ISANA

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…

Shengjie Su

Abstract: This presentation bases on a PHD research project, which is a detailed case study with the focus on exploring the academic adaptation experiences of a group of Chinese coursework postgraduate students studying in a faculty which is a popular choice of international students at one Australian university.

In twenty years, international education has become Australia’s fourth-highest export earner and the second largest service export industry (Australian Trade Commission, 2006). International students not…

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…

Fiona Pakoa

Abstract: While working with AusAID sponsored students in a Queensland university, Melanesian students, as a distinct cohort, appeared to struggle the most with their academic program. Their ability to meet the academic expectations of the university appeared to be constrained, not by ability, but by their inability to cope with the competing academic, cultural and social demands. This research sought to explore the role of Melanesian students’ cultural identity in their academic experiences.

Jim Elliott and Joyce L.Y. Chong

Abstract:  There is emphasis in some tertiary courses on in-class presentations as an important skill and as a means of assessment. Frequently, this appears in the first semester of a student’s enrolment. This may present especial issues for international students, particularly those from countries with significant cultural and linguistic differences to Australia. It may be somewhat confronting to not only have to make an adjustment to a new and…

Kate Borrett and Ania Zysk

Abstract: Talking about sexuality, relationships and friendships may be perceived as a ‘taboo’ topic of conversation in many cultures. This poses a challenge for engaging international students and in providing education on sexual health and the negotiation of healthy relationships. As part of their orientation activities, commencing international students at UniSA were invited to attend a forum…

Heather Bigelow, Mary Kerstjens

Abstract: At the ISANA Victorian Branch State Conference in October, 2005, Heather and Mary, together with our esteemed colleague, Lila Kemlo, presented our ‘students at risk’ project, designed to identify and provide an holistic, integrated program to enable Business Portfolio students to gain essential skills for academic and social success. A major feature of this program was the collaboration between members of academic staff of the Business Portfolio, the Learning Skills…

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…

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…

Ali Abusalem

Abstract:  There are approximately 300,000 international students in Australia, overall representing a significant contribution to the Australian economy. So huge, that the Australian government is now accustomed to referring the international students’ market as an ‘export commodity’. When there are new emerging trends of students from certain countries/regions, the influx more often than not equates to the dollar value each student can bring in to the country. This trend is only likely to…

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…

Gerry Mullins

Abstract: This workshop is designed to help you develop effective strategies for helping international postgraduate research students in your university. What we will do
is spend the time discussing:
• What are the issues?
• What strategies are available?
• What might you do in your university?

Keywords: International students, post graduate research students

Download article Abstract only

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…

Waliul Islam, Helen Borland

Abstract: A look at the recent statistics will show that large numbers of students from South Asia
are now undertaking postgraduate studies in Australian universities. This paper, drawn from data collected for a broader study about South Asian postgraduate coursework students’ initial understandings, expectations of Australian postgraduate studies and their gradual adaptation experiences, will limit itself to analyzing a few themes that emerge in their initial expectations and…

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…

Gavin Sanderson

Abstract: This paper reports on research undertaken in a university department to determine if academic staff used a range of theory-based practical teaching strategies that are promoted to assist international students adjust to Australian academe and support their learning. The department has an enrolment of 50 per cent international students and is located at a medium-size Australian university that is in the planning phase of internationalising its teaching and learning activities. A ‘mixed…

Usha Rao, Karen Demirtel

Abstract: Participants in this workshop will work in small groups, having chosen a leader to provide feedback to the whole group. Each group will be involved in the following:

• Reading a short narrative text on a real-life case study of a student or students from La Trobe University International College.
• Discussing and deciding with group members the Standards (of the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of…
  Read more...
• International Students: Would a second chance have changed their choices?
  00:00 - 30.11.2007 Articles >> Student Support

  Cathy Saenger
  

  Abstract: Being a mentor to International Students in the Faculty of Business and Computing at a polytechnic in New Zealand, the author has experienced the trials and tribulations of International Students first hand. They begin fresh faced with many expectations, but very soon find that things are not as easy as expected. Some graduates have indicated that they have found it nearly impossible to find jobs and that they are not…

  Read more...
• Stress Less for Better Success in International SL Education
  00:00 - 30.11.2007 Articles >> Student Support

  Dr Stanley W Theron.

  Abstract: A basic premise of this paper is that stress experienced is in an inverse ratio to learning outcomes. Practically applied it means that in any learning situation – especially SL situations – there should be subjective and objective awareness of the stress factor, continuing attention, assessment, alleviation and addressing of stress-producing factors to optimise outcomes. These aspects should be both preventative as well as therapeutic when…

  Read more...
• An introduction to the profile of the ideal lecturer or the international classroom
  00:00 - 30.11.2007 Articles >> Academic

  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…

  Read more...