Beyond the social: Cumulative implications of COVID-19 for first nations university students in Australia
This position paper explores possible repercussions of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) response for Indigenous Australians in higher education. Focusing on Western Australian universities’ swift migration to online learning, halfway through a teaching semester, we identify risks at the intersection betw...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:feab3f2caee940388695e3a8bb62bdbf 2023-05-15T16:16:50+02:00 Beyond the social: Cumulative implications of COVID-19 for first nations university students in Australia Rebecca Bennett Bep Uink Sam Cross 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100083 https://doaj.org/article/feab3f2caee940388695e3a8bb62bdbf EN eng Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291120300723 https://doaj.org/toc/2590-2911 2590-2911 doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100083 https://doaj.org/article/feab3f2caee940388695e3a8bb62bdbf Social Sciences and Humanities Open, Vol 2, Iss 1, Pp 100083- (2020) Digital divide Indigenous higher education Indigenous university students COVID-19 Indigenisation Higher education History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Social sciences (General) H1-99 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100083 2022-12-31T10:24:41Z This position paper explores possible repercussions of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) response for Indigenous Australians in higher education. Focusing on Western Australian universities’ swift migration to online learning, halfway through a teaching semester, we identify risks at the intersection between educational and digital inequities, illustrated by author experiences working in an Indigenous Education Unit. Considering our observations of Indigenous students’ recent experiences, we argue that the pre-existing digital divide in Australia creates challenges for Indigenous university students, in addition to those faced by all university students coping with the transition to online learning in a context of social isolation. These include experiences of 1) cultural isolation, brought about by being – both physically and digitally – cut off from extended family, community, and Country and 2) digital isolation, brought about by inequitable access to the full range of digital infrastructure required for effective online learning. We argue that these intersecting layers of isolation highlight persistent inequities in Australian society and create new challenges for Indigenous university students. We appeal to universities to acknowledge and ameliorate culturally specific forms of isolation for Indigenous students, triggered through the complex combination of COVID-19 anxiety, the digital divide and educational minority status. Without this, we worry that the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse the global trend towards increasing Indigenous participation in university education and set-back efforts to Indigenise the university sector. Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Social Sciences & Humanities Open 2 1 100083 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Digital divide Indigenous higher education Indigenous university students COVID-19 Indigenisation Higher education History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Social sciences (General) H1-99 |
spellingShingle |
Digital divide Indigenous higher education Indigenous university students COVID-19 Indigenisation Higher education History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Social sciences (General) H1-99 Rebecca Bennett Bep Uink Sam Cross Beyond the social: Cumulative implications of COVID-19 for first nations university students in Australia |
topic_facet |
Digital divide Indigenous higher education Indigenous university students COVID-19 Indigenisation Higher education History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Social sciences (General) H1-99 |
description |
This position paper explores possible repercussions of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) response for Indigenous Australians in higher education. Focusing on Western Australian universities’ swift migration to online learning, halfway through a teaching semester, we identify risks at the intersection between educational and digital inequities, illustrated by author experiences working in an Indigenous Education Unit. Considering our observations of Indigenous students’ recent experiences, we argue that the pre-existing digital divide in Australia creates challenges for Indigenous university students, in addition to those faced by all university students coping with the transition to online learning in a context of social isolation. These include experiences of 1) cultural isolation, brought about by being – both physically and digitally – cut off from extended family, community, and Country and 2) digital isolation, brought about by inequitable access to the full range of digital infrastructure required for effective online learning. We argue that these intersecting layers of isolation highlight persistent inequities in Australian society and create new challenges for Indigenous university students. We appeal to universities to acknowledge and ameliorate culturally specific forms of isolation for Indigenous students, triggered through the complex combination of COVID-19 anxiety, the digital divide and educational minority status. Without this, we worry that the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse the global trend towards increasing Indigenous participation in university education and set-back efforts to Indigenise the university sector. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rebecca Bennett Bep Uink Sam Cross |
author_facet |
Rebecca Bennett Bep Uink Sam Cross |
author_sort |
Rebecca Bennett |
title |
Beyond the social: Cumulative implications of COVID-19 for first nations university students in Australia |
title_short |
Beyond the social: Cumulative implications of COVID-19 for first nations university students in Australia |
title_full |
Beyond the social: Cumulative implications of COVID-19 for first nations university students in Australia |
title_fullStr |
Beyond the social: Cumulative implications of COVID-19 for first nations university students in Australia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Beyond the social: Cumulative implications of COVID-19 for first nations university students in Australia |
title_sort |
beyond the social: cumulative implications of covid-19 for first nations university students in australia |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100083 https://doaj.org/article/feab3f2caee940388695e3a8bb62bdbf |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
Social Sciences and Humanities Open, Vol 2, Iss 1, Pp 100083- (2020) |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291120300723 https://doaj.org/toc/2590-2911 2590-2911 doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100083 https://doaj.org/article/feab3f2caee940388695e3a8bb62bdbf |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100083 |
container_title |
Social Sciences & Humanities Open |
container_volume |
2 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
100083 |
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1766002693445255168 |