Leading Practice: An Analysis Of Griffith University’s Education Program For Poor But Meritorious Students

Selection of the group of learners

Discuss about the Leading Practice.

This particular study has focused to deal with an effective analysis on how education can be circulated to the poor but meritorious students equally. Students, who have stopped their learning process due to the barriers coming from their society or family, need to be motivated in the ray of hope. Education is the reflection of an ideal human being. It is the major pathway based on which an individual gets the opportunity to widen the mental horizon. Teaching and learning process is possessed with a major impact of developing the mental skill and ability of a student. Academic development helps in the dynamic progress of society as well. However, this particular study has provided an in-depth understanding about the impact of higher education on the mind of an individual as well as on the society. Griffith University is one of the reputed universities especially known for its research works and development. Situated in the Queensland, this particular university has launched a new education program in order to stand beside those students who are unable to continue their regular education system due to social as well as personal barriers. Distance education system has been decided to be launched by the university education department of Griffith for the intellectual development of dropout students.    

A large number of meritorious students have to stop their education at the middle of their career due to social barriers. Economic condition of an individual is one of the most recognizable factors due to which most of the students have faced challenges for maintaining their higher education effectively. I have identified those students from poor but meritorious backgrounds from various localities of Australia in order and convinced them the value of higher education for building the future career of an individual. Poverty can never become a major hindrance in the way of education. I have identified and talked with those sixty students categorically from various areas of Australia. After researching the academic background of most of those sixty students, I have evaluated that economic and social background are the two most important factors due to which those students failed to continue their further education.

The education fee came as the major obstacle for those students. As a result, after a certain period those learners had to stop their education at the middle (Cheon et al. 2012). On the other hand, social background was another important reason due to which individual students forgot to build their career by involving themselves in higher school of education. Those people belonging to the developing class of people get innumerable hindrance for maintaining their higher education from the family members. Apart from making their career, those kinds of students have to help their family members for earning bread and butter. Therefore, further education becomes less priority for those students. I have selected those sixty students for maintaining their studies in distance education system in free of cost. I have decided to contact with some of the association who provides scholarship to the poor but meritorious students.  As a result, those students do not have to face any challenge in order to maintain their higher education from Griffith University.

Reason for selecting this group

Before selecting a particular group, I had to conduct an effective research on the culture, background and academic career of those students. At that time, I had dealt with large number of students who have stopped their learning process due to several reasons. After making the research I have shortlisted those sixty students for several reasons. Astin (2012) stated that universities do not show their interest for taking admission to those students due to social biasness. The admission procedure of general students may be affected due to the entrance of indigenous people. In this kind of situation, I decided to arrange an education platform those students so that they can become an example for the society.

Secondly, the students whom I have selected for attending the distance education course of Griffith University are from low economic background. Brown, Bull & Pendlebury (2013) opined that due to the lack of economic strength, the students were compelled to stop their education at the middle of their career. Therefore, economy had become a major hindrance for maintaining further education of those students. Therefore, I have decided to help those students and to stand beside those students by providing an educational platform for their further development. At last, the foremost reason was to help in the development of society. I have selected those students who were unable to maintain their education system being unable to get a support and co-operation from their family members.

Chambers & Burkhardt (2015) commented that further education was beyond imagination for those family members, as they have to struggle immensely for collecting their daily bread and butter. Therefore, if I can encourage those students for maintaining further education, they would become a bright example for their society. As a result, the family members would get inspiration from their children after observing their bright future. Those people would be able to encourage their future generation as well for higher education (Cheon et al. 2012). Those were the primary reasons of selecting those sixty students for maintaining their further education from Griffith University.

Higher Education Disability Program (HEDP) in Australia enables the students for motivating the students towards further education either by distance education course or by regular courses. Chickering, Dalton and Stamm (2015) argued that the program in-charge of this particular program helps the willing learners for raising funds for maintaining their higher education. This particular program is possesses with three components primarily that include “Additional Support for Students with Disability” (ASSD), “Performance based Disability Support Funding”, “The Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training” (ADCET). The primary objectives of Higher Education Disability Program are as follows:

• To raise funding for the eligible as well as interested poor learners in order to maintain their higher education
• To encourage those drop out learners for motivating towards the higher education
• To implement various innovative strategies in order to draw the attention of students for higher education

Education Program and strategy arranged for the group of learners

By utilizing the popularity of this particular program, I have observed that Griffith University has implemented some of the major effective strategies and policies for motivating the learners for continuing distance education course. Clotfelter (2014) stated that after launching the distance education course, this particular university has decided to implement new technology in the higher education process. I personally believe that maintaining a learning process with the help of advance technology is more innovative and simple. Students get relief from monotonous lecture method. Leaning process with the help of audio-visual effect renders a new taste and interest towards study. This particular program has helped our university for arranging new technologies in the education process. The university administration has decided to implement advanced technology in order to draw the attention of students for distance education system.

On the other hand, Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program has also become a major pathway for the students of SES backgrounds. By implanting Higher Education Support Act, 2003 within the process of agenda, this particular program aims to remove the barriers in maintaining higher education of those students. Communiqué (2012) stated that society and economic background are the two most important barriers due to which poor but meritorious students become unable to develop their skill and ability with the help of higher education system. Dumbrigue, Moxley & Najor-Durack (2013) opined that this program provides funding to those students who are unable to carry on the learning process due to economic challenges.

The official website of Australian Disability Clearing house on Education and Training provides numerous authentic sources that are ready to stretch their hands for standing beside the disable students. However, this particular program has helped Griffith University immensely in order to identify those disable students and to encourage those students for further education. While visiting the doorsteps of those poor but meritorious candidates, some of the active members of “Australian Disability Clearing house on Education and Training” were my companion. Green (2014) stated that they have provided me immense data and information on how those students had to sacrifice immensely for maintaining their further education due the economic barriers and social barrier. I could not be successful for convincing that drop out candidates for building their future without the assistance of those members.

Finally, the primary mission and vision of Strategic Plan for higher Education is to enhance the number and quality of higher education learners for optimizing the benefits of the people of Western Australia. The objectives of strategic plan for higher education are as follows:

• Enhancing the percentage of students in Western Australia for the further education and development
• Encouraging the students for maintaining equity in higher education participation
• Assisting the institutions of higher education for proving an effective platform to the students
• Implementing appropriate acts and regulations to the universities in order to provide necessary facilities and benefits to the students

Strategic Plan for Higher education assists Griffith University for collecting necessary data on those students so that they can maintain further education with the help of distance education course. Hazelkorn (2015) stated that the board members have helped the University authority for collecting the dropout candidates with the help of which the institution has made an effective corporate social responsibility. Encouraging the students towards higher education is a kind of corporate social responsibility for the institution. CSR activity helps Griffith University for gaining organizational image and reputation.

Tight (2012) stated that Intervention was primarily made in order to receive a social outcome along with the individuals. In the entire intervention process, I had involved six more facilitators from our university who took part actively in this intervention program for developing the intellectual capacity and ability of students. At the very first stage, I personally collected the detailed information and overview about the academic and social background of those sixty students. Collecting necessary data and information about the challenges and obstacles of those students, I have provided a brief to the concerned six teachers. One facilitator is taking the responsibility of drop out students.

Hersh & Merrow (2015) stated that each individual teacher convinced the parents of those students about the importance of higher education and the impact of higher education for the development of society. Griffith University is taking an initiative of launching a distance education course by the implementing the advancement of technology. Jones, Torres & Arminio (2013) stated that students would not have to feel monotonous inside the classroom. Rather they would enjoy the entire teaching learning process. The entrance of advanced technology has rendered new and innovative tastes in the teaching learning process.

I have instructed my colleagues to give an in-depth overview about the importance of implementing strategic plan for higher education, Australian Disability Clearing house on Education and Training and Higher Education Disability Program (HEDP).  Kaiser et al. (2014) the board members of those programs are flexible enough to stretch their hands for those dropout candidates who are facing difficulties for continuing their study for the economical dilemmas. In order to make this agenda successful, I personally took a session with those sixty students who were about to start their new journey of life by holding the hands of Griffith University. I made a group session by involving sixty students with every individual learner.

They have expressed their ways of difficulties for maintaining further education. Throughout entire session, I had kept a friendly environment throughout the entire session. In some cases, I have observed that students were facing communication barriers at the time of interaction. I tried my best to co-operate those learners by using non-verbal communication as well. With the help of non-verbal communication, I was able to maintain an effective communication with those learners. In addition, the teachers who had been identified for making an effective action with the family members of those students had taken a major initiative. They personally visited to the home of those learners. With the help of a power point presentation, the teachers explained the value of education. Kyllonen (2012) stated that education builds a person perfect that helps to create a distinct identity to the society (Lozano et al., 2013). The culture of a community or a society can be developed only when people surrounding the community would get the light of education. Therefore, the primary aim of the teachers of Griffith University was to convey this message to the parents so that the students can get enthusiasm from their family members as well as from the society (Noble, 2012).

While maintaining the education campaign to the various localities of Australia, I primarily used participative leadership style with the help of which I gave immense opportunities to my colleagues for expressing their point of views regarding the goal. I never intended to impose any decision to my colleagues. Rather before visiting the home of those students, we had made a collective decision regarding the way of approaches to the parents. We had never faced any kind of psychological barrier at the time of decision-making. Ten teachers were from various backgrounds and culture. Therefore, we had provided the teachers equal importance and recognition at the time of making decision.

In addition, we kept an effective communication with each other. At the time of facing any kind of difficulty in collecting data from those sixty students and their parents, we consulted with each other by keeping our ego aside. Quaye & Harper (2014) stated that participative leadership style helped us for maintaining an effective interaction with the parents as well. We never forced those parents for getting convinced in our proposal. On the other hand, motivational leadership theory had also been implemented within the agenda. I personally had followed this particular theory strictly. With the help of motivational leadership theory, I had motivated my colleagues for getting involved with this kind of agenda.

On one hand, we are maintaining corporate social responsibility on behalf of our university. Rennie & Morrison (2013) opined that the University had involved them for the welfare of the society by giving an opportunity to the drop out students in higher education. As a result, this particular attempt would help to gain organizational image and reputation. On the other hand, I am able to motivate those students who have already lost their confidence for stepping ahead for future progress. Therefore, I have used motivation theory in order to make the inspiration for some of the drop out children. 

Discussion and Conclusion:

This particular study has provided a detailed overview about the importance of higher education for developing the intellectual skill and ability of a human being. In order to encourage the drop out students, Griffith University has launched an innovative plan and policy in order to build the image and reputation of the organization. I being a part of this university took an active part in identifying sixty students who are from poor but meritorious background. By applying participative leadership style and motivational leadership theory, I tried my level best to interact with those drop out students as well as with their parents in order to make them understand about the value of education. Apart from me, I had involved ten more facilitators from the Griffith University who had left immense contribution for convincing those students. The purpose of Griffith University of launching distance education course was to give the opportunity to those pupils for maintaining their further education who had to face innumerable challenges for doing a regular education process.   

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