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 stress situation arise.
Key words: stress management, SL learning, awareness, international students
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
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: Each year, the University of Queensland opens its doors to thousands of new international students.
Although Student Support Services at the University of Queensland introduce international students to some essential safety issues relating to their new environment within the first few days after arrival, it has become apparent that given the number of avoidable critical accidents over the past few years, more specific information was needed to ensure students are made sufficiently aware of the dangers and hazards of their new surroundings. This practice based paper aims to describe the design and implementation of the ‘Safety and International Students’ session at the University of Queensland, and the measures taken to ensure that the information provided caters to the needs of international students. Further, this session is designed to introduce, reinforce and equip international students with a greater knowledge base of safety issues that is imperative to maximise their safe stay and reduce behaviour induced and therefore preventable critical accidents. The safety session is a compulsory one hour component of Orientation Week and is repeated twice to allow for maximum attendance. This study is a result of two years of reflective practice initiated by the International Student Advisers at the University of Queensland. Six hundred and fifty-three student evaluations were collated over the two years and feedback provided was very positive. This Safety Session was also presented at the Queensland ISANA Branch Meeting in March 2006 and was extremely well received.
Keywords: Safety, International Students, Critical Incidents, Duty of Care, Risk minimisation
