Date: Monday 29 June 2026
Time: 8:30am – 10:00am AEST
Venue: Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort
Cost: included in registration

“Unspoken Codes: Reimagining Support for First-in-Family Students in Higher Education”

For many first-in-family students, stepping into university is not just a new chapter—it’s entering an entirely unfamiliar world. The hidden curriculum of higher education—the unspoken codes, expectations, and assumptions—can often feel like a foreign language. While universities strive for ‘widening participation’ and increased numbers of students from equity bearing backgrounds, how often do we stop to question whether our systems, language, and teaching practices genuinely include those who don’t already “speak university”? What would it look like if the structures of higher education were designed with first-in-family students, not merely for them?

As educators, we are uniquely placed to challenge the invisible barriers that shape belonging, success, and persistence. Yet, supporting first-in-family students isn’t just about offering more resources or orientation sessions—it’s about re-imagining the culture of higher education itself. How do our classroom norms, assessment practices, and expectations reinforce insider knowledge? What assumptions do we make about what students “should already know”? And most provocatively—what if being a first-in-family student were seen as an asset, bringing fresh perspectives, resilience, and diverse ways of knowing into our learning communities?

This constellation seeks to unpack the ‘lived experience’ of being a first-in-family learner and seeks to engage with current and imagined practices that will underpin genuine engagement and belonging across the sector.

Orbit Leader

Professor Sarah O’Shea (PFHEA, ALTF, CF)

Professor Sarah O’Shea is a nationally awarded educator and globally recognised expert in higher education equity, she has a particular passion for working with first-in-family students. As Distinguished Professor and Dean at Charles Sturt University, she brings over three decades of leadership in advancing equity, access, and student success across the tertiary sector. Professor O’Shea has secured over $4 million in research funding and managed $8 million in federal grants. A Principal Fellow of the HEA, Australian Learning and Teaching Fellow, and Churchill Fellow, she also co-edits the Research in Higher Education (SRHE/Routledge) book series and serves on global editorial boards, shaping policy, research, and practice across the sector.