DESIGNING AND EVALUATING PLACE-BASED CULTURAL IMMERSIONS FOR TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING

Abstract

Transforming science curricula in higher education is crucial for cultivating graduates who value inclusivity and diversity, possess adaptable and innovative thinking skills, and approach the world's multifaceted challenges from multiple viewpoints. To realise this objective, students must have access to meaningful opportunities for direct engagement with Indigenous communities, philosophies, methodologies and knowledge systems. Immersive place-based experiences enable this deep connection; profound learning happens when the consequences of ongoing colonisation on peoples and Country are made locally relevant and personally meaningful (Corntassel & Hardbarger, 2019).

To facilitate this learning, we collaboratively designed and implemented a unit of study centered on Indigenous Land and Food Knowledges (AGEN3008/GEOS3055) as a platform for fostering relationships and advancing cultural competency among staff and students. This unit was co-created in 2014/2015 alongside Indigenous educational specialists, community leaders and members, operating across NT and WA for four years before being refreshed in 2023 for an enhanced NSW version. For the NSW iteration, the USyd team formed a strong partnership with the Wiradyuri Traditional Owners Central West Aboriginal Corporation (WTOCWAC), who provide their distinctive online cultural preparation program rooted in their traditional pedagogical approaches of Yindyamaldhuray Yalibilinya Mawang [respectful learning together]; this serves as preparation for their in-person, on-Country cultural experience and establishes the foundation for the rest of the immersive experience.

This paper shares results from an evaluative project (ACDS funded) regarding the design and execution of effective cultural immersions; we explore key design elements including relationships, time, holding space, flexibility, dialogue and debrief, rest, reflection, reciprocity, critical thinking and enduring connections. We also identified the short and long-term impacts of the unit on student and staff cultural competency development. The themes that have emerged from this data include embracing discomfort, recognising ignorance, the strength of relationships and listening, understanding Country and reconnecting with nature, reconnecting with culture, questioning education, comprehending ongoing injustice and personal reorientations. We show how thoughtfully constructed cultural immersions act as powerful drivers for authentic transformative education and enable bottom-up cultural transformation in higher education settings.