The Best Chance For All: A Policy Roadmap for Post-Pandemic Panic
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James Cook University
Australia -
Swinburne University of Technology Australia
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Deakin University Australia
Abstract
The Best Chance for All was developed in 2018 as a long-term policy vision for student equity in Australian tertiary education. We argue in this article that COVID-19 has exacerbated the issues that the policy vision sought to address and has increased demands on and of post-secondary education. Specifically, we argue that the magnitude of the social and economic challenges presented by COVID-19 warrants holistic policy responses that enable the transition to a connected tertiary education system; one designed to deliver choice and flexibility for lifelong learners. A roadmap for this transition exists in the form of The Best Chance For All. The vision can be actuated through demand driven funding arrangements across tertiary education that are coherently aligned to optimise the performance of both the higher and vocational education sectors and are underpinned by sustained investment in equity outreach and support.
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Author Biographies
Professor Sally Kift is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and President, Australian Learning & Teaching Fellows. She has held several university leadership positions, including as JCU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). Sally is a national Teaching Award winner, a national Senior Teaching Fellow, a Discipline Scholar (Law) and serves on a number of tertiary education boards. In 2017, she received an Australian University Career Achievement Award for her contribution to Australian HE. Sally was a member of the AQF Review Panel that reported to Government in September 2019.
Dr Nadine Zacharias is Director, Student Engagement and an Associate Professor of Higher Education at Swinburne University of Technology. In that role, Nadine has responsibility for strategic retention programs and services. Nadine’s research interests and expertise are at the intersection of equity research, practice and policy at institutional and national levels. In 2016, Nadine was an inaugural Equity Fellow with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE). With Matt Brett and Sally Kift, she developed The Best Chance for All: a new vision statement for student equity in Australian tertiary education.
Dr Matt Brett is Director of Academic Governance and Standards at Deakin University. He is also an adjunct fellow with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education and currently President and non-executive Director of Melba Support Services. He has a longstanding commitment to student equity spanning roles in research, policy and practice. He has been involved in over $1m of externally funded competitive research grants, convened the 2011 National Summit on the Mental Health of Tertiary Students, and co-edited Student Equity in Australian Higher Education: 25 Years of A Fair Chance For All’.
