BOOK OF ABSTRACTS
Internationalisation and the Student Experience
18/12/2013
INDEX
Page
Authors
Title
4
Sheila Trahar
UK HE 2013: Are we still struggling with
‘internationalisation’?
5
Troy Heffernan
Transnational Education: Navigating a Complex Future
PAPERS
6
7
Julie Barnaby and Helen
Thompson
Verity Campbell-Barr
Intergration of International and Domestic students
8
Christine Comrie
Exploring the use of International comparisons on child
centredness to ‘teach’ attitudinal competences
The impact of learning styles, culture and other factors
such as language and staff attitudes on International
student learning
9
Chris Cutforth, Hazel
Horobin and Mlyong Oh
Responding to the challenges of internationalisation in an
environment of change
11
Diana De
Increasing Internationalisation - Increasing Diversity.
Studying the effects on lecturers, home and international
students
12
Paul Denison
Designing For our Future Selves: A joint curricular project
between Teesside University and Suzhou Art and Design
technology Institute , China
13
Jonathan Dunn and Caroline
Challans
Facing Change: international students’ experiences of
acculturation and transitions to a UK university
15
Suanne Gibson
To question, understand and grow with that which is
‘other’. Reflections on a UK HEA International Scholarship
project 2013/14 to develop inclusive pedagogy for
relationship with students, tutors and the university
16
Angela Hammond
The Internationalised classroom
17
Valerie Huggins
International study visits and the promotion of
intercultural capabilities
18
Lise Ntetman- Hunter
Entrepreneurship Education: Internationalisation of the
Curriculum
19
Tomasz John
A 'Roller Coaster' experience? An exploration of
Postgraduate International Students’ perceptions of
1
teaching, learning and assessment, integration with home
students and building a campus community
Language skills and employability
21
Matt Lawrence
22
Anne Lawrie
23
Rebecca Lissmann, Basego
Lesego, Nunaet
Liengudom, Ashna
Ramdin, Dylan Tan and Omar
Zibdeh
24
Lu Liu and Cathy Leng
Effectively engaging the international students with
domestic students in classroom activity and group project
26
Daniela Mangione
A collaborative cross modular approach for
internationalising the curriculum
27
Charlotte Page
From internationalisation to global citizenship education?
A case study of the impact on the student experience of
the Global Citizens, Global Futures Project at Manchester
Metropolitan University (MMU)
28
Gita Sedghi
The impact of developed activities on improving
Interactions between home and international students and
enhancing teaching and learning
29
Alan Tree presented by Anna
Round
Staff development needs of teachers delivering UK Higher
Education programmes in Trasnational education
30
Rebecca Turner
Internationalisation and globalisation: perspectives of
International Students
31
Kevin Van Cauter
Global perspectives on Internationalisation
32
Rupert Waldron
The place of curriculum internationalisation in effecting
inclusive student group interation patterns
33
Carolyn Walker
Self-concept in L2 reading in an academic context
34
Stephen Wilkins and Jolanta
Urbanovic
Language of instruction in transnational higher education:
The motives and experiences of institutions that teach in
languages other than English
35
Jennie Winter
Ethnicity and equality are longstanding issues in Higher
Education
An Exploration of Perceptions of Verbal and Non-verbal
Communication Strategies on Intercultural Group
Interactions and how they Impact on Learning and
Teaching in Higher Education
Challenges faced by International Medical Students
WORKSHOPS
36
Steve Butts
Embedding Intercultural Communication in the Student
Experience: Time to Remove Your Hands from Your Ears
2
37
Sylvia Eades, Helen
Bowstead and Patrick
McMahon
Rachel Fitzgerald and Rachel
Maxwell
Successfully designing assessments across in-sessional
modules in English for Academic/ English for specific
purposes
Maximising the Transnational education experience
39
Anne Bentley, Pollyanna
Magne and Lynne Wyness
Creating an International Curriculum: Why and how?
40
Sarah Sibley and Hugh
Osborne
Intergration strategies to enhance the International and
domestic student experience in UK, HE contexts
41
Diana De
POSTERS
International Nurses
42
Emma Guion Akdag
A Survey of International Student Experience
43
Alice Lau
Different languages, one voice: The international students’
voice in internationalising the curriculum
44
Pollyanna Magne
International students and academic writing:challenges
and solutions
38
3
Keynote Abstracts
Dr Sheila Trahar, Graduate School of Education,
University of Bristol
9.10 – 10.00 UK HE 2013: Are we still struggling with
‘internationalisation’?
Sheila Trahar is Reader in International Higher Education in
the Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol. She has
published widely in the area of international higher education
and her research and teaching reflects her commitment to
inclusivity in higher education. Currently, she is a partner in
a EU Tempus project focusing on the internationalisation of higher education in Israel – and its concomitant
complexities.
Her work continues to be innovative in the field of international higher education in its use of narrative
inquiry and autoethnography as methodological approaches. Her book Developing Cultural Capability in
International Higher Education: A Narrative Inquiry was published by Routledge in 2011, her edited
collections Learning and Teaching Narrative Inquiry: Travelling in the Borderlands and Contextualising
Narrative Inquiry: Methodological Approaches for Local Contexts were published in 2011 and 2013,
respectively. Her edited book Narrative Research on Learning: Comparative and International Perspectives,
published in 2006, continues to be one of the only texts to focus on the value of narrative in international
and comparative education.
Sheila teaches on the Doctor of Education in both Bristol and Hong Kong, the Master of Science in
Educational Research in Bristol and has taught on the Master of Education programme in Hong Kong for
several years, leading the programme there since 2008.
UK HE 2013: Are we still struggling with ‘internationalisation’?
A recent report on research into the benefits of international higher education to the UK, asserts that
‘internationalisation has many facets that include international student and staff mobility, partnerships and
collaboration in research and teaching and the internationalisation of curricula’ (Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills, 2013, p.3). The report’s main focus, however, is the articulation of the benefits to the
UK of ‘international students’, those same students who, currently, are subjected to draconian visa
regulations. Similarly, Marginson’s (2013, p.14) claim that many institutions now want:
To enhance global skill-building and to improve intercultural relations in culturally mixed classrooms.
They want to move from rhetoric and bland mission statements, to changing the nature of the
education that everyone receives.
will ring hollow unless we resist conflating ‘internationalisation’ with international students and challenge
our ‘rhetoric and bland mission statements’ to investigate wider benefits of internationalisation and how
‘higher education with its increasingly diverse populations offers rich potential to develop a sense of global
responsibility’ (Trahar, 2011, p.vii).
4
In my presentation, I propose discussing these statements in light of the current UK strategic policy on
internationalisation of higher education, asking such questions as:



Are we still struggling to define what we mean by ‘internationalisation of higher education’ in the UK?
How is internationalisation of higher education defined in contexts that are developing as education
hubs, for example, Malaysia, Hong Kong? What can we learn from these contexts?
Is ‘global responsibility’ a ‘good thing’, engendering in all of us a responsibility to act in the
interests of social justice? Or is it imbued with culturally imperialist connotations?
References
Department of Education, Business and Skills (2013) The wider benefits of international higher education in
the UK.
Marginson, S. (2013) The growing pluralisation of higher education. International Association of Universities
(IAU) Horizons, 18 (3), 14 -15.
Trahar, S. (2011) Developing cultural capability in international higher education: A narrative inquiry. Oxon,
England/New York, NY: Routledge.
Troy Heffernan, Professor of Transnational Education, Director of the International
Centre, Faculty of Business, Plymouth University
16.15 – 17.15 Transnational Education: Navigating a Complex Future
He has over 50 international publications in the areas of transnational education,
international relationship marketing, and management education. Professor
Heffernan actively consultants with industry on international strategy and
research. In 2004 he was awarded the Australian and New Zealand Marketing
Educator of the Year.
Transnational Education: Navigating a Complex Future
In his Inaugural Professorial Lecture Professor Troy Heffernan will be exploring the past, present and future
of transnational education. Areas to be examined include the competing objectives that drive TNE; the
multifaceted nature of TNE; and its future in the light of recent changes in the HE sector, including the
growth of MOOCs. Finally, the student experience will be put under the spot-light to ask how we can
enhance the employability and learning of students on TNE programmes around the globe.
5
PAPERS
Intergration of International and Domestic Students
Julie Barnaby and Helen Thompson
Myself and a colleague are early career researchers and have recently secured funding from our Centre for
Learning and Teaching (CETL) to run a project which aims to facilitate the improved integration of
international and domestic students on the final year of our Accounting and Finance (BAAF)degree.
We aim to benefit student learning , by enabling students joining our course to integrate more quickly and
more fully in order to maximise the learning opportunities available.
The project should enable:



A greater understanding of barriers to integration to enable colleagues to support timely and
effective interventions at the pre-arrival, induction and early teaching stages
Involvement of both domestic and international students in developing effective interventions to
support the integration process
An improvement in the learning experience of all students on the course
Students have joined the BAAF course from Shanghai for a number of years and teaching staff have observed
low levels of integration in the classroom, which they feel has impacted on attainment. Feedback obtained
from students through the personal tutoring system has also indicated that a significant number of
international students have expressed regret at not fulfilling their goals in terms of getting the most out of
their UK study experience.
The project team has carried out a small survey with current Shanghai students intending to study with us
from September 2013, and a focus group with Shanghai students currently studying in Leeds. This has
provided base data relating to the extent to which students wish to integrate on arrival, and their actual
(typically lower) experiences of integration on the BAAF course
A review of the academic literature suggests that the experience of our students is in line with the
experiences of international students elsewhere e.g. poor language skills leading to isolation (Kim 2001;
Brown 2009); difficulty making friends with the domestic students (Ward 2005) and lack of integration
between student groups (Brown and Peacock 2007; Leask 2007; Killick 2007)
6
Exploring the use of international comparisons on child centredness to
‘teach’ attitudinal competences
Verity Campbell-Barr
In all areas of Higher Education there is increasing interest in the potential for enhancing the curriculum
through international content. In the field of Early Childhood Studies, learning about international
comparisons can enable students to compare and contrast early childhood practices around the world,
developing their understanding of the influence of politics, culture, history, social structures and ideologies
and how these in turn influence understandings of children, childhood and appropriate pedagogical practices
(Melhuish and Petrogiannis, 2006). Focussing on global perspectives in Early Childhood Studies highlights
how early childhood services have developed in global contexts (Spodek and Sarcho, 2005) and are
increasingly the focus of supra-national organisations as well as local governments because of the socioeconomic advantages that they offer in relation to enabling parental employment and fostering children’s
social, emotional and cognitive development. Looking at international comparisons in Higher Education
within the context of Early Childhood Studies reflects the globalisation of early childhood policy and practice
and the politicisation of international comparisons (Dede and Baston, 2011). Exploring comparative early
childhood policy and practice with students provides the opportunity to consider the relevance and
applicability of cross-cultural comparisons for developing understandings of theory and practice (Welshman,
2010). .
We are particularly interested in learning opportunities in Higher Education provided by exploring the crosscultural transfer of pedagogical practices in early childhood, and how aspects of the original curriculum can
get lost in translation. We draw on focus group data that considers the attitudinal competences that Higher
Education lecturers and students in three countries (England, Hungary and Italy) felt were important for
students to develop as a part of their studies in order to prepare them for their careers working with children
and families. We found that in all three countries there was an interest in developing a disposition for child
centredness. However, examples of how to develop such an attitudinal competence through Higher
Education were more difficult to come by, with a question of whether it is possible to ‘teach’ attitudinal
competences such as child centredness. We therefore focus on the global use of the term child centredness
as a signifier of good quality early childhood pedagogical practice and consider the potential for international
comparisons to act as an enabler for developing teaching and learning strategies in this area. We propose
that looking at the similarities and differences in how the term is used can help to demonstrate the influence
of politics, culture, history, social structures and ideologies as highlighted above. Beyond this, examples of
early childhood practice that represent child centredness for a country’s cultural context might support
lecturers to ‘teach’ about child centredness and help students to develop an understanding of the term and
what it means in practice in a global context.
Dede, S. and Baskan, G., A. (2011) Theoretical basis of comparative education and suggestion of a model:
comparative education council in Turkish education system, Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, 15:
3536-3542
Melhuis, E. and Petrogiannis, K. (2006) Early Childhood Care and Education: International Perspectives,
London: Routledge
Spodek, B. and Saracho, O. (2005) International Perspectives on Research in Early Childhood Education,
Charlotte, USA: Information Age Publishing Inc.
7
Welshman, J. (2010) From Head Start to Sure Start: Reflections on Policy Transfer, Children & Society, 24 (2):
89-99
The impact of learning styles, culture and other factors such as language
and staff attitudes on International student learning
Christine Comrie
The growth in international students studying in the UK has been substantial and the British Council
estimates this growth will continue to be dominated by “Asian” students. Joy and Kolb (2009) suggest
cultural differences lead to diverse learning styles which may impact performance in a different academic
context. This is compounded by “Asian” students being seen as a “problem” by some staff (Kelly and
Moogan 2012). Ryan and Louie (2007) purport many lecturers are unsure of how to meet these students’
needs. Universities are tasked with ensuring international students are not disadvantaged whilst
maintaining the academic rigour that attracts people to Higher Education in the UK. Therefore it is important
that we recognise any barriers faced by international learners which may negatively impact on their
performance and ability to reach their potential. As potential future advocates, it is essential to support
and nurture international students and to satisfy their specific needs.
This research focuses on “Asian” students studying marketing at the University of the West of England (UWE)
at Postgraduate level. The aim is to understand barriers to learning and to identify areas where students
could be better supported in a more targeted fashion. The impact of learning styles, culture and other factors
such as language and staff attitudes is explored in qualitative semi-structured interviews to deepen the
understanding of these barriers. The output of this understanding is to recommend a better approach to
meeting these needs.
The findings in the main concur with previous research in this area but suggest that embedded home
academic culture has the greatest impact on potential performance. This is slowly changing with this
generation of students differing from their parents in terms of formative academic experience. Categorising
students as “Asian” following the British Council is too broad to enable specific understanding of unique
learning styles and barriers faced by different cultural groups. Key inhibitors to learning were found to be:





embedded academic culture
language (academic discourse and comprehension levels)
a lack of understanding of expectations;
a sense of isolation
assessment type
The findings provide a focus for future larger scale research projects. They also provide guidance as to
actions for enhancing the international student experience at UWE. The central recommendation is to
develop an holistic and coordinated approach to the students’ journey through the university from the first
moment of contact to when they become alumni and as such an embedded rather than a bolt-on approach is
recommended. The research therefore recommends that inhibitors can be addressed pre arrival, at
induction and on-going suggesting that at each stage support measures can be put in place.
Importantly the research draws out the point that internationalisation is not just about international
students adapting but rather a two way process involving both international and home students and also
staff and includes the sharing of ideas and approaches and learning from each other.
8
Responding to the challenges of internationalisation in an environment
of change
Chris Cutforth, Hazel Horobin and Mlyong Oh
Sheffield Hallam University is a middle ranking University with a strong strategic focus on vocationally
relevant courses (employability). The University is also committed to developing a variety of international
markets and business opportunities, notably in Asia, North America and the EU. This includes recruiting large
numbers of international students to study mainly at postgraduate level in the UK.
The University context reflects much of the literature relating to teaching international students which
focusses on 'managerialist' issues such as what is done to the learner (Taylor,1996; Altbach, 2007). However,
the change in students' cultural profile brings many opportunities and challenges for the University at all
levels as it seeks to engage with it semployability agenda.
Session outline
The session will outline how the University is responding to the opportunities and challenges of
internationalisation.
A presentation will consider the complex interrelationships within the University’s approach at 3 levels:



The place and changing profile of internationalisation within the University’s emerging Strategy and
Corporate Plan
The approaches of 2 Faculties (Health and Well Being and Sheffield Business School)
A case study of the Sport Department’s response to internationalisation
The presentation will demonstrate how a number of research studies (some of which are on-going) have
provided a growing evidence base to influence and inform University policy and practice at different levels.
As well as describing various programmes and interventions which have been implemented across the
University, the presentation will highlight the complex challenges of developing a more strategic and
integrated approach to internationalisation focussing on all students (home and international).
The Sport Department case study will describe:




The Department’s ‘journey’ in working to improve the international student experience;
The successes and challenges experienced along the way;
How the work is evolving into the more integrated and holistic strategy focussed on the needs of all
students
Future opportunities and challenges and how these are being addressed.
This session will be of particular interest to academics, University managers and leaders with responsibility
for international students and the wider student experience.
The presenters are also keen to receive critical feedback on the University’s approach and to learn from the
policies and practices of other Universities.
9
Presenters’ profiles
Hazel Horobin
Principal Lecturer - International Student Experience Coordinator for Faculty of Health and Well Being; 17
years as an Allied Health Professional working in the UK and overseas and more than 12 years in Higher
Education; currently studying for an Ed D focussed on internationalisation and changes in professional
identity
Chris Cutforth
Senior Lecturer in sport development, policy and management; Sport Department Lead - International
Student Experience; 23 years as a sport development professional/practitioner in a variety of leadership and
development role at local, regional and national levels.
Dr MIyoung Oh
Senior Lecturer in Sport, Culture and Society; research interests in globalisation, the nation and identity
10
Increasing Internationalisation - Increasing Diversity
Studying the effects on lecturers, home and international students
Diana De
Synopsis: This session aims to explore whether current higher education teaching practice can effectively
cater for the learning needs of both home and international students, or should reasonable adjustments be
made?
As a result of ‘internationalisation’ and ‘widening access’, it is evident that accredited education institutions
now contain much more socially and culturally diverse student
populations than they have previously. Increasingly diverse populations bring with them new and demanding
challenges for academic staff; as extant pedagogical models strain to deal with new attitudes, varying needs
and expectations that may never have been encountered before within the higher education system (De Vita
and Chase, 2003).
Language acquisition is often the most obvious empathetic entity associated with international student’s
transition to the UK. Whilst lecturers cultural competency within the classroom (especially those who are not
English Foreign Language trained), generates many discussions and debate around ethnocentricity. However,
it should not be underestimated that Internationalisation also presents new challenges for home students;
shaping their attitudes towards shared learning as well as globalisation and global citizenship. Requests for
segregation though, seem far removed from the concept of promoting integration and inclusivity. This
contentious suggestion provided the stimulus for a qualitative research study as part of an MSc in Equality
and Diversity. The study was relevant in that it not only collected feedback from international students; but
also the thoughts from home students and their lecturers. Sentiments were gauged via the use of semi
structured interviews, questionnaires, as well as a series of focus groups. And it was the utilization of
students’ and lecturers’ own words which formed a significant part of the research and made the findings
from the study even more powerful. A number of legitimate accounts will be shared during the session in
order for those attending to empathise with some of the notions put forward. This author will advocate for
Academic Staff to become more self-aware by exploring ways of improving mixed ability teaching, learning
and inclusivity within the classroom.
11
Designing For our Future Selves: A joint curricular project between
Teesside University and Suzhou Art and Design technology Institute,
China
Paul Denison
General Aim: The aims of this project are to:




Allow students to follow an internationalised curriculum
To provide opportunities for the exchange of cultural ideas and knowledge
To encourage students to use distance learning techniques and digital technologies to communicate
ideas and knowledge in a professional manner
To establish the basis for future collaboration between the two institutions
To develop staff expertise and potential research projects
Specific Subject Aims:





To investigate and provide appropriate solutions to the problems of an ageing population.
To further develop students’ abilities to practice a ‘problem-solving’ and ‘globalised’ approach to
product design.
To encourage group learning as the basis for professional product design practice.
To encourage students to learn research skills which allow them access to international resources
and examples of best practice.
To develop a resource base which would allow for the continuation of the project over a number of
years.
Outcomes:





All students should be able to evidence their role within an international group working project.
All groups should submit a single design or solution and a justification for the outcome, in relation to
the brief provided by the coordinating teachers.
Staff in each institution should collaborate in the assessment of the submitted projects.
Staff in each institution should collaborate in the recording of the project (through exhibition and/or
publication).
Staff in each institution should make the outcomes of the project known to appropriate audiences
including senior management, public bodies and industrial partners.
12
Facing Change: international students’ experiences of acculturation and
transitions to a UK University.
Jonathan Dunn and Caroline Challans
Relativity to Conference Theme
Understanding the challenges faced by international students is becoming more salient as the numbers of
students continue to rise. Student assimilation and adjustment within the university context is wide varied
and evolving. This paper will address the challenges of working with international students on three fronts.


Raising awareness of the need for international students to adopt different academic cultures and a
readiness to adopt the practices and techniques of the host institution
Raising mindfulness of home students of different learning styles and improving collaboration
between home and international students
Abstract
The experience of the international student is a wide, varied and evolving one. As the number international
students studying in UK universities increases, it is paramount that we look beyond only educational needs to
encompass their social and psychological needs as well.
A review of the literature raises a number of concerns faced regarding not only equipping students with the
skills and English level but also challenges around adjustment to university and living abroad. The literature
suggests that international students and university departments face a range of adjustment challenges
including:






Failure to understand/value academic culture and academic self-efficacy
Linguistic issues and English language proficiency
Lack of cultural awareness and integration and establishing friendship and social networks
Homesickness
Insufficient pastoral and academic support
Perceived discrimination and negative learning experiences
Based on our own research into student experiences, the aim of this presentation is to discuss and explore
the challenges faced by international students and open up dialogue on what we could do to help students
acculturate. Additionally, we will discuss how these issues might inform pedagogy in an increasingly
internationalised environment.
A version of this presentation was given at the University of Brighton’s Learning and Teaching Conference in
July 2013.
13
References
Dunne, C. (2009). Host Students' Perspectives of Intercultural Contact in an Irish University. Journal of Studies
in International Education Vol 13 No. 2, 222-239.
International Students in UK Higher Education: Key Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2013, from UK
Council for International Student Affairs: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/about/statistics_he.php#table1
Jones, J. &. (2012). Staying on course: factors affecting first year international students' decisions to persist
or withdraw from degrees in a post-1992 UK university. Practice and Evidence of Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning in Higher Education Vol 7, No.1, 21-46.
Wilcox, P. W.-G. (2005). "It was nothing to do with university, it was just the people", the role of social
support in the first year experience of higher eduacation. Studies in Higher Education Vol 30 No. 6, 707-722.
Zhou, Y. &. (2009). Patterns of Adaptation of Chinese Postgraduate Students in the UK. Journal of Studies in
International Education Vol 13 No. 4, 467-486.
14
To question, understand and grow with that which is ‘other’. Reflections
on a UK HEA International Scholarship project 2013/14 to develop
inclusive pedagogy for relationship with students, tutors and the
university
Suanne Gibson
Against a backdrop of what some perceive as a failed rights agenda for learners with ‘disability’, this study
began as a quest to find a way forward, to look beyond rights models and, through the question of
‘relationship’, articulate a pedagogy for equality. In the very early stages, the work looked at questions of
‘disability’ with links to ‘intersectionality’, this resulted in a broadening of the work’s initial remit to
encompass a wider scale study which aimed to provide richer layers of understanding to promote diversity in
University learning environments. With centres of student stakeholders and facilitators working within
university settings in Australia, Europe, New Zealand and the U.S.A. the aim was to include groups of
students who, on the basis of self selection, considered they represented diverse components of their
university’s student population. ‘Diversity’ was defined as representing self identities linked to disability,
ethnicity, sexuality, gender and/or socio economic background.
Participants firstly took part in an individual mind map activity and subsequently 2 focus groups, one in the
first term 2013/14 with the second to be held in spring 2014. The focus groups explore participants’
understandings of ‘diverse learners and/or learning’, ‘inclusive forms of education and learning’, experiences
of inclusive provision and they reflect on recent global HE policy development, specifically the ‘Students as
Partners’ initiative. Referred to as ‘Students as Partners’ in the UK, the current aim throughout many western
universities is to build on student representation practices, drawing more on the input of students as
partners in learning as opposed to mere disenfranchised recipients of knowledge. This policy development
has emerged due partly to increased levels of student self funding and the commodification of education,
changes to the global workplace and market, worldwide digital developments and wider general access to
information/knowledge collectively serving to raise the profile of ‘student’ to that of enfranchised
stakeholder and politicised contributor to the processes of the university.
This paper reflects on the project’s progress to date, considers what participants perceive as important
questions for the future of inclusive education at international levels and engages with what the project lead
sees as the crucial matter of ‘relationship’ and its purpose as a key link of policy to pedagogy in the quest to
strengthen diverse learner rights. This paper has been written by the project leader with input from project
participants- students and centre facilitators.
15
The Internationalised classroom
Angela Hammond
The internationalised classroom is often discussed in terms of the makeup of the student body or the
curriculum, but less attention has been paid to the nationalities of staff who engage with both. In the UK
Higher Education sector 24% of researchers and teachers are from overseas (UK HE International Unit, 2013).
For the classroom to be an effective place for students to develop intercultural awareness and a global
outlook, this element of the learning and teaching dynamic also warrants exploration.
At the University of Hertfordshire international academics account for almost 25% of the total and come
from 74 countries. Using a grant from the Higher Education Academy, two members of the Learning and
Teaching Institute researched the views of 83 of those staff, through surveys and focus groups. The aim of
their research was to evaluate the contribution that international academics make to the academic
community, raise awareness within the institution of the specific benefits they bring to the student learning
experience and highlight their role in delivering an internationalised curriculum. An additional aim was to
consider any training and support needs this group of staff may have.
Key findings were that the academic culture in the UK was perceived by those surveyed to be very different
from their own, particularly in terms of assessment, interaction with students and teaching methods.
Academics had adapted to those differences, often either as a result of staff development or support from
their peers. They reported a positive approach to the way they brought their cultural background and beliefs
into their teaching, commenting on their ability to empathise with new international students and to relate
to the diverse student body. In terms of critical awareness and an understanding of difference, more than
one commented on how they were able to use their experience and presence in the classroom to broaden
the perspectives of those they taught. Less favourably, there was often a mismatch of expectations
surrounding attitudes to study, with staff expressing surprise that students were not more independent in
their approach. Information about a website dedicated to supporting international staff moving to UK
universities was welcomed by all.
Effective interaction between student and teacher is central to the learning experience. A fuller
understanding of what lecturers and researchers from other cultures bring to that experience can only be
good for all concerned. It provides the opportunity to consider the part those staff can play in the delivery of
a truly internationalised curriculum that makes use of different perspectives to deepen understanding and
critical thought. The increased diversity that results from the presence of international staff in the institution
provides a medium in which student and teacher are able to work together to develop a global outlook,
tolerate difference and create an inclusive learning experience for all.
Reference
UK Higher Education International Unit (2013) International Higher Education in Facts and Figures Available
at: http://www.international.ac.uk/media/2416084/intfacts2013.pdf (Accessed 27/09/13)
16
International study visits and the promotion of intercultural capabilities
Valerie Huggins
In the 21st Century it is essential that student teachers are prepared to respond positively and
sympathetically to children and families whose way of life, beliefs and attitudes may differ significantly from
their own (Carter Dillon and Huggins 2010). As Walters et al. (2009), argue, this involves the development of
intercultural capabilities such as sensitivity to cultural differences, a questioning of their own beliefs and
values about cultures and a recognition that their own world-views are not universally held.
One way to expose students to cultural diversity is for them to visit a very different country and there is
growing interest in the potential for transformative learning from international exchanges and study trips as
the world becomes increasingly interconnected (Buczynski et al. 2010). The School of Education teacher
educators actively promote a wide range of such international experiences, often based upon an experiential
model. However, recent research, such as Martin et al’s (2011) Global Sites for Mutual Learning ESRC project,
suggests that this model is problematic, and that instead such trips may be confirmative of existing attitudes,
stereotypes and prejudices unless work is done beforehand to deconstruct the students’ current worldviews.
Indeed, there is a danger that such activities can take on a form of neo-colonialism and ‘development
tourism’.
This paper presents some preliminary results from an investigation in 2012-13 into the international study
visits offered by the School of Education within the Faculty of Health, Education and Society. These play a key
role in the internationalisation agenda of the Faculty, and are seen to be part of preparing student teachers
to work in an increasingly globalised world. They offer students the opportunity to travel abroad and to
experience education in different contexts, hopefully promoting their awareness of cultural diversity.
However, recent research expresses concerns about the effectiveness and the ethics of such visits,
particularly to Majority World contexts, and challenges the assumption that participation in an international
study visit will necessarily develop students’ intercultural capabilities.
In this presentation, I consider the underpinning pedagogies of international study visits in light of my
research. I challenge the experiential approach often adopted and advocate a model of transformational
learning, based upon the work of Andreotti (Andreotti 2011) and Martin (2011).
References
Andreotti, V. (2011). Actionable Postcolonial Theory in Education, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Buczynski, S., Lattimer, H., Inoue, N., and Alexandrowicz, V. (2010). "Developing a policy for an international
experience requirement in a graduate teacher education program: a cautionary tale." Teaching Education,
21(1), 33 - 46.
Carter Dillon, R., and Huggins, V. (2010). "Children's Well-being in the Developing World", in R. Parker-Rees
and C. Leeson, (eds.), Early Childhood Studies. Exeter: Learning Matters.
Martin, F., Griffiths, H., Raja, L., and Sidibeh, L. (2011). Global Partnerships as Sites for Mutual Learning:
Interim Research Report. Executive Summary. ESRC and University of Exeter
Walters, L. M., Garii, B., and Walters, T. (2009). "Learning globally, teaching locally: incorporating
international exchange and intercultural learning into pre‐service teacher training." Intercultural Education,
20(sup1), S151-S158.
17
Entrepreneurship Education: Internationalisation of the Curriculum
Lise Ntetman- Hunter
Entrepreneurship as a field of study has grown significantly over the past decade in recognition to its vital
role in fostering economic and social development. Increasingly, Higher Education Institutions are designing
and implementing educational programmes to equip young people with the skills and knowledge necessary
to become wealth creators, on the premise that teaching entrepreneurship encourages entrepreneurial
activity. The evidence of Entrepreneurial success across very different social contexts has contributed to the
creation and dissemination of knowledge captured from entrepreneurial processes. It is argued that such
knowledge could form a ‘unified content’ for educational programmes.
The paradoxical situation of graduate unemployment and rising entrepreneurial activity among young people
reveals the limitations of the classic undergraduate or business degree to meet the skills requirements of an
increasingly entrepreneurial global marketplace. Thus, it is imperative to align entrepreneurship education
with the process of value creation. Scholars have argued whether Entrepreneurship can be taught, but there
is a growing consensus that entrepreneurship education must include non-core business skills such as
negotiation, leadership and creative thinking using experiential learning and interdisciplinary delivery.
This study on Entrepreneurship education in Kenya and Tanzania was undertaken in two simultaneous stages.
First, a survey was designed using GIBB entrepreneurship skills and competences to define the characteristics
of an entrepreneur. 420 responses were collected from a population sample made of strata comprising (i)
educational institutions, (ii) employers and (iii) graduates and unemployed youth. Results were very similar in
Kenya and Tanzania in defining the main characteristics of an entrepreneur as being innovative, taking
initiative and grasping opportunities where others have failed to, and finally developing trust with whom
they work. The characteristics least associated with being an entrepreneur included: having studied
entrepreneurship as a subject, holistic management skills and demonstrating entrepreneurial values.
The underlying principle that entrepreneurs learn by doing on a continuous basis and in a more integrated
way, solving problems and copying from others, making mistakes and learning from experience was
examined in a semi structured interview. 62 participants were selected among the three strata. Results
showed that collaboration between industry and HEIs was important and opportunities for experiential
learning and wider dissemination of knowledge using ICTs were suggested by many. Mentoring schemes
were cited as an effective strategy to learn from local entrepreneurs regardless of their educational level,
because it would encourage learning from role models. Finally, the training of teachers was perceived as an
important element.
This study contributes to the development of an international curriculum on entrepreneurship education and
the role of social context in creating and disseminating new knowledge. It has some practical implications for
HEIs in the development of sustainable learning approaches in an increasingly global marketplace.
18
A 'Roller Coaster' experience? An exploration of Postgraduate
International Students’ perceptions of teaching, learning and assessment,
integration with home students and building a campus community.
Tomasz John
Keywords: teaching, learning and assessment of international students; internationalization of curriculum;
international student experience; internationalisation at home; communities of practice
The phenomenon of internationalisation of higher education brings both opportunities and challenges, as it
introduces what can be radically different in terms of teaching, learning and assessment for both students
and staff.
However, the topic tends to be theorised in the literature at the organisational, strategic level and/or to
focus on the growing numbers of 'international students‘. There are still few comprehensive investigations of
the interactions between international students, staff and home students.
As the majority of studies are neither supported by stories from the field, nor informed by accounts of the
experience of practitioners dealing with students in various multicultural landscapes, there is a strong need
for more in-depth case studies with examples of successes but also challenges international students face.
The aim of my PhD research is to contribute to the improvement of teaching, learning, assessment and
enhancement of the postgraduate international student experience overall. Various experiences of
postgraduate international students with English as their L2, home students, lecturers and other staff
involved in dealing with internationalization as well as my own practice will be explored in this inquiry.
In my presentation, I will show my work in progress and explore PG international students’ views on what
internationalization means to them, how it influences their learning as well as what challenges and successes
they experience in regards to integration with home students and when building a campus community. The
themes emerged from the four focus groups I carried out as part of my PhD research in an English university.
The results will be supported by the analysis of The International Student I-Barometer Survey from the same
institution.
Bibliography:
Brunner, B.B. (2006) Student perceptions of diversity on a college campus: scratching the surface to find
more. Intercultural Education, 17 (3), 311-317
Caruana, V. & Spurling, N. (2007) The internationalisation of UK Higher Education: a review of selected
material: project report. York England: Higher Education Academy, 147 pages. Available at:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/learning/international (accessed May 2013)
Knight, J. (2008) Internationalization: A decade of changes and challenges. International Higher Education, 50,
6-7. Available at: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/newsletter/Number50/p6_Knight.htm (accessed
May 2013).
19
PMI and PMI 2, Available on http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/pmi/ (accessed May 2013).
Ryan, J. (2013) Cross-Cultural Teaching and Learning for Home and International Students:
Internationalisation of Pedagogy and Curriculum in Higher Education; Routledge
Trahar, S. (2007) Teaching and Learning: the International Higher Education Landscape – Some Theories and
Working Practices. ESCalate Discussion Paper. Available at: http://escalate.ac.uk/3559 (accessed May 2013).
20
Language skills and employability
Matt Lawrence
This presentation is aimed at all university professionals who support international students with
employability. It will share practice on a pilot workshop recently delivered for careers consultants at The
University of Exeter. It will be emphasised that helping students to notice, process and engage with the
discourse of employability brings about significant linguistic, cognitive and socio-cultural learning benefits. It
will also be emphasised that collaboration between insessional and employability teams can significantly
enhance pedagogy.
Bibliography
Crossman, J., & Clarke, M. (2010). International experience and graduate employability: stakeholder
perceptions on the connection. Journal of Higher Education, 59, 599-613.
Hinchliffe, G. W., & Jolly, A. (2011). Graduate identity and employability. British Educational Research
Journal, 35(4), 619-638.
Kneale, P. F.-1. (2009). Teaching and learning for employability. In H. Fry, S. Ketteridge, & S. Marshall, A
Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (pp. 99-111). London: Routledge.
Marra, M. (2013). English in the Workplace. In S. Starfield, & B. Paltridge, The Handbook of English for
Specific Purposes (pp. 173-192). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Pennycook, A. (2001). Critical applied linguistics: a critical introduction. London: Taylor & Francis.
Turner, J. (2011). Language in the Academy: Cultural Reflexivity and Intercultural Dynamics. London:
Languages for Intercultural Communication and Education.
21
An Exploration of Perceptions of Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
Strategies on Intercultural Group Interactions and how they Impact on
Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Anne Lawrie
Internationalisation is a key issue impacting on Higher Education today and has been responsible for the
steady growth of international students choosing to study in the UK. While this has presented an ideal
opportunity for cultural exchange and for students and staff to learn from each other, research suggests that
language can be a barrier to successful intercultural communications. But is it simply ‘language’? In
intercultural interactions, when difficulty in understanding occurs, interlocutors often draw on other factors,
for example, verbal and non-verbal strategies, to enable communication to take place. But what happens if
these strategies are misinterpreted?
Academics who regularly teach international students have attempted to understand how culture influences
learning styles and processes so they can use their understanding to inform and shape the learning
experiences they design for multicultural settings. This has often resulted in requiring native and non-native
English speaking students to work together in multicultural groups. However, research (Volet and Ang, 1998;
Spencer-Rodgers and McGovern, 2002; De Vita, 2005; Harrison and Peacock, 2007) indicates that this has not
been altogether successful.
Staff and students bring their own cultural verbal and non-verbal ‘norms’ into the learning and teaching
environment. However, individual perceptions of one another’s ‘norms’ can either impede or enable
successful communication between international and home students and/or staff and can contribute to or
discourage a good learning and teaching environment. Exploring the perceptions and use of verbal and
non-verbal strategies in intercultural group interactions is the focus of this paper. Data were collected by
means of transcriptions of semi-structured interviews which were collected at different times throughout a
taught postgraduate programme of study: the beginning, the middle and the end. The participants in this
small-scale study were full-time UK, European and Chinese students studying on either an MSc in Marketing
or an MSc in TESOL degree programme.
The data presented in this paper are limited to the preliminary findings relating to the home, European and
International students. It will contribute to the field by exploring and identifying the changing role played by
verbal and non-verbal strategies in intercultural group interactions and the extent to which it interferes,
influences, and in some cases prevents, intercultural communication between and among a cohort of
postgraduate students registered for the same programme of study. One of the aims of internationalisation
is to ensure that all students’ learning experience is maximised and enhanced during their studies (British
Council, 2010: 1). The preliminary findings contribute to this by providing insight into how verbal and nonverbal communication strategies impact on postgraduate students’ participation and interaction as they
work in different multi-cultural groups throughout their taught post-graduate programme of study. The
findings also indicate a change in attitude to the composition of the groups among the native and non-native
students.
22
Challenges faced by International Medical Students
Rebecca Lissmann, Basego Lesego, Nunaet Liengudom, Ashna Ramdin, Dylan Tan
and Omar Zibdeh
Challenges faced by international students following courses in higher education, the world over, have been
well documented(1). Medicine in particular is also recognised as among the most demanding courses to
undertake, partly due to the challenging nature of the subject material(2) and the length of the course.
Problem Based Learning is recognised for its emphasis on both collaborative and independent learning,
which rely on generic skills such as communication, critical thinking and self-discipline in study. An overseas
student, registering for a medical degree at Plymouth University would have to overcome all of these types
of academic challenges, amongst many others in their social life.
The author is a second year medical student who has convened a team of six fresh overseas international
medical students and two staff dedicated for support of overseas students, with the objective of
understanding the needs and expectations from both ends. The students come from six distinct geographic
areas and have varying degrees of exposure to the UK system of learning. These range from some who have
completed their AS and A2 level learning in the UK, to those who have only just arrived here for the first time.
The staff are also of diverse geographical origin.
The proposed methodology to explore issues that are considered important to a new medical student is
based on the maintenance of daily diaries, by these six overseas students. In these diaries they will describe
and reflect upon their feelings about both struggles and victories in different aspects of their educational and
personal lives. Simultaneously, staff will maintain weekly reflective diaries on their thoughts of the expected
progress and sources of challenges of these students.
This rich foundation of qualitative data will form the basis of a narrative presented by all listed below, and
will take the form of fortnightly ‘snap-shots’ over a period of 12 weeks, comparing observations of students
and predictions of staff, inviting comment of participants. It is hoped that this interactive presentation
format will stimulate deep exploration of issues identified and possible avenues of addressing them by
attendees of the workshop.
In the increasingly competitive global marketplace for higher education, overseas students are respected not
only for the diversity they represent, but also their considerable financial contribution(3). An innovative and
ambitious university like Plymouth can only gain from exploration of issues that impact upon the lives of
these new students. Furthermore, the approaches outlined above will encourage the overseas students not
to be mere subjects of observation but active contributors to the growing narrative.
References
(1)Eaton L. (2006). Tossed Aside. BMJ Available [online] at
http://www.bmj.com//content/332/7547/932.1?variant=full-text
[Accessed 14/10/13]
(2)Singer P A (2003) Intimate examinations and other ethical challenges in medical education. BMJ. Available
[online] at http://www.bmj.com/content/326/7380/62
[Accessed 14/10/13]
(3)Jaques H. (2012) International medical students being used as “cash cows,” say doctors. BMJ. Available
[online] at http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20007802
[Accessed 14/10/13]
23
Effectively engaging the international students with domestic students in
classroom activity and group project
Lu Liu and Cathy Leng
The B&M Department recognises the importance of continuing an international agenda through high quality
teaching. From the researchers’ experience, due to cultural, language and other issues, international
students tend to keep themselves in the community of their fellow countrymen on and off campus.
Domestic students are observed to have similar behaviour. From both literature and practice, the
researchers identified that although the international students may have the expectation to interact with the
domestic students, they lack the courage, the confidence and the strategy. Domestic students show less
interest in interacting with the international students.
The aim of this research is to enhance international students’ learning experiences and learning outcomes
through effectively engaging them with the domestic students in terms of class activity and group project.
The researchers investigate and test the suitable strategies and methods that encourage and manage
international students and domestic students’ interaction. Theories involved include strategic management
theory, cultural competence theory, and attachment and acculturation theory. The targeted international
students are from a 3+1 top-up business programme. These students study 3 years on a business course in
their home country and come to the UK for the final year degree course. The key areas include the impact of
international students on module delivery; the nature of the interaction between international and domestic
students; the issues that affect the interaction; and the outcomes from engaging them. Research
methodology focuses on case study and action research. The data collection process focuses on two
modules – International Business and Marketing for Manager, and two deliveries of each module from 2011
to 12 and 2012-13. Therefore, four classes are studied over last two years.
This paper reflects the research findings as module delivery becomes more challenging. Course design and
delivery should reflect the demand from both international and domestic students. Workload is likely
increased. The interaction between international and domestic students is mostly positive but issues are
addressed from both sides. From the point of view of the international students






It is difficult join the informal groups that the domestic students have already formed in the previous
two year.
They request clear information and instruction in terms of course design, module contents,
assignments and requirements
They prefer to be given examples against the marking criteria
They request more information on preparations for academic progress and daily life, including
developing cultural awareness
They request to give the opportunity to be acquainted with domestic students at an early stage
They need to be ensured and re-insured the confidence they lack
From domestic students’ aspect,




They need to be satisfied with the concerns of working with the international students, for instance,
their language barrier, a lack of experience of UK education system, cultural conflicts, etc.
They desire a more beneficial learning partnership from international students
They look forward to learning different experiences from international students
They are eager to provide help to international students
24
Overall speaking, engaging the international students and the domestic students in working as partners or
groups is positive, beneficial and rewarding.
The paper also suggest the action against the findings that include:







value the experience of the international students
have international students and group students formed into groups as early as possible
emphasise the importance, benefit and challenge of work as an international team
tailed tutorials given to both international students and domestic students
closely monitor students’ programme, identify and solve the issues at an early stage
ensure and re-insure the issues addressed by both international students and domestic students
tailed in-class practice on cultural communication and working under pressure and commitment
25
A collaborative cross modular approach for internationalising the
curriculum
Daniela Mangione
Internationalization is having an influence globally in every sector, particularly in the field of higher education.
Jacob and Meek (2013) suggest that internalization has an impact on the Higher Education, particularly in the
acquisition and transmission of knowledge. This increasing pressure to develop internationalized curricula
(Leask, 2001) has been accelerated because of an amplified student and staff mobility, raising issues such as
adapting the curricula to the local and global demands, academic standards and quality assurance (Smith,
2010). Our paper here examines an institutional approach to developing an internationalized curriculum. It
focuses on how bridging the teaching and learning experiences and the assessment across two modules
could lead to development of a holistic internationalized curriculum. The two modules are ‘Critical Analysis in
International Education’ and ‘Education and Change in a Globalised World’, which sit within the
‘International Perspectives’ pathway of our Masters in Education. It builds on our narratives as lecturers
leading the two modules, with the view to identify the decision-making processes, which informed our
practices. The collaborative approach in our cross modular planning and delivery strengthened the
promotion of a complementary holistic experience of international education. Our cross-modular
interconnectedness permeated through the teaching practices, learning experiences and assessments as well.
The content, the pedagogical practices and the assessments of the two modules have been constructively
aligned with a careful consideration to avoid overlap in the curriculum. This paper explores the processes
involved in developing our constructively aligned cross-modular approach for internationalizing the
curriculum.
References
Jacob, M. and Meek, V.L. (2013) ‘Scientific mobility and international research networks: trends and policy
tools for promoting research excellence and capacity building’. Studies in Higher Education. 38(3), 331-344.
Leask, B. (2001). ‘Bridging the Gap: Internationalising University Curricula’. Journal of Studies in International
Education, 5 (2), 100-115.
Smith, K. (2010). ‘Assuring quality in transnational higher education: a matter of collaboration or control?’.
Studies in Higher Education, 35(7), 793–806.
26
From internationalisation to global citizenship education? A case study of
the impact on the student experience of the Global Citizens, Global
Futures Project at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)
Charlotte Page
In Higher Education academic literature, increasing attention is being paid to issues such as the
internationalisation of education (e.g. Suarez-Orozco & Qin-Hilliard (eds) 2004, Job & Sriraman, 2013), global
citizenship education (Stomquist 2009, Andreotti 2011, Balarin 2011) and the development of student
intercultural competences (e.g. Barrie 2004, Jones 2009, Deardorff (ed.) 2009). There are few explorations
however, of the direct impact of these high-level strategic directives on the student experience of a more
international or global approach in Higher Education.
One of the key objectives in the Internationalisation Strategy at MMU is to ‘create opportunities for global
citizenship’. The Global Citizens, Global Futures Project (GCGF), an HEA-funded project running from Jan
2013 to Jan 2014, seeks to explore how this strategic aim is understood by students and staff and what it
means at the level of practice.
This paper explores the initial findings of the GCGF Project particularly the student experience of global
citizenship relating to:



Students’ understanding of the term global citizenship
Students’ experience of global citizenship opportunities
Students’ response to the project’s implementation phase including an online Global Citizen Enquiry
Research has sought to categorise the plethora of concepts related to the term global citizenship; soft/critical
global citizenship (Andreotti 2006); modern/diverse (Tully 2008), World Culture, New-Era Realism, Corporate
Citizenship, Planetary Vessel (Stromquist N 2009); open/moral/socio-political (Veugelers 2011). Andreotti
(2011) has raised issues around a lack of critical analysis in education of the reasons for problems facing the
globe and of a critique of the discipline itself i.e. that particular groups are marginalised from global
citizenship discourse (Parmenter 2012 , Balarin 2011). In order to explore further how global citizenship is
realised for students in a Higher Education setting, we report on work with students, in questionnaires and
focus groups, on their understandings of concepts of global citizenship and on the space, or lack of space, for
a critical approach.
Initial findings show that ‘open’ and ‘moral’ definitions (Veugelers 2011) tend to dominate, that is finding
new better models of dealing with global issues and the individual response to this – their attitudes and
agency. Global Citizenship education is viewed by students as important for embracing and understanding
diversity, broadening cultural understanding, developing a global outlook and for student employability.
Global Citizenship opportunities are seen to exist, even if underdeveloped in both curricular (course content,
international learning partnerships, study exchanges, work placements, volunteering) and in extra-curricular
settings, although the latter is perceived as being ad hoc and left up to the individual student.
A student Global Citizen Award and Global Citizen Enquiry at MMU is also reported on and evaluated. This
award aims to bring a more critical approach to global citizenship and has been piloted as a model for
supporting global citizenship in extra-curricular time.
27
The impact of developed activities on improving Interactions between
home and international students and enhancing teaching and learning
Gita Sedghi
The Department of Chemistry at the University of Liverpool welcomed the first cohort of international
students onto the second year undergraduate course directly from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)
in China in academic year 2013-14. XJTLU is an international university run in partnership between the
University of Liverpool and Xi'an Jiaotong University in China. As part of its goal to offer a unique
international educational experience, XJTLU students are able to be transferred to Liverpool to complete part
of their studies there via a range of options.
In preparation for the first cohort of XJTLU students, a research project “Developing strategies and activities
to improve interactions between home and international students and to enhance teaching and learning”
funded by HEA/UKCISA was performed in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of
Liverpool. The purpose of this project was to identify and develop the necessary skills in interculturally
competent graduates prepared for life as global professionals, by generating strategies to facilitate
interaction between home and overseas students, which is mutually beneficial to all students and staff.
Despite having XJTLU students at some departments at the University of Liverpool, there was not any
information available to describe the existing procedures at other departments. Also, the usual problems of
integrating home and international students are more difficult at the University of Liverpool since XJTLU
students enter directly onto the second year undergraduate studies. Therefore, both groups of home and
international students have already established peer groups which make integration more challenging.
The research in the Faculty of Science and Engineering included collecting information on existing
internationalisation experiences within the Faculty and the Guild of Students. To collect the data, we have
conducted semi-structured interviews with university staff who have experience with integrating home and
international students. We have also arranged focus groups with home and international undergraduate
students. The implementation of internationalisation at the University of Liverpool, such as the design of
taught modules, induction process and group activities were reviewed. The study resulted in the compilation
of a general framework that helps to enhance integration and interactions between home and international
students, and to enhance teaching and learning.
The project has had a high impact on staff and students at the Department of Chemistry in terms of
informing them of new international students’ arrival, the activities in place and the informative
internationalisation webpage. It has opened more communication between the staff at the Department of
Chemistry and the XJTLU to make sure everything runs smoothly before and after the international students’
arrival. Involving undergraduate home students to give pastoral and subject support to international
students showed their important role in the internationalisation process. The outcome of this project would
be beneficial to all staff and students in other higher education institutions.
28
Staff development needs of teachers delivering UK Higher Education
programmes in Trasnational education
Alan Tree presented by Anna Round
The University of Sunderland has programmes that are delivered on the University’s campuses, in partner
Further Education colleges and in partner colleges overseas. A large proportion of the student population is
from, or is based overseas.
My experience of supporting the development of staff teaching on Higher Education programmes has
revealed varying degrees of commitment to engage with different forms of task as a result of religious or
cultural viewpoints. Concerned that the learning of students would be affected not only by their own cultural
perspectives but also by those of their teachers I have decided to investigate further the views of knowledge,
thinking and learning held by the five cultures and religions in the UK Higher Education population from
which come the greatest number of overseas students.
Whilst the qualifications that students seek are ‘western’ qualifications, students from overseas can arrive
with distinctly ‘non-western’ views of education and occasionally with inappropriate expectations of studying
on a UK Higher Education course. The existing corpus of research largely deals with the differences between
students from varying cultural backgrounds, often in localised contexts and for a small range of cultural
backgrounds. The milieu of influences that students have been exposed to during their earlier educational
journeys and in their family and social environments in their home countries is generally explored less fully.
The project is in an early stage of literature review and local interviews which has revealed clear cultural
differences in how knowledge, thinking and learning are conceived. Conceptions of knowledge span from
being a facet of God to being holistic and atheistic. The nature of learning similarly has opposing conceptions
from a focus on memorisation to one on observation and contemplation. Research into the differences in
conceptions of thinking has so far produced incomplete coverage for the cultures and religions included in
this project and is still underway.
Cultural differences in the customary characteristics and roles expected of learners and teachers are also
apparent and appear to be contingent on conceptions of knowledge, thinking and learning.
The aim of the project is to provide insight into the staff development needs of teachers delivering UK Higher
Education programmes in TNE partners and ultimately to support strategies for the development of more
philosophically egalitarian trans-national programmes to correspond with the cultural diversity of global
students.
29
Internationalisation and globalisation: perspectives of International
Students
Rebecca Turner
Increasing forces of internationalisation and globalisation, the organisations have been influenced
(MacDonald & Arthur, 2004; Jones, 2011). There is a great need for the employers to recruit personnel with
knowledge and understanding of cultural issues, as well as the ability to operate in culturally diverse contexts
and manage international relationships (Early et al., 2006; Crossman & Clarke, 2010).
Against the above background, this paper assesses perspectives of international students from the Mainland
China on relationships between their international education and graduate employability. The research
design draws on Tomlinson (2007) and Tymon (2011) examination of students’ perspectives of employability
(Holmes, 2011). Mixed methods (questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, and participative seminars) are
used to provide a full understanding of the views among the students.
Drawing on data collected from the students at all levels of study from twenty-five British universities, this
paper firstly presents motivations of the students to study in the UK and catergorises different types of
benefits international education might bring to the development of graduate employability. It then considers
their engagement with different initiatives developed by British universities to support students’
development of employability may vary across the range of institutions that the respondents were drawn
from, i.e. research-intensive or teaching-centred universities.
The research makes a significant contribution to our understanding of such group of the students and hence
better supports their experience. It also provides evidence to the increasingly international dimension of
Higher Education and graduate employability.
30
Global perspectives on Internationalisation
Kevin Van Cauter
How does TNE contribute to internationalization , what are the trends and outcomes/impacts of TNE? What
are the impacts on the host country? How can UK institutions respond to these developments? Where are
the opportunities for future TNE development?
These questions will be addressed with reference to recent British Council research, Shape of Things to come:
the evolution of Transnational Education
31
The place of curriculum internationalisation in effecting inclusive student
group interation patterns
Rupert Waldron
The paper discusses the place of curriculum internationalisation in effecting inclusive student group
interaction patterns. Discussing fashion media subject contexts, it will suggest a model for integrating
interaction research, subject specificity and mediative intervention in student interaction.
Connecting interactional analysis drawn from Conversation Analytical (e.g. Benwell and Stokoe 2006) with
theoretical insights into subject area allows for research into the place of curriculum in mediating interaction
patterns of the student body, which can then form the basis for curriculum content aimed at developing
cosmopolitan student interaction patterns. Internationalisation at the theoretical level (of media and fashion
studies) informs internationalisation of curriculum, but with a specific aim of setting up the cosmopolitan
approaches to interaction necessary to a just study environment.
Drawing on audio-visual observation of students in group project work and workshop and interview data, it
first considers the place of subject area in mediating the relation between global processes and student
interactional identities. Both media and fashion have been shown by a variety of researchers to be central
sites of both dominant and exploratory identity discourses and practices (Goodrum 2005; Hardt and Negri
2000). Both were identified within student interaction: where at times fluid identity positions allowed shared
group agency, at others more restrictive practices left international students sidelined as international
students. Here, the students found themselves playing roles directly reflecting global divisions of fashion and
media labour, with those from historically low-capital periphery nations sidelined from the design agency of
the traditional ‘core’.
Such data highlight the importance for the institution of carefully managing how it mediates subject so that,
rather than reproductive of unjust divisions, it is productive of equitably dynamic group solutions. The paper
therefore considers the practicalities of bringing to bear the combined insights of internationalisation at the
theoretical level, in the sense of subject de-Westernisation (e.g. Thussu 2009), with interaction research to
inform curriculum content.
Dowling and Husband (2005) recommend intercultural competence as part of the basic training of media
workers, an important part of which being not only knowledge, but the development of critical self-reflection
concerning students’ own culturally engrained beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. Subject de-Westernisation
can be a key part of that, with culturally diverse student groups helped to expand their subject knowledge by
learning the specificity of their own positions by together exploring alternatives. This process involves an
openness not only of attitude, but also of communicative behaviour – a key site of transformative learning.
The paper, then, discusses curriculum content helping students develop the interaction patterns most able to
avoid the repetition of global patterns of inequality specifically through reflective subject-related
communicative activity.
Bibliography:
Benwell, B. and Stokoe, E. (2006) Discourse and Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Dowling, J. and Husband , C. (2005) Representing “Race”: Racisms, Ethnicities, and Media. London: Sage.
Goodrum, A. (2005) The National Fabric: Fashion, Britishness, Globalization. Oxford: Berg.
Hardt, M. and Negri, A. (2000) Empire. London: Harvard University Press.
Thussu, D. (ed) (2009) Internationalizing Media Studies. London: Routledge.
32
Self-concept in L2 reading in an academic context
Carolyn Walker
In cognitive psychology, the self is seen as a powerful explanatory construct for behaviour. In particular, in
the educational domain self-concept has been associated with study success. However, the self-concept has
only fairly recently become of significant interest in the field of second or foreign language learning (L2) (e.g.:
Dornyei & Ushioda, 2009).
In the context of international education students may have to read and study through a language other than
their own. So what might students’ reading self-concepts have to tell us about how they deal with this task?
Hosenfeld, in her well-known case studies, mentioned in passing that successful readers in a foreign
language have “good self-concepts as a reader” and unsuccessful readers have poor self-concepts (Hosenfeld,
1984, p. 233). But what exactly is reading self-concept in a second or foreign language?
In this talk I will report on a mixed-methods, longitudinal study which focused on the nature of, and changes
in, L2 reading self-concepts in students taking a nine-month business pre-masters pathway programme at
INTO University of Exeter. In order to navigate the complexity of the theoretical issues surrounding the self
construct, the approach of Rom Harré (1998) was adopted in which the self is seen as a frame for the
discourse of personal attributes, reflexive self-beliefs and action, thereby enabling a broad definition of L2
reading self-concept.
I will present a framework for the narrative description of L2 reading self-concept development based on the
work of Pollard and Filer (1996). This framework shows how L2 reading self-concept can be linked in
important ways to personal histories, motivational processes and the situational context. I will describe the
ways in which students’ reading self-concepts changed over the period, and were distinguished qualitatively
by differing competence perceptions and levels of English language ability.
I hope that the findings and the model of L2 reading self-concept developed will provide insights into how
students experience learning to read and learning through reading simultaneously. A better understanding of
the processes involved in studying in a second or foreign language should enable educators in international
education situations to support students more effectively.
References
Dornyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (Eds.). (2009). Motivation, language identity and the L2 self. Clevedon, UK:
Multilingual Matters.
Harré, R. (1998). The singular self: an introduction to the psychology of personhood. London: Sage
Publications.
Hosenfeld, C. (1984). Case studies of ninth grade readers. In J. C. Alderson & A. H. Urquhart (Eds.), Reading in
a foreign language (pp. 231-249). Harlow, Essex: Longman.
Pollard, A., & Filer, A. (1996). The social world of children’s learning. London: Cassell.
33
Language of instruction in transnational higher education: The motives
and experiences of institutions that teach in languages other than English
Stephen Wilkins and Jolanta Urbanovic
There exists a wide held assumption that transnational higher education programmes have to be taught in
English in order to be legitimate ‘international’ programmes. Of the 220 international branch campuses that
operate around the world, the vast majority use English as the language of instruction. There are, however, a
handful of exceptions. Through seven case studies we investigate the motives and experiences of institutions
that teach in languages other than English. We conclude by considering the likely prospects of these
institutions and the possible threats posed by these institutions to the existing big players in the
transnational higher education market – universities based in countries such as Australia, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
34
Ethnicity and equality are longstanding issues in Higher Education
Jennie Winter
Broecke and Nicholls, 2007; HEA and Stevenson, 2012 refer to the ‘ethnic penalty’ in degree classification
and Wakeling and Hampden-Thompson (2013:52) highlight ‘troubling differences’ in the ethnic makeup of
postgraduate students. This latter issue has prompted efforts to mitigate current inequalities with OFFA and
HEFCE committing funding to exploring distinct ethnic groups’ participation in postgraduate studies.
However, despite these localised trends, for overseas students, ethnicity is no barrier to accessing British
postgraduate education. For example, in 2010-11 half of UK postgraduate students were non EU domicile
(HESA 2013). For those students who choose the UK to study a doctorate, the focus of the doctorate has
widened from solely producing research to developing holistically as a researcher (McAlpine and Åkerlind,
2010). This is encapsulated in the Researcher Development Framework which encompasses many skills and
competencies including teaching (VITAE : no date). It is, therefore, common for UK universities to provide
their doctoral students with both teacher training and opportunities to teach. However, recent research
undertaken at a UK university revealed that despite equality in teacher training provision and the readiness
of doctoral students to take up teaching, stark differences exist in the number of teaching opportunities
offered to ‘home’ (UK) and ‘international’ (non-UK) doctoral level students as part of their Continuing
Professional Development (83% compared to 25%) (Gedye et al 2012). The paper explores this finding and
comments on the potential impacts this trend may have for higher education in the future.
35
WORKSHOPS
Embedding Intercultural Communication in the Student Experience:
Time to Remove Your Hands from Your Ears
Steve Butts
Of course there’s lots of knowledge in Universities: The first year students bring a little in, the final years
don’t take much out, so knowledge kind of accumulates. -A. Lawrence Lowell
The above quote sums up the approach to Intercultural Communication in Higher Education in England in the
sense that everyone who comes to University has their own background and experiences of dealing with
other cultures. While they are at University the variety of diversity students encounter increases. And when
they graduate they take only a little bit of that knowledge and insight into human diversity with them. But
what is suggested here is students are not getting an understanding of Intercultural Communication, and
therefore graduates lack the ability to recognise and use the knowledge and experience of diversity they
have acquired at University. With an increasingly complex, diverse, and mobile workforce the need for
intercultural communication and cultural insight is greater than ever, as is recognised in many University
strategies. Nevertheless, very few programmes or institutions currently provide these skills to students. At
a practical level, Intercultural Communication is about how to live with and manage, as effectively as possible,
those who are not like you. It looks at culture-specific behaviours and the cumulative effect of
miscommunication between people who perceive and interpret specific behaviours differently. On a
theoretical level it is an interesting subject in its own right, the study of which begins with understanding
one’s own assumptions and beliefs. Lastly, for graduates it is an essential component in enhancing their
career management prospects. This workshop provides practical examples as to how staff and students can
be introduced to developing intercultural understanding and competency. Tools will be provided which can
be deployed to raise intercultural awareness, encourage integration of the student body, as well increase
wider understanding to develop nimble graduates best prepared for the increasingly integrated world in
which we live.
36
Successfully designing assessments across in-sessional modules in English
for academic/English for specific purposes
Sylvia Eades, Helen Bowstead and Patrick McMahon
Assessments for learning
“Assessment tasks should be significant learning activities in themselves, and not only enable judgments to
be made about what has been learned. The potency of student engagement in learning is enhanced when
assessment tasks require substantial involvement over time, and when they are designed in an interlinked,
constructive, organised and coherent sequence” (Australian Teaching and Learning Council, 2009). However,
successfully implementing and assessing a piece of coursework is often fraught with challenges both for
teachers and students, particularly when working with a diverse and/or international cohort. Students from
radically different educational cultures may struggle with both language and the concept of the assessment.
Gu and Maley’s interviews (2008) with lecturers showed the difficulty that students have in understanding
the whole purpose of their educational endeavor: “it takes at least 6 months for them to really understand
what we are doing and why we are doing and how we are doing it. Some students never fully understand it”.
This interactive workshop will provide practical examples of how members of Plymouth University’s English
Language Centre have successfully designed and scaffolded assessments across in-sessional modules in
English for Academic/English for Specific Purposes. Early engagement with resources and activities,
preparation for mixed nationality group work, a focus on process rather than product , peer teaching and
assessment, and self-evaluation are aspects which will be considered as colleagues discuss a range of
different activities that have worked well in the classroom and made assessments meaningful. Participants
will be invited to contribute to a ‘best practice’ list of criteria for creating assessments for learning for all
students, especially those who may be new to our education system.
References
Assessment 2020: Seven propositions for assessment reform in higher education. Australian Learning and
Teaching Council (2009) The University of Technology, Sydney. Available from:
http://www1.plymouth.ac.uk/ouruniversity/teachlearn/Documents/Assessment_2020_final[1].pdf
[Accessed 19/09/13]
Gu, Q. & Maley A. 2008. Changing places: A study of Chinese students in the UK. Language and
Intercultural Communication, 8, 224-245.
37
Maximising the Transnational education experience
Rachel Fitzgerald and Rachel Maxwell
The introduction of fees and additional pressures on both learners and institutions brought about by the
global financial downturn suggests that while HE is notoriously slow to change, that we may be coming to a
time of “significant transformation of university business models” (Bokor, 2012). Indeed many of our core
students are no longer local, let alone domestic and the Business School at the University of Northampton
accepts that we need to be attractive to students from international markets. We recognise the need to
evolve the way in which those students learn and staff teach and this workshop explores our methods of
developing learning and teaching within the school to fit in with an overall university strategy to be an
innovative internationally-facing university committed to delivering an outstanding high quality student
experience.
As the Learning and Teaching Co-ordinator and Learning Technologist, we work closely with module teams to
undertake curriculum development aimed at transforming practice – moving from a reliance on face to face
teaching to engaged online learning. This transformation has necessitated a radical rethink of online student
learning. Key to this has been the creation and development of teaching techniques that will improve online
communication and peer interaction in an attempt to replicate the communication and interaction that can
more readily be observed in a classroom. Our curriculum development process aims to ensure close
alignment of learning objectives with assessment and enable the provision of accessible and relevant
teaching materials by taking advantage of technological advancements and developments through our VLE.
We found during this process that academic staff sometimes require additional encouragement and support
to deliver their materials in an online environment. Accordingly we now encourage staff to discover for
themselves the differences and difficulties faced by online international learners, standing in their shoes for a
day as they develop essential skills for managing group interactions in an online environment.
This workshop offers participants an overview of ways in which we have sought to maximise the student
experience, particularly in terms of online collaboration, peer learning and staff development. We will focus
on our use of the collaborative tools within our VLE, including asynchronous discussion boards, blogs,
journals, wikis and even how to manage a course structure and layout to ensure a smoother learning journey
through course materials.
Using problem based scenarios we will facilitate group tasks and discussions to identify ways in which
communication issues can be effectively overcome when working across the international divide and there
will be an opportunity to discuss the merits of our approach and to consider alternative ideas and to share
experiences of organising and supporting asynchronous online activities with international groups.
Bokor, J (2012) University of the Future; Ernst & Young Higher Education Report; Available from
cation/vwLUAssets/University_of_the_future/$FILE/University_of_the_future_2012.pdf
38
Creating an International Curriculum: Why and how?
Anne Bentley, Pollyanna Magne and Lynne Wyness
As the world becomes ever-increasingly interconnected, HEIs have a duty to produce graduates who are
‘global citizens’ and can operate effectively in the 21st century (Shiel, 2006; Bremer and van der Wende,
1995). Plymouth University’s 2020 Strategy picks up on this in its key ambitions, stating that we aim to ‘offer
a globally relevant and culturally rich experience by growing our international student body and encouraging
all students to undertake curricula and extra-curricular activities with an international perspective’ (Plymouth
University, 2013).
The university community and the curriculum provide increasing opportunities for intercultural encounters.
These, however, can often prove challenging to all involved - evidence suggests international students are
often excluded from the mix and feel alienated (Heffernan et al, 2010) whilst local students need greater
opportunities to enrich their knowledge of, and perspective on, the wider world around them. This agenda is
too important to be left to chance and staff will play a pivotal role in moving this forward.
In this workshop, we hope to encourage a shift from a deficit model of internationalisation, in which
international students are viewed as ‘problems’, towards a more culturally inclusive approach. The workshop
will set the scene for intercultural encounters in a university context through a brief introduction to the
global geographies of education and the new ‘knowledge economy’. Drawing from experiences of
intercultural teaching and counselling, we will challenge cultural assumptions and consider how intercultural
encounters might be more meaningful for all involved and develop relationships and interactions in the
teaching and learning environment. We will then identify ways of creating an international curriculum that
enhances the discipline. A ‘gap analysis’ approach will consider what gains can be maximised in the existing
curriculum and identify where there are opportunities for some fresh ideas. In addition we will consider the
wider learning experience (Lawton, 1983) and how programme teams can look beyond what they do in the
classroom towards other opportunities that promote more fruitful intercultural encounters.
Bremer, L. and van der Wende, M. (eds) (1995) Internationalising the Curriculum in Higher Education:
Experiences in the Netherlands. The Hague: The Netherlands Organisation for International Co-operation in
Higher Education.
Heffernan, T., Morrison, M., Basu, P., and Sweeney, A. (2010) 'Cultural differences, learning styles and
transnational education', Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 32: 1, pp. 27-39
Lawton, D. (1983) Curriculum studies and educational planning. London: Hodder and Stoughton
Plymouth University. (2013) Plymouth University Strategy 2020. Plymouth. Available [online] at
http://www1.plymouth.ac.uk/ouruniversity/strategy/Documents/PLYMOUTH%20UNIVERSITY%20STRATEGY
%202020.pdf. (accessed on 27th August 2013)
Shiel,C. (2006) Developing the global citizen. Academy Exchange 5 pp18-20
39
Intergration strategies to enhance the International and domestic
student experience in UK, HE contexts
Sarah Sibley and Hugh Osborne
After a period of neglecting the international market, Bath Spa University now aims to rapidly increase its
international student numbers over the next 3 years. Internationalisation of the university is one of the two
top agenda items being promoted as ‘the future’ for the university. In terms of figures, there is an
overarching target of international students making up 15% of the student population by 2015/16 (up from a
very low 5%) and an increase of student numbers from 80 to 1000 in 4-5 years’ time (source: International
Relations Office, Bath Spa University, September 2013).
With such rapid expansion come challenges and responsibilities, which academics and others must address.
One of the key challenges relates to integration strategies. With the drive to recruitment, the quality of the
international student experience can be lost or overlooked, so it is essential for academics and other staff to
work together to ensure that universities are delivering a high quality experience, both academic and
socio/cultural, to both international and home students.
This workshop focuses on integration strategies for domestic and international students in UK HE contexts.
Integration is viewed from academic, social and cultural perspectives. Many academics and others struggle to
find effective ways to integrate UK/international students and are aware that ‘forcing integration is difficult’
(Independent, 2011). The workshop aims first to explore what internationalization and integration means
through a stakeholder analysis of the 3 key groups (international students, domestic students and
tutors/non-academic staff). This will highlight the main issues relating to integration, explore any potential
conflicts of interest and address the question ‘is integration always the best strategy?’ Potential benefits to
all stakeholders will be highlighted. There will then be a brief presentation outlining current effective
integration practices that Bath Spa University has developed. These include appointing staff with
international responsibilities, IOC, a sensitive approach to assessment, using technologies to link to partner
institutions, buddy scheme/homestays, training programmes, target setting/accountability, strategies to
represent the student voice, volunteering initiatives, internationally themed social events, and dissemination
of information and feedback methods. The remaining time will be spent on activities which focus on sharing
best practice, and looking at ways to rise to challenges and overcome barriers. All participants will
contribute and it is expected that participants will take away practical ideas to ‘try out’ in their own contexts.
There will be time allocated to final Q and A at the end of the session.
The international student experience will be at the centre of all discussion and activities will be interactive in
groups to encourage discussion. Ideas will be collated and fed back to the group. PPT slides and a report will
be uploaded on to the HEA website after the workshop.
40
POSTERS
International Nurses
Diana De
Every nurse intending to work in Britain has to pass immigration requirements before being allowed entry
into the country. International nurses are also required to undertake 20 days of protected learning as well as
a 3 month period of adaptation in a supervised practice placement where they must achieve a number of
clinical competencies before they become eligible for registration in the UK (Nursing and Midwifery Council,
NMC 2004). The Overseas Nurses Programme (ONP) was introduced by the NMC in October 2006 replacing
hospital based Adaptation Programmes in order to the improve standards of delivery.
International students bring billions of pounds annually to the UK through higher education. Although
nursing students may not contribute as significantly in monetary terms as traditional graduate and post
graduate learners, they do however; bring with them other benefits in terms of wealth of experience,
diversity and cultural capital often looking after client groups sometimes marginalised by mainstream society.
The reality is that many nursing homes and care homes simply wouldn’t function without international
recruited nurses contributing to our health care service and the wellbeing of society.
The author of this paper is currently a professional reviewer for Overseas Nurses Programmes (ONP) and was
a module manager for an accredited ONP which ran up to four times a year at a large Faculty of Health Sports
and Science in South Wales. Anecdotal evidence from class disclosures by international nursing students
provided the rationale for this independent enquiry. Listening to verbal accounts suggested that
internationally recruited nurses were experiencing episodes of ‘unfair treatment’ by patients under their care
when undertaking the clinical practice component of programme. This interest paper focused on action
research. There was a comparative enquiry based on the use of self-completion questionnaires and focus
group feedback and 18 International student nurses from 6 different countries were represented (Nepal,
China, India, Iran, Nigeria and Trinidad).
Key Points

Racism and bullying is an ongoing problem in the health and social care sector; raising concerns and
reporting processes need to be more accessible and available to those affected by it

Clinical mentors need to be made more aware of these occurrences in order to support their students
more effectively

More efforts and actions by managers towards informing patients and relatives about the diversity of
multidisciplinary team make-ups, is required

Higher education establishments need to incorporate adequate provisions for counselling support
and pastoral care for international recruits

The Nursing and Midwifery Council and Accredited Educational Establishments running current
Overseas Nurses Programmes need to show their commitment to promoting equality and diversity


Promoting the introduction of ‘Cultural Safety’ could be a benchmark for nurse education today
The findings from this study have been used to develop a case study example/resource for the Higher
Education Academy
41
Meeting international students' needs: an investigation into
international students' expectations and the value of an EAP presessional course
Emma Guion Akdağ
Heriot-Watt University has established a profile as an international university and internationalisation is a
core component of the University's overall strategy. We are successful in attracting international students
and staff with around a third of our students studying in Scotland from outside the UK, making Heriot-Watt a
culturally rich place of learning and one of the most internationally diversified universities in the UK.
A preliminary online survey was carried out at the end of August 2013, with the overall aim of finding out
how to best cater for the needs of our international students and with a view towards developing a deeper
understanding of the expectations and academic experiences of this student group. Specifically, the survey
aimed to discover more about international students' expectations about study in the UK before arrival, their
level of confidence with various aspects of academic English after a certain period of study on a course to
aiming to prepare them for future study at a Scottish university, and finally, which areas of academic English
they considered to be the most important in order to be successful on their future degree programmes.
The survey was completed by 153 students who took part in either a 6 or 12 week English for Academic
Purposes (EAP) pre-sessional course at Heriot-Watt University which took place during July and August
2013. The vast majority of these students started studying on mainly post-graduate taught degree
programmes in September 2013 at four universities in Scotland.
The results of the survey confirmed to some extent previous research discussed in Montgomery (2010)
concerning students' expectations pre-arrival, for example, expectations of classroom interaction,
expectations of the tutor's role and expectations of interaction with native speakers.
An element of evaluation of the pre-sessional course was incorporated into the survey with the majority of
participants appreciating the necessity of learning how to analyse and evaluate written academic texts and
also the importance of learning how to set their own goals and work independently, both of which are core
elements of Heriot-Watt's EAP pre-sessional course. On completing this course, the majority of participants
reported feeling more confident about their ability to reference correctly and find academic sources in their
subject area but less confident in their ability to take notes while listening to lectures and being able to read
critically and understand long texts. The final section of the survey looked at which areas the participants
felt were the most important to success on their future degree programmes (ie commencing in September
2013) with the majority of participants recognising the necessity of developing their own voice in academic
writing, closely followed by the need to avoid being accused of plagiarism.
The results outlined above are from a preliminary online survey which is part of a longitudinal tracking
project as a total of 70 of the initial 153 participants have agreed to be contacted again in January, 2014. It is
hoped that the second round of survey responses and group interviews which will take place as part of this
tracking project will highlight areas where international students feel their needs and expectations are either
not being met or are being partially met and to what extent their expectations pre-arrival have changed
following seven months of study at a Scottish university. It will also be of interest to discover which aspects
of the EAP pre-sessional course have had the most impact on their current postgraduate degree studies. This
will inform future curriculum design on our EAP pre-sessional course but it is also hoped that this will have an
influence in the wider university context in terms of internationalising the curriculum, and thinking about
approaches to teaching and learning that respond to social and cultural diversity.
Montgomery, C (2010) Understanding the International Student Experience Great Britain: Palgrave Macmillan
42
Different languages, one voice: The international students’ voice in
internationalising the curriculum
Alice Lau
The aim of the poster presentation is to share the findings from an internationalisation project at University
of South Wales, led by a group international student. The poster presentation will share issues and good
practice identified by our student groups’ research.
Most HEIs are now engaged in what McTaggart (2003) describes as ‘technical observance’, where there are
more opportunities for international exchange, volunteer work, placements etc. However, deeper
engagement, or what McTaggart (2003) describes as ‘relational participation’, where those involved in the
curriculum take into account how international students engage and learn requires more work. This is
evident in Bennell (2005) and Shiel (2006), which shows that HEIs often pay lip service to the
internationalisation of the curriculum while their focus is still on tailoring their programmes to UK students.
The University of South Wales building on the successful, well-established and institution-wide student
representation system (The Student Voice Reps, SVR) recruited two international students in Oct 2011 as
International Student Voice Reps (iSVRs) to lead a project that aims to amplify the international students’
voice in relation to the internationalisation of curriculum. The project created a bridge between staff and
students, to support and facilitate some much needed dialogue.
By sharing the findings of this project, the presentation aims to challenge the deficient model often being
used when teaching international students. With such a student led approach to internationalisation, it is
hoped that we will be able to move closer to achieving what Da Vita (2007) called an ideal situation where a
culturally diverse student population are seen as a valued resource for intercultural learning.
References:
Bennell, S. (2005) Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship, Towards an Integrated
Approach in North Wales, Higher Education and Teacher Continuing Professional Development elements,
September 2004-August 2005, Final Project Report, available at:
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/addysgbyd/WAGDAFWEC%20Finalreport.pdf
De Vita G. (2007) Taking Stock. An Appraisal of the Literature on Internationalising HE Learning. In E. Jones S.
and Brown (eds), Internationalising Higher Education, pp 154-167, London: Routledge.
McTaggart, Prof. R. Internationalisation of the Curriculum: A Discussion Paper available at
http://www.jcu.edu.au/office/tld/teachingsupport/documents/International_Curriculum-AB.pdf
Shiel, C. (2006) Managing Diversity in Teaching and Learning BMAF Subject Centre Conference 2006
43
International students and academic writing:challenges and solutions
Pollyanna Magne
With the increasing number of international students in Higher Education, staff are raising concerns about
the ability of some international students to meet the demands of mainstream university courses (Birell,
2006; Pantelides, 1999). Specifically academics identify students’ inability to: present their work in fluent
English; engage with the literature; reference properly; construct sentences; produce a well-formed
argument; or express their ideas clearly (Bretag, 2007; Watty, 2007).
It is not just the academics who are worried. International students are also voicing their concerns (BBC
online, 2009 and Hart and Coates, 2010). Students tell us that the assessment task is often unclear;
sometimes they are ostracised in group work, written tasks are an unfamiliar format, and that the marks they
receive do not always reflect their efforts.
This workshop aims to unpack some of the most common issues around academic writing, and identify the
possible causes with a view to developing a wider cultural understanding between staff and international
students (Carroll and Ryan, 2005). Participants will be invited to discuss some case studies and we will then
explore a range of realistic and practical solutions.
BBC (2009) Student complaints rise sharply. BBC online, available at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8055474.stm (accessed 22 Aug 2013)
Birrell, B. (2006). Implications of low English standards among overseas students at Australian universities.
People and Place, 1(4), 53–64.
Bretag, T. (2007). The Emperor’s new clothes: Yes, there is a link between English language competence and
academic standards. People and Place, 15(1), 13–21.
Carroll, J., and Ryan, J. (2005) Teaching international students: improving learning for all. Abingdon:
Routledge
Hart, D., Coates, N. (2010) International student complaint behaviour: how do East Asian students complain
to their university?, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 34:3, 303-319
Pantelides, U. (1999). Meeting the needs of tertiary NESB students. Australian Journal of Language and
Literacy, 22(1), 60–75.
Watty, K. (2007). Quality in accounting education and low English standards among overseas students: Is
there a link? People and Place, 15(1), 22–29.
44