The National Indigenous Knowledges Education Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute at Deakin University is paving the way for a new wave of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers.
NIKERI Institute has been providing opportunities to First Nations students for over 30 years which has encouraged a growth into research areas. The Institute looks to provide opportunities for Indigenous Knowledges, perspectives, and insights to be showcased both at Deakin and beyond.
Dr Jessamy Gleeson, course director of the Graduate Diploma of Indigenous Research, stated that students bring their own First Nations perspectives and experiences to their studies which allows them the opportunity to explore these Knowledges through research.
“It’s important for NIKERI Institute to offer a specific Indigenous research option because our ways of articulating and understanding Knowledges – our ways of Valuing, Knowing, Being, and Doing – sit outside and beyond western models,” said Dr Gleeson.
Admission to courses at the NIKERI Institute are based on alternative entry. An ATAR or high school graduation certificate is not always a necessity, as other factors such as knowledge gained through experiences are also considered.
The course is typically the first step for students considering postgraduate and research options.
A recent graduate of the Graduate Diploma of Indigenous Research, Dawn Conlan, said “I chose this course to get an understanding of research processes and practices, to demystify for myself academic research practices.”Through highlighting the significance of Women’s business traditions, Dawn has been able to centre her research around observing Aboriginal women’s ceremony whilst connecting to country.
“So many research projects conducted about Aboriginal people are steered by non-Aboriginal researchers who may interpret the findings in a way that may not accurately reflect Aboriginal community needs and experiences.” Dawn hopes that through her research other Aboriginal women can build their own understandings of Aboriginal women on-Country ceremonies within their own cultural practices.
NIKERI Institute PhD student Julie-ann Christian said that completing the course allowed her the opportunity to centre research on Indigenous Knowledges and create the foundations for further research.
“It is a course that allows you to grow and take your research as far as you want to go. The study challenges you to look within and listen to your old people as they guide you through the research journey,” Julie-ann said.
The unique learning environment at NIKERI Institute that brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from across Australia was what drew Julie-ann to study at the Institute.
“Not knowing what to do but wanting more study, I heard about Deakin University (and their) classes run by Aboriginal teachers for Aboriginal students to come together in an Aboriginal safe space.”
The NIKERI Institute gives access to a higher education through the Institutes distinctive Community Based Delivery (CBD) learning program. The CBD model offers a combination of on-campus study blocks and supported learning in home communities, strengthened by Deakin’s leading digital platform. Students have the flexibility then to live in their home community, maintain family, work, and cultural obligations while studying.
NIKERI Institute’s Indigenous Direct Admissions Program will run virtually from the 25th – 29th of October 2021. The program is designed to provide applicants with the study skills to succeed and prepare them for university and learning through the Community Based Delivery model. All prospective students who have completed an online application to the institute are invited to attend the program.