How do the prior educational experiences of international students impact on their learning? Janice...

How do the prior educational experiences of international

students impact on their learning?

Janice Catterall, Claire Aitchison and Nicola Rolls

Method

Progress to date

Short survey and in-depth interviews/focus groups completed with 9 undergraduate students and 4 postgraduate students. Students were from Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

Early FindingsUndergraduates’ prior experiences

• Exams=100% • No home-based assignments/projects (mainly

revision done at home)• Textbook-based reading• No research, paraphrasing, in text citation or

referencing• Writing tasks short (e.g. 500 words). Mostly

descriptive

Early FindingsPostgraduates’ prior experiences

• Much greater variation with some students having a similar experience to Australian students and some having a similar experience to the undergraduates. i.e. little experience with research, long writing tasks or citation practices.

Issues

• Students reported that they were overwhelmed in the first semester with responsibilities associated with being independent for the first time; shopping, cooking, cleaning, paid work, culture shock..

And • Large assessment load. E.g. UG unit with 3 written

assignments and a 50% exam. Postgraduates had 2 units with 2000 word essays due in Week 5.

Implications

• If successful learning and teaching depends on building on students’ prior educational experiences in a way that is inclusive of diversity;

How can we best respond?