VP Student Success at CQUni. Regions, arts, humanities, learning, inclusion, technology. Musician. Astronomer. Dad. He/him @jonpowles@mastodon.scot
Rockhampton, Queensland
Joined October 2008
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Since #ANZACDay last year, I have visited the Gallipoli battlefields and memorials to the Allied troops and those of Türkiye. I read @Peter_Fitz excellent book.
I have been struggling this morning to articulate how I feel. But then I logged on to find that he’d already said it.
My column.
The missing emotion that needs to be articulated on Anzac Day: rage. smh.com.au/national/the-miss…
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On #InternationalWomensDay today, I’ll celebrate the advancement towards genuine gender inclusion and equality we have made, and recognise that there is still work to do. I’m reaffirming my own commitment to ensure that @CQU remains a safe and empowering space for all women.
I’m delighted that my schedule today includes an important meeting on the future directions for the Indigenous Girls Academy at @CQU. cqu.edu.au/news/707043/uplif…
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My opinion piece in The @australian today: in the wake of the Universities Accord, let’s cut through some very urban myths about rural and regional students @CQU @JasonClareMP theaustralian.com.au/higher-…
Getting retention right both provides a very effective ROI in terms of student revenue … and also simply does the right thing.
That should also be the message underpinning our Accord.
#UASolutionsSummit
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“The trick is to do this at scale” @tim_renick GSU completed 106,000 advising sessions in one semester triggered by analytics.
Sobering to think that Australia doesn’t even have the equivalent of the US Academic Advisers (who are professional staff).
#UASolutionsSummit
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Adding *academic* AI chatbot support to particular courses increases academic grades by 7% and reduces low-SES dropout by 50% #UASolutionsSummit
ALT Slide with those data
“The use of our chatbot was greater at 12 midnight than at 9am - and that’s an indictment of our business processes and it’s an equity issue” @tim_renick Reminds me of a quote from @snhuprez “Time, and the control of time, is a marker of privilege”
#UASolutionsSummit
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Twin benefits to the GSU onboarding portal: a) simple one-stop shop eliminating bureaucracy, and b) collecting good personalised data about our students.
#UASolutionsSummit
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@tim_renick asks “Are we the problem? How are we contributing to the challenges faced by our students”. When we double to 60% students at low SES, you can’t just have a “program” for low-SES - you have to change the way the institution works.
#UASolutionsSummit
Extraordinary statistics showing the increasing participation of students of colour and low-SES students at GSU since 2008. When you double the number of low SES students”it will not be business as usual”
#UASolutionsSummit
ALT Graph showing increase of low SES participation of low SES from 30% to 60% since 2008
ALT Graph showing participation of non-white students at GSU for 50% to 80% since 2008
“Eliminating equity gaps through data and institutional change” by @tim_renick from GSU. Starts by situating GSU within its history of equity and inequity, as an institution wrapped around the historical landmarks of MLK. #UASolutionsSummit
ALT Tim Renick at the podium with the title of his talk on the presentation slide.
“Listen to your students. They know what the problems are and they can tell you how to fix it”. Tayla Roberts in conversation with Attila Brungs at the #UASolutionsSummit
ALT Attila Brungs, UNSW VC, and Tayla Roberts 20(?)yo Flinders medical student, in armchairs discussing questions after Tayla’s presentation
Beautifully put: “We are the people experiencing the current reality, but our voices are the ones that will shape the future”. - Tayla Roberts at #UASolutionsSummit
ALT A young woman presenting at the conference, behind her a slide reading “We are the people experiencing the current reality, but our voices are the ones that will shape the future”
Tayla Roberts giving a brilliant first-person analysis of the obstacles facing rural students: exposure - “you can’t be what you can’t see”; the financial inequities are real (including for middle-income rural families); the realities of relocation … #UASolutionsSummit
Fabulous to hear the voice of an actual student in a universities summit - Tayla Roberts telling her story. How can you become a doctor when your high school has a Yr12 cohort of 8 and doesn’t offer biology or chemistry? Well, Tayla will. But it’s not easy. #UASolutionsSummit
Chris Moran and Cathy Foley seemingly in agreement that current AI is “semi-inane” and wholly derivative. And so it is. But given how young it is I think it’s perilous to imagine that it will stay that way for long.
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Conversation between Cathy Foley and Chris Moran about AI in HE ranging widely, from addressing staff wellbeing and workloads through to using AI to design the Tertiary Education Commission. Though I have a strong sense that the impact of AI remains unclear #UASolutionsSummit
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