Equity Initiatives
JCU is recognised throughout Australia for its sustained activities in the widening participation agenda, with recent national awards for the Community-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teacher Education Program and the Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery. With a strong commitment to being socially responsive and, in particular, meeting the needs of people of rural, remote and tropical contexts, the diversity of the region informs JCU's programs and policies, which challenge socially constructed educational disadvantage.
Through a range of initiatives including those funded by the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships (HEPP) Program, JCU aims to ensure Australians from low socio-economic status backgrounds who have the ability to undertake higher education have the opportunity to do so.
Core Equity Initiatives
School outreach
JCU offers a number of services and school programs on and off campus to assist with students' career development and encourage participation in tertiary study.
Access scholarships
The JCU Access Fund could be the answer if money problems stand between you and a higher education at JCU.
Pathways / Diploma of Higher Education
The Diploma of Higher Education is a one-year course (or two years, part-time) designed to help people who may not meet the academic requirements for entry into a Bachelor degree course. The course is also designed to help students develop the necessary skills to be successful university students. The course consists of a combination of introductory and first year degree subjects. For further options, visit the JCU Pathways webpage.
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement
JCU is proud to have one of the highest Indigenous participation rates of any university in Australia. To further develop the aspirations of our region's young people and to promote university as a real study option, JCU has recorded a number of interviews with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, who reflect on some of the challenges and successes faced during university life. Visit the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Information website for further information.
Student equity and wellbeing, including student support
The Directorate of Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement has a broad mandate to ensure that social justice and principles of equity are embedded and actualised across the JCU community. At the same time, we ensure an engaging and inclusive experience for JCU students. See the Student Equity and Wellbeing webpage for further information.
JCU employs a range of staff to specifically support diverse students. These include College Student Support Officers and Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student Engagement Officers.
Students with disabilities
JCU is committed to ensuring people with disabilities are able to participate to the fullest possible extent in the educational programs it offers, as well as aspects of university life. For further information about the services and facilities on offer, visit the AccessAbility Services webpage.
Careers and employment
JCU's Careers and Employment office offers a wide range of career services and resources for students, recent graduates, employers and staff. Students also have access to the JCU Career Development Program, a suite of online career modules designed to assist with career development and transition to professional employment.
Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)
Peer Assisted Study Sessions, known as PASS, offer students a guarantee hour of study while on campus with peers in the same subject and/or course. Research shows students who attend PASS five or more times in a semester significantly increase their chances of passing.
The Learning Centre
JCU's Learning Centre offers JCU students a number of services and resources, including a drop-in subject and course advisory service, access to learning advisors, free access to pre-semester workshops and study skills workshops during the semester, and online reading, writing and maths resources.
Inclusive curriculum design
The scholarship of learning and teaching clearly indicates that improving curriculum design and anticipating and responding to student diversity is at the core of our inclusive curriculum practices. Blended learning enables staff to anticipate, respond and adapt to student need.
See also: Principles for Inclusive Teaching - a guide to inclusive teaching for a diversity of learners by RMIT.
Evaluation and data support
JCU's approach to evaluation of learning and teaching is discussed at Teaching Evaluation.
The Directorate of Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement works closely with academic staff to extract and analyse staff, student and organisational data from Blackboard LearnJCU and other systems. Real-time data informs learning, teaching and student engagement strategy and can be used proactively to identify students in need of support. See Learning Analytics for further information.
For further information about JCU's equity initiatives, please contact LTSE@jcu.edu.au.
