Preparing International graduates for re-entry and associated post academic transition
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Paul Stock, Janeen Mills, Terry McGrath
Abstract: An important feature for universities and other tertiary providers. The value of sponsoring pre preparation
programmes to assist international graduates in their transition from study to work and re-entry to home or
other new environments is of inestimable value to the education institution and to its students. The good
will generated and the connectiveness for a long term alumni generated adds greatly to the esteem with
which the education institution is held and provides a great benefit to the graduating student.
Frequently graduating international students nearing the end of their course don’t perceive of their need and
motivating them to be in such preparation programmes can take a bit of work. Often denial of the likelihood
of reverse culture shock only adds to its impact on return . This workshop will explore and showcase tried
and proven ways of providing re-entry programmes within institutions. The team of Paul Stock, Janeen
Mills and Terry McGrath have insider understanding and experience of work in this area and are familiar
with a range of programmes. The workshop will be informative and provide hands on interaction with
materials useful in re-entry and PAT programmes. Handbooks , simulation games and a variety of other
techniques along with programme outlines will be provided. Participants in this workshop will also have
opportunity to discuss their own ideas and practices and a full resource grab bag of showcased and additional
ideas will be made available to all.
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Key Words: Re-entry, Post academic transition, going home
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Building a Connected Community of Learners: The Postgraduate Peer Mentor Program
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Rachel Baron and Rodney Carr
Abstract: Student peer mentor programs are recognised as a valid component of a multi-faceted strategy to
improve student engagement within higher education. This paper reports some preliminary results
from research investigating how such programs help support diverse student needs in a multicultural
environment.
Our results are from a study of a pilot postgraduate student peer mentoring program set up to support
new students in the Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University, Australia. The postgraduate
student body at Deakin is quite diverse and includes a large proportion of international students. We
present examples to show how a peer mentoring program can improve the social engagement of
students, help overcome cross-cultural communication barriers and contribute to the development of
academic skills.
Assessment and Diversity: A collaborative project between academic staff and learning support staff
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Dr Mary Roberts
Abstract: Many academic staff members find assessing written work by international students to be frustrating and
worrying. “Should I correct the language errors or stick only to the academic topic?”, “Should I correct all the
errors or only some?”, “Should I correct any errors at all?” and “Why doesn’t it seem to make any difference
to the students’ written English, no matter what I do?”. Partly because of teachers’ frustrations and worries in
this area, students’ work is often not assessed as effectively as it could be, and feedback is not always
particularly useful or effective.
This research analyses a collaborative project between university programme staff and learning support staff
working together to address these issues. The research on ESL error correction, criterion referenced
assessment, and international students was used as a starting point for exploring how to address these questions
successfully. The aim of the project was both to provide teaching staff with tools to use when assessing students’
work, and to assist the programme in developing a set of practices that would help them work with international
students to integrate more successfully and quickly with their New Zealand learning environment.
Keywords: international students, error correction, written feedback
An introduction to the profile of the ideal lecturer or the international classroom
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Dr Gavin B. Sanderson
Abstract: Whilst attention as seen paid over the past decade to internationalisation at the organisational level, and, lately, to the international student experience, this presentation focuses on internationalisation at the level of the individual lecturer, that is, the internationalisation of the ‘academic self ’. delegates will be introduced to the main characteristics of the Profile of the Ideal Lecturer for the international classroom, an educational model that originates from Western Europe and outlines the sorts of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are put forward as being beneficial for lecturers working in higher education environments characterised by increasing cultural, language, and educational diversity.
Key words: International students, lecturer, internationalisation, academic education
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