Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES)
The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES), formerly the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), is an evidence-based research and public policy centre funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and based at Curtin University.
ACSES is committed to providing the higher education sector with tangible proof of what works to improve the quality and impact of student equity practices in higher education. To achieve this goal, ACSES has pivoted to become a What Works Centre driven by three inextricably linked programs: Data, Research and Policy, and Trials and Evaluation.
ACSES’s scope of work includes:
- Collaborating with and supporting universities in conducting trials of various sizes, aimed at translating research findings and testing interventions for student equity
- Offering a range of grants for trials, scale-up projects, and impact evaluations in student equity
- Delivering a national evaluation capability building program for both equity professionals and university leaders
- Developing a Higher Education Equity Database (HEED) incorporating trials and evaluation data
- Partnering with higher education institutions to enhance their data collection and systems related to higher education equity
- Offering a range of research grants, including Equity Fellowships, First Nation Fellowships, Small Research Grants and Large Research Grants
- Providing research exchange opportunities such as Visiting Fellowships and Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Scholarships
- Conducting forums, webinars, and communities of practice dedicated to disseminating trials and evaluation results and facilitating the exchange of best practices in student equity evaluations
- Organising policy symposiums aimed at advancing research and evaluation outcomes to provide insights for policymaking regarding student equity.
Over the last 11 years at Curtin, the Centre has established a strong national presence, engaging with key stakeholders and maintaining sector-wide partnerships to enhance outcomes and delivery of research and recommendations. With the pivot to ‘what works’, ACSES strives to support universities in implementing evidence-based student equity programs, and enhancing its standing as a key contributor to the higher education sector’s shared goal of improving student equity.