Examples of Good Practice from Edith Cowan University

Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre

At Edith Cowan University (ECU) our Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre provides a free service to members of the community in which ECU staff and community lawyers, often drawing on the supervised research and analysis by ECU students, provide legal advice to those in the community who may be involved in various conflicts. These could take the form of neighbourhood disputes concerning fences or noise, or marital and relationship disputes or court appearances for alleged transgressions such as traffic and parking violations. There are various other conflicts that can be taken up with the Legal Centre, which provides an excellent opportunity for ECU students to contextualise their theoretical learning with the practice of law on a day-to-day basis in the wider community.

“Portfolio” Entry

At Edith Cowan University (ECU) we have introduced in recent years “portfolio” entry to allow students who have the motivation and sufficient academic background to start a university course even if they do not have the traditionally accredited entry standard for university (appropriate Tertiary Education Rank). Students can make a case to show that they are likely to do well at university in particular courses through assembling a portfolio of achievements over several years, in a diverse series of activities and including written support by leading teachers at their schools and where appropriate, by supervisors at their places of work. The students also meet one-on-one with a skilled University interviewer to go through the portfolio and to establish the bona fides of the student. This approach has engendered much greater social inclusivity and has given access to some outstanding students who otherwise may have been shut-out of higher education because of their socio-economic status.

This page is part of a series of Examples of Good Practice.