ISANA

Pang, David

Abstract:
Many universities in western countries attest with eloquence that international students are now an important
learning community in their campuses. In the case of New Zealand, international education is synonymous with
educating Asian students because of the numerical domination of fee-paying students from Asia. Often referred
to as non-traditional, these students bring with them different academic learning styles. Addressing their
learning needs has often been a challenge for the lecturers as well as for the students. This paper suggests that
an academic-centred approach which links learning advising to the university’s mission on teaching and
learning has the potential of enhancing the students’ readiness to be integrated into the host intellectual
community. Accordingly, academic learning advisers can play a critical role in creating significant learning
experiences for the international students. However, the road to achieving this goal is not a straight-forward one.

Keywords:  International students, academic learning support and advising

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