Supporting International Students in Their Learning A reflection

Supporting International Students in Their Learning A reflection on International student learning at Glamorgan University David Jenkins

Student Numbers 1 1 At 19 th October 2010, excluding research students

Student Experience NSS The teachin g on my course Assessme nt and feedback Academ ic support Organisati on and managem ent Learnin g resourc es Personal developm ent Overall satisfacti on 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 88 86 80 86 88 83 90 91 69 69 65 76 72 77 76 Measure Domicile : UK Domicile : Other % Agree: previous year

• Visa issues • Syndicated assessments • High expectations • • • Too many Poor language skills Passive Plagiarism et cetera t i c i f e D

• The horror stories. . . No smoke without fire 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,

Messages we received Some selection done via Skype to examine language skills • 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

TISW Tiswg G • 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 Remit • . . . 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

Report 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? )

Inclusive L, T & A Show Respect Be explicit

Internationalise L, T & A 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 Mc. Cartney’s work experimenting with MCQ’s

Present and Proposed Delivery Modes Built Environment MSc

MCQ’s

Internationalise the curriculum • “It has been clear from the • “There were a number of other consultations that there is areas where students held already a wide range of very expectations that we wouldn’t experienced staff at the necessarily have predicted. University of Glamorgan who in These included an expectation their own right are already that curricula would include engaged in international content and case issues. ” studies. . . ” • Internationalisation: Enriching • Student Expectation Report, the educational & social Glamorgan 2008, P 10 experience for all, Glamorgan 2005, P 112

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

Land economics final year students Makerere University teaching

Process • We wanted to identify • Faculties via Board risks and problems and T&L Committees that would require • At a corporate level in sustained attention various committees, and creativity beyond starting from Learning our means and remit And Teaching as a group. 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.