INTERNATIONALISATION IN PRACTICE
CASE STUDY
PRIORITY THEME: STUDENT INTERACTION
ACADEMIC AND LEARNING SERVICES
Supporting postgraduate students through pre-arrival resources
For more information: Lisa Procter, School of Education,
l.h.procter@sheffield.ac.uk
SUMMARY
This project sought to develop and produce a pre-arrival resource suitable for both domestic
and international students to support their early engagement on the various MA programmes
in the School of Education.
WHAT ISSUE WERE YOU TRYING TO ADDRESS AND WHY?
The project sought to support the School of Education’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2015 to
provide opportunities for engagement in education, inclusive of the experiences, values and
cultures of all students (pg. 16). As part of its Strategic Plan, the School has enhanced its
recruitment of international students on the MA programmes in line with the University’s
commitment to developing a global academic community. In 2012/13 the intake of students
on the full-time Masters in Education therefore rose from 16 in the previous academic year to
51 – many of whom were international.
Student evaluations from the start of the course indicated two primary concerns from their
perspective:
1) Accessing session content: Students found the content of the MA programmes in the
early stages particularly challenging, especially for the many students who were new to the
field of education and educational research. Some students suggested that further guidance
prior to the course which would have provided them with an early introduction to these fields
would have been beneficial.
2) Study skills: For some students, the challenges they experienced seemed to relate to
study skills development, i.e. active participation in seminars, working in groups, asking
critical questions. For our East Asian students, some of these issues seemed to be indicative
of the starkly contrasting educational cultures in the UK.
APPROACH AND METHODS USED
To address concerns raised in evaluations, we decided to actively involve MA students in the
development of pre-arrival resources. We therefore recruited a research associate to
conduct three focus groups with seven MA students to explore what would be useful for
them in terms of preparing for studying at the School of Education. In response to findings
from a series of focus groups, we chose to produce an online resource for prospective
students, which could be accessed at a distance.
www.shef.ac.uk/lets/thinkglobal
The website was initially designed to support students before starting the course. However,
its purpose changed in response to student feedback, which suggested that it should also
provide useful information and guidance as they progressed through the course.
The website highlights key milestones on the course. Within each of these milestones
previous MA students provide written advice and guidance drawn from their own
experiences. In addition, a wide range of resources (which can be downloaded as PDF
documents) and links to websites (with a focus on study skills) can be accessed by website
users. We aim to continue to develop the website in collaboration with students in the
coming academic year.
BENEFITS
Learning and Teaching
The resource is of benefit to learners and teachers in the School of Education. Learners can
access the resource to know what to expect in the coming year. In addition, the resource
allows them to consider how best they might prepare for the different stages/requirements of
the course.
From a teacher perspective, they can direct students to the resource for advice/support in
developing a range of skills to help them successfully complete the course. This website
offers support for students to independently develop their study skills, which complements
the taught study skills programmes also established for students.
In terms of fostering interaction, the resource aims to raise awareness of the educational
culture in the School of Education. In addition, the resource allows prospective students to
consider which skills they need to develop to best support their engagement on the course.
There is also an emphasis on the importance of being part of a learning community and peer
learning. This is reflected in the fact that much of the content of the website is written by
previous students. As a result the website works to introduce students to the particular
educational culture of the University of Sheffield.
LESSONS LEARNED
We had underestimated the time and cost that is required to produce a website. If additional
funding is secured in the future, we will further develop and enhance the site.
Resource
To view the website, visit:
www.soe-ma-welcome.com/
This project was supported by the Internationalisation of Learning and Teaching Fund.
As part of the Think Global project, we aim to provide resources to support the internationalisation of
the learning and teaching environment. If you require further information, please contact us:
lets@sheffield.ac.uk
October 2013
www.shef.ac.uk/lets/thinkglobal