuous feedback, cultural safety, and sustainable, cohort-based engagement.

This presentation explores the key approaches that have contributed to Indigenous student success at Bond University through the work of the Nyombil Centre. Focusing on the importance of listening, building authentic relationships, and providing practical, student-centred support, the session will highlight strategies that foster belonging, resilience, engagement, and academic achievement. The presentation will also discuss the value of celebrating student success and creating sustainable staff practices that support both student outcomes and team wellbeing. Attendees will gain practical insights into strengthening Indigenous student support services through relationship-based and culturally responsive approaches.

Participants will explore practical strategies, systems and lessons learned that can be adapted for students to succeed throughout their university journey.