The importance of Indigenous centres/units for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: ensuring connection and belonging to support university completion

ABSTRACT

Indigenous student completion rates remain very low relative to non-Indigenous students. Some universities have higher Indigenous student completion rates than the national average but research-based evidence of these universities as ‘success models' is limited. Drawing on findings from interviews with Indigenous university graduates and staff as part of a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) funded research project, this paper discusses findings relating to one success factor that supports Indigenous student completions: Indigenous centres/units as key places to build a sense of connection and belonging for Indigenous students. The paper discusses the importance of Indigenous centres/units in providing a space where Indigenous students can connect with each other, with staff, and with their own cultural identities. The paper then discusses the development of strategies that can be adopted by all universities across Australia to strengthen and improve the completion rates of Indigenous students.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous students
• completion rates
• student success
• belonging

Introduction

While the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students¹ participating in higher education continues to grow, Indigenous student completion rates remain very low relative to non-Indigenous students. The national data indicates that, while Indigenous students typically can take longer to graduate, the nine-year completion rates for Indigenous students remain around 47 per cent – significantly below the 74 per cent for non-Indigenous students (Universities Australia, 2020, p. 24). As Page et al. (2017) note, this is a ‘clear indication that there is still a lot of work to be done' (p. 29). A number of research projects have been undertaken at universities across Australia that provide evidence of some of the multifaceted challenges Indigenous students face in completing university degrees, including family and community responsibilities, financial difficulties, ill health, lack of social support, academic disadvantage, and issues surrounding personal wellbeing (e.g., Andersen et al., 2008; Asmar et al., 2011; Barney, 2016; Fredericks et al., 2015; Page et al., 2017). Shalley et al. (2019) explored the multifaceted dimensions associated with completion at two regional universities and noted that Indigenous students can face ‘familial, cultural, social and employment obligations' that can affect university completion. Certainly, as Asmar et al. (2015, p. 15) argue, ‘better national and institutional data are needed to address the current gaps in knowledge relating to Indigenous student populations in Australia'. Certainly, some universities have higher Indigenous student completion rates than the national average (Pechenkina et al., 2011; Universities Australia, 2021). However, research-based evidence of these universities as ‘success models' is limited.

This paper draws on findings from a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) research project that focused on identifying and analysing the multifaceted dimensions and range of strategies used to support Indigenous student university completions (Fredericks et al., 2022). Drawing on findings from interviews with Indigenous university graduates and university staff at five university sites, this paper focuses on staff and graduate perspectives on the role of Indigenous centres/units as a success factor in building a sense of connection and belonging for Indigenous students and supporting Indigenous student university completions. We also discuss the importance of the physical space of Indigenous centres/units as particularly significant in providing a space where Indigenous students can connect with each other, with staff, and with their own cultural identities. The paper then discusses the development of strategies that can be adopted by all universities across Australia to strengthen and improve the completion rates of Indigenous students.

Our positioning

The project team consisted of Indigenous and non-Indigenous team members. Bronwyn Fredericks led the project and is an Aboriginal woman from south-east Queensland. She has over 30 years of experience working in and with the tertiary sector, state and federal governments, and Indigenous community-based organisations. Katelyn Barney was the project manager. She is a non-Indigenous researcher who grew up on Jagera and Turrubal lands and this project builds on her prior research collaborations in Indigenous higher education. Tracey Bunda is a Ngugi/Wakka Wakka woman who has undertaken research projects on Indigenous higher education and negotiating university equity from Indigenous standpoints. Kirsten Hausia is an Aboriginal woman whose mother is Yamatji from Perth, Western Australia, and has research skills in educational leadership and guidance and counselling. Anne Martin is a proud Yuin woman who has worked with Indigenous university students since the 1990s and has strong expertise in equity-related policy issues. Jacinta Elston is an Aboriginal woman from Townsville. Her research focuses on Indigenous higher education and health. She has contributed many years of service on state and federal ministerial appointments, and to boards of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations. Brenna Bernardino became involved as a research assistant on the project and worked closely with the project manager, project team, and an expert Indigenous reference group. She is a Torres Strait Islander researcher in health and education.² The team members all drew on their experience and standpoints to develop the research questions and research design in close consultation with an Indigenous reference group. The project team views their collaboration in this article, and the project itself, as an example of the ‘third space' of Indigenous and non-Indigenous research collaboration (e.g., Barney, 2023; Bhabha, 1994; Davis-Warra, 2017) where they brought their diverse experiences, backgrounds, and identities to the project and worked together respectfully, learning from one another in relational and reciprocal ways (see Martin, 2008).

Background

Bachelor degree completion rates for Indigenous students remain significantly lower than non-Indigenous students (UA, 2020). The importance of Indigenous support services to assist Indigenous students in undertaking and completing degrees is highlighted in the literature (e.g., Morgan, 2001; Oliver et al., 2015; Rochecouste et al., 2017; Uink et al., 2022). Andersen et al. (2008) point to the essential role Indigenous units/centres play in supporting Indigenous students. They discuss the ‘ingredients’ for Indigenous student success, which include recruitment of dedicated staff, cultural and academic comfort for Indigenous students, the centrality of Indigenous centres, and keeping institutions’ Indigenous support mechanisms continually under review to ensure these mechanisms ‘stay responsive to current students’ needs and aspirations' (2008, p. 5; DiGregorio et al., 2000). Page et al. (2017) found that successful strategies to support Indigenous students acknowledged students’ culture, recognised students as novice university learners, prioritised family support for students, and encouraged participation in study groups. Page et al. (2017) also suggest that Indigenous students are more likely to succeed in universities where acknowledgement is given to the importance of sharing responsibilities, partnerships, and the establishment of Indigenous centres (also see Oliver et al., 2015). Similarly, Lydster and Murray (2019) point out that Indigenous centres and participation in tuition programs at universities remain key contributors to Indigenous student success. Elsewhere Uink et al. (2022, p. 40) note that an important sense of belonging can be fostered by Indigenous centre/units, with a number of the students who they interviewed ‘feeling that there was a community of people on campus who were there for support' (also see Cook et al., 2023). However, Rochecouste et al. (2017, p. 2084) highlight that in interviews conducted with staff from Indigenous centres/units, ‘concern was expressed regarding the physical location of Aboriginal centres and how this affects students’ participation in the university community of practice and motivation to study’.

The importance of tailored academic support for Indigenous students who are at risk of leaving higher education is highlighted by Day et al. (2015). Elsewhere Nakata et al. (2004) argue for the need to equip Indigenous students with tools for managing their engagements with the content of Western disciplines. They make a case for more focused research around Indigenous students’ approaches to processing intellectual content while developing their own Indigenous standpoints. Extending this work, Martin et al. (2017) argue that effective teaching and pedagogy can be used to support the learning of Indigenous students and make a difference in their retention and success in higher education. Similarly, Walker (2000) found a positive association between Indigenous student retention, academic outcomes, and culturally relevant course content, while Sharrock and Lockyer (2008) argue that flexible course delivery can be an effective strategy to strengthen Indigenous student retention rates.

There is less literature focusing directly on Indigenous student completion. Pechenkina et al. (2011, p. 65) analyse higher education student and staff statistics from 2004 to 2008. They note that ‘Go8 universities dominate the high completion category therefore those universities can be further studied as “success models” to learn what factors determine Indigenous students’ academic success' (2011, p. 65). The Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Final Report (Behrendt et al., 2012) highlights the need to shift away from a focus on access towards successful educational outcomes for Indigenous students and to identify what strategies universities with consistently high success rates employ. Further, the Indigenous Strategy Annual Report (Universities Australia, 2021, p. 6) states that ‘Indigenous completion rates remain low – and well below those observed for non-Indigenous students'. This research project responds to and builds on this research by focusing on a number of universities with high completion rates and examining the strategies they employ to support higher education completions. Uink et al. (2022, p. 40) explore the ‘enrolment-completion gap’ for Indigenous students and note that further research is needed to understand ‘the experiences of Indigenous students who have withdrawn from university and those who are struggling to progress through their degrees. Accessing the stories of students across the spectrum of “success” will enable a comprehensive analysis of the role of institutional support strategies and progression and completion trajectories'.

Methodology

The research was undertaken as a one-year project and involved a mixed-methods approach (combining qualitative and quantitative methods) to identify what works in effective strategies to support Indigenous student completions to highlight the strengths at four Go8 and one non-Go8 university. The five universities were chosen because their nine-year Indigenous student completion rates were higher than the national nine-year completion rates for Indigenous students of 47 per cent. The project involved documenting evidence to demonstrate success factors that support Indigenous student completions at these five universities and to highlight areas to strengthen Indigenous student completion rates at universities more generally. Additionally, a conceptual model³ and strategies were developed for strengthening and improving Indigenous student completions through engagement with an expert reference group and staff at universities. Three Indigenous reference group meetings were held during the project to ensure that further Indigenous expertise across the higher education sector was embedded into the design of the project. Regular online discussions with reference group members were also conducted. The members of the expert Indigenous reference group were Inala Cooper, Braedyn Edwards, John Page, Marnee Shay, and Narelle Urquhart. The team also held an online national roundtable to share the findings from the project and receive feedback on proposed strategies and a conceptual model of best practices to strengthen Indigenous student completions. Participants included the project team, members of the Indigenous reference group, key staff from the five university sites, an NCSEHE representative, and staff members from other Indigenous centres.

This article focuses on qualitative interview data from Indigenous graduates and staff from five universities. This study focused on answering the following research questions: (1) What are the effective strategies/support mechanisms that universities with high completion rates employ to support Indigenous student completions? (2) What do Indigenous students and staff report are the success factors that influence Indigenous student completions? (3) What are the implications for policy and practice to improve Indigenous student completions nationally? For example, how can Australian universities better support Indigenous students to complete degrees? Working closely with staff at selected universities, qualitative interviews were undertaken with 35 Indigenous graduates, 26 staff who support Indigenous students, and five Indigenous non-completed students across five universities.⁴ Staff participants were identified through project team members and networks at universities, while graduates were invited by staff to participate in an interview. This project received ethical approval from The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee (ethics number: 2020/HE002936). All recorded interview data was transcribed by a professional transcription service and then de-identified with names, locations, and institutions replaced with codes. The transcripts were provided to participants for review and approval. The transcripts were then imported into NVivo 12 and underwent line-by-line coding to enable the identification of themes by two team members. The themes were repeatedly examined and analysed for consistent themes and sub-themes. This process was complemented by a reflective journal that involved interrogating and examining the themes. The themes identified in the data were then shared with the project team, and the reference group and discussed with attendees at the online national roundtable to receive feedback on the data and themes presented. In addition to this, national higher education student data was collected by direct request to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment. Enrolment and student outcome data aggregated from five selected universities was included in the project. Equivalent datasets were also collected for the national Indigenous domestic bachelor student population. For some analyses, this data was compared to publicly available data for the national population of domestic bachelor students (including Indigenous and non-Indigenous students) in response to broader higher education aims to achieve parity for Indigenous access, participation, and success. All enrolment and completion data was collated in Excel. Data was then imported into JASP software for statistical analysis where appropriate (see Fredericks et al., 2022). This paper focuses on findings related to the importance of Indigenous centres/units within universities in creating a sense of connection and belonging and the physical space of the Indigenous unit/centre as key success factors that support university completion. Other research findings will be discussed in future publications.

Graduate perspectives: Indigenous centres/units as safe spaces which create connections between students, staff, and cultural identity

Thirty-five Indigenous graduates from across five universities were interviewed as part of this project. Twenty-four of the graduates had transitioned straight from school into university, six had a gap year before starting university and six were non-school leavers/mature-age students. Thirteen of the interviewees had attended outreach programs while at school and 22 had relocated to attend university. While the interviewees undertook diverse degrees, including health, communication, and science, 14 had studied for a Bachelor of Arts. Thirty interviewees had family members who had attended university (although some of these were parents or siblings attending at the same time as the interviewee).

The presence of an Indigenous centre/unit on campus was a key success factor for university completion discussed by graduates. The phrase ‘safe space' was used by many interviewees:

The [Indigenous centre/unit] firstly provided a space where I felt safe to be able to explore the academic world. (Bachelor of Behavioural Science graduate)

It was a safe space. And ‘cause [the university] is so big and full of so many people, I often found … if I did have the chance to go from the lecture theatre and drop into the [Indigenous centre/unit], I would. (Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning graduate)

Many graduates spoke about the sense of connection, community, and belonging they experienced by engaging with the Indigenous centre/unit:

I think the [Indigenous] unit provides community, like our sense of belonging and other students similar to you. (Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts graduate)

Which is why places like [the Indigenous centre/unit] are so good, it gives them a place to connect with and to then, I guess, hold onto and feel supported by it. It’s a sense of structure, which can be very hard when you’ve got travel shock and culture shock. (Bachelor of Arts graduate)

I just developed a lot of social anxiety and had poor mental health … I was feeling so insecure and vulnerable … The only place that I did have, like on campus, was the [Indigenous centre] … and I felt safe in that space. It was like ‘this is a community of people'. (Bachelor of Arts graduate)

This is particularly important for students still learning about their own cultural identities:

Being somebody who isn’t as connected with their own mob in their own culture, having the mob at the uni made me feel connected. (Bachelor of Behavioural Science graduate)

I found as I started going there more often, I got more comfortable with who I was, I realised there were lots and lots of clever people like me, which was really reaffirming … So, I didn’t connect with community until I’d already moved out of home and moved up to university – that’s been interesting. (Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts graduate)

The physical facilities of the Indigenous centre/unit on campus were discussed by graduates as particularly important for their success:

I didn’t really have the … best study space at home. So, I would always come into the [Indigenous centre/unit] ‘cause studying around an academic space was easier for me to keep in the academic space in my brain. (Bachelor of Behavioural Science graduate)

I think I would go there, but I also would go there in between my uni classes as well as, like, a little hub and just to hang out with other mob as well, so that helped a lot too. (Bachlor of Arts extended graduate)

Importantly, the food provided in Indigenous centres/units was noted by some of the graduates:

There’s usually, like, some sort of food or, like even, a fridge in the [Indigenous centre/unit] so that I could actually eat during the day. That was really helpful. (Bachelor of Behavioural Science graduate)

If I was low on funds, I’d just go there and take a couple of slices of bread, or during winter, they’d cook up a big feed for all of us so we’d go there with an empty container, take some dinner home. (Bachelor of Arts extended graduate)

The physical space and facilities provided by Indigenous centres/units on campuses for Indigenous students to study and socialise are also greatly valued. Overall, graduates spoke about the important role of Indigenous centres/units in providing a space where they could study and use the resources (printing, computers, and study spaces), and also a safe space for students to connect with each other, with staff, and with their own cultural identities.

Staff perspectives: Indigenous centres/units as safe spaces for connection and belonging

Twenty-five staff from across five universities were interviewed as part of this study. Twenty of the staff identified as Indigenous and five of the staff were non-Indigenous. All of the staff were involved in supporting Indigenous students in some way. Fifteen of the staff interviewed worked in an Indigenous centre/unit while 10 staff were based in faculties outside of the Indigenous centre/unit. Like many of the graduates interviewed, staff talked about the important role of Indigenous centres/units within universities in supporting Indigenous students to complete their degrees. The terms ‘safe space’ and ‘safe place' were used by a number of staff:

It’s a safe place for them to come and study and meet with other Indigenous students. (Indigenous staff member in faculty)

I feel like a lot of effort here is made to keep the space really culturally nurturing so that the students … they can come and go, they have access … it’s their place, and it’s their space. (Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

Similar to the graduates, staff talked about the sense of connection and belonging created by the Indigenous centre/unit as being one of the most significant success factors to support Indigenous student completions:

That sense of belonging, trying to create a space that the students feel like they have ownership of in a way; they belong here, it’s their place. (non-Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

[The Indigenous centre/unit] is a really strong community for them. If they don’t have one of those, then to maintain momentum in a long-haul degree when you don’t feel you really, really belong, that’s hard. That’s really hard. (non-Indigenous staff member in faculty)

Staff noted that the relationship building between staff and students within the Indigenous centre/unit was a particularly important aspect of building a relationship to support Indigenous students to complete their degrees:

I’ve found for the students that are succeeding, [to] that have relationships with staff and feel supported by individual staff members is important. That they’ve got someone that they can come and have a conversation with. (Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

We work hard to have good relationships with our students and it’s quite personal – obviously we find out who their mob is, and where they’re from. I’ve always run the [Indigenous] unit sort of like I run my house … very open and transparent, friendly, good atmosphere. (Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

This aligns with Bennett et al. (2021) who noted that with the shift to online learning as a result of COVID-19, the importance of employing a ‘relationships-first' strategy to maintain contact with and deliver support to Indigenous students became even stronger. The physical space of Indigenous centres/units was also highlighted by staff as important:

The space, the physical space to come here, not have to sit in the library … but to actually be able to come here and be surrounded by like-minded people, supportive people, to feel that’s their place, they can sit there and they don’t feel awkward, or observed or whatever. That’s crucial, that’s number one, just having this space physically. (non-Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

Similar to the graduates, the importance of providing food to students was noted by staff:

We fill up the cupboards and the students are always free to come in and study, fill their bellies so then they can continue studying. (Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

We used to do a weekly cook-up with all of our students on our campus and because of COVID, it’s only just starting to come back in. (Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

Certainly, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this aspect of Indigenous student support services was noted by staff but importantly, the universities involved in the project did not have a significant drop in Indigenous student enrolments in 2020/2021 and their completion rates have remained strong. Staff discussed some of the innovative ways universities have continued to support Indigenous students during the pandemic and some of the positive impacts of support strategies as a result of COVID-19:

What we’ve actually done was create a care package that we’d send out to our students that were actually in need once a week. That also included like a gift card at Woolies that they could order their shopping from online. (Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

We made lots of calls, we got used to using Zoom, and we still use it, so it’s carried on, and of course, the whole environment has changed [with] the flexible delivery mode. (non-Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

Overall, staff spoke about the important role of Indigenous centres/units in providing safe spaces that provide students with a sense of community and belonging. They also spoke about the importance of the physical space of Indigenous centres/units, providing food for students, and building relationships between staff and students.

Discussion

The findings of this project indicate that Indigenous centres/units can play an important role in supporting Indigenous students to complete their degrees. Indigenous centres/units provide academic, social, and cultural support for Indigenous students. The formal support functions of centres/units (including learning support through the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme⁵, providing information on entry pathways to university and accommodation, advice on financial support) are key (see Lydster & Murray, 2019). Qualitative comments from graduates and staff highlight that the safe physical space and sense of community provided by Indigenous centres/units are also central to support Indigenous students to complete their degree. As one student stated:

I feel that once you start engaging with the [Indigenous] unit and you know that there is so much support that that’s there for you, that you don’t have to feel shame and asking for [help], then you’re like ‘alright sweet, life’s good' and until you do that then you’re never gonna know. (Bachelor of Behavioural Science graduate)

Staff also noted the impact that engaging with the Indigenous centre/unit on campus has in supporting Indigenous students to complete their degrees. For example, one staff member stated:

Having our Indigenous support units are almost like a key pillar in ensuring our students are appropriately supported throughout … [they can] all be in that one place together and know that they’re all there for the same reason, to get a degree from the university. (Indigenous staff member in Indigenous centre/unit)

This is supported by Pechenkina et al. (2011), who found that ‘universities with more complex Indigenous support and research infrastructure demonstrate higher Indigenous student completion rates' (p. 64; also see Uink et al., 2022).

The sense of belonging and connection that Indigenous centres/units provide was particularly highlighted by graduates and staff. As one student noted: ‘I think the [Indigenous] unit provides community, like our sense of belonging and other students similar to you'. As Day et al. (2015) highlight, the pastoral and personal care that is offered by Indigenous centre/units ‘supports Indigenous identities, values and goals based on the commitment of Indigenous staff to political and cultural tenets of the Indigenous community more generally' (p. 505). The important role of Indigenous centres/units in building a sense of community and belonging is noted in the literature (e.g., Andersen et al., 2008; Cook et al., 2023; Kinnane et al., 2014; Oliver et al., 2015; Uink et al., 2022). Kinnane et al. (2014) also emphasise the role of Indigenous centres/units in providing ‘a sense of community' (p. 123). They quote a senior Indigenous staff member working in an Indigenous centre/unit within a university with strong completion rates who stated: ‘If you look at where Indigenous education is thriving you’ll see strong Indigenous units at the centre of those outcomes’. Walker (2000) also notes that Indigenous centres/units provide a significant place of belonging and states that this contributes to ‘personal and interpersonal aspects of student persistence and achievement' (p. 148). Cook et al. (2023, p. 9) also found that the Indigenous centre at Griffith University provided a space for Indigenous students ‘to be welcomed and that it felt like they were part of a family. This feeling of family enabled students to deepen their connection with their own studies and enhance their experience, which ultimately contributed to their success'. Elsewhere, Oliver et al. (2015) argue that ‘clearly Aboriginal centres play an important role in student completion and are of considerable benefit to students’ (p. 29). At the same time, Uink et al. (2022, p. 42) found that while some students ‘enjoyed the safety provided by the physical and administrative separation of the IHEU [Indigenous Higher Education Unit]', some students also ‘appeared anxious when thinking about interacting with the broader university community'. As Bunda (2014, p. 197) notes, Indigenous student success is not only the responsibility of Indigenous centres/units and should not let the wider the university ‘“off the hook” in terms of responsibility to develop relationships' with Indigenous students and communities. Certainly, Indigenous centres/units are part of broader institutional commitments to support Indigenous students, including the push to Indigenise curriculum and create more culturally safe spaces for Indigenous students – in classrooms and across all university spaces (see Fredericks et al., in press).

Limitations

There are inevitably some methodological limitations to this research. The qualitative aspects of the research involved graduates and university staff being asked for their views based on their experiences and these responses are by nature subjective. Many of the key staff across the university sites used their personal and professional networks to identify eligible participants for the study. As a result, many of the Indigenous graduates who participated in the research had a strong relationship with their university Indigenous centre/unit. Therefore, we were less likely to capture the experiences of Indigenous students who did not interact or interacted very little with the Indigenous centre/unit at their university. As Uink et al. (2022, p. 1) note, ‘not all Indigenous students are aware of, or choose to, access Indigenous-specific assistance' or Indigenous centres/units. It was difficult to recruit Indigenous graduates because after leaving university they could only be contacted via their university email which many did not use. Graduates who were interviewed could possibly have ‘survivor bias' (i.e., because they completed their studies they might be unaware what makes their experience unique from someone who did not complete). Future research could investigate further the role of family in supporting Indigenous students (and the pressures of family) to complete degrees, further considering the impact of living at college for regional and remote Indigenous student completions, and exploring the interrelationships between students and study characteristics and their relative contributions to completion rates. Further consideration could also be given to the role of persistence and determination of Indigenous students at universities with higher completion rates than the national average to extend the work of Martin et al. (2017) in this area. Each of the five university sites was originally considered a case study for comparative purposes; however, due to the small sample, we have analysed the themes in the data across the five university sites rather than comparing them. However, the wider body of knowledge regarding Indigenous student completions and student success, consisting of other research both national and international, also informs the findings included within this paper. The research process was highly collaborative, for example, members of the Indigenous reference group provided input and critical feedback on the interview questions, data analysis, development of strategies and confirmed that the data collected achieved representativeness. Care has been taken to ensure that findings derived from qualitative interview data are also supported by other research and/or other relevant data.

Conclusion

Completion rates of Indigenous students remain much lower than non-Indigenous students. However, the five universities focused on in this project have stronger 9-year completion rates than the national average. Despite this, prior to this research project, the evidence for ‘what works' to support Indigenous students to complete their degrees was very limited. The project was a timely and valuable way of addressing this gap by building a stronger evidence base about effective strategies to support Indigenous students to complete their degrees through a high-impact research project with key stakeholder networks. The findings are valuable to the sector as it has developed knowledge of ‘what works' in terms of strategies that support Indigenous students to complete their degrees and serves to inform and strengthen programs to support Indigenous students through higher education.

The role of Indigenous centres/units as safe spaces where Indigenous students can experience a sense of connection and belonging was highlighted in interviews with graduates and staff as one of the success factors for completion. The physical space of Indigenous centres/units is also important and particularly bringing students together by offering food, printing facilities, and study spaces. As one graduate noted, ‘I feel like having a place away from the university itself, and in a place where we all feel safe and is culturally accessible, is a great pillar for us'. Staff noted a number of changes in support as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and, while there has not been a drop in enrolments and completion rates at the five universities focused on in this project, what these changes in support mean in the context of a socially distanced COVID-19 context is still unclear. Certainly, Indigenous centre/unit staff worked innovatively to move face-to-face support to an online delivery format. These shifts include online consults, online yarning circles, and care packages sent to students. With these shifts, it is important to ensure online initiatives achieve effective engagement with students. Can the important connections and sense of belonging usually made when students engage with the physical space of an Indigenous centre/unit be achieved in this online space?

Certainly, not all Indigenous students access Indigenous centres/units on campus and, as Uink et al. (2022, p. 40) identified, some students can experience ‘nepotism, cliques, and feeling left out of' Indigenous centre/unit communities. As Fredericks notes (2009, p. 41) elsewhere ‘places and space are neither innocent nor neutral … they can work to marginalise and oppress or to include and engage'. As part of the project, suggested strategies have been developed for universities to strengthen Indigenous student completions rates and have been developed from the findings and in consultation with the Indigenous reference group and other Indigenous staff. Strategies for Indigenous centres/units include:

• continue to build a strong sense of community/a safe space,

• ensure strong access to Indigenous centre/unit facilities, such as computers, study spaces, socialising spaces, food, printing, and resources,

• build strong relationships with students (e.g., regular ‘check-ins', meetings, study nights, cultural sessions).

The importance of Indigenous centres/units in providing a sense of connection is just one success factor to support Indigenous student completion. It is acknowledged in previous research that ‘student characteristics have a major effect on completion rates, which is likely to be equally or perhaps more important than the level of support offered' (Pechenkina et al., 2011, p. 66) and this will be discussed in future publications. Findings from interviews with graduates and staff are particularly valuable, as they provide rich narratives about their experiences in relation to support for Indigenous students to complete their degrees. Indigenous centre/units should not be the only safe spaces on campuses for Indigenous students and there is more work to be done to ensure whole-of university communities are safe and welcoming for Indigenous students. As one staff member stated,

it’s all around the space, and the space being safe, and when it’s not safe, that completely changes the experience for the students. So, I feel like a lot of effort here is made to keep the space really culturally nurturing so that the students … they can come and go; they have access, it’s their place, and it’s their space.

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the generous support of the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education who have funded this research. We wish to thank the members of the reference group for their advice and guidance through the project. For assistance with organising interviews, we thank the staff in the Indigenous centres/units at the five university sites. Thanks also to all of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates and university staff who were interviewed as part of the research. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at The University of Queensland provided a supportive environment to undertake the project and some resourcing to complete the project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Curtin University.

Notes

1 While acknowledging the diversity among and between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in this article, we use the term ‘Indigenous' to refer to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

2 An additional non-Indigenous research assistant Daniel Griffiths collated and analysed quantitative data provided by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment University Statistics team to provide a comprehensive perspective on completion rates at the five selected universities in comparison to the sector. This data was then discussed and refined in collaboration with the project team (see Fredericks et al., 2022).

3 The conceptual model developed for this project is included in Fredericks et al. (2022).

4 Data from interviews with five non-completed Indigenous students (who had left their university studies) will be examined in a separate publication.

5 The Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS) has provided Australian government funding for one-to-one and group tutorial study support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students attending Australian universities since 1989 (Wilks et al., 2017).