Thinking Globally
and Acting Locally
Engaging International Students in Community Colleges
Deryl Hatch & Abdul Tamimi
NISOD Conference, June 2, 2010
Austin, Texas
About your presenters
Deryl Hatch
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Ph.D. student, UT Austin
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Abdul Tamimi
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International comparative
higher education
Research Assistant at the
Center for Community
College Student
Engagement
Ed.M., Educational
Technology, Harvard
University
B.A., Linguistics, Brigham
Young University
Ph.D. student, UT Austin
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Community college
leadership
Dean of Ed. Programs and
Org. Development at Lone
Star College-CyFair
Adjunct faculty ESL
M.A,. Cross Cultural
Studies, University of
Houston, Clear Lake
B.S., Healthcare
Administration , Texas
Southern University
2 June 2010
Outline of presentation
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III.
IV.
V.
VI.
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Brief Overview of Community College Survey for
Student Engagement (CCSSE)
Working Definition of International Students, Language
Minorities, and Nationals
Overview of CCSSE benchmarks
Engagement benchmark scores of international
students
Other Data - Community and Cultural Engagement
Summary - Key Findings
2 June 2010
Community College Survey of Student
Engagement (CCSSE)
Institutional practices
and student behaviors
Research based
Since 2003 (nationally)
Benchmarks (more
details later)
Relationship
engagement related to
student outcomes
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What do we know of students’ nationality
through CCSSE?
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Language × Nationality
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International/
Foreign National
US Citizen
English native
(first) lang.
6,416
(1.6%)
333,310
(85.8%)
Other
18,094
(4.7%)
30,820
(7.9%)
2 June 2010
International status, values, perspective
International/
Foreign National
English native
(first) lang.
Other
24,510
(6.3%)
US Citizen
333,310
(85.8%)
30,820
(7.9%)
“Nationals”: Majority U.S. residents (*all races)
“Language Minorities”: Bring int’l values (*all races)
“Internationals”: Bring int’l perspective (*all races)
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How many international students enrolled
at your campus?
a) Less
than 5%
b) 5 to 15%
c) More
than
15%
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Frequency
Percent of Respondents
Grouping colleges by distribution of
internationals and language minorities
Percent of National Majority Students
(of all races)
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Decile Groups of Colleges: ~66 Each
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Questions
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Among the different groups at your campus, which do
you think is most engaged?
Why?
Which group benefits the most from having international
students at your campus?
What questions do you have?
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How do colleges compare in student
engagement? Within colleges?
Active and
Collaborative Learning
Active and Collaborative
Learning
Asked questions in class or
contributed to class discussions
Student Effort
Academic Challenge
Student-Faculty
Interaction
Made a class presentation
Worked with other students on
projects during class
Worked with classmates outside of
class to prepare class assignments
Etc…
Support for Learners
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Benchmark: Active and Collaborative
Learning
What do you think is
happening?
a) Collaborative
learning happens
more with
people like you
b) Collaborative
learning depends
on college/class
size
c) Community
resources
available to int’l
students
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Benchmark: Student Effort
Active and
Collaborative Learning
Student Effort
Prepared two or more drafts of a paper
or assignment before turning it in
Student Effort
Used peer or other tutoring services
Used skill labs
Academic Challenge
Student-Faculty
Interaction
How many books read on your own;
hours spent preparing for class
Etc…
Support for Learners
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2 June 2010
Benchmark: Student Effort
Principal cause for such
a separation?
a) Language barriers
b) Student motivation
c) Enrollment
requirements for
immigration status
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Benchmark: Academic Challenge
Active and
Collaborative Learning
Student Effort
Academic Challenge
Worked harder than you thought you could to
meet an instructor’s standards or expectation
Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or
experiences in new ways
Academic Challenge
Applying theories or concepts to practical
problems or in new situations
To what extent have your examinations
challenged you to do your best work
Student-Faculty
Interaction
Etc…
Support for Learners
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Benchmark: Academic Challenge
Why are there
different levels of
academic
challenge across
types of colleges?
a) College size
b) Type of
international
students enrolled
c) Big city life and
complexities vs.
small town
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2 June 2010
Benchmark: Student/Faculty Interaction
Active and
Collaborative Learning
Student Effort
Student-Faculty Interaction
Discussed grades or assignments with an
instructor
Talked about career plans with an instructor
or advisor
Academic Challenge
Student-Faculty
Interaction
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes
with instructors outside of class
Received prompt feedback (written or oral)
from instructors on your performance
Etc…
Support for Learners
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Benchmark: Student/Faculty Interaction
International students a
bit higher than
nationals, but same
small difference
across the board.
Why?
a) Simply a function of
college/class size
b) Instructors engage
all kinds of students
equally
c) International
students more
often full time,
approach faculty
more
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2 June 2010
Benchmark: Support for Learners
Active and
Collaborative Learning
Student Effort
Support for Learners
Providing the support you need to help
you succeed at this college
Used academic advising/planning services
Academic Challenge
Student-Faculty
Interaction
Helping you cope with your nonacademic
responsibilities (work, family, etc.)
Providing the support you need to thrive
socially
Etc…
Support for Learners
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Benchmark: Support for Learners
What’s going on
here?
a) At small, rural
colleges, int’l
services serve
fewer students
b) At large, urban
colleges, more
community
resources; less
dependence
c) Other?
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Community and cultural engagement
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GLONACAL:
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“The simultaneous significance of
global, national, and local
dimensions and forces”
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GLONACAL
• Global
• National
• Local
Marginson and Rhoads (2002)
2 June 2010
Does experience at this college contribute to
understanding of others?
GLONACAL
• Global
Dimension?
• National
• Local
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How often do students have conversations
among students of different backgrounds?
GLONACAL
• Global
Dimension?
• National
• Local
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How often do students have conversations
among students with divergent views?
GLONACAL
• Global
Dimension?
• National
• Local
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National dimensions of higher education
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CCSSE is largely focused at the
individual and institutional level.
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GLONACAL
• Global
• National
Dimension?
• Local
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How often do students participate in college
sponsored community based projects?
GLONACAL
• Global
• National
• Local
Dimension?
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Does experience at this college contribute to
involvement in welfare of the community?
GLONACAL
• Global
• National
• Local
Dimension?
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How many hours do students spend in
college sponsored activities?
GLONACAL
• Global
• National
• Local
Dimension?
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Key findings of CCSSE benchmarks
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CCSSE – “Research shows that the more actively engaged
students are — with college faculty and staff, with other
students, and with the subject matter — the more likely
they are to learn and to achieve their academic goals.”
International students are among the most engaged
groups on campus
International students bring different perspectives
National students appear to benefit most from
international student enrolment
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Q&A and next steps
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What will you do with the data and findings?
How are you going to involve your international students
to ensure active engagement at your campus?
What do these findings suggest as hypotheses for
research?
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References
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Chaves, C. A. (2003) Student involvement in the community college setting. ERIC
Clearinghouse for Community Colleges, EDO-JC-03-02.
Marginson, S., & Rhoades, G. (2002). Beyond national states, markets, and systems of
higher education: A glonacal agency heuristic. Higher Education, 43, 281-309.
McClenney, K., Marti, C. N., & Adkins, C. (2006). Student engagement and student
outcomes: Key findings from CCSSE validation research. Austin, TX: University of Texas
at Austin, Community College Leadership Program.
Pfaffenroth, S. (1997). Clarifying institutional policy toward international students: A
community college self-study model. Princeton, NJ: Mid-Career Fellowship Program.
(ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED409945)
Romano, R.M. (2002). Internationalizing the community college. Washington, DC:
American Association of Community Colleges.
Szelényi, K., & Chang, J.C. (2002). ERIC Review: Educating immigrants: The
community college role. Community College Review, 30(2), 55-73. doi:
10.1177/009155210203000204
Zhao, C., Kuh, G.D., & Carini, R.M. (2005). A comparison of international student and
American student engagement in effective educational practices. Journal of Higher
Education, 76(2), 209-231.
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2 June 2010