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VCUG2002 Project Reflection

Table of Contents

VCUG2002 Project Overview

CECC DBIE Working Group

VCUG2002 allowed me to devote time towards being a part of and joining the ANU College of Engineering, Computing & Cybernetics (CECC) DBIE Working Group.

I have been able to help and contribute to it largely due to my prior experiences being a fourth year student, ANU CECC course tutor, and my time with the ANU Computer Science Students' Association (ranging from being a Common Room Officer (CRO), Industry Officer, and presently in my role as President of the club).

In my role in the ANU CECC DBIE Working Group, I have been able to help with the following:

CECC DBIE strategy document reflection

The CECC DBIE strategy document, 2023 to 2025, was released by CECC, one of the first colleges in the ANU to have explicit DBIE representation in it's senior leadership structure. This has lead to the formation of the Associate Dean-Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion and Equity (AD-DBIE) position and the relevant supporting operation team.

The DBIE strategy provides an overarching vision and principles for CECC. It was developed in direct response to information collected from CECC staff and students based on their experiences, concerns, and aspirations for the working and learning culturue of CECC. The strategy is informed by quantitative data but is not driven by a goal of achieving numerical representation of certain social groups. This document was brought to the ANU CSSA in it's early stages for feedback and discussion.

The document vision is:

Diversity, belonging, inclusion, and equity (DBIE) are integral to the culture of ANU's College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics (CECC) and the way that we learn and work together. We aim to attract and retain a staff and student population that is reflective of a diversity of backgrounds, knowledge, experience and perspectives. We aspire to be a College where staff and students know that their perspectives, skills, and lived experiences are valued and respected. Our approach to DBIE will be evidence-based and we will collaborate with academic experts and community partners to advance our vision. We expect our people to work together in a way that honours this commitment.

This vision is encapsulated in the strategic pillars of focus:

  • Pillar One: Foster curiostiy, care, and awareness

We will build our collective capacity to understand key equity issues and the role they play in making people feel safe and included in the College.

  • Pillar Two: Build a culture of belonging

CECC is committed to intentionally building a culture where all staff and students feel like they belong. In other words, our people feel that they are valued and can thrive. Building a culture of belonging is seen by all our people as a shared responsibility.

  • Pillar Three: Strive for courageous and inclusive decision-making

CECC leaders at all levels will strive to be courageous and inclusive in their decision-making. Leaders will aim to actively listen to staff and student perspectives, communicate decisions clearly and effectively, act on feedback, and regularly review relevant data to ensure that decisions are equitable. Leaders will be accountable for their decisions.

Cluster lead interviews

Interviews with cluster leads (Intelligent Systems - Steve Gould, and Computational Science - Amanda Barnard) were conducted to discuss Pillar One. With the following key themes:

  • Need for tutor training for managing instances of inappropriate conduct including sexual harassment + reporting and responding.
  • Importance of a holistic, embedded approach to DBIE.
  • Seek to address issues affecting both recruitment and retetnion in staff and student populations to improve gender balance.
  • Regular reminders on how/where to access resources and services.

Student group interviews

Further, interviews with the following student groups have been planned, with more planned after this initial batch of interviews. Interviews will be structured around Pillar One of the CECC DBIE strategy document, as well as any other relevant topics that may arise from the discussion.

  • ANU Computer Science Students' Association (CSSA)
  • ANU Engineering Students' Assocation (ESA)
  • ANU Fifty50
  • ANU Robogals
  • ANU Rocketry
  • ANU Solar Racing
  • ANU Students' Association (ANUSA) CECC Reps
  • ANUSA Disabilities Student Association (DSA)

Feedback and training for SoCo tutors

We also ran the first CECC DBIE tutor training - How to respond to disclosures of harassing or offending behaviours in the course of their work.

The presentation provided information and guidance to participants (students, staff, tutors) on how to best respond to disclosures of harassing or offending behaviours in the course of their work. Where participation helps everyone recognise behaviours that are against our university's Code of Conduct, and most importantly how to reach out for support for students that may have been harmed.

This was run by the Student Safety and Wellbeing team, a group of health and mental health care providers who work within and across the university to assist students whose wellbeing or studies have been negatively impacted for any reason. Working to engage with students and to connect them to available resources such as health care, counselling, academic accommodation, Access and Inclusion, formal reporting/disciplinary processes, community-based resources and more. The team have specific expertise in supporting victim-survivors of sexual harassment/sexual assault and will assist victim-survivors in navigating their journey back to safety and wellbeing.

Another session is planned for semester 2 tutors.

After the first session, we then got access to feedback and data from those who attended the session. This will then be used to inform and improve the session for future iterations.

Collect, and analyise student demographic data

Data is being collected or sourced from the ANU/CECC to help inform the DBIE working group.

More data and what statisitics to collect is being discussed to be analyised.

Helped to facilitate SoCo outreach activities

Reports of discussion of current activities, limitations, and opportunities for improvement are being compiled and discussed with CECC leadership.

Discussion around DBIE working group scope

Further discussions around the scope of the DBIE working group are being deliberated.

ANU CSSA

I was also able to contribute to the wider ANU CECC student cohort through my role as President of the CSSA. This was done through the following:

CSSA CECC feedback form

After a meeting with the CECC interm dean, Steve Eggins, we created and shared a feedback form for all CECC students to fill out. The purpose of which was to collect feedback on courses at ANU from students of all disciplines to bring forward to CECC leadership. https://cssa.club/ceccform

Data collected included issues in courses, inter-course structure (prerequisites, etc) and will be de-identified.

We have been able to collect ~30 responses so far.

This is preliminary work for future discussions with CECC leadership around course structures, plans, and courses.

CSSA DBIE events

The CSSA has run a Queer* in STEM panel with ANU AstroSoc. With questions and discussion around the following:

  • What got you into the research/fields you are currently in?
  • Did you have a queer role model in STEM (or not in STEM) growing up or during your studies? How did this impact your attitude towards a career in STEM?
  • What are your thoughts on “fitting in” as a queer person in STEM? Sometimes it's not safe to be out and proud about your identity in this sort of field, do you feel this takes a toll on your sense of identity?
  • Do you find that your peers and colleagues are generally using the correct pronouns and what have been your experiences around that?
  • Do you have any suggestions as to how we can better represent queer people in STEM within educational institutions such as here at the ANU, and in the wider community?

We also have a planned CSSA x MathSoc Pride Month Event, with events ranging from Bubble and Bubble Tea Walk, to Chill and Hang in the common room with various activities (Face masks, paper crafts, board and card games, Nintendo Switch, etc).

Learning Outcomes

The course, particularly in the first couple weeks when touching on the weekly readings on various topics. They allowed me to learn and reflect on my own experiences.

Topics such as 1.1 Understanding change, 1.2 Tools for Change, as well as 2.2 Collaboration, 2.3 Leadership and Decision Making were particularly interesting and relevant to my experiences. Various topics were particularly interesting, and it was also a good experience to hear the same topics discussed by other people in the course to get their perspectives.

A similarly discussed theme and idea that I have taken on during this course is that there is more to teamwork and leadership than meets the eye, and it is an area that is dominated by research and theories. I have been able to learn a lot about the various theories and research that has been done in this area, and how it can be applied to my own experiences. I have also learnt that while anyone can join or be in a team, it takes a lot of work to be able to be a good team member, and even more work to be a good leader. Even then, there is always room for improvement and often you are held back due to other factors outside of your control or those in your team/management.

I have been able to learn a lot through this course, as well as being able to contribute to the wider ANU CECC student cohort through my involvement in the DBIE working group, and my role as President of the CSSA. I have been able to draw on my past experiences (personal and professional) to be able to contribute to the best of my ability to both the CECC working group and the CSSA. I can still see a lot of room for improvement or work to be done, but I am happy with the progress I have made so far. As long as I am able to continue to contribute to the best of my ability, I will be happy to continue to be a part of the DBIE working group, and the CSSA.

I have made long-lasting changes to my own knowledge, as well as leaving a legacy behind in the CSSA that will stay on with future committees and members, and through actions and changes made by the DBIE working group. I am proud of everything that i've accomplished during my time at ANU. With the same going for everything that i've been able to learn and all the people that i've met, interacted, and/or become friends with, especially true for my time in the CSSA. I strongly believe all the initatives of everything I have accomplished will have lasting effects on future cohorts of students and staff at the ANU to come.