This document summarizes a project aimed at improving interactions between home and international students at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). The project will analyze current strategies and activities to enhance integration and teaching/learning. Data was collected through staff/student interviews and focus groups. Preliminary findings show activities like group work and field trips help integration when properly implemented. International students find challenges with English, independent learning, and writing but have strengths in maths and motivation. The project will propose a framework to guide future internationalization efforts.
SEM 2011 Expanding ACCESS to International StudentsCISA-GMU
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Developing strategies and activities to improve interactions between home and international students and to enhance teaching and learning
1. Developing Strategies and Activities
to Improve Interactions
between Home and International Students
and to Enhance Teaching and Learning
Dr Gita Sedghi – Chemistry Department
Dr Ian Willis – Educational Development Division
2. The rational for the project
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (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
can transfer to complete part of
their studies in Liverpool via a
range of options.
http://www.liv.ac.uk/xjtlu/
From 2012, Chemistry will start accepting Chinese students onto the second year
undergraduate course.
3. Aim of the project
• The research aims to analyse the strategies and activities in the area of
internationalisation at the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
• This will result in a general framework that will help enhance integration
and interactions between home and international students, and to enhance
teaching and learning.
• Although the research is focused on XJTLU students within the Faculty of
Science and Engineering, but the outcome will be useful to all staff and
students, both home and international, at the University of Liverpool.
4. The initial collation of data
• We conducted semi-structured interviews with staff in the Faculty of Science
and Engineering who have experience with integrating home and XJTLU
students.
• We conducted focus groups with home and international undergraduate
students.
• We conducted interviews with the members of the Guild of Students and
the International Support Team.
5. Themes
1. Activities in place to enhance integration between home and international
students:
- Group work
- Any other activities
2. What do international students find challenging and what do they do best?
3. Special provisions for international students
- Induction
-Teaching and Learning provisions
6. Group work (staff notes)
“We mix home and international students in a group. Sometimes students
don’t like to be in a mixed group but the experience shows that in the end
they are happy as they got the opportunity to interact with each other.”
“They integrate if we give them the opportunity to mix in groups. We just
should make sure of a good mix of all aspects in a group.”
“I select the group leaders and they form the groups themselves. So Chinese
and home students are not mixed in groups. We just suggest them to mix in
groups but they don’t. We don’t force them to mix in groups and they cannot
complain later that they were in the wrong group.”
7. Other activities (staff notes)
“We have field trips which have organized in the first semester and we have
budget for that due to the nature of the course. They work well to integrate
students.”
“It is hard to socially integrate them as they have very different cultures.”
“We have a large number of Chinese students and a small number of home
students. Nothing we do would be effective due to the numbers.”
“We arrange field trips in the first semester which helps to integrate home
and international students but they should contribute to the expenses. Some
students do not want to pay for these trips.”
What do students think?
8. Challenges for international students (staff notes)
“Some of them have difficulties in English, particularly with exam questions.
They are not good to write descriptive answers in exams.”
“They have difficulties with practical skills.”
“ They are not independent learners. They find problem based learning
challenging.”
“They do not ask their questions from the tutors. They are shy or they don’t
think it is appropriate to ask questions.”
“They find report and essay writing challenging.”
“They have different views of plagiarism.”
9. Strengths of international students
“They are good with maths and calculations.”
“They are motivated and focused on the course.”
“They are very studious.”
“They have a strong theory background and find some modules too easy.”
“They are interested in extracurricular activities to enhance their C.V.”
10. Induction from the International Support Team
During the Welcome Week the International Support Team provides the
following sessions:
• IST Welcome Presentation
• Afternoon tea at the Adelphi Hotel
• Improving your English
• IST Welcome Exhibition
• Living in the UK - Quiz
• Tier 4 visa extension presentation
• Tier 4 visa extension workshop
• Walking tours (the campus, city centre and retail shops)
• Working in the UK during your studies
11. Departmental induction (staff notes)
“We don’t have any induction at departmental level. International students
attend in the IST welcome event.”
“We have induction for everybody where majority of students are international.
We talk about the requirement of the course”
“The induction event for the second year undergraduate studies is organized
for only XJTLU students.”
“We organized the induction event for XJTLU students but very few turned up.
We postponed it to the following day and they turned up. The reason was the
issue of contacting the students as we didn’t have any university email from
them.”
12. Teaching and learning provisions (staff notes)
“They have their personal tutors to get help from in case of any difficulties.”
“We are in contact with XJTLU staff to make sure the syllabus is consistent.”
“The English Learning Unit provided particular courses for international students
to work on their assignments and exams.”
“We make sure Chinese students have their representatives in SSLC.”
“We have meetings with representatives of Chinese students for once or twice
during each semester to get feedback from them.”
“We have peer mentoring scheme in place for international students.”
“We encourage staff to put the lecture materials in Vital.”
13. The Guild of Students
• Introductory videos to explain the Guild’s activities to international students
before their arrival to Liverpool.
• Fun activities for international students with educational focus such as treasure
hunt in the campus area and museums.
• Welcome events such as tea parties to mix home and international students.
• Chinese and XJTLU Societies
• Social events including trips
14. Pre-arrival plans at the Chemistry Department
• Informative videos related to the Chemistry Department
• Internationalisation webpage in the Chemistry Website
• Peer mentoring
• University’s social network
Contact the international students before their arrival at
Liverpool.
15. Induction at the Chemistry Department
• Mixed sessions with home students
• Meeting with peer mentors/peer assisted learning leaders
• Meeting with personal tutors
• Particular sessions for international students such as introducing to library
and Vital with helping from peer mentors/peer assisted learning leaders.
• Introductory talk by Chidinma Chi-Chi Nwokoro, the new student
representative officer from XJTLU
• Guidance leaflets
• Students questionnaires to identify their expectations and issues
16. Peer assisted learning (PAL) for international students
• Weekly drop-in sessions are organised to support international students with
the study skills module.
• PAL leaders will give pastoral and subject support to international students.
• PAL leaders will be in contact with international students before their arrival
and will meet them during the Welcome Week.
• PAL leaders will give regular feedback to academic staff regarding the students’
performance.
• Extra PAL sessions will be organised to help students with practical skills, lab
report writing, library skills, note taking and plagiarism.
17. It is important to have a proper system in place before the
number of international students increases in a department.
Do not leave it until it’s too late!
18. Acknowledgement
• The Higher Education Academy and UKCISA for funding this project
• The Educational Development Division for their collaboration
• Alexandra Appleton for running student focus groups
• Dr James Gaynor for setting up the internationalisation website
• Sarah Cooper, Michael Craven, Ilona Blee and Alex Hill for making
introductory videos
19. Please contact us if you would like to
take part in this project or your experience
in internationalisation can help us with
the project.
g.sedghi@liv.ac.uk
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) is the UK’s national advisory body serving the interests of international students and those who work with them.Our aimsTo increase support for international education and raise awareness of its values and benefits
Despite having XJTLU students in some departments at the University of Liverpool, there is no information readily available to describe the processes followed in other departments, the problems faced and the way they were resolved. This project aims to propose a general framework to facilitate interaction between home and overseas students that is mutually beneficial to all students and staff. This will be achieved by a review of the implementation of internationalisation within the UoL, such as the design of taught modules, induction processes and group activities.
International students who don’t do group work complain about lack of team work and communication. They agree that they tend to go with their friends in a group but they like to be assigned in mixed groups. Home students think group activities are useful to open up the communication between home and international students.
It seemed no social activities are arranged by departments which the lack of budget is the main reason for this. Some departments have budgets to take students to the field trips only due to the nature of the programme studied.Students think the culture and language are the barriers to communicate with home students. Home students don’t want them to feel awkward due to language. Some of home students talk slowly with international students and they are okay. International students would like activities to bring both home and international students together. They think the campus life is very different with China. They find it difficult to manage their social life, campus life and studies all by themselves. They get a culture shock when coming to England. Chinese students said that they liked cooking and going to the restaurants and not going to the pub for just drinking. They do not like the fact that they don’t have any social relationship with home students. International students believe that they cannot understand fast English talking and they cannot get the jokes, so they cannot communicate with home students. They are scared of going out late night.
Students complain about lack of interactivity in teaching sessions and large classes. They find it strange that if they don’t ask for issues, nobody ask them if they have got any questions in the class.
The International Support Team (IST) organizes induction for international students in the welcome week. Student helpers give walking tours around the campus, city centre and retails shops. They give presentations on visa extension, English courses, type of work on a student visa, driving in the UK and budgeting advice. There is a session to show international students how to get involved in the Guild of Students and sport activities.
Some departments have induction events at departmental level. The induction event is organized for only international students at some departments, whereas these activities are arranged for both home and international students at other departments.There are issues regarding communication with international students before their arrival. The IST repeats the welcome week activities in three consecutive weeks as some students don’t turn up in the first week.
International students use their own dictionary to find the technical terms in their subject.
International students like the idea of accompanying with home students for campus or city tour and general guidance.