Supporting international students in UK Higher Education: a course for staff

Author: Dave Burnapp

© Dave Burnapp, University of Northampton

Format:

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Access to materials

Dave Burnapp (University of Northampton) in conjunction with the Subject Centre, has designed a set of materials which is to be used with teaching and support staff in HE institutions who wish to understand the needs of international students better and improve the ways in which they can be supported on both a personal and institutional level. The pack encourages teachers in higher education to reflect on their own practice regarding support for international students, and suggests ways in which support for such students can be improved and embedded within the context of their own higher education institution.

The materials have been developed to be delivered over approximately six day-long workshops, and they can constitute a Masters-level module which might form part of a course such as a Certificate of Academic Practice; or be part of a professional development course; or alternatively, each unit could be used independently as a one-off personal development activity.

The materials are divided into six topic areas, each consisting of a set of three suggested workshop activities, related reading materials, reflective Portfolio activities, some linking activities and an accompanying online resource.

Available in two downloadable booklets:

• Facilitator’s pack (full document, pdf 4Mb)
• Participant’s pack (full document, Word 671Kb - Created in Word, so that students can fill it in electronically)

Or, order your free printed copy:

The facilitator’s pack is also available in print. Place your order by filling in the online form.

All of the reading materials cited in this course can be downloaded below, and all of the accompanying online activities can be accessed from here too.

Unit 1: The UK Professional Standards Framework: applying it to support for international students

• Facilitator’s pack (unit 1, pdf 1Mb)

Go to online resource [Download Zip file, 4.5Mb]
 

Reading materials:

• Activity 1: The UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education
• Activity 2: P. Sander (2004). ‘How we should research our students – part one’
• Activity 3: Todhunter, C. (2001). ‘Undertaking action research: negotiating the road ahead’

Further reading:

• Jenkins, A., Healey, M., Zetter, R. (2007). Linking Teaching and Research in Disciplines and Departments. York: Higher Education Academy
• Masters, J. (1995). 'The history of action research', in I. Hughes (ed.) Action Research Electronic Reader. The University of Sydney
• Trahar, S. (2007). The International Higher Education Landscape - Some Theories and Working Practices. Bristol: ESCALATE Education Subject Centre.

Unit 2: Designing and planning learning activities and programmes of study

• Facilitator’s pack (unit 2, pdf 850Kb)

Go to online resource [Download Zip file, 285kb]
 

Reading materials:

• Activity 1: The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - January 2001
• Activity 2: D. Burnapp (2007). EAP: Not just English for Academic Purposes but also Epistemologically Appropriate Practice
• Activity 2: Explanation and examples of benchmarking statements
• Activity 3: Guidelines for preparing programme specifications

Unit 3: Supporting international students in new cultures of learning

• Facilitator’s pack (unit 3, pdf 1.2Mb)

Go to online resource [Download Zip file, 841kb]
 

Reading materials:

• Activity 2: Selection of the institutional case studies relating to the experience of international students commissioned by the Higher Education Academy
• Activity 3: R. Matthews (2006). ‘Exploring the Development of Discipline-Specific Language Skills with Increasingly Diverse Art and Design Student Groups'
• Activity 3: Lord and Dawson (2002) ‘The Induction Needs of International Students at Postgraduate Level’

Unit 4: Methods of assessment: implications for international students

• Facilitator’s pack (unit 4, pdf 870Kb)

Go to online resource [Download Zip file, 562kb]
 

Reading materials:

• Activity 1: ‘Assessment: a guide for lecturers’ (Brown 2001)
• Activity 3: A Model of Assessment in Higher Education Institutions (Joughin and Macdonald 2004)
• Activity 3: 'Assessment: a guide for students’ (Race 2001)

Unit 5: Creating an effective environment for international students

• Facilitator’s pack (unit 5, pdf 843Kb)

Go to online resource [Download Zip file, 308kb]
 

Reading materials:

• Activity 1: Executive Summary of the report Broadening Our Horizons
• Activity 2: Broadening Our Horizons: International Students in UK Universities and Colleges (2004)
• Activity 3: E. Richie (2006). ‘Internationalisation: where are we going and how do we know when we got there?’. Academy Exchange, Issue 5 (Winter 2006), pp.13-15
• Activity 3: R. Middlehurst (2006). ‘A leadership challenge’. Academy Exchange, Issue 5 (Winter 2006), pp.16-17. This article reports on a case study of one university and ‘the impact of growing internationalisation at institutional and policy levels’
• Activity 3: E. Jones (2006). ‘20 key factors in internationalising higher education’. Academy Exchange, Issue 5 (Winter 2006), pp.38-39

Unit 6: Researching the experience of international students

• Facilitator’s pack (unit 6, pdf 704Kb)

Go to online resource [Download Zip file, 540kb]
 

Reading materials:

• Activity 1: The Higher Education Academy website
• Activity 2: J. Jackson (2001). ‘Critical incidents across cultures’
• Activity 3: Gibbs (1997). ‘Focus groups’, in Social Research Update

Further reading:

• UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education
• P. Sander (2004). ‘How we should research our students – part two’