Abstract : Writing about music is fundamental to the study of music in a university. This may not be surprising to most people familiar with study in tertiary institutions in Australia. However, many aspiring young musicians coming from overseas to study music in Australia are not prepared for this aspect of their music education. Their lack of preparedness is, first, in understanding what the academic requirements are in tertiary music courses, and second, in meeting those requirements. Regardless of whether a student is studying in a Performance, Composition, Technology, Pedagogy or Musicology strand of the degree, they will be required to write academic papers on or related to music. This paper investigates the nature of language in music study, the nature of pre-tertiary English courses and how courses might better prepare international students for a tertiarymusic program.
Keywords: tertiary music study, language needs, International English Language Testing System (IELTS), English for Academic Purposes (EAP), sustained content-based instruction.
Carol Dalglish, Christian Haker, Lynda Lawson, Peter Nelson and Martin Reese
Abstract: Australian universities are welcoming an increasingly diverse range of international students and they are doing this in the context of increasing international competition for these students. It is vital that our institutions are clear about the nature of the learning experience that they are offering students. Not just the content, but the learning processes, and challenges of daily life. University marketing activities cannot be divorced from the educational experience. Students share their experiences with potential students, and word of mouth marketing is extremely powerful.
To address some of these issues QUT International Students Services in partnership with Faculties created a data DVD which prepares prospective students for study at QUT by setting realistic expectations and giving students a taste of what living and studying in Brisbane is like. It contains nineteen short videos and draws extensively on student voices to articulate the challenges and the achievements of studying in Australia.
This paper will outline the process by which the DVD was created using a very small budget, a German film and television intern, drawing on considerable pools of expertise from both staff and students and by building on goodwill and cooperation across different sectors of the university.
Key Words: International students, transition, preparation, DVD
Abstract: Growth in the number of international students studying in English language countries has slowed in recent years and this development has generated extended debate amongst university managers and policy makers. In these discussions much attention has focussed on whether the slow down is to be explained by currency realignments, visa requirements, the quality of education, or the increasing competitiveness of the international education market. But what has attracted little attention is the fact that when parents and students choose in which country they will purchase a foreign education their choice is commonly influenced by the level of security that is perceived to characterise the range of options. What security means can take many forms and in this paper we focus on income security. Drawing on interview data from 9 Australian universities, we clarify the sources of international student income, the extent to which these students experience income security/insecurity, how they cope with income difficulties and/or ensure finances do not become a serious problem, and whether the nature of the information provided by governments and universities helps explain the extent of income insecurity manifest amongst international students in Australia. We argue that a significant proportion of international students studying in Australia do experience income insecurity and suggest that for both moral and economic reasons the government and the university sector should pay increased attention to this aspect of student need.
Key Words: International students, education, finances, income, security, poverty
Abstract: The traditional view of the learning style of the Asian student learner as being suited to rote learning, concrete thinking and teacher dependence can restrict the innovative learning experiences that are provided to the Asian learner. For subjects such as business where there is no one right way but rather a variety of approaches that are often contextually determined, the traditional learning style can be ineffective in fostering knowledge. This paper challenges the validity of the notion that Asian students are unsuited to a flexible, innovative, creative and open systems learning environment. After three years of providing Asian students with a virtual business environment, the evidence suggests that after initial adjustments, the Asian learner benefits exponentially from a more fluid learning environment. International students evidence higher levels of creativity, conceptualisation and understanding than students taught in a teacher-directed environment. Their level of communication and confidence is enhanced. Instead of simply learning something superficially, students know through experience.
Key Words: Virtual learning environments, cultural styles of learning, experiential learning, business training.
Abstract: The case study reported in this paper has examined the of adaptation of international postgraduate students from China and Vietnam in two disciplines, Education and Economics, at an Australian university. It focuses on how individual students mediated their disciplinary writing practices and their personal values. Based on the discussion of the students’ experiences, it will be argued that the accommodating process they go through seems complex and multifaceted. The study highlights the different forms of adaptation the students made in order to gain access to their disciplinary communities of practices. It indicates the need to unpack the ‘hidden aspects’ underpinning the commonly-presumed notion of adaptation of international students. The paper concludes with some implications for the university communities to help empower international students in their participation in academic discourses and make the curriculum more accessible to the increasing number of international students.
Key words: adaptation, discourse practices, cultural stereotypes, accommodating diversity
