Internationalisation

International students may enter higher education with different prior experiences, different educational backgrounds and potentially different expectations. There may be language barriers and assumption of prior knowledge and understanding of practices and techniques, both from an educational and cultural perspective that students arrive with. You could also consider religious and cultural diversity in the context of internationalisation. The points discussed below are intended as a starting point to thinking about internationalisation.

Where might international students benefit from support?

Language skills

Informal discussion groups could help students improve their language skills – a group set up at Sunderland University got together to discuss e.g. news articles which students felt help them to understand not only the language better but also cultural aspects of the UK. A group such as this can also increase students confidence in speaking and contributing to discussions in tutorial groups and seminars. The full case study is available from the STAR project in their booklet Supporting Students: International Students

A study skills course which aims to support students in developing their literacy skills (and numeracy and research skills for example) may benefit both international and 'home' students.

Assessment

Make sure that all students understand how and when they will be assessed and how each assessment does (or does not) contribute towards their final grade. You may want to clarify the criteria used for marking and the format you wish the assignment to be in. Showing students examples of previous assessments in the format you would like to see could be beneficial.
Ensure that all students understand what constitutes plagiarism, how to avoid it and how to reference correctly. Sitting exams in a second language: minimising bias, maximising potential, by Diane Schmidt, gives guidance on , for example, exam layout and Culturally neutral assessment questions in science and engineering, by Peter Goodhew (presented at the Science Learning and Teaching Conference 2007) looks at some of the cultural bias that may occur in assessment questions.

Group work

Jude Carroll looks at group work as part of her Suggestions for teaching international students more effectively, she raises a number of issues, for example: 'Home' students may see international students as an issue in group work, rather than an asset and it may take longer for the group to get going, due to language and cultural barriers. Ensure that group work and tasks don’t assume knowledge or familiarity of British culture, that all students understand how the work will be assessed and if / how individual contributions will be assessed.

Where can I find out more?

University of Leicester have produced a series of Teaching International students guides

Internationalising the Curriculum, produced by the Oxford Centre for Learning and Staff Development at Oxford Brookes University

UK Council for International Student Affairs has information for your students, which you may also find useful, such as Information sheets with advice on dealing with culture shock, and Study methods in the UK.