Creating an effective environment for international students

One of the very pleasing aspects of the study was that high levels of satisfaction were reported (87% of those surveyed). The report notes that there were slightly lower levels of satisfaction from East Asian students and that North American students were slightly less satisfied with facilities such as libraries and IT than other students. Neither of these findings is particularly surprising but are worth bearing in mind when considering the different needs of international students which might relate to differing expectations or greater challenges in cultural understanding.

The issue of poor integration of international students with UK students is among the most significant in this and other studies. Although it is mostly an issue outside the classroom, it will have an impact in the classroom particularly in seminars and in group activities where students need to feel comfortable with each other in order to work together.

Consider the following:

“International students with UK friends were more likely to be satisfied overall with their stay in the UK: 93% compared to 86%.”
“It is clear that some international students find the drinking culture in the UK a barrier to integration.”

Strategies to help bring international students together outside the classroom will not only benefit the students emotionally but also academically.

See the following case study:

Supporting International Students' Integration into the Learning and Wider Communities (Word document 115KB)

Some of these problems arose from difficulties with National Insurance numbers but others are rather more worrying, for example “Students also reported a range of perceptions of prejudice against non-British applicants ranging from unwillingness to accept students’ language capabilities, overseas qualifications or experience to racism.” Executive Summary, UKCOSA Report 2004 p.8

While this may not have a direct impact on the academic experience of students, this finding is of concern for the sector and the country as a whole as indicated in the preface to this report:

“They provide a pool of highly skilled labour on which both universities and UK businesses call to make up for skill shortages in the domestic market. Perhaps most importantly, their familiarity with the UK will allow them to influence others – positively or negatively, depending on their experiences…” Executive Summary p.2

This is a mostly positive finding in that it indicates that students are aware of the need to acquire the skills needed for success in the academic culture that they have entered, and that language is not necessarily an issue of greatest concern to students (this may not, however, be the view or the perception of academic staff). It is interesting to note that students from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Iran and Spain were more likely to attend English language classes. The inclusion of Spain in this list is, perhaps the most surprising as is the finding that postgraduate students were more likely to report most appreciation for language and study skills classes.

It is worth noting that the report finds that despite this satisfaction there was a need for improvement in the information about fees and cost of living and that “only 50% of respondents said that they were satisfied with the value for money of their course.” Executive Summary, UKCOSA Report 2004, p.6

International office | University website | Accommodation office

This is really the job of those who are recruiting students to the institution. Here information needs to be clear and easily accessible via the website and any printed documentation that might be sent out to students prior to arrival. It is important that there are no nasty surprises waiting for the students when they arrive in the UK and general information about the cost of accommodation should be made clear.

Some institutions will provide a pre-arrival course for international students which will cover both the academic and practical aspects of their stay in the UK.

Careers service | International office | Student’s Union | Local community | UK students

Although the obvious route for help might be the careers service this is by no means the only, or sometimes the best way for students to get help with finding casual work (that is work that is not related to their studies or future career). Some of the ways in which they can be helped with this is by making contact with local agencies (libraries, employment agencies, local employers). Enlisting the help of UK students in tapping into the local job market would also be very useful.

Accommodation office | International office | Local community | UK students

Again the obvious source of support is the university accommodation office but if there is a general shortage of accommodation students may find that they have to turn to other sources of support such as other students or local housing agencies etc. Knowing about the pitfalls and costs of the private rental market is very important and personal recommendation from trusted sources such as those above will be very helpful.

English Language support service | UK students | Local community

Again the obvious route is to use the university English Language support service. However there are other initiatives that can be taken to help international students integrate with UK students or local people in order to improve their language skills. This might involve setting up study groups or visits to local schools.

An example of this can be found in the case study:

Supporting International Students’ Integration into the Learning and Wider Communities
Siobhan Devlin, University of Sunderland

The initiatives described in this study form a series of support mechanisms that have attempted to enhance the experience of the international students studying in the university’s School of Computing and Technology…The initiatives described are: the International Student Forum; the Sunderland Language and News Group (SLANG); and International Students into Schools.

Download the full case study (Word document 115 KB)

International office | Chaplaincy | Clubs, societies etc. | Local community | UK students | Student’s Union

This is a very difficult issue to address but it is one of the most common problems that arises for international students, e.g.:

“We can’t have an in depth discussion when there are international students in the group. They slow everything down.” (Trahar 2007)
Creating spaces for dialogue and opportunities for developing better intercultural understandings is an activity that can be incorporated into the classroom as well as through university agencies such as those above.
An example of a strategy to help international students can be found in:

Experiential intercultural learning for international students through ‘tandem’ teams
Rose Clark, University of Portsmouth
The internationalisation of UK HEIs has meant that international students are increasing in number and spending longer periods of time in the UK taking degree programmes. As part of the internationalisation of the curriculum, new teaching and learning material has been created to respond to this change. International students need a learning space which allows them to negotiate their understanding of ‘otherness’ from both the ‘outsider’ perspective and also to experience how ‘others’ relate to them whereby they are the ‘insiders’. The out of class materials and activities described below give affordances to international students to explore their cultural identities in relation to ‘others’. The use of English as a lingua franca adds authenticity to the interactions, and the absence of ‘native speakers’ attempts to remove the problem of understanding ‘otherness’ from the perspective of the dominant culture being seen as the norm.

Download the full case study (Word document 97KB)

AND

The international experience at home: managed intercultural interactions
Nicola Peacock, Bournemouth University
Avoiding under-achievement (not just failure) in international students through appropriate recognition and integration contributes to the growth in international student numbers, creating a multi-cultural campus and opportunities for international experience. Intercultural interaction, in and out of the classroom, does not, however, develop naturally (De Vita 2005). We must develop the capability in international students to enable interaction and develop the appropriate international capability in UK students. International student orientation processes and traditional UK student induction have been reviewed in this light and the curriculum now incorporates some elements of cross-cultural competence teaching. Further, a number of co- and extra- curricula projects have been introduced to better facilitate intercultural interaction.

Download the full case study (Word document 113KB)

Academic and related staff

Question for reflection: Does your institution already have internationalisation champions? What is the role? What could the role entail and how would this help you?

Curriculum

Questions for reflection: Is there room in your curriculum for global perspectives? Do you offer modules that have an international focus? How international is the teaching in your subject and what scope is there to develop this further?

See Academy Exchange Issue 5: Internationalisation pp.36-37
(www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/exchange/web0523_exchange_issue_5.pdf)

Institution

Question for reflection: In what way is such an ethos apparent in your institution? Where is this reflected (on web pages for international students, in staff development, in research or teaching collaboration)?

See Academy Exchange Issue 5: Internationalisation p.13 and 17
(www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/exchange/web0523_exchange_issue_5.pdf)

Support services

Question for reflection: Do your students use English Language and academic support other services? How much do you know about them and do you recommend them to your students? Do you or could you provide in house discipline-specific support? What support is available for staff?

See Case Studies 1 and 2 in Academy Exchange Issue 5: Internationalisation p.8 and 9

Students

Question for reflection: Whose responsibility is it to organise activities to bring UK and international students together? How successful will this be in the long term if students don't participate in the process, e.g. create their own opportunities for intercultural exchange?

See Academy Exchange Issue 5: Internationalisation pp.18-20
(www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/exchange/web0523_exchange_issue_5.pdf)
and
Case study: Supporting International Students’ Integration into the Learning and Wider Communities (Word document 118 KB)

Academic and related staff

Questions for reflection: What scope is there for bringing international lecturers into your department? How are international staff integrated and supported in your institution? What opportunities for mobility for UK staff are available?

See Academy Exchange Issue 5: Internationalisation pp.32-33