ISANA

Andres Gabriel Villamizar Maldonado

Abstract: The study reported in this document explores the perceptions and attitudes of international students of Hispanic background on their experience at Monash university and the different factors which influence their involvement in campus-based activities compared to off-campus community based events. The participants are 14 international students who are members of the Monash Hispanic Community Club (registered and unofficial members). They were contacted via the Facebook group Monash Hispanic Community,…

Maria Victoria McCarthy

Abstract: Learning and practising basic skills in aromatherapy and gentle yoga stretches proved to be a promising venue for both International and Domestic Australians Students to get together in a safe and positive environment. Within International Student Services at QUT, this activity is usually offered from the third week of each semester. It is a one hour program for four weeks where participants gather in a circle and are welcomed to express…

Parvinder Kaur Hukam Singh, Thavamalar Thuraisingam

Abstract: This study sets out to capture the essence of the socio-cultural and academic lived experiences of international students in a private higher education institution as the phenomenon of adjustment has neither been studied extensively nor qualitatively in the South East Asian setting. The narrations of 12 international students from four countries; Nigeria, Korea, India and Indonesia were gathered through prolonged conversational interviews. The interviews were then transcribed verbatim…

Diana Collett

Abstract: International students invest large sums of money when choosing to study in English speaking Universities. They are hoping for opportunities to immerse themselves in English language and Western style culture. Local students attending the same university have completely different expectations. Frequently a cultural divide occurs between the two groups typified by awkward silences, unmet expectations and stereotyping. This widely documented phenomenon has inspired Academic staff to devise clever strategies as desperate attempts…

Nicholas Tan

Abstract:  In order to provide better value to all stakeholders, ECU International revisited its key student programs in 2003. Refreshing its approach, it is evolving its Orientation volunteer program and low-cost recreational program into a multi-faceted experience that is inclusive, interactive and responsive to the needs of all participants.

This presentation provides snapshots of the features that are incorporated in the program. The experience is focused on increasing the range and quality of…

Colleen Schooling

Abstract: Working with international students – both long term and short term Study Abroad groups from abroad across a section of countries, as provided Campus Living Villages (CLV) with a general understanding of international students ’ wants and needs in terms of their housing and lifestyles. Going forward, as a company dedicated to providing innovative and supportive accommodation solutions on university campuses, CLV seeks to achieve an ongoing recognition of shifting generational trends,…

Davina Potts

Abstract:  There is a long standing perception in university circles that study abroad students have tended to achieve relatively weaker results than other groups of students. This has been attributed to many factors, such as cultural differences and different learning styles, as well as belief in the common expression ‘They’re here for a good time, not a long time! As part of long term study, Macquarie Abroad has been collecting and processing data…

Bobbie Matthews

Abstract:  A longitudinal study was undertaken to investigate whether CHC students’ approaches to learning were retained or modified in a Western social, cultural, and educational environment. A bilingual version (Chinese and English) of the Study Process Questionnaire (Biggs, 1987) (SPQ) was used to measure sojourner students’ approaches to learning on five occasions over two years in Australia. A two-level analysis was undertaken at the intra and inter student levels to see…

Amanda Daly and Justine Brown

Abstract: The New Zealand international education sector has seen significant growth over the last decade. Associated with this change, New Zealand tertiary educators need to be increasingly aware of language and learning needs of students from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB). Certainly, language is seen as an underlying factor influencing student socio-cultural and educational adjustment. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the ways in which lecturers…

Karen Commons and Xiaodan Gao

Abstract:  Research on the experiences of international students and their adaptation to the education environment in NZ has revealed some dissatisfaction relating to the academic experience of international students in NZ. It has been suggested that the discrepancy between international students’ expectations and reality may sometimes contribute to negative views and difficulties with study. Student Learning Support Service at Victoria University of Wellington has designed…

Kylie Smith

Abstract: The presentation takes participants through the content of our newly launched website “Keep it Safe: A Guide for International Women Students” . The website content is simple and accessible and provides comprehensive, relevant information that's easy to understand and navigate, with a positive spin on safety for women. Developed from conversations with International women students over a period of 12 months, the 9 sections together take a…

Jill Clark, Trish Baker

Abstract: This paper presents the findings of a research project examining New Zealand experiences with collaborative learning. International research on collaborative learning is very positive about the educational benefits of working in diverse groups but much of this research has been carried out with diverse students from the same society. Anecdotal evidence indicates that the current New Zealand situation is different as International students come from many different societies. Additionally,…

Greg Calvert

Abstract:  The paper draws on research of 110 international fee-paying students studying Science and Engineering courses in the Schools, Vocational Education and Training, and Higher Education sectors in nine institutions in five Australian states and territories. The research identified that 68 percent of the sample had not had career advice before coming to Australia. This has implications for students’ understandings of Australian education and training, especially entry procedures into…

Katerina Gauntlett

Abstract: The Gulf States have identified educational sponsorship as one of the most powerful means of building a better qualified national work force, with a view to redressing the overrepresentation of expatriates in the private sector. Over the past five to seven years, this has created an opportunity for Australian education providers to enrol Gulf Nationals who have been identified as the elite of their high school graduating cohort and sponsored to obtain…

Jocelyn Wolfe

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…

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…

Dr Felicity Fallon, President, ISANA International Education Association, Australia and New Zealand.

Presented at the 2008 APAIE Conference in Japan

Abstract: This paper explores the issues relating to plagiarism and students from Asian countries, particularly those with a Confucian-heritage background, studying in Australia and New Zealand. It looks at the issues of cultural values and ownership of knowledge as they are related to this issue from the perspective of Hofstede’s Cultural…

Alan McWilliams & Fiona Henderson

Abstract: This paper reports on the development of a problem based learning (PBL) approach to lectures in a large first-year subject in an undergraduate business degree. The PBL approach was adopted as a means of encouraging students to engage with the formal discourse of the subject discipline and to ground the theories presented in the subject in an authentic simulation of business practice. The first-year undergraduate subject Management and Organisation…

Dr Zakir Rahmani

Abstract: In late 2006 AEI embarked on a benchmarking nation-wide survey of international students studying in Australia across all sectors. The international student survey sought information about international students ’e xperiences in Australia with respect to: their choices to study in Australia; their level of satisfaction with their education; pastoral and support services; social integration; and life in general. It also examined the future plans and aspirations of international students.

The paper…

Chika Anyanwu

Abstract:  The Federal Government funding cuts since the 1990s have forced many (if not all) Australian universities to find alternative means to subsidise such shortfalls, one of these being increased international enrolment. One of the consequences of this new economic direction is the influx of international students with new kinds of expectations and overwhlmed academic and administrative staff who have not fully appreciated or undertood the full import of such dramatic academic cultural…