Students from Monash University are being taken out of the classroom and onto Country, learning directly from Aboriginal Elders and community organisations across Victoria as part of a redesigned intercultural unit.

The program, relaunched this week to coincide with National Close the Gap Day, centres on Indigenous knowledge and self-determination — areas where progress under the national agreement remains uneven.

At the Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative Healing Centre, Yorta Yorta Elder Aunty Sharon Jones welcomed students onto Country as part of the course.

"Healing starts when our mob feel seen, safe and connected," Ms Jones said.

"When students sit with our Elders and community, they're not just learning history — they're learning responsibility."

The unit, Global Encounters, includes on-Country sessions with Aboriginal organisations, where students engage with community leaders, educators and local knowledge holders.

Aunty Jones said programs like this were key to ensuring future workers understood the value of Indigenous-led approaches.

"It's important students learn to respect our ways of being, living and healing," she said.

Monash Arts Deputy Dean Professor Robyn Bartel said the shift away from classroom-based teaching was deliberate.

"Students aren't just learning concepts — they're building relationships with communities," Professor Bartel said.

The university has placed a stronger focus on Victorian Aboriginal perspectives, including the history of activism that has shaped national reform.

Executive director Jamil Tye said the aim was to help students understand how local knowledge connects to broader social and economic challenges.

The relaunch comes as Victoria continues its truth-telling process through the Yoorrook Justice Commission, and as governments face ongoing pressure to deliver on Closing the Gap targets.