ADCET Webinar: Supporting part-time students with disability to succeed at university

Thu 15 Oct 2026 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEDT

Online

Event details

University students have traditionally studied full-time and as such, university processes are skewed towards supporting full-time students. In 2024, 35% of domestic Australian university students enrolled to study part-time and students from equity cohorts studied part-time at a higher rate than average. Many barriers that students face at university stem from institutional structures that create unnecessary complexity. In this research funded by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES), a total of 965 part-time students from 35 Australian universities completed a national survey, of which 44% of participants reported a disability, condition or illness that impacted their studies (29% were registered with their university, 15% were not registered with their university). In survey responses and 80 follow-up interviews students demonstrated that, although they were incredibly dedicated to their studies, university cannot always be their number one priority.  

“They don’t care what you have had to juggle just to turn up to class, and that’s the tricky thing with part-time study … We are treated like we are less committed, when it’s the opposite, we are on average a lot more committed.” 

The Australian Universities Accord set the ambitious target of tertiary attainment of 80% of the working age population by 2050. To meet this need, the Accord acknowledged that the higher education system needs to be more equitable and highlighted students with disability as a key group to support. This presentation will highlight evidence-based recommendations that should be adopted to better support part-time students with disability. Universities should review workload policies to ensure that academics have adequate time for quality learning and teaching. Special consideration policies should be reviewed to meet the needs of modern students, with work and caring commitments listed as acceptable reasons, and all students should have access to no-questions-asked extensions. Maximum-time-to-complete policies should allow sufficient time for a part-time student to complete their degree at the lowest rate the university allows students to enrol (for example, one unit per semester). In addition, more clarity should be provided at admission regarding compulsory activities and timetabling.

Audience: All university staff

Presenters

Associate Professor Kelly Linden was a 2025 ACSES Equity Fellow. Her project investigated how Universities can better support part-time students and included 12 practical recommendations for universities and government to implement. Over the last 10 years, Kelly has developed and led student success and retention projects at Charles Sturt University which led to an AAUT Program Award for programs that enhance learning. Her research interests are supporting part-time students, kindness, open (free) textbooks and UDL with a particular focus on supporting equity students. Across her 20 year career, Kelly has shown commitment to quality teaching was awarded with an AAUT citation for anatomy and physiology education in 2019.

Dr Sarah Teakel is a Lecturer in Anatomy and Physiology, promoting inclusive teaching through Universal Design for Learning. Sarah embedded university-wide tutor support to increase student retention and success. Her research interests enhancing student retention and student success, and support for equity students.

The webinar is free to attend, and it will be live-captioned.

Registrations for this webinar are now open

Webinar Connection Info

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