Tag: International students

Student feedback: How can international educators increase response rates?

“It is important not to over-survey students”

Where does the responsibility lie for universities improving teaching effectiveness and student learning within international higher education?

In an era of co-creation, meaningful change cannot be achieved without listening to students. Capturing, and effectively responding to the student voice, is so important to both the academic and wider campus experience. The issue is that many students are experiencing survey fatigue and response rates are often not as high or as representative as universities would like to support institutional enhancement.

In How to Increase Course Evaluation Response Rates, Explorance shares insight from global higher education leaders who have achieved an ‘uplift’ in levels of student feedback on evaluations and their tips for increasing response rates.

The University of Louisville, University of Newcastle Australia, UNSW Sydney, University of Minnesota, and Temasek Polytechnic join UK universities in sharing their practical guidance on survey strategies. Here are five things we learned:

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Supporting the UK’s international students in finding accommodation

“It’s really important that international students know what their rights are”

Relocating to a new country to study is no small task, and there are countless things that international students have to take care of when doing so.

One of the biggest challenges facing international students in the UK today is finding accommodation, so in our various roles as teachers and education staff, it’s more important than ever that we’re able to offer support as needed.

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Why “when it’s safe to do so” is a catalyst for negative reactions

“For students, and for the Australian public, the question becomes personal – who are we being kept safe from?”

Since the start of the pandemic international students stuck offshore have been given repeated promises of being permitted to return to Australia “when it’s safe to do so”.

Eighteen months since Australia’s border closed, many once-patient and understanding students are  turning to social media to voice their frustration with Australia’s ever-changing timeline and ambiguity around the prospect of returning to Australia.

Over the last four months, The Lygon Group has been monitoring social media to get a closer understanding of international students’ sentiment about Australia’s border closures and Covid-19 response. Varsha Balakrishnan explains what they’ve found.

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Catching up with lost study time this summer

“Some of the new initiatives that have emerged during the pandemic may be here to stay”

According to recent reports, children in England are three months behind in their studies after lockdown measures, and while schools have worked hard to help their pupils keep up to date with their studying, many parents will view the summer holidays as a good time to help their children catch up.

For many international students, the summer months are traditionally an opportunity to come to the UK for an academic or cultural education experience. Pat Moores of UK Education Guide explains what schools are planning.

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How international schools can soothe back-to-school panic

“It is important that schools show a willingness to hear the worries and fears of parents.”

Many teachers might soon be asked to put away their computers and webcams and return to reality at the front of the classroom, writes Katie Harwood of Haut-Lac International Bilingual School in Switzerland. Naturally, this restoration of normality might not be so simple as it seems on the surface, and students and staff alike will likely feel a little daunted by it. Many might even have to return from their home countries, having sought comfort from familiarity during the pandemic. However, there are a few simple things schools can do to make their teachers and students feel more comfortable about the situation.

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Why Australia can’t afford to neglect international students

“We must continue viewing students as an asset, not just to our economy, but to the prosperity of our nation”

 Have you ever stopped to think about what Australia would be like without international education? Australia’s education industry supports 240,000 jobs. If all those people suddenly became unemployed, our unemployment rate would jump from 5.2% to 7.1%. With a $37.7 billion hole in Australia’s economy, either taxes would go up, or spending on services would go down.

In the past, Australia’s prosperity was driven via wool, wheat and energy exports. Today, international education is one of the country’s strongest revenue generators, with recent federal department of education statistics revealing that over 700,000 international students have lived, worked and studied in Australia this year to date.

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Why food really matters to international student well-being

“Importing ingredients that help make a ‘local’ dish truly authentic can make a huge difference to students”

Most of us happily take it for granted that we will be able to buy the food we like when we want to. For international students coming to study in the UK, access to the food they like to eat is not a given so schools and colleges that see the true importance of food as a way to; ease homesickness, increase social interaction and improve general well-being should be applauded.

Recent research puts the issue into perspective

Masters student, Erika Stewin undertook research on “food insecurity” issues among international students at two Canadian universities. Her research found that “many students described experiencing food insecurity, students related feelings of depression, homesickness and identity loss, hunger, difficulties with weight loss or weight gain, and stories of being forced to compromise religious beliefs in order to eat.”

So, how can institutions do their very best to ensure food is seen as a crucial aspect of pupil/student wellbeing?

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5 Books That Every International Educator Should Read

“Adding quality vocabulary instruction practices to your role as an educator can help you identify when a student of yours is quite literally lost in translation”

You’re probably used to assigning books to your students, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some valuable books that can help you be a better educator. The following list of books is intended to broaden your perspective as an international educator so you can be as effective as possible in your classroom of diverse students. Being open to various concepts of thinking and logic will benefit everyone under your instruction.

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The UK must engage with businesses to increase the number of UK students studying abroad

“Doubling the number of students studying abroad in three years is an extremely ambitious target, but the UK sector is united in its determination to get there”

The recent Open Doors data revealed that in 2016-17, the number of US bachelor students studying abroad as part of their degree rose by 2.3% to 16%. For those of us in the UK higher education sector, these figures are both enviable and encouraging.

The UK’s Go International: Stand Out campaign to double the per cent of UK undergraduate students studying abroad to 13% is now entering its second year. This year the campaign will focus its efforts on engaging commercial and international partners – following in the footsteps of successful campaigns by the likes of the US and Japan.
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How educational institutions can capitalise on the rise in Chinese students

“Gain a deeper understanding of the decision-making process Chinese international students and their parents go through”

With over 500,000 Chinese students heading overseas for their education every year, China remains the top country of origin for international students worldwide. This number is expected to grow proportionately to the number of China’s upper-middle-class and affluent households, which is estimated to reach 100 million by 2020.

While the US, UK and Australia remain the most popular study destinations for Chinese students, we are starting to see new trends and preferences emerging. For instance, there has been an increase in Chinese international students going to non-English speaking countries and studying at 2nd and 3rd tier universities in English-speaking countries.
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