The Higher Education Equity Research Unit (HEERU), led by Distinguished Professor Sarah O'Shea, explores facets of the higher education equity context, drawing on diverse theoretical and conceptual framings.
Placing learners at the heart of all we do, HEERU advances innovative approaches to understanding equity within higher education.
HEERU advances high quality, evidence-based HE research that tackles complexity, drawing on diverse theoretical and conceptual framings.
HEERU works to ensure equitable access, participation and success across the entire student lifecycle, aiming for every learner to have the opportunity to thrive in higher education—from pre-enrolment to postgraduate studies, and beyond.
HEERU adopts a strengths based approach to supporting a range of underrepresented groups, who often face intersecting barriers, including First Nations peoples, students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, regional and remote communities, and other marginalised cohorts.
HEERU fosters a vibrant research community of higher education equity scholars and practitioners, and partners with universities, government and communities to drive impactful research and long-lasting change in higher education.
To date, the unit has conducted research that encompasses themes related to spatial belonging including troubling the ‘boundary work’ negotiated by diverse student cohorts within the university environment and how equity-bearing learners engage in capital exchange and negotiation to enter professional and prestige employment roles.
HEERU has developed partnerships internationally, working with researchers in the UK and Europe as well as developing connections with organisations in the US.
Listen to Professor Sarah O’Shea’s interview conducted with Virginia Haussegger AM, an award-winning television journalist, writer and commentator.
In this extract, Sarah discusses her focus on enriching the higher degree by research student journey, encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to take the higher degree by research pathway and ensuring that Charles Sturt is known for widening participation in higher education.
Distinguished Professor Sarah O’Shea's ongoing commitment to the field of educational equity and inclusion is unquestionable: recognised by numerous awards and ongoing funding.
Dr Maree Martinussen joins us from the University of Melbourne, where she held a McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellowship that investigated the experiences of working-class women enrolled in postgraduate education. Maree has a particular interest in understanding in/equities for higher degree researchers and is the Associate Editor of Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education.
Wendy Firth is an experienced educator and communications specialist with a strong focus on promoting educational equity. Recognised as WAHED’s Champion for Change 2021, Wendy’s contributions focus on practical strategies for enhancing access and participation in higher education.
