Library support for International students – Helen Ireland , University of Warwick.

1. Library Support for International Students
ALISS Conference on Supporting Diverse Student Populations,
Coventry University, 22 August 2012
Helen Ireland
Academic Support Librarian,
University of Warwick
h.ireland@warwick.ac.uk
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2. International students in UK higher
education: key statistics
According to UCKISA statistics
http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/about/statistics_he.php
international (non-UK) students in UK HE in 2010-11 :
 totalled 428,225 compared with 405,810 in 2009-10 (an increase of 6%)
 made up 14% of full-time first degree students and 13% of all first degree
students
 made up 70% of full-time taught postgraduates and 46% of all taught
postgraduates
 made up 48% of full-time research degree students and 41% of all
research postgraduates
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3. What do we mean by the term
“international student”?
• Full-time undergraduate / postgraduate
• Visiting students – Erasmus, Junior Year Abroad
• Short courses
• TNE (Trans National Education)
• Distance learning
• “Every student an international student” ?
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4. Sources of advice on supporting
international students
• Teaching International Students project,
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/teaching-international-
students
• UKCISA, British Council, NUS
• Surveys, e.g. the 2008 SCONUL Survey
• CILIP courses and other training sessions for library staff
• LIS-International mailing list
• Conferences and networking events, e.g. Business
Librarians’ Association, WESLINK, EMALINK, YHULISS
• Books and journal literature
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5. Problems faced by international students
• Culture shock
• Language shock
• Academic shock: different learning styles and previous
study experience
• Different experiences of libraries
• Under pressure to succeed but may need time to get up
to speed
• Frustration : used to being at the top of the pile and
suddenly feeling they’re at the bottom
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6. “Put yourself in their shoes” – what is it
like to arrive in a strange place?
• Interesting and exciting – at first
• Disorientating
• Tiring!
• Different from home – you don’t know what to expect
• Anxiety about causing offence, not knowing the rules
• Things can turn out well – or can quickly start to go
wrong!
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7. What can we do to help?
• A friendly welcome
• Good guidance
• Online tutorials and videos
• Face-to-face and email support
• Build on our own experience gained from working abroad
or visiting institutions overseas
• Raise awareness among colleagues
• BUT – Beware of stereotyping or making international
students feel “special”. Help them to feel part of the
whole student body.
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8. Managing expectations
• Awareness of what students expect from the Library
• Clear and realistic information on Library webpages about
what we can offer, and how much help is available, ideally
visible before arrival
– Emphasise that Library resources are free of charge
to members of the university
– Links to basic information about how the Library
works, such as “Get Started” programmes
– Links to information on UK study skills and academic
writing
• Information skills training at appropriate levels
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9. International students – the same only
different?
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10. International distance learners
• Same issues as any distance learner – can’t see the
librarian in person, need help online by e-mail or a forum
• May be confused about how to register or enrol
• Internet access may be worse for them than for UK
distance learners
• Infrastructure issues – power cuts, computer access
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11. International students at the University of
Warwick
• 30% of Warwick students international students
• All subject areas
• Postgraduate, undergraduate, HEFP (Higher
Education Foundation Programme) and visiting
students
• Wide range of backgrounds and experience
• Demanding but very rewarding client group
• We really can make a difference to an individual’s
experience of the institution!
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12. University of Warwick Library Working
Group on International Students
• Formed in 2006, widened in 2007
• Membership drawn from all areas of the Library (currently
from Academic Support, Customer Services, Data
Services)
• Regular meetings
• Reports to Library Management
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13. Group’s achievements
• Library Strategy for International Students
• Library web page for international students
• Library jargon list (List of Useful Words)
• Cultural awareness sessions
• Staff training – Open Days, small group training sessions
• Liaison with International Office
• Liaison with Centre for Applied Linguistics over library
sessions for Pre-Sessional Students, involving staff from
all areas of the Library
• Survey of international students carried out in 2011
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14. Survey outcomes
• Paper survey and Survey Monkey
• 250 responses
• Similar findings to Library Survey in 2012 and
Student Barometer
• Flagged up demand for more books, more space,
longer opening hours
• Lack of awareness of sources of help, such as
videos, tutorials, and academic support librarians
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15. Staff Training feedback 1: What challenges might
international students meet in the library?
• Directions to and in the library
• Different terminology
• Intimidation due to size of building and unfamiliar systems
• Difficulty in finding and accessing help
• Language barrier – not being able to express themselves – may be due to accents as much as
language
• Cultural experiences and skills related to libraries don’t match the services here
• Overwhelming amount of information to take in
• Confusion over different study areas and rules
• Different classmarks on different floors & being used to different class systems
• Feeling ashamed of fines, or of making mistakes
• Not used to our alphabet
• Christmas closure periods
• May think they have to pay for library services
• Not really understanding what it is they are looking for on the shelves
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16. Staff Training feedback 2: What challenges might
library staff meet when working with international
students?
• Communication – conversation and email – jargon / acronyms
• Cultural differences – body language, personal space, gender and authority issues
• Feeling guilty for fining students who don’t understand the system
• Classmark system – students used to reading right to left find the shelves difficult to navigate
– need more help finding books
• Conveying library rules
• Students not used to QWERTY keyboards type very slowly – tempting to type for them
• Students may ask us to get books for them if they are not used to being able to go to shelves
themselves
• Difficult to explain equipment or e-resources to student with no prior experience
• Difficult to explain electronic access issues or log in issues to students who have not used
similar systems (hard enough for home students!)
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17. Student support initiatives at Warwick
• “Get Started” Training
• Enquiry Services
• Academic Support Librarians
• EndNoteWeb training
• Research Exchange
• Postgraduate Hub
• Twitter and other Web 2.0 support
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18. Whatever we do for international students
may help any student
• They all need help with library jargon
• They may all feel lost when they first arrive
• Many need help in using our information sources
• Many need one-to-one time
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19. BUT…
• Working in a second language slows things down and we
need to be sure we make ourselves understood
• Postgraduates may have been taught in a different way in
their first degree and find it hard to adjust to UK study
patterns
• Many are very focused on their work and may come
across as impatient
• We may misinterpret confusion or tension and see it as
rudeness
• Loneliness or disorientation may be greater than for home
students – don’t ignore warning signs
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20. Essentials
• Take each individual as you find him or her and avoid
stereotyping
• Be prepared to give time to individuals – becoming harder
as our workload increases
• Ask them what they need to know - and listen
• Avoid jargon and dialect
• Confirm whether your answer is clear
• Be patient – and smile!
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21. What have we learned from working with
our international students at Warwick?
• Our role is crucial – in customer services, as academic
support librarians, or whatever we do
• We need to try to understand the student’s background,
offer friendly support and make each individual feel
valued
• Our efforts will usually be appreciated
• The extra dimension of working with people from other
countries is always rewarding
• It is easy to put yourself in someone else’s shoes!
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22. Our Goal
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23. Useful websites
• http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/about/statistics_he.php
• http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/teaching-international-students
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-
network/blog/2012/jun/21/opportunities-in-transnational-
education
• http://www.prepareforsuccess.org.uk/
• http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/info_sheets/study_methods.php
• http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Docu
ments/International-students.pdf
• http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/pghub/
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