1. Overview
1.1 The University of Queensland’s statement on Reconciliation makes the following commitment:
As an institution involved in teaching, learning and research we seek to further the understanding, both amongst students and the wider community, of traditional cultures and values and the history of Australia’s original inhabitants. We seek also to further the trust and respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff and students.
This we do through teaching programs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and Indigenous issues, involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff in collaboration. These programs are accessible to all our students, from both Australia and overseas. We will further encourage the incorporation of Indigenous perspectives in our curriculum.
1.2 The Education Principles on Indigenous Australian Matters provide a basis to develop policy and strategies to improve the understanding of students and staff of Indigenous issues and to recognise the importance and contribution of Indigenous Knowledge as an emerging discipline.
1.3 Through these Principles there is acknowledgement of the significant value of Indigenous Knowledge in enriching the University community and the contribution of Indigenous staff and students in educating others about Indigenous Knowledge and ways of learning. The aim is to embed into the University’s curriculum Indigenous Knowledge so that it is considered and incorporated into new courses and programs alongside traditional discipline content. The University has a responsibility to develop students as civil citizens who understand not only their disciplinary and professional knowledge and requirements but also the societal context in which they will perform their professional duties.
1.4 The University recognises that Indigenous peoples live in discrete communities as well as throughout the general community, and our education and research practices should be cognisant of this. The University aims to develop students’ understanding of Indigenous issues and give recognition to Indigenous intellectual traditions.
2. The Policy
2.1 Indigenous Education Strategy
2.1.1 The University’s institutional objectives for Indigenous education include the following:
-
to approach Indigenous education from a standpoint of equality of regard;
-
to promote understanding between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and other Australians;
-
to facilitate international understanding between and about Indigenous peoples on the basis of the highest levels of scholarship in teaching and research concerning Indigenous peoples and cultures;
-
to incorporate understanding of the worldviews and intellectual traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the University’s academic and administrative policies, programs and procedures;
-
to include particular attention to the protocols and ethical considerations for working with Indigenous peoples and communities;
-
to nurture and promote the expansion of Indigenous Knowledge as an academic discipline based on the worldviews and intellectual traditions of Indigenous peoples;
-
to secure and maintain the pivotal role of Indigenous Knowledge in teaching and research concerning Indigenous cultures and broader fields of knowledge, and encourage this recognition by local, national and international communities;
-
to position UQ as a leader in Indigenous education by structuring coursework in political, social and cultural contexts and through focused research.
2.2 Educational Principles
2.2.1 Recognition of
-
Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders as ‘First Nations’ peoples of Australia who hold a particular place of importance in this country that should be reflected in the academic life of the University through development of a meaningful partnership with Indigenous Australian community members;
-
the fact that Indigenous Knowledge is recognised as a specific and valued field of knowledge, there is a growing recognition of the extensive and deep intellectual tradition within Indigenous communities that goes beyond this into broader fields of knowledge;
-
the knowledge, worldviews and intellectual traditions held by senior people in Indigenous communities and how their knowledge, views and traditions inform education and pedagogy;
-
the importance of the contribution made by qualified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates to their communities and the support that the University can provide in this;
-
the primary importance of community and family cultural obligations in the lives of Indigenous Australian staff and students;
-
the contribution that Indigenous staff and students can make to the learning, including cultural experiences, of non-Indigenous students and staff of the University and that many Indigenous students may have considerable standing in their own community and should be accorded the respect commensurate with this;
-
the intellectual and cultural resources that are available in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit and the leading contribution that Unit members make to the teaching, research and outreach objectives of the University.
2.2.2 Acknowledgement that
-
the University of Queensland, as a comprehensive, research-based institution with a sound record in high-quality teaching and learning, will offer and promote learning and research opportunities that will attract Indigenous staff and students to the institution;
-
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit will provide personal and academic support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying at the University of Queensland;
-
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit will make a significant contribution to teaching, research, postgraduate supervision and community service at the University of Queensland;
-
the University will develop strategies to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge in curricula in order to provide graduates with relevant knowledge and understandings for the workplace;
-
the University will develop and conduct staff workshops to foster a shared understanding of the concept of Indigenous Knowledge and its place within the life of the University;
-
the University of Queensland has a capacity to offer a unique student experience for its domestic and international students informed by the contributions of Indigenous Australians to the academic life of the University.
2.2.3 Expectation that
-
at the institution, faculty, school and individual levels, the University of Queensland community will recognise and act upon its responsibility to facilitate understanding between and about Indigenous peoples on the basis of the highest levels of scholarship in teaching and research concerning Indigenous peoples and cultures;
-
the University will facilitate the engagement of academic staff in discussions of how Indigenous Knowledge might be incorporated in learning, teaching and research priorities;
-
academic staff will actively collaborate with colleagues in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit on the incorporation in curricula of Indigenous Knowledge alongside traditional discipline content;
-
at the University of Queensland all students will be given the opportunity to further develop, maintain and respect an understanding and awareness of Indigenous Australian issues through inclusive curricula;
-
the University will utilise the strategic role that alumni could take in fostering these Principles;
-
academic staff will actively collaborate with colleagues in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit to develop protocols for the effective supervision of Indigenous research students and for appropriate guidance of non-Indigenous students conducting research involving Indigenous Australian communities;
-
research protocols will be developed, disseminated and embedded through staff development for research in:
Clearly identifiable Indigenous Australian communities
Communities that have a significant Indigenous Australian population but may not be so readily recognised by non-Indigenous researchers;
-
researchers will be made aware of the different protocols that may be required in different locations in response to local sensitivities;
-
University staff will be made aware that research undertaken by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander researchers is likely to involve:
Relationships with community elders and obligations to seek and take guidance from them
Community and family responsibilities and obligations
Issues related to access and management of knowledge, including restricted knowledge.
Section 1.70.8 of the University of Queensland's policy on Education Principles on Indigenous Australian Matters contains full details of the University's Policy:
http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/?page=63701&pid=24963