Informing Aspirations in Rural Regions: the role of university-community partnerships in higher education outreach programs

This project involved the Universities of Tasmania, Wollongong and Adelaide. The objectives were:1. To identify the features of outreach programs that are cost efficient and effective in informing aspirations and increasing access and participation for people living in rural regions, 2. To modify, trial and evaluate 3 programs which include the features of cost efficient and effective informing aspiration programs, 3. To produce a resource of features of rural outreach informing aspiration programs that are cost efficient and effective in increasing access and participation for people living in rural regions. A literature review indicated that rural people suffer a gap between their levels of aspiration and their levels of expectation of ‘going to uni’, and this gap is impacted by a range of barriers not faced by people in urban regions. The project developed an understanding of these ‘factors of rurality’ and suggested ways to overcome them using ‘aspects of good practice.’ The project used an extended version of Gale and Sellars Design and Evaluation Matrix for Outreach (DEMO) to design and evaluate three trial programs. Programs were targeted at South Australian school children aged 7-14; NSW senior high school students in Years 9-12; and Tasmanian adults who have left school. Results confirm that the ‘factors of rurality’ are real to people in rural regions, and that effective and targeted university outreach initiatives can help inform aspiration, and raise expectations and participation. Key findings include the importance of strong partnerships between universities and institutions and organisations in rural communities in developing effective outreach initiatives.