A Higher Education Perspective
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The Importance of belonging: A Higher Education Perspective ADDITIONAL MATERIAL SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Supervised by Dr Adrian Danks and Professor Laurene Vaughan Rachel Wilson Master of arts (La Trobe University) Bachelor of education (Deakin University) School of Media and Communication College of Design and Social Context RMIT University November 2016 Declaration I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of the author alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for any other academic award; the content of the dissertation is the result of work which has been carried out since the official commencement date of the approved research program; any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged; and ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed. Rachel Wilson, November 2016 A Guide to the Submitted Material The recommended pathway through the material presented for examination is to start with the overview document The Ethos of Belonging: A narrative model approach to student engagement 2011 – 2015. The Belonging Project was a multi-phase project which grew in complexity each year. This particular document has been written for an uninitiated audience and is designed to provide a guide to the project phases from a position of hindsight. It introduces the reader to the project’s history, The Belonging Project Narrative Model of Student Engagement, our guiding principles and a small sample of the work conducted during each phase of the project. Next I would ask the readers to take a look at The Belonging Project website located here: www.rmit.edu.au/mediacommunication/belonging-project The website both act’s as a repository of the annual reports and scholarly outcomes and provides additional material of the project’s outcomes from the student perspective. I recommend readers watch the videos, that succinctly capture the student voice, found here: www.rmit.edu.au/about/our-education/academic-schools/media-and- communication/research/projects/the-belonging-project/resources/ The annual reports provide greater detail of each phase of the project and the publications and conference papers give a sense of how we have continued to communicate the project’s outcomes to a scholarly audience. Contents Part 1 – Overview Report 7 The Ethos of Belonging: A narrative model approach to student engagement 2011 – 2015. Part 2 – Annual Reports 59 a) Report 2011: Phase 1: Planting the Seeds b) Report 2012: Phase 2: Focus on the First Year Experience c) Report 2013: Phase 3: Focus on the Interdisciplinary Experience d) Report 2014: Phase 4: The Global at Home: At Home in the Global Part 3 – Peer-Reviewed Articles 335 a) Morieson, L., Carlin, D., Clarke, B., Lukas, K., & Wilson, R. (2013). ‘Belonging in Education: Lessons from the Belonging Project’.International*Journal*of*the* First*Year*in*Higher*Education. 4:2. p87 – 96 b) Araújo, N., Carlin, D., Clarke, B., Morieson, L., & Wilson, R. (2014). ‘Belonging in the First Year: A creative discipline cohort case study’.*International*Journal* of*the*First*Year*in*Higher*Education. 5:2. p21 – 31 Part 4 – Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers 357 a) Araújo, N., Wilson, R., Clarke, B., & Carney, L. (2014). ‘The Global at Home: At Home in the Global.’ Presented at the 2014 Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia Conference (PESA), University of Waikato, New Zealand. Available at: http://pesa.org.au/images/conference2014/PESA_Conference-2014- Conference-Papers-no-ISBN.pdf b) Araújo, N., Wilson, R., & Clarke, B. (2015). ‘Student Engagement for Employability: A Belonging Project Case Study.’ In Thomas, T., Levin, E., Dawson, P., Fraser, K., & Hadgraft, R. (Eds.)*Research*and*Development*in* Higher*Education:*Learning*for*life*and*work*in*a*complex*world, 38. pp 1–10. Melbourne, Australia. 6–9 July 2015. Available at: https://pesa.org.au/images/conference2014/PESA_Conference-2014- Conference-Papers-no-ISBN.pdf c) Araújo, N., Clarke, B., & Wilson, R. (2015). ‘Why Belonging Still Matters: Student success beyond generic employability skills.’ Presented at the 2015 STARS Conference,*Melbourne, Australia. Available at: www.unistars.org/papers/STARS2015/12C.pdf Part 5 – Links to the Project Website 399 a) www.rmit.edu.au/about/our-education/academic-schools/media-and- communication/research/projects/the-belonging-project/ PART 1 Overview Report ! ! a) The Ethos of Belonging: A narrative model approach to student engagement 2011 – 2015. ! The Ethos of Belonging A narrative model approach to student engagement 2011-2015 Report Authors Bronwyn Clarke and Rachel Wilson Acknowledgements The Belonging Project team would like to acknowledge the support and contributions of our colleagues who have helped to advise, shepherd and disseminate information during the four year project. The Belonging Project Reference Group: We would also like to thank the following groups at RMIT University for their ongoing support and assistance. Sue Bolt Acting Chief of Staf & Director Government Relations School of Media and Communication Ofce of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Student Cohort Experience Reference Group Assoc. Prof. Andrea Chester Ofce of the Dean of Students Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching Student Services Design and Social Context Ofce College of Design and Social Context RMIT Library Fiona Ellis Director, Student Services Special Thanks to Louise Goodman – For her help in finalizing and Student Services – Directors Ofce editing this report. Ruth Moeller Senior Advisor, Learning and Teaching Design and Social Context Ofce Assoc. Prof. Fiona Peterson Deputy Dean School of Media and Communication Pearl Gilles Coordinator iBelong Program RMIT Equity and Diversity Unit Milton Nomikoudis Senior Advisor, Strategic Learning and Teaching Ofce of Dean, Learning and Teaching Saskia Hansen Director International Partnerships and Development International Partnerships and Development Phil Craig Senior Coordinator, Planning Design and Social Context Ofce Diana Stonefield Senior Manager, Planning and Resources School of Media and Communication Cover Inside Front Flap 209mm (w) Project Team Academic Leaders Project Team Members Bronwyn Clarke Dr. Natalie Araújo, Research Ofcer Bronwyn is Programs Director in the School of Media Natalie has completed a PhD in Social Anthropology, Juris and Communication at RMIT University. Bronwyn’s Doctor in Law, MA in Latin American Cultural Studies, research areas in her PhD are: best practice models and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Latin American of selection and retention, and building students’ Studies. She has ten years of experience in tertiary professional identities from first year. In addition to teaching and curriculum design. Natalie has conducted her role as an Academic Team Leader for The Belonging ethnographic fieldwork in the UK, USA, Colombia, Project, Bronwyn has been an Academic Team Leader Vietnam, and Australia. She has also served as Chair of for the Learning and Teaching Investment Fund project the American Association of University Women’s Student First Things First: Transition and Transformation of Advisory Board. the Student Cohort Experience (2013) and has been an academic member of the OLT project Developing Associate Professor David Carlin Graduate Employability (2014-15). David Carlin is an Associate Professor in the School Bronwyn won a Learning and Teaching Award with The of Media and Communication and co-director of the Belonging Project team members in 2013 and has had her nonfictionLab Research Group. He is a writer, creative teaching with Mr Terry Johal documented as best practice artist, teacher and researcher. David’s recent work as part of RMIT University’s Peer Partnership Program. includes the widely acclaimed memoir Our Father Who Through the educational design consultancy at RMIT Wasn’t There (2010); his creative nonfiction, essays and she has engaged in embedding professionally relevant articles have appeared in Grifth Review, Overland, pedagogy through ‘real world’ projects with industry. She TEXT, Newswrite, Victorian Writer, Continuum and has taught onshore and ofshore for the past fifteen years other journals. within a Creative Industries program at RMIT. David’s current creative and research interests include literary nonfiction forms and genres (essay and memoir), Rachel Wilson memory studies, narrative and digital archives. His Rachel has been teaching within the higher education ongoing projects include the prose memoir/ biography sector for over 20 years, specialising in the Screen The Abyssinian Contortionist (UWA Publishing, 2015), mixed Production discipline. Rachel has a number of teaching media exhibition Vault; the nonstop performing history of awards including a team 2008 ALTC citation. Prior to Circus Oz (premiered at 2014 Melbourne Festival), the undertaking a role as Program Director (Media) 2012-2013 interactive digital archive, Circus Oz Living Archive in the School of Media and Communication, Rachel was and cultural exchange/collaborative residency program, the program’s Selection and Careers Ofcer. WrICE (Writers Immersion and Cultural Exchange). Rachel’s professional background is as a media Dr. Lucy Morieson practitioner. Her current research includes archiving, memory and representations of trauma. Rachel served Lucy graduated from RMIT in journalism before working as the President and National Secretary of the peak as a researcher and reporter,