Australian Journal of Adult Learning - Volume 55 - Number 2 - July 2015 - Effective Tertiary Enabling Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students - Evaluation of the Evolution of One Program

Oct 15, 2026

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The paper examines outcomes of a tertiary enabling program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, addressing a major under-represented group in Australia’s university system. It evaluates how effective program ingredients contribute to retention and completion and to students’ higher-education progression. The analysis combines two perspectives: the course’s “data story” and retention drivers, and students’ “stories of transformation,” describing the learning conditions that build skills, strategies, and confidence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The purpose of tertiary enabling programs - a review of literature

Who are tertiary enabling students?

What are the key ingredients for an effective and successful tertiary enabling program?

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 55, Number 2, July 2015 What are the key ingredients for an effective and successful tertiary enabling program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students? An evaluation of the evolution of one program Lisa Hall Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education Tertiary enabling programs have become an increasingly important part of the post-secondary schooling landscape. In recognition of the need for increased access for certain under-represented groups within the university population, enabling, bridging or foundational programs are offered by a large number of universities in Australia as alternative entry pathways. This paper explores the outcomes of an enabling program being offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who are arguably one of the most under-represented groups within the university system in Australia. It explores, in two parts, the combination offactors that are resulting in these positive outcomes. Part one explores the ‘data story’ of the course and the factors that support retention and completion. Part two explores the‘stories of transformation’ as told by the students themselves, providing insider accounts of richness and depth about the things that truly enable success in a tertiary learning environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. While not ignoring the limitations of evaluating a course that is still in its infancy, the students undertaking A tertiary enabling program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students 245 this course are completing and moving on into higher education courses at an impressive rate, empowered by the skills, strategies and confidence they have developed through the course. Keywords: enabling, Indigenous, education, bridging, foundation, Aboriginal Introduction Tertiary enabling programs have become an increasingly important part of the post-secondary schooling system. In recognition of the need for increased access for certain under-represented groups within the university population, enabling, bridging or foundational programs are offered by a large number of universities in Australia as alternative entry pathways. Very often these programs focus primarily on the academic skills required for success at the level of a first year higher education course. However, courses that focus solely on academic skills ignore, at their own peril, the important areas of personal development and awareness, and the meta-understandings about learning that are the more common determinants of student success. This paper explores the outcomes of an enabling program being offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who are arguably oneof the most under-represented groups within the university system in Australia. It explores, in two parts, the combination offactors that are resulting in these positive outcomes. The first part explores the‘data story’ of the course and the factors that support retention and completion. The second part explores the ‘stories of transformation’ as told by the students themselves, providing insider accounts of richness and depth about the things that truly enable success in a tertiary learning environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The purpose of tertiary enabling programs – a review of literature Tertiary enabling programs, sometimes called bridging programs (Whannell, Whannell & Allen, 2012; Whanell, Allen & Lynch, 2010; Anderson, 2007) or foundation skills programs (Habel, 2012), have become a ubiquitous but important part of the post-secondary schooling system. Their aim is to increase access for certain under-represented 246 Lisa Hall groups within the university population through an alternative pathway into higher education. There is evidence to suggest that many enabling courses are meeting this aim quite effectively (Asmar, Page & Radloff, 2011; Behrendt et al., 2012). On a pragmatic level these pro

FAQs

What is the main focus of the paper?

The paper evaluates the evolution and outcomes of an enabling program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, identifying factors behind positive results.

How does the paper analyze program outcomes?

It uses two parts: a “data story” focused on retention and completion factors, and “stories of transformation” based on students’ own accounts.

Which student outcomes does the paper highlight?

Students show high completion and transition into higher education at an impressive rate, supported by skills, strategies, and confidence developed through the course.

Oct 15, 2026

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