Indigenising the Australian University science curriculum: review and recommendations

Responding to the 2017 Universities Australia Indigenous Strategy, which aims for more inclusive educational practice, this study used a mixed methods including Indigenous standpoint and Yarran framework to investigate the inclusion of Indigenous science in Australian University curricula. In 2022, we found a total of 72 Indigenous science units taught across 23 of Australia’s 38 universities. Notably, 31 Indigenous science units were taught in the Faculty of Arts, followed by 20 in the Science faculties. Online questionnaires and interviews were conducted with unit convenors and a First Nations Elder, revealing the underrepresentation of Indigenous knowledges in science education and the need for more Indigenous educators at the university level. These findings demonstrated the need for policy-driven development of specific frameworks and funding to enable meaningful and respectful inclusion of Indigenous knowledges, pedagogical practice, and creation of suitable assessment tasks in University science curricula, underpinned by protocols for engagement of First Nations Communities in the development and delivery of content.