First Nations Cultural Safety

First Nations Cultural Safety Graduate Learning Outcomes

The First Nations Cultural Safety Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLO) articulate the capabilities that Charles Sturt University graduates are expected to develop through engagement with First Nations knowledges, histories, cultures, perspectives and contemporary  realities. The First Nations Cultural Safety GLO supports the University's commitment to cultural responsiveness, critical reflexivity and respectful engagement with First Nations peoples and communities. Together with the Indigenous Cultural Competency Pedagogical Framework (ICCPF), the First Nations Cultural  Safety GLO supports the implementation of the Indigenous Australian content in courses and subjects policy across curriculum design, delivery and assessment. Through engagement with First Nations knowledges and critical reflection on the historical, cultural, social and structural factors that continue to shape First Nations peoples' experiences, students develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to work respectfully and effectively in diverse settings.

For more information: First Nations Cultural Safety GLO repository site

Our Staff and Students (Teaching and Learning)

The Universities Australia (2011) National Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities provides a developmental scaffold for building Indigenous cultural competency across learning and teaching. This staged approach supports the progressive development of knowledge, understanding and capability, enabling students and staff to engage confidently and respectfully with First Nations knowledges, peoples, and communities.

At Charles Sturt University, this work is grounded in the ethos of Yindyamarra Winhanganha, a Wiradjuri philosophy that calls us to live respectfully, honour relationships and act with thoughtfulness and care. Through this approach, students are encouraged to listen deeply, reflect critically, ask questions, engage in respectful dialogue, and consider multiple perspectives.

These experiences support graduates to enter their professions with the confidence, cultural responsiveness and critical awareness required to contribute positively within diverse communities and increasingly complex social and cultural environments.

For Students

The First Nations Cultural Safety Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLO) support a developmental approach to learning, recognising that cultural capability is built progressively throughout a student's educational journey rather than through a single learning experience.

Through engagement with First Nations knowledges, histories, perspectives and contemporary realities, students are supported to:

  • Understand the cultural, historical and contemporary factors that have shaped First Nations peoples’ experiences and continue to influence First Nations communities today.
  • Develop critical reflexivity through examination of their own assumptions, values, beliefs and professional responsibilities.
  • Build knowledge about cultural frameworks, protocols and practices relevant to their discipline and professional context.
  • Apply the principles of cultural safety in professional, community and personal contexts.

For Staff

The development of culturally responsive graduates begins with culturally responsive teaching practice. Educators are encouraged to engage in ongoing reflection on their own cultural identities, assumptions, teaching approaches and pedagogical intentions.

The Indigenous Cultural Competency Pedagogical Framework (ICCPF) provides guidance for creating learning environments that support critical inquiry, respectful engagement and authentic inclusion of First Nations knowledges throughout the curriculum.

Using a strengths-based approach, educators are encouraged to present First Nations peoples, communities and knowledges through narratives of excellence, resilience, leadership, innovation and cultural continuity, alongside critical examination of historical and contemporary issues.

The ICCPF encourages course and subject teams to:

  • Design meaningful and culturally responsive learning experiences.
  • Scaffold students' development of First Nations cultural capability.
  • Align learning outcomes, learning activities and assessments.
  • Embed First Nations knowledges authentically across courses and subjects.
  • Foster cultural responsiveness, critical reflexivity and professional capability.

The FNC GLO and ICCPF

The First Nations Cultural Safety GLO and ICCPF provide a foundation for purposeful, authentic and discipline-relevant engagement with First Nations knowledges, perspectives and experiences throughout the curriculum.

Course and subject teams are encouraged to consider the FNCSGLO and ICCPF through:

  • Course design and renewal
  • Subject learning outcomes
  • Curriculum content and learning resources
  • Learning and teaching activities
  • Assessment design
  • Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences
  • Graduate capability development

How Gulaay Can Support You

Working in partnership with staff, Gulaay provides guidance and support to ensure First Nations knowledges, perspectives and cultural safety principles are authentically embedded and aligned with policy, governance requirements and professional accreditation expectations.

Support includes:

  • FNCS GLO curriculum mapping
  • Curriculum planning and design
  • Assessment alignment and review
  • Curriculum scaffolding and capability development
  • Indigenous Cultural Competency Pedagogical Framework (ICCPF) implementation
  • Accreditation preparation and evidence mapping
  • Course review, renewal and quality assurance activities