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25 Nov, 2015

Ian Cunninghame & Professor Sue Trinidad, NCSEHE July 2017

PATHWAYS TO HIGHER EDUCATION: THE EFFICACY OF ENABLING AND SUB-BACHELOR PATHWAYS

FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS IN AUSTRALIA

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The Report

Funded by the Australian

Government Department of

Education and Training via the

Higher Education Participation

and Partnerships Program’s

(HEPPP) National Priorities Pool,

2014 with the public report

released in 2016.

Pitman, T., Trinidad, S., Devlin, M., Harvey, A., Brett, M. &

McKay, J. (2016). “Pathways to Higher Education: The Efficacy

of Enabling and Sub-Bachelor Pathways for Disadvantaged

Students”. National Centre for Student Equity in Higher

Education (NCSEHE), Perth: Curtin University.

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The HESP Review

50% of students come through

pathways.

Need for transparency of HE

admission processes for

pathways.

We know a greater proportion

of equity students transitioning

via pathways.

Generally experience better

first-year retention rates.

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The Project Team

Tim Pitman, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education

Sue Trinidad, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education

Marcia Devlin, Federation University Australia

Andrew Harvey, La Trobe University

Matthew Brett, La Trobe University

Jade McKay, Deakin University

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The Brief

… to undertake a review of current enabling programmes

offered by Australian higher education providers and report

on the extent to which these courses are effective in

increasing access and participation to, and subsequent

success in, undergraduate courses for domestic students

from disadvantaged groups….

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Key Questions

Are enabling programs effective for widening

participation for disadvantaged students in their

own right?

Are enabling programs less or more effective than

other alternative pathways to higher education, for

disadvantaged students?

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Methodology

1. Detailed taxonomy of enabling pathways into HE

2. Statistical analysis of the Australian Government

Department of Education and Training data to explore the

efficacy of enabling programs.

3. National student survey exploring the perceptions of

students who participated in enabling programs and other

pathways into HE.

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How to Measure? The 3 Ps…

1. Creating a typology of enabling programs (the “potential”)

2. Comparing retention and success rates (the “proof”)

3. Surveying the students (the “perceptions”)

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Defining Disadvantage

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons

Persons from low socioeconomic status backgrounds

Persons from regional and remote areas

Persons with disabilities

Persons from non-English speaking backgrounds

Women enrolled in non-traditional areas of study

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The Literature

Enabling programs are not exclusive to, but enrol

disproportionately from, groups of students under-represented

in the Australian HE sector. This is in line with their

fundamental aim.

Enabling pathways offer access to HE for many students who

would otherwise be denied the opportunity to participate.

The VET sector appears prima facie to be a viable pathway

into HE for disadvantaged students.

Students articulating from the VET sector into HE encounter

barriers to success, resulting in below-average performance.

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The Potential

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ncsehe.edu.au

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Overall Findings

1. Diversity of enabling programs.

2. Lack of transparency, transferability and information

about enabling programs.

3. Programs are relatively unrestricted in regards to access.

4. Greater proportion of students enrolled are from equity

groups.

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Overall Findings (cont.)

5. Disadvantaged students who articulate via an enabling

program generally experience better first-year retention

rates than those using other pathways

6. In terms of success, equity group of students articulating

from enabling pathways are experiencing academic

barriers to success.

7. Enabling students express greater satisfaction with their

articulating experience in comparison with those using a

VET pathway.

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Overall Findings (cont.)

8. Most VET students undertook the VET qualification for

its own benefits, not as a pathway to university studies.

9. The relatively low cost of an enabling program to the

student is a significant attraction for disadvantaged

students.

10. Need for greater consistency among programs to

improve transparency, quality, student mobility and

equity.

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Snapshot of One Equity Group:Students from Low SES Backgrounds

“It gave me the confidence I need to even try. I am 41 years

old and had left high school when I was in year 10 and from

then on had worked full time office based jobs. Due to being

a poor student at school I had always thought that university

was out of reach for me. However, completing [the enabling

program] revealed I had more potential than I ever would

have imagined.”

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Current Bill Going to Parliament

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ncsehe@curtin.edu.au

Email: S.Trinidad@curtin.edu.au

Twitter: @NCSEHE

Website: ncsehe.edu.au/contact/

Publication: https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/publications/pathways-to-higher-education-the-

efficacy-of-enabling-and-sub-bachelor-pathways-for-disadvantaged-students/