ISANA

Paula Dunstan

Abstract:  The substance of this paper was delivered at the 2007 Australian International Education Conference in Melbourne, and presented as a stimulus for discussion about practical approaches to the issues of international student support management. This later version contains additional material that reflects the discussion and panel presentations at the AIEC session.

The impetus for this presentation remains the responses of providers to Standard 6 of…

Felicity Fallon

Abstract:  Many factors are involved in the way an individual gains an understanding of Mathematics. Their cognitive style i.e. the way they code information for further processing in the brain is one of these. Riding and Rayner (1998) have a developed a model for the whole learning process which contains two dimensions of cognitive style.

This study investigates the effect of cultural factors on cognitive style, looking particularly at the cultures of South-East…

Cassandra Colvin , Fozzil Jaffar, Peter iMtchell, Nicholas Tan, Vanessa Trovato

Abstract: Edith owan University ’s International student support team was recently awarded a Carrick Award for Australian University Teaching for its program “ECU ’s International student orientation: model of collaboration, inclusiveness and student-iinformed planning ”.

The award was announced 4 October by the Federal Minister or education, science and Training, The Hon. Julie Bishop and the University will receive a $225000 grant. The program…

Hedley Reberger

Abstract: This paper examines the academic performance in a longitudinal study or group of 25 students who were admitted to an Australian University in 2004. The cohort all studied secondary education and made application to the University through Tertiary Admission Centre. Quantitative data examining the performance for this group has been collected at the conclusion of each semester or total of 7 semesters, living a data et panning for the proposed three years…

Lucy Hobgood-Brown

Abstract: The international students at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) enhance their studies with a range of practice-focused assignments, vibrant multi-cultural activities and collaborative industry links. These can range from work experience at the Sydney Opera House to cheering local footy teams with “cultural interpreters” who are also classmates.

This paper explores some of the ingredients for cross cultural learning used by Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) students, using the two-way symmetrical…

Cheryl Cook

Abstract: This workshop reviews the challenges of engaging with revised legislative environment and looks at these encounters from three angles – practical application, recognition of content and function and, issues discussions. The aim is to engage industry professionals, both physically and mentally, in consolidating their awareness and examining the National Code 2007 in relation to their work requirements and encourage them to consider informed options. Through teamwork, problem solving, and strategy discussions, participants…

Clare Rhoden & Kathryn Boin

Abstract: I’ve settled in, but it’s a hard question because there are no methods, it’s just like an ongoing thing. It’s just like a transition thing – you can’t say ‘If you do this, it will make it better’ because it is based on the individual.*

International students, who choose to pursue study in a foreign university, are among the highest-achieving candidates in most institutions. Nevertheless they experience a number…

Jill Clark, Trish Baker, Mingsheng Li

Abstract: International research is positive about the educational benefits of working in diverse groups but there has been little New Zealand research in this area. This paper investigates how students are prepared for collaborative learning in three New Zealand tertiary institutes and identifies the particular problems experienced by Chinese students when the preparation in multi cultural classes is not carried out adequately…

Diana Collett

Abstract: Increasing global migration and interconnectedness presents us with the challenge of finding ways to incorporate diversity and its inherent potential for change. The higher education field exemplifies these global trends as international students from a variety of cultural backgrounds choose to study overseas. One of their important motives in doing so is the opportunity to gain intercultural experiences. Yet consistently they report dissatisfaction with the nature and frequency of their interactions with…

Lorraine Macmaster, Annalise Tindal

Abstract:  Graduation celebrates the completion or the commencement of an academic career. It has been considered a rite of passage in which we emphasize confronting new responsibilities, opportunities and threats and adjusting to the nostalgia of leaving a familiar scene. At PIBT and CIC, International students can fast track to their 2nd year of University by completing their Diploma. As Student Advisors at these Colleges we are particularly involved with the…

Jo Byng and Anna Rees

Abstract:  In response to the Educational Services Overseas Student (ESOS) Act 2000, Macquarie International undertook the task of implementing an academic performance monitoring project to assist those students who were not progressing satisfactorily and to help students at risk resolve problems which could impede successful completion of their study. International students studying on a student visa must achieve an academic result that is certified by the education provider to be…

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…

Ms Kim Edmunds

Abstract: This paper examines gender and the social change impact of an overseas education for a group of Indonesian graduates of Australian universities. Twenty five respondents participated in this research, the majority being Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) recipients from the University of Newcastle. Data collected by survey questionnaire and interview are analysed in relation to the impact of an overseas education on gender relations and social change in the family, community and…

Mr Ian Egan

Abstract: For many International Students, “Seeing Australia” is a top priority alongside their academic ventures. Swinburne University recognised this need and over the past 7 years, have developed a comprehensive International Student Activities program. Activities take the form of course-based day trips through to organised programs that run over the whole semester. In this paper we will draw on the experiences of the Swinburne Activities Model and cover such topics as: the…

Gillian O’Neill and Grant Harris

Abstract: This paper first outlines a 12 week programme of Ongoing Academic Orientation (OAO) which was trialled in the Waikato Management School (WMS) during the 2004 A and B semesters and then reports the results of a questionnaire survey given to the students who followed the programme in A semester 2004. The questionnaire had three functions: to gather data on the trial programme’s efficacy, content, timing, and length;…

Prasuna Reddy

Abstract: As the number of international students in Australian increases, there is a greater need to understand their values and attitudes toward equal opportunity issues such as sexual harassment. The current study investigates cultural differences in student attitudes toward harassment in the Australian context. Participants included 47 Asian women students and 47 non-Asian women local students; all participants were undergraduates in major Australian universities. The results show a range of attitudes toward sexual…

Taeko Sakurai

Abstract: Previous studies have indicated that local/international students intervention programs are beneficial in order to help international students make local friends (e.g., Ward et al 2001). However, no study was found which assessed the effect of multicultural interactions such as activities for international students. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of a bus excursion on international students. Ninety six international students from 12 countries completed surveys one month…

Helen Forbes-Mewett

Abstract: Though the social and economic security of international students is an important factor influencing student and parent decisions regarding where to access international education, researchers have paid little attention to defining the notion of "security". Drawring on literature from a range of fields, the current paper is used to advance the concept of cultural difference and relocation. These issues are contexualised within the rising international educational market and how pastoral care is…

Lynda Lawson

Abstract: Designed and implemented as a joint project between International student services and the Research Students Centre and overseen by the Dean of Graduate Studies, RIS offers a series of intensive classes, presentations and workshops to new international research students at QUT. The core purpose of this program is to help international research students become familiar with the linguistic and academic expectations as well as the cultural conventions required to…

Kay McNamara, Izabela Skorka

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to share the practical ways in which teachers at Kelvin Grove State College (Qld) have attempted to improve contact between international and local students using the award winning Teaching Emphases for English Proficiency Levels (TEEPL) http://www.kelvingrovesc.eq.edu.au/asp/teepl/teepl_cover.asp (presented at ISANA conference 2005).

TEEPL is a comprehensive database of suggestions to support students both academically and socially…