Supporting International Students in Their Learning

A reflection on International student learning at Glamorgan University

David JenkinsDavid Jenkins

1 At 19th October 2010, excluding research students

Measure

The teaching on

my cours

e

Assessment and feedbac

k

Academic

support

Organisation and manage

ment

Learning

resources

Personal develop

ment

Overall satisfac

tion

Domicile: UK % Agree 80 67 75 68 75 78 78

Domicile: UK

% Agree: previous

year 79 66 75 68 76 77 79

Domicile: EU

excl UK % Agree 75 70 80 83 89 79 80

Domicile: EU

excl UK

% Agree: previous

year 78 65 77 65 88 74 88Domicil

e: Other % Agree 86 80 86 88 83 90 91

Domicile:

Other

% Agree: previous

year 69 69 65 76 72 77 76

• Too many

• Poor language skills

• Passive

• Plagiarism et cetera

• •Visa issues

•Syndicated assessments

•High expectations

The horror stories...

• I had a quick look at your Proposal. It appears that the entire 'Introduction' part is copied from this web site: http://*****.html

From the sentence "It is noted that the outcome of the work undertaken was successful and useful"  I have  the strong suspicion that you are trying to do a project where a solution already exists, i.e. that the source code, implementation guidelines and accompanying documentation exist somewhere on the internet.

I would like to discuss this matter with you as soon as possible. Please come and see me...

• dear ****,   

       In fact, i not even dont know the ****,just i know upto ****.,Since i had no enough time i just looked over this topic in the internet and make it my proposal.I had searched on internet many times this project had no source code r anydetails as u specified if so, i may not keep it as my proposal.But, i consult u on saturday .Really, i not even know that there is source code exists untill u specified it.

              

            thanking you,

No smoke without fire

Messages we received• A virtuous circle of excellent

student experience and enhancement of the brand starts with rigorously enforced recruitment criteria...

• Lack of academic control or input in recruitment

• Some students are not ready and it is in their interest to delay

Some selection done via Skype to examine language skills

Tiswg

• Focus on the learning and teaching experience of international students.

• The Group comprised 16 staff volunteers from faculties and support departments and took responsibility to provide views from their respective constituencies.

• Supported by CELT• We met on five occasions and heard many

reports.

Tiswg

• ...to look at learning, teaching and assessment issues in relation to international students and provide recommendations for the implementation of good practice

• ... to consider how to deal with misconceptions that arise when inclusive practice is wanting

Themes

• Cross –cultural knowledge and impact on learning

• Inclusive learning, teaching and assessment practice

• Internationalising the curriculum

Click image to link

Culture shock

Development days in non teaching weeks for all staff provided by external specialists with practice related to the concept of cultural explicitness, embracing teaching cultures, and multi-cultural group work.

Cultural advice is normally focused at visiting students. This addresses only part of the audience and domestic students could usefully engage at induction. No substitute for interactions and relationships.

Low cost or higher cost Implement a buddy system

Domestic students that volunteer for this could gain employability credits.

A dedicated link tutor eg where there are strong cohorts from Partner Institutions or in new markets, or for populations with known vulnerabilities

Language shock

Ten week pre-sessional courses offered for Autumn and February intakes have high uptakes. Introduce an element of genre specific teaching in the programmes based on partnerships between discipline and literacy specialists.

Monitor basic good practice (for example, are subject specific glossaries actually provided?)

Be explicit

Show

Respect

Develop a research culture and agenda– Helen Stacey’s work on plagiarism– Heather Skinner’s Questionnaire to

international business postgrads– Sue Stocking on Block delivery after focus

groups with international students– Annie McCartney’s work experimenting with

MCQ’s

Internationalise

L,T & A

Present and Proposed Delivery Modes

24 WEEKS TEMPORAL SCALE (excludes holidays)

Module One

Module Two

Module Three

Module Five

Module Four

Module Six

Module One Module Three Module Five

Module Two Module Four Module Six

Thin and prolonged mode

of delivery

Six modules running

concurrently for 24 weeks

Temporally intensified

mode of delivery

Two modules ru

nning

concurrently

at each 8 week

interval

CURRENT MODE

PROPOSED MODE

Built Environment MSc

MCQ’s

Internationalise the curriculum

• “It has been clear from the consultations that there is already a wide range of very experienced staff at the University of Glamorgan who in their own right are already engaged in international issues.”

 • Internationalisation: Enriching

the educational & social experience for all, Glamorgan 2005, P112

• “There were a number of other areas where students held expectations that we wouldn’t necessarily have predicted. These included an expectation that curricula would include international content and case studies...”

 • Student Expectation Report,

Glamorgan 2008, P10

Guidelines for the internationalising of curriculum should be considered in order to develop good practice. These will benefit from discussion about the internationalisation of research and the development of research themes.

 

Colleagues from across the academy are concerned with different aspects of the internationalisation agenda. The Working Group is aware of engagement in the WAG ESDGC project; in the RCE Wales project and HEFCW’s internationalisation project. It would be useful for colleagues to pool experience from these different perspectives in order to assist in the development of curriculum.

.

Community to CommunityThere is no substitute for real engagement in global issues as research or...

Land economics final year studentsMakerere Universityteaching

Process

• We wanted to identify risks and problems that would require sustained attention and creativity beyond our means and remit as a group.

• Faculties via Board and T&L Committees

• At a corporate level in various committees, starting from Learning And Teaching Enhancement Committee

• Re-convene

Corporate stuff

The University has a focal point for the support of international students; we now need a focal point that sustains international students in their learning and assists in the internationalisation of curriculum. Several of our recommendations point to the need for corporate level interventions, especially in view of the expansion in student numbers. These might find expression in an International Learning Centre, perhaps within CELT.

Corporate stuff

We would envisage close collaboration between such a centre and the Centre for Commercial & International Activities. A mechanism to engage representatives of international students in sustained dialogue is also needed, perhaps International Student Voice Representatives.

Corporate stuff

A proportion of the revenue generated by international students might be taken for re-investment in enhancing pedagogy for international students.

This might also allow for a modest number of scholarships for students from emerging nations where Glamorgan can be conspicuous in capacity building as part of the UN development agenda.

It might also feed in to a Corporate Social Responsibility agenda that facilitates investing in countries typified by extreme poverty or devastated by disaster.

The most recent good practice suggests the development of institutional research and teaching capacity building in such countries.