Associate Professor Susan Page (BA, MHPEd, University of New South Wales)
Professional Interests
My research focuses on Indigenous people’s experience of learning and academic work in tertiary education. Collaborative research, with Dr Kristie Daniel Digregorio and Ms Sally Farrington in the area of Indigenous student success examined the experiences of Indigenous students studying in both block-mode and ‘mainstream’ tertiary programs. Findings from this research were translated into practical solutions to curriculum and programming issues in our courses.
More recent research into the experiences of Indigenous academic staff in Australian universities is beginning to illuminate some vital issues for Indigenous staff in higher education. The AIATSIS funded ‘Indigenous Academic Voices: Stories from the tertiary education frontline’ project, with Dr Christine Asmar, investigated the multiple roles performed by Indigenous academics in Australian universities; how individuals experienced the demands of those roles; and the extent of institutional recognition and support. The project has led to an international collaboration with Dr Ocean Mercier at Te Kawa a Māui (Māori Studies), Victoria University, Wellington, examining similar issues in the New Zealand context .
As the research team currently expresses it: "In comparing Indigenous academic experiences in Australia and in Aotearoa/New Zealand we draw on some evolving concepts, including the notion of a set of issues or influences we describe as ‘Indemic’. Such issues, we suggest, are experienced by the academics in our study in ways that are intrinsically linked to their own Indigeneity, but are also endemic to their institutions - hence, ‘Indemic’."
Selected Publications
Peer-reviewed publications
Page, S. & Asmar, C. (2008) Beneath the teaching iceberg: Exposing the hidden support dimensions of Indigenous academic work. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. In press.
Rose, D, Rose, M, Farrington, S & Page, S. (2008) Scaffolding Academic Literacy with Indigenous Health Sciences students: an evaluative study. Australian Journal of Education. In press.
Page, S, Farrington, S & Daniel-DiGregorio, K. (2007) ‘The Student Experiences Study: Using research to transform curriculum for Indigenous health science students’, Brew, A & Sachs, J (Eds) In The Transformed University: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Practice, Sydney, Sydney University Press.
Farrington, S ., Page, S.,& Daniel DiGregorio,K. (2001) 'The Things that Matter: Understanding The Factors That Affect The Participation And Retention Of Indigenous Students in the Cadigal Program at the Faculty Of Health Sciences, University of Sydney’ . Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 18, October pp. 40-55
Daniel DiGregorio, K., Farrington, S. & Page, S. (2000) 'Listening to our Students: Understanding the factors that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students' academic success’, Higher Education Research and Development 19(3) pp 297-309.
Keynote address
Page, S. & Asmar, C. (2007) ‘You ’ re everything to everybody ’ : Understanding the teaching and support roles played by Indigenous staff in Australian universities. Joint closing plenary, Indigenous Studies & Indigenous Knowledge Conference, hosted by Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning , University of Technology, Sydney , 11-13 July.
Conference papers and presentations
Asmar, C. & Page, S. (2007) Culture, curriculum and complexity: Researching Indigenous academics’ experience of teaching. Fourth Annual Meeting, International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (ISSOTL), University of NSW, Sydney, 2-5 July.
Page, S. & Asmar, C. (2004) The Indigenous Academic Experience: Preliminary insights from a survey of Australian universities. International Educational Research Conference, Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), Melbourne VIC, 28 November - 2 December.
Farrington, S & Page, S (2003) ‘ The NSW Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Strategy: Providing Educational Pathways for Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Workers’. 4 thNational Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker Conference, Adelaide, South Australia.
Farrington, S, Page, S & Daniel DiGregorio, K (2002) ‘ Listening to our students: Facilitation of academic access’. The 2 nd National Australian Indigenous Education Conference. Townsville, QLD, 2-4, July.
Farrington, S., Page, S. & Daniel DiGregorio, K. (2002) ‘ The Student Experiences Study: Voices Guiding Curriculum Development’. Workshop presented at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education. Calgary, Canada
Page, S., Daniel DiGregorio, K. & Farrington, S (2001) ‘ Exploring the Off Campus Experiences of Indigenous Block Mode Health Sciences Students: Making Sense of the Competing Demands of Community and Study’. Presentation at the Australian Association of Research in Education Conference, Fremantle, 2-6th December.
Daniel DiGregorio, K., Page, S. & Farrington, S. (2001) ‘ Doing Something for my People: Developing effective programs for Indigenous Australian students’. Workshop presented at the 83rd Annual Conference of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, Seattle, Washington.
Page, S, Daniel Digregorio, K & Farrington, S (2000) Three Women and a Research Project: An experiential approach to cooperative research and partnerships in educational research. Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Sydney 2000 Conference, 4-7 December.
Other Articles/Papers
Page, S. & Asmar, C. (2004) ‘Indigenous academic voices: Stories from the tertiary education frontline’. Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) News 26, 1 (April), 13-15.
Farrington, S ., Daniel DiGregorio, K., Page, S. (1999) 'Yooroang Garang Issues in Aboriginal Health Worker Training: Listening to Students', Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, Vol 23 pp 17 – 20.