Perspectives on Higher Education: Strategies for retaining students and the benefits of cultural diversity

The School of Social Sciences and Psychology presents:

'PERSPECTIVES ON HIGHER EDUCATION: STRATAEGIES FOR RETAINING STUDENTS AND THE BENEFITS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY'

This colloquium presentation will feature two speakers whose research addresses various facets of the undergraduate university experience Maximising the benefits of diversity in university Dr Nida Denson Senior Research Fellow and ARC Research Fellow Diversities, Ethics and Education University of Western Sydney

ABSTRACT: Student diversity in higher education is a topic of increased interest both nationally and internationally. One key goal of higher education is to prepare students to function effectively in an increasingly diverse society. Emerging research demonstrates that culturally diverse universities prepare students for participation in a diverse workforce and society, whereas more homogenous universities do not. However, this relationship is complex. Empirical studies have established that a diverse student body composition is an insufficient condition in itself for maximising educational benefits. Rather, only universities that encourage students to engage in diversity-related activities – such as interacting with peers of another race or culture – benefit students’ social and cognitive development. While much of prior research in higher education has investigated the consequences of cultural diversity and cross-cultural interaction on student development, Nida’s research has begun to explore the individual and situational factors (moderators) that influence these relationships.

SPEAKER: Dr Nida Denson is a Senior Research Fellow and ARC Research Fellow in the Diversities, Ethics and Education research group in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at the University of Western Sydney. She received her PhD in Education from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2007.

Dr Denson worked at the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA and the Learning & Teaching Unit at the University of New South Wales before joining UWS in June 2009. Her research centres around the impact of diversity at both the individual level (e.g., engagement with diversity-related activities) and the group level (e.g., the effects of being in a diverse classroom or university), as well as the cognitive processes through which the benefits of diversity occur, and the individual and situational factors that maximise the benefits of diversity on social and cognitive development.

'First Year Advisors: An institutional innovation for transition and retention of First Year Higher Education students'

Dr Alison Hine Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology University of Western Sydney

ABSTRACT: In Australian universities, there is an increasing recognition of the role of First Year Advisors as being integral to the retention and transition strategies of commencing students. Developing new horizons, the University of Western Sydney appointed First Year Advisors across the university to facilitate the development of confident, secure, commencing students in the key stages of: considering coming to university, initial contact, enrolment and transition, first year of study and successful progression. A range of institutional innovative strategies for transition and retention of First Year Higher Education students was implemented to enhance student’s independent learning skills and develop a stable social network. The development of a First Year Advisor’s Forum ensured collaboration, support, sharing of strategies and mapping of retention and transition strategies across the University. The sharing and implementation of strategies resulted in improved teaching evaluation scores and improved responses to general surveys on commencing student’s university experience.

SPEAKER: Ms Hine teaches and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students in Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. She has had thirty years teaching experience from pre-school to tertiary education. She received Top Ten standing in the Unijobs Lecturer of the Year award for UWS and was a national finalist in these awards for the Years 2009 and 2010.

She holds a Masters degree in Educational and Developmental Psychology and is currently undertaking her PhD. Ms Hine has worked extensively with leading international researchers and has researched, published and presented at international and national conferences in the areas of mentoring, adult metacognition, gifted and talented, thinking skills, intelligence and self-reflection strategies. She has recently co authored a second edition of the text Lifespan Development. Currently, as First Year Advisor she works closely with other First Year Advisors across the University to develop, facilitate and improve the First Year experience.

Please rsvp to Vicki Fox (v.fox@uws.edu.au) by 22/10/12