Alexandria Agenda believes that there is a better way to engage with stakeholders involved in international education to build better outcomes for them all. Please read about our road map for international education.

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A ROADMAP
for consideration by universities
and other stakeholders
prepared by
Emeritus Professor Joseph Camilleri OAM
and
Dr Adrian Soh
for
31 August 2015

2. Page | 2
Contents
Executive summary 3
Resetting the agenda 4
Room for improvement 5
Recent recommendations: Their strengths and weaknesses 9
The case for an intercultural, multi-stakeholder approach 15
References 21
Alexandria Agenda, a new venture in ethical consulting, was launched late last
year with Professor Joseph Camilleri as its managing director. He has brought
together a small but highly expert team to assist organisations to manage the
complex and diverse stakeholder relationships vital to their long-term success.
Alexandria Agenda specialises in three key areas: cultural diversity, education and
sustainability. It has recently completed major assignments for the Carlton
Football Club, the Islamic Council of Victoria and Air China.
In relation to the issues covered in this paper Alexandria Agenda can:
 help design and implement individual university strategies to enhance
student experience;
 advise on and facilitate the establishment of partnerships and programs
supported by business, government and community organisations;
 conduct professional development programs in cultural competence; and
 evaluate projects and governance processes relating to international
education.
The Alexandria Agenda team brings to the task expertise in research, cultural
diversity, policy development and governance, dialogue facilitation,
engagement with Asia, and longstanding experience working in higher
education as well as in government and business.
For more information visit: www.alexandriaagenda.com

3. Page | 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. International education makes a major contribution to the Australian economy. This paper
focuses on the vital role of international students in the life of Australia’s universities.
Australia is uniquely placed to take advantage of the immense opportunities presented by
the large number of students enrolled at its various universities.
2. But to do this well we need to take account of the total student experience, which includes
pre-arrival contact and advice; the educational experience itself; university life; and more
generally life in Australia.
3. While a continuing effort is needed to attract a large and growing share of the international
student market, attention must at the same be directed to the quality of the total student
experience. The number of students (and their parents) prepared to entertain study in
Australia depends on perceptions of the quality of what is on offer. In the long run such
perceptions are more likely to be shaped by the word of mouth reports of students who have
had direct experience of Australia and its educational institutions than by clever promotional
and recruiting campaigns.
4. Australian institutions must therefore incorporate two strategic priorities into their planning.
The first priority relates to the critical importance of culture. International education involves
all kinds of intercultural encounters involving teachers, international and domestic students,
university administrators, government officials, business and the wider community.
5. To ensure that these encounters are as productive and positive as possible each university
has to provide its staff, in particular those that have extensive contact with international
students, with an appropriate level of cultural competence. At the same time, international
students must be given ample opportunities to experience the different facets of Australian
society and culture, in a preliminary way before arrival in Australia, and more systematically
during the course of their studies. Only in this way can they be expected to become active
ambassadors for Australia and its educational institutions.
6. The second strategic priority is to develop coherent, transparent and accountable processes
whereby stakeholders in higher education can effectively coordinate their efforts. To this end
Federal and State governments have an important role to play in establishing coordinating
bodes at the federal and state level comprising representatives of relevant government
departments and agencies, universities, international student associations, local
government, business peak bodies, and a number of ethnic and other community
organisations.
7. Such efforts at liaison and coordination should be complemented by ad hoc working groups
that focus not only on crisis response but also on educational innovation, international
partnerships, professional development and program evaluation.
8. A strategic effort is needed to use effectively the networks international students and alumni
have in their home countries, and so enhance Australia’s global engagement, especially with
Asian countries, notably China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
9. The university sector, in close collaboration with government, business and community
organisations, must provide international students with structured opportunities for: a)
interaction, both formal and informal, with domestic students; b) work integrated learning
programs; c) workshops, visits and role play designed to expand the student’s future
employment prospects; and d) short international projects that deliver firsthand knowledge
and experience of the educational, university, professional or business environment of other
countries in Asia and beyond.

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RESETTING THE AGENDA
International education contributes much to the Australian economy. In 2014 it earned Australia
$17.6 billion in exports. Of this the higher education sector, which is the focus of this paper,
accounted for $11.7 billion. In 2014 some 250,000 international students on student visas were
enrolled at Australian universities, to which should be added the students enrolled at offshore
campuses of Australian institutions (84,785 in 2013).
Student Numbers at Australian Universities
UNIVERSITY LOCAL INT TOTAL INT %
NEW SOUTH WALES
The University of Wollongong 18,194 12,360 30,554 40.5%
University of Technology, Sydney 27,584 10,054 37,638 26.7%
Average for the State 21.4%
VICTORIA
Federation University Australia 6,609 6,332 12,941 48.9%
RMIT University 30,843 26,590 57,433 46.3%
Average for the State 32.8%
QUEENSLAND
Bond University 3,695 2,367 6,062 39%
The University of Queensland 37,252 11,519 48,771 23.6%
Average for the State 21.8%
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Murdoch University 14,329 9,809 24,138 40.6%
Curtin University of Technology 32,665 15,598 48,263 32.3%
Average for the State 26.8%
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The University of Adelaide 19,448 6,935 26,383 26.3%
University of South Australia 25,520 7,428 32,948 22.5%
Average for the State 25.5%
TASMANIA
University of Tasmania 21,940 4,872 26,812 18.2%
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Charles Darwin University 9,687 1,161 10,848 10.7%
ACT
The Australian National University 15,368 5,566 20,934 26.6%
MULTI-STATE
Australian Catholic University 22,758 2,920 25,678 11.4%
Average for all universities 25%
The table shows the two universities with the highest international student enrolments in each state and
the average for each state and territory.
Source: Universities Australia http://www.australianuniversities.com.au/directory/student-numbers/

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In 2012 international student fees provided about 16 per cent of the total revenue of all
universities. For many the percentage was over 20 per cent, and for a few over 30 per cent. To
the extent that this revenue helps fund a range of general university activities, including
teaching and research, it can be said to benefit domestic as well as international students.
According to one study revenue for international student fees subsidised each domestic student
by around $1,600 (Beaton Wells and Thompson 2011). Other benefits include:
Job creation – in 2013 international students generated some 130,000 jobs nationally
A healthy stimulus to tourism – for every ten international students 3 family members and
2 friends visit Australia each year
Skilled migration – one in five internationals students gains permanent residency on
graduation, thereby addressing a number of otherwise costly skill shortages
Enhanced research capacity – international students make up over 30 per cent of
Australia’s postgraduate enrolments in management and commerce, agriculture,
architecture, engineering, information technology and the natural and physical sciences.
The economic case for international education is a compelling one, and requires persistent
attention. Yet, overemphasis of the economic gains does pose several risks.
Despite our best efforts continuing growth in the number of international students may be hard
to sustain in the years ahead whether as a result of heightened international competition, the
high cost of study in Australia, or more importantly the possible fall in demand as Asian, in
particular Chinese, universities achieve higher standards in both teaching and research.
The current high dependence of several universities on international student fees may deflect
attention from the need to place higher education in Australia on a sounder financial footing.
The frenetic push to get more international students to enrol in Australian institutions can
overemphasise the quantitative rather than qualitative aspects of international education. The
quality of education can become little more than a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.
The non-economic aspects of study and the non-economic gains will need to receive the
attention they deserve. Two aspects are crucial here: the cultural aspects of education and the
quality of Australia’s engagement with Asia, its societies, languages, cultures and polities.
This paper proposes two strategic priorities and a number of specific tasks and
practical steps under each priority:
Strategic Priority 1: Give due regard to the role of culture
Task 1: Prepare international students to become ambassadors for Australia
Task 2: Expose international students to Australian society and culture
Task 3: Ensure university staff have an appropriate level of cultural competence
Strategic Priority 2: Adopt a multi-stakeholder approach
Task 1: Establish national coordinating bodiy representing all relevant stakeholders
Task 2: Establish state-wide international education councils
Task 3: Each university to establish its own multi-stakeholder mechanisms
Task 4: Develop local connections
Task 5: Develop international partnerships
Task 6: Develop the connection with business

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ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Looking just at the raw figures one gets the distinct impression that international education in
Australia is flourishing. The number of international students enrolled at Australian universities
almost doubled from 124,707 in 2002 to 242,029 in 2010. Similarly, the level of student
satisfaction appears rather high. In line with previous reports, the 2014 International Student
Survey (ISS) found that 88 per cent of tertiary respondents were satisfied with their overall
experience of international education in Australia.
These figures, while comforting, should be treated with caution. Any number of domestic and
external factors can cause variations in international student enrolments form one year to the
next. It is nevertheless worth noting that in 2014 Australian universities attracted 249,256
international students, which means virtually no overall growth over the preceding four years,
despite a significant rise in student numbers from certain countries (e.g. Vietnam, Pakistan). All
the indications are that future growth will be slower than in the past and harder to achieve.
As for the reported levels of satisfaction, they may not offer a fully accurate barometer of how
international students view their experience in Australia. The findings of the 2014 student
survey were based on the responses of only 27 per cent of students studying in participating
institutions. It is not unreasonable to assume that the level of satisfaction would have been
lower among the large majority of students who did not take part in the survey. We should, in
any case, remember that the bulk of the respondents were Asian students, whose cultural
background strongly predisposes them against expressing dissatisfaction with authority
generally and established institutions in particular, even under the veil of anonymity.
These and other considerations have prompted federal and state governments, federal
parliamentary committees as well as academics, universities and other stakeholders to publish
a number of surveys and reports on the state of international education in Australia. These
studies have varied widely in scope and quality, with some attempting to survey the entire field
and others focusing on particular aspects of the student experience. Some have been more
concerned with reviewing the current state of play, while others have placed the emphasis on
recommendations for the future.
This review is based on an analysis of 14 studies conducted over the last five years, including
four by federal government bodies, two arising from federal parliamentary inquiries, two by the
Victorian government, one by the Council of Australian Governments, and one by the City of
Melbourne. For purposes of convenience their assessments are considered under the following
four headings:
Pre-arrival: information services provided to prospective international students on what
Australia has to offer by way of courses, study modes, fees, accommodation, health,
transport and other lifestyle options, costs and entitlements, and importantly the
processes for obtaining student visas and the conditions attached to them.
Educational experience: content and method of teaching; adequacy of learning
techniques, processes and resources; mentoring of students; suitability of assessment
procedures; and evaluation of teacher and student performance. A critical consideration
in all of this is the degree to which these elements are integrated into a coherent
culturally sensitive pedagogy, including professional development for academic staff.
University life: welcoming arrangements; accommodation, health, counselling,
financial and other services; interaction with domestic students; professional
development of administrative staff.

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Life in Australia: opportunities to learn about Australia, its history, values, multicultural
policies, political and legal institutions, and economy; access to paid part-time or casual
work or to work integrated learning; working conditions; and engagement with a cross-
section of Australian society.
Pre-Arrival
Several reports have drawn attention to the important role played by education agents
operating in the countries of origin. The 2015 Productivity Commission report identified the
potential conflict of interests facing agents whose brief is supposedly to look after the interests
of the students they advise but who are paid by universities with the express purpose of
maximising the number of their enrolments.
The report cited complaints made to the Overseas Students Ombudsman indicating that agents
often gave incomplete, misleading or inappropriate advice about educational providers and
course options. Some students were misinformed about the educational institution to which
they were assigned, while others were placed in sub-standard accommodation in Australia, for
which they were unable to gain redress even after lodging complaints. The problem was
compounded by the fact that many education providers had no written agreement with their
agents, and that they often failed to investigate complaints made about their agents. More
generally, there seemed to be no transparent monitoring of the performance of education
agents.
Numerous other instances have come to light pointing to inadequate information and advice.
The 2014 International Student Survey found that 93 per cent of students surveyed were
satisfied with airport pickup services and 94% with university orientation programmes.
However, 48 per cent and 51 per cent of respondents respectively were unaware of the
existence of these services.
On the vexed issue of visa requirements, both the federal government's 2015 Draft National
Strategy and the 2015 Productivity Commission report found that frequent changes to visa
rules had made for a good deal of confusion and uncertainty on the part of students, and in
some cases even on the part of education agents.
Educational experience
One of the key concerns with the quality of education offered at most universities has to do with
the English language competence of international students. If courses are taught in English and
international students have less than full command of the written and spoken language, it is
difficult to see how they can perform to their full capacity.
The 2009 Victorian Auditor General's report pointed to significant differences in the quality of
language support services provided by different universities. Deficient language skills were
associated with several pedagogical problems, including plagiarism, tensions between
academics and students and between domestic and international students. The report could
identify only one university as having collected data correlating international student command
of English with their academic progress. The 2015 Productivity Commission report found that
the costs of collecting such data would pose an added difficulty for less financially endowed
universities.
It is clear that university English language requirements are not as rigorous or as consistently
applied as they should be across the Australian university sector. It is equally clear that
insufficient effort has been made to monitor the impact of poor English language skills on
international student academic and employment progress.

8. Page | 8
Several reports indicate that a number of international students are greatly dissatisfied with the
quality of the feedback they get on assignments they submit, and more generally on the
progress they are making during the course of their studies.
Another area of concern relates to increasing reliance on online teaching. The 2015
Productivity Commission report, while conceding that budgetary pressures were pushing
universities to introduce new online courses, warned that such a shift could adversely affect the
quality of teaching, certainly for international students, but also for domestic students. Five
years earlier, the 2010 Council of Learning and Teaching report had found that inadequate
staff-student interaction made it difficult for international students to get a clear sense of
direction in their studies and the necessary support to adjust to a new learning environment.
The 2014 International Student Survey found that 79 per cent of students were dissatisfied with
the opportunities available to meet with their teachers.
University Life
There is, of course, more the experience of life at a university than the course of study in which
the student is enrolled. For international students, there is much to be gained from making
friends and contacts, interacting with staff (not just academic staff) and especially with domestic
students. For international students interaction is indeed the key to improved English language
proficiency. It is a way of overcoming social isolation, and importantly it is an invaluable
opportunity to learn more about the host country. Several reports indicate that such interaction
is well below desired levels.
It is also the case that international students are under-utilised, especially when it comes to
helping domestic students to improve their command of languages other than English.
From time to time instances have been reported of international students encountering
difficulties in their dealings with university bureaucracies, including delays in the processing of
forms, requests and complaints. The 2009 Victorian Auditor General suggested that in several
cases prompt customer-service had not been forthcoming. These reports rely largely on
anecdotal evidence, which points to the need for more careful and transparent monitoring of
procedures and processes.
Life in Australia
The expectations of international students go beyond the quality of the courses they are
studying. Several other considerations weigh heavily on their minds.
The first of these is paid work. The 2014 International Student Survey found that more than
three quarters of respondents greatly valued access to paid work during the course of their
studies as well as the ability to find work on completion of their studies. Paid work helps to
cover at least a small part of the huge cost of international education. Secondly, it provides
students with the work experience they need to enhance their future employment prospects.
However, the same survey found that only 12 per cent of international students at Australia’s
universities had paid jobs in a field directly related to their studies, and another 24 per cent had
paid work not directly related to their area of study. One reason given for this poor outcome
was inadequate language competence. Another was the failure of the courses taught to equip
students with the practical skills sought by employers. Yet another, often unacknowledged
reason is the significant number of students whose employment is not officially recorded
because their low pay and poor working conditions are in violation of existing laws. Access to
useful and equitable paid work will be a key factor determining Australia’s future
competitiveness in the internationals student market.

9. Page | 9
The second consideration has to do with living conditions in Australia, in particular
accommodation, access to health services and transportation, and more generally the cost of
living.
The 2014 International Student Survey found that both the quality and cost of accommodation
were especially problematic – only 51 per cent of students expressed satisfaction in this
context. According to the parliamentary inquiry on international student welfare the inability of
universities to build or find appropriate accommodation for many of their international students.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the problem is compounded when students are left to the
mercy of unscrupulous landlords or more often subletting lease holders who overcharge,
overcrowd or neglect the upkeep of the accommodation. A comprehensive study of housing for
international students has yet to be undertaken.
Transport has been another contentious issue. Only recently have the Victorian and New South
Wales governments introduced experimental public transport concessions for international
undergraduate students (though still not for postgraduate students). This modest response
follows years of complaints that existing arrangements discriminated against international
students, while at the same time endangering their personal security and increasing their social
isolation.
The 2013 parliamentary report on international student welfare identified access to health and
child care services as a third area of concern. International students have had to contend with
the high cost of health insurance, limited or costly provision of child care facilities, and a range
of mental health problems exacerbated by social isolation, financial difficulties and anxiety
about educational performance.
In responding to these challenges, international students have formed a number of country
specific groups to represent their interests as well as the umbrella organisation formed in 2010,
the Council of International Students Australia (CISA). But the readiness of both state and
federal governments on the one hand and universities on the other to consult and liaise with
these representative bodies is still in its infancy.

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RECENT RECOMMENDATIONS: THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
What emerges from the preceding survey is that, while international students continue to enrol
in Australian universities in large numbers, much can be done to enhance the quality of their
experience. As we shall see, the studies and reports of the last few years have generated a
great many recommendations which merit close attention. They rest on the implicit, if not
explicit, proposition that neither the continuing flow of new enrolments nor the apparently high
proportion of satisfied students is cause for complacency.
Below we set out in point form a number of the recommendations contained in the studies and
reports to which we have already referred (see “References” for publication details). Detailed
analysis of these previous studies is essential for they reveal much about what needs to be
done. In short, they tell us a great deal that is useful although, as we shall see, they are
far from equal to the challenge.
The recommendations are grouped under the same four categories that informed our overview
of the current situation. Within each category we have highlighted a number of recurring
themes which appear on the left column, together with the names of one or more organisations
that have proposed, and in some way committed themselves to, a particular policy change or
initiative.
This is not an exhaustive list of the policy changes and projects which have been the subject of
discussion. Nor does it name all the organisations and reports that have considered or
recommended this or that course of action. The list is nevertheless sufficiently inclusive to
convey the broad sweep of proposals, objectives and pilot projects to have emerged over the
last five years. It identifies the main concerns of key stakeholders, in particular governments
and universities, and the approaches they have so far developed in response to these
concerns. This survey will help us to identify their strengths and their weaknesses.
This paper seeks to fill some of the gaps in the existing body of recommendations.
Pre-Arrival
Recruiting
Productivity
Commission 2015
 Austrade to mount seminars to update and deepen the knowledge of education
and immigration agents.
 Provide agents with more frequently updated materials in other languages.
 Vary incentives for agents in line with the quality of students they recruit,
linking pay to the outcome of students studying in Australia.
 Educational institutions to ensure greater transparency in agent fees.
 Universities to take a more direct role in student recruitment, including
despatch of university staff to countries of origin to supervise the agents they
employ.
Visa Arrangements
Draft National
Strategy 2015
 Streamline international student visa requirements, which have become
increasingly complex following a succession of changes over the last few
years – the federal government has committed itself to further streamlining
with a view to ensuring the competitiveness of the visa student program.
 Streamlining could also apply to existing arrangements for electronic visa
applications.

11. Page | 11
Quality of education
English Language
Skills
University of Sydney
2010
Draft National
Strategy 2015
Victoria Auditor
General 2009
 English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses for credit to be developed in
faculties most involved in international student programs.
 A language competency assessment for all international students to be
conducted at the conclusion of their studies, as a measure of the value added
to the degree.
 Bi-lingual programs to be considered, especially at the professional masters
level.
 Universities to review language support services and integrate these into key
performance indicators.
 Online courses to be adapted to international students' languages.
 Universities to revert back to IELTS tests to assess English skills of
international students and to gather statistics of educational attainment
compared to previous English skill competence.
Broadening the
Curriculum
Agenda for Australian
Higher Education
2013
Draft National
Strategy 2015
Prof W. Purcell
Universities Australia
 Universities to work more closely with private education providers and TAFEs
with a view to providing international students with a more varied education.
 Introduce more work-integrated learning for international students through local
businesses, larger business organisations and government programs.
 Short-term projects at international universities to be given credit towards
courses provided by Australian universities.
 Dual-degree PhD programs to be developed whereby PhD students have dual
supervisors and spend at least one year in the other country – with supervisor-
to-supervisor relationships helping to expand research networks.
Improving quality
of International
Students
Sydney University
2010; Draft National
Strategy 2015
Draft National
Strategy 2015
 Universities to enhance international connections through hosting of
international conferences (including area studies conferences) and
collaboration in world class international research networks -- a special
university research seed fund to be established for this purpose
 Australian Government to create new Quality Indicators for Learning and
Teaching by improving the existing University Experience and Graduate
Destination surveys and creating a new Employer Satisfaction survey to assess
generic skills, technical skills and work readiness of higher education
graduates.
 Australian government to support international postgraduate research students
through the International Postgraduate Research Scholarships and Australian
Postgraduate Awards.

12. Page | 12
Quality of university life
Social Inclusion
Australian Learning
and Teaching Council
2010
Universities Australia
2013
 Improve communication between domestic and international students by
revamping teaching methods to allow for assessment tasks that involve peer
feedback, icebreakers, social tutorials and allocation of seats or tables in
classes.
 University student clubs and societies to be re-established with funds from
university budgets and directed towards extracurricular activities where
international and domestic students can mix informally.
Improved
communication
Victorian Government
2013; H of R
Standing Committee
2013; University of
Sydney 2010; COAG
2010; City of
Melbourne 2013
Victorian Auditor
General 2009
 The Commonwealth Government, state governments, local governments,
universities and other stakeholders to set up international student consultative
committees.
 Improve communication between international students and university general
staff, especially those engaged in administration and service provision.
Service Provision
University of Sydney
2010
Draft National
Strategy 2015
 University to arrange for an adequate supply of affordable childcare for
international students and funds and faculty based strategies to accommodate
students with disabilities.
 Universities to collaborate with international student bodies, community
organisations and government agencies to provide employment workshops
with a focus on job-seeking, employee rights, resume writing, tax and visa
information.
Life in Australia
Service Provision
H of R Standing
Committee 2013
Draft National
Strategy 2015
University of Sydney
2010; Australian
Senate 2009
University of Sydney
2010
 Information regarding health, housing, transport, work and safety issues on
federal government, state government and university websites to be
centralised.
 Universities to work with investors, property developers, education peak
bodies, students and governments to investigate ways to improve the
availability, affordability and quality of accommodation, including increasing
purpose-built student accommodation on or near campus.
 Initiate short-term action to meet the demands of international students,
including reservation of on-campus beds for first year students and attention to
expanded home stay arrangements.
 Ensure that University’s accommodation database is accurate, up to date and
supported by the resource and expertise to screen potential leases and rental
properties.

13. Page | 13
Social Inclusion
City of Melbourne
2013
Australian Education
International, 2011
 Research and identify ways to connect international students with other students,
families and communities and so reduce social isolation and enhance inclusion.
 Establish interest-based programs (e.g. an art or conservation program) that allow
international students to work with domestic students and local community
groups.
 Mount soft-skills workshops (developing problem solving, communication and
interpersonal skills) that include both international and domestic students.
Employment
Australian Senate
2009
 The Department of Immigration and Citizenship to review the 20 hour per week
limit on work for international students.
Student Security
COAG 2010  Universities to draw up Provider Student Safety Plans detailing university security
services, emergency phone numbers, how to contact police and public transport
services.
Consultation
H of R Standing
Committee 2013
 The Australian government to work more closely with the Council of International
Students Australia (CISA) on policy formulation and information dissemination.
This brief survey tells us a good deal about the kind of forward thinking governments and
universities have been doing as they try to position Australia to take full advantage of
international student mobility. The thinking thus far is useful in some important respects, but
quite limiting in others. The main strengths and weaknesses of what is on offer may be
summarised as follows:
Strengths
Generally, governments and universities have come to value the contribution that
internationals students can make to university budgets, to the development of
international research partnerships and other forms of collaboration, and to the
economy as a whole.
Both governments and universities now appreciate that performance has to improve if
Australia is to continue to attract large numbers of international students in the face of
severe competition and potentially adverse currents over which it may have little control.
A wide range of proposals aimed at improving student satisfaction are now under
consideration or in early stages of implementation.
There now exists a greater sense on the part of key stakeholders (including
governments and universities) that improved performance depends on more effective
collaboration.
Several of the proposals address directly what may have been previously considered a
secondary objective, but one which is crucially important, namely the whole study
experience, which includes not only teaching and learning, but employability and living
conditions, including accommodation, health, transport and safety.
Some of the recommendations also indicate a growing appreciation that for international
student employability means maximising future employment prospects in the home
country, the host country and third countries.

14. Page | 14
Shortcomings
A good number of recommendations, if implemented, will no doubt produce improved
outcomes for international students, and may make Australia an even more desirable
country of destination. But the bulk of the proposals and ideas currently on the table are
short on ambition, in the sense that the primary underlying concern appears to be how
to increase the number of student enrolments and to a lesser extent how to use
international education to develop high-quality international research partnerships. Both
are laudable aims, but only part of a larger and richer canvas.
Other critically important objectives, notably the quality of the total life experience of the
international student while in Australia, are considered, but usually only as means to an
end. As a result, what constitutes a high quality experience is reduced to a number of
practical considerations (e.g. employment prospects, accommodation, transport), all of
which required sustained attention, but so do the personal and social dimensions of the
experience. The complex but crucial issues of cultural interaction and social inclusion,
as they impact on accommodation, health care, transport and work arrangements, need
to be addressed head-on.
Some of the recommendations (e.g. bi-lingual university programs, production of
materials in multiple languages) appear to be poorly thought through. Many questions
remain largely unanswered: How would such programs impact on the need for students
to have high levels of English language proficiency? How would domestic students
handle bi-lingual programs? If other languages are to be introduced in teaching, which
languages are to be chosen, for which courses, to serve what purposes?
Many of the recommendations are stated in such general terms that it is often difficult to
see how they would be implemented, by whom, with what resources, within what
timelines, and how progress might be measured and monitored. To state the core of the
problem as succinctly as possible, many of the recommendations are thin when it
comes to identifying where responsibility lies for implementation. As a consequence we
are still some distance from developing an accepted methodology for determining which
recommendations have been adopted and how they are being implemented.
Insofar as recommendations have been adopted, whether by individual universities or
by the higher education sector as a whole, we do not as yet have an agreed framework
for measuring progress, comparing experiences, or for developing a body of useful
lessons learnt.
Similarly, there is a lack of clarity on how actions taken are to be made accountable and
transparent. Existing higher education reporting and data gathering mechanisms, often
cumbersome and less than fully revealing, are not well fitted for this purpose.
Perhaps the most striking gap in the reports to date, at least from an organisational
point of view, is the reluctance to acknowledge the role of multiple stakeholders. Even
where such acknowledgement is given, there is little or no attempt to articulate concrete
ways in which the interests, priorities, insights and resources of different stakeholders,
including international students and their representative organisations and potential
international educational partners, can be integrated into consultation and decision-
making processes, and importantly in the different stages of implementation.

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THE CASE FOR AN INTERCULTURAL, MULTI-STAKEHOLDER APPROACH
International students have played a major role in expanding the international reach of
the Australian university sector. This trend is likely to continue even though the demand for
places in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses may fluctuate from year to year in less
than fully predictable ways. This uncertainty reinforces the need for imaginative strategies
which are as much concerned with the quality of what is offered as with the size of the student
market.
In addressing the question of quality three key considerations should be kept in mind:
The number of students (and their parents) prepared to entertain study in Australia
cannot but be influenced over the longer term by perceptions of the quality of what is on
offer. In the longer term such perceptions are less likely to be shaped by clever
promotional and recruiting campaigns than by the word of mouth reports of students
who have had direct experience of Australia and its educational institutions.
The quality of life international students experience while in Australia is critically
important for securing future enrolments in an increasingly competitive market. But it is
just as important for cementing in the eyes of our Asian neighbours a favourable view
not only of our universities but of our other institutions, and of the society as a whole.
Suitably impressed international students can become invaluable ambassadors for
individual institutions and for the wider connection with Australia.
Precisely because we are dealing with the qualitative aspects of the experience of
international students, these need to be evaluated using a range of both quantitative
and qualitative methods, and such evaluation must periodically inform planning, policies
and methodologies.
If the total experience of our international students -- not just the quality of the courses and
research facilities we offer – is to achieve the desired level of excellence, then the planning
process must incorporate two strategic priorities which to date have not received the attention
they deserve.
Strategic priority 1: Give due regard to the role of culture
All education is at its core a cultural phenomenon. The content and form of education, what and
how it is taught, the organisation of the curriculum, student-teacher relationships, attitudes to
study and work, all these reflect cultural assumptions and practices. In the case of international
students, the cultural factor is even more conspicuous given that the students come from
different cultural and language backgrounds, and bring therefore to their study different
experiences, expectations, ways of studying, and social, cultural and spiritual needs.
In Australia’s case, the cultural factor assumes even greater significance given that the vast
majority of international students are from Asian countries, that is, from cultures with which
Australian institutions have until recently found it difficult to engage. Of the ten countries that
currently provide the largest number of students nine are from Asia: China, India, Malaysia,
Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea and Pakistan. Though we can reasonably
expect a gradual increase in the number of students coming from the Middle East and Latin
America, Asia will remain by far our principal source of international students. This presents
Australia’s educational institutions with a considerable challenge but also an immense
opportunity.

16. Page | 16
Three tasks are vital to the success of this strategy:
Task 1: Expose international students to Australian society and culture
International students have much to gain from effective engagement with Australian society,
that is to say, interaction that goes beyond study requirements and attending to the practical
necessities of life (e.g. accommodation, shopping, transport, health).
Australia’s multicultural landscape is a legitimate source of pride, as are its social cohesion and
development of innovative intercultural and interfaith programs. Integrating this facet of
Australian life into our international education programs should be considered a priority
objective.
Each university should devise it own program comprised of two key elements:
a) basic introduction to Australian society, culture, economy, politics, law (e.g. guest
lectures, workshops, on-line modules) – not confined to orientation week; and
b) a structured program designed to foster sustained interaction with domestic students
(within and outside the study environment) and a range of community groups and
organisations enabling students to pursue their interests in affordable ways (e.g.
conservation, sport, the arts, music, travel around Australia) and importantly to connect
with locally based communities who share their cultural/national background.
The content and method of such a program would be designed to give international students a
better feel for the highly diverse multicultural fabric of Australian society. The program would
also seek to make more effective use of the time internationals students spend in Australia to
promote interest in and knowledge of their countries and languages, not least among domestic
students.
Each university could profitably offer a short program in the students’ home countries prior to
arrival in Australia. Such a program would familiarise the students with Australian university
culture, course options and related career pathways, the practical aspects of living in Australia,
and an introduction to key aspects of the Australian landscape, including geography, society,
economy and politics. Adequately trained academic and general university staff would need to
be directly involved in the delivery of these programs.
During their studies in Australia a number of more advanced on-shore summer schools could
be offered to students wishing to learn more about Australia’s business environment, legal
system, political institutions, multicultural policies and programs, urban planning, energy
conservation and efficiency programs, and relations with Asia.
Where appropriate the summer schools could be allocated credit points towards a range of
degrees. Non credited summer schools could cover a range of interests that fall outside the
scope of a formal degree, and which may appeal to both domestic and internationals students –
either during or on completion of their studies.
With the encouragement of their state government and the support of business and industry as
well as the community sector, universities – singly or collectively – could take advantage of
additional synergies between multiculturalism and international education. To illustrate:
a. Universities and government departments might consider expanding partnerships with
major sporting bodies and promote the participation of international students in
Australian sports as a social engagement mechanism. Football Federation Australia and
the Australian Football League are likely to be keenly interested in investing energy and
resources into introducing internationals students to their respective codes.

17. Page | 17
b. Formation of partnerships involving universities, travel companies, the Victorian and
local governments would greatly enhance student safety and reduce risks of damaging
incidents. Such companies could include major airlines that provide the bulk of
international student travel services between the home country and Victoria.
c. International students that have a particular cultural or religious background could be
introduced to the relevant cultural or religious organisations in Victoria (e.g. Muslim
students could be brought into contact with the Islamic Council of Victoria and its
member organisations).
Finally, universities could consider a range of international projects whereby students can be
hosted for relatively short periods (e.g. two to six weeks) by a university in a third country with a
view to widening their international experience and providing them with firsthand knowledge of
the university, professional or business environment of that country.
Task 2: Prepare international students to become ambassadors for Australia
A key objective must be to encourage and equip them to become effective ambassadors for
Australia and its universities once they return home and even before.
The first steps should be taken when international students are still pursuing their studies in
Australia. They need to have a clear sense of what a continuing association with the university
can offer them, by way of continuing education, professional networking, and international
engagement.
a. Work integrated learning programs;
b. Workshops, visits and role play designed to expand the student’s future employment
prospects;
Where a university has a large concentration of alumni in a particular country (e.g. China, India,
Vietnam) every effort should be made to establish a chapter of the alumni association in that
country. Such chapters should be encouraged (and given every possible support) to promote
the two-way flow of students between their countries and Australia, establish new scholarships,
develop joint pilot projects and commission consultancies that can advise on new initiatives and
training programs.
A range of university bodies, including alumni offices, will need to be in involved in the design
and delivery of an ambassador program.
Task 3: Ensure university staff have an appropriate level of cultural competence
If a university is to engage seriously in the business of international education, if it is to provide
an effective teaching, learning and research environment for a large number of international
students, then both its academic and general staff should be able to communicate in ways that
are culturally sensitive and empowering. This requires knowledge and understanding of both
the pitfalls and immense potential of intercultural encounters. It also requires some basic
knowledge of the cultural backgrounds of international students, at least of those cultures
heavily represented within the university.
For this purpose two types of professional development programs will be needed: a) a basic
program designed for the majority of staff; and b) a more intensive and challenging program
designed for members of staff who have sustained interaction with international students in
academic, administrative, or service delivery contexts.

18. Page | 18
Strategic Priority 2: Adopt a multi-stakeholder approach
International study necessarily involves the encounter of many cultures, but it also involves a
great many stakeholders in both the home and host countries. In an earlier period, study at a
university was generally understood as centred on the direct relationship between student and
teacher, and to some extent between student and department. Over recent decades dramatic
changes have occurred within and outside universities. Government generally and bureaucracy
in particular now exercise a decisive influence – not just in disbursing funds, but in determining
how funds are to be used, setting research and teaching priorities and benchmarks, and
establishing detailed reporting and monitoring procedures. Though federal governments have
primary carriage of key functions in the management of the higher education sector, state
governments continue to exercise certain governance functions, and importantly they see
universities as critical to their business and innovation strategies.
At the same time industry itself has become a more conspicuous player, entering into research
and development partnerships, and largely shaping the vocational pathways to which
universities must adjust. The membership profile of university councils strikingly reflects this
trend. Community organisations have also come to play a significant though less sharply
defined role. Partly in response to these multiple pressures universities have acquired larger
bureaucracies that now have a ubiquitous presence in all facets of university teaching and
research.
Complex as these relationships now are, international education is doubly complex. For, in
addition to all the stakeholders named above, account must be taken of international students,
their needs and expectations and those of their families, communities, governments and future
employers, which fund study abroad and in large measure shape the career opportunities open
to students on return to their home countries. If the educational experience Australia offers its
international students is to realise its full potential and yield benefits to all concerned, it is
crucial that policies and decision-making processes integrate in culturally appropriate ways the
interests and priorities of all relevant stakeholders both in Australia and internationally.
Task 1: Establish a national coordinating body representing all relevant stakeholders
The purpose of this coordinating body would be to develop a national framework that sets key
benchmarks for the development of international education in universities, monitors progress in
the implementation of policies, and publishes periodic reports that compares performance with
benchmarks. These, however, will need to be set with sufficient flexibility to allow for the
different circumstances of each university and provide adequate space for universities and their
staff and student bodies to develop programs and initiatives that are original and creative.
The coordinating body should represent federal and state governments, universities,
international student bodies as well as business and community organisations. It should also
actively and regularly consult with educational, business, government and other institutions in
those countries which provide the bulk of Australia’s international students.
Task 2: Establish state-wide international education councils
Each state, especially those that have two or more universities, should ideally have a state-
wide council comprising representatives of government departments and agencies with
responsibilities in education, economic development and multicultural affairs, all universities
within that state, local government, business peak bodies, ethnic and other community
organisations and relevant international student associations. Its purpose would be to consult
widely and establish a best practice framework covering the four key areas examined in this
paper: pre-arrival arrangements, quality of education, quality of university life, quality of life

19. Page | 19
outside the university. One department or agency should be assigned the task of facilitating the
process of consultation and coordination.
One of the key tasks of such coordination would be to expose international students to
Australia’s multicultural landscape in business, sport, the arts, the media, and professional life.
For this purpose some small grants or scholarships could be made widely available (perhaps
with some or all of the funding provided by corporate sponsorships).
There may also be value in forming ad hoc working groups that focus not only on crisis
response (addressing particular problem areas which may arise from time to time), but also on
innovation, in particular developing pilot projects involving clusters of universities, or major
initiatives involving the whole of the university sector in each state.
Task 3: Each university to establish its own multi-stakeholder mechanisms
The purpose here would to provide one or more mechanisms whereby the university can
periodically engage with a range of stakeholders to review and evaluate existing university
policies, processes and programs. Opportunities should also be created to consider difficulties
that may have been encountered as well as innovative proposals and new partnerships able to
deliver improvements in the quality of students’ experiences.
The aim should be to bring together relevant university managers, senior academics (especially
those involved in overseeing courses attracting large numbers of international students), as
well as undergraduate and postgraduate representatives of international student bodies, local
government, local business and local community organisations. The university’s international
office would be in most cases the logical unit to perform such liaising and coordinating
functions, though to maximise outcomes significant capacity building and professional
development programs for staff attached to international offices and health, counselling and
other services may be necessary.
Task 4: Develop local connections
The importance of the local experience cannot be overstated. International students can play
an active role in local community programs, whether as volunteers, guest speakers, or resource
people.
Local government can make a valuable contribution by helping to develop innovative spaces
and processes at the local level (outside of the university environment), where international
students can freely express their impressions of life in Australia, offer suggestions for improving
the student experience, and fostering future engagement between Australia and their home
countries.
International students can also be productively involved in projects designed to give greater
energy and depth to sister city relationships.
Task 5: Develop international partnerships
Two initiatives could greatly enhance Australia’s attractiveness as the country of destination for
international education:
a. Establish well funded educational and research projects involving universities in Australia
and the students’ home countries with a view to strengthening area studies, that is,
Australian studies in key Asian countries, and Asian studies in Australia.

20. Page | 20
b. Support through grants, scholarships and fellowships – in a more focused way than is
currently the case – international research partnerships that involve both academic staff
and research students. Key topics for research collaboration should include the major
transnational challenges in non-military security, with particular reference to the Asia-
Pacific region (e.g. climate change, cross-border population movements; transnational
organised crime; illicit financial flows; disease-based threats, natural disasters).
Task 6: Develop the connection with business
Considerable opportunities exist for closer engagement with business and industry as partners
in the sector’s growth and sustainability. Two possibilities require sustained attention:
a. Creating greater opportunities for appropriately supervised and carefully assessed work
integrated learning programs;
b. Encouraging internationals students to attend occasional lectures, workshops,
conferences and other functions sponsored by business and industry, which explore
projects and initiatives aimed at: sustainable regional economic growth and employment;
development of infrastructure; innovation in renewable energy development and energy
efficiency; and best practice in governance and diversity management.
Universities working closely with key stakeholders can do much to make Australia a pioneer in
international education. To rise to this challenge it is vital that all relevant stakeholders make
imaginative use of Australia’s invaluable assets, notably its vibrant multicultural ethos, its social
inclusion policies and the acknowledged quality of its universities. Placed within an appropriate
multi-stakeholder framework, international students offer a unique passport to mutually
rewarding economic and cultural engagement with Asia and the rest of the world.

21. Page | 21
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