Bridging the Gap

Enhancing Learning Outcomes for International

Students

Overview

International studentsClassroom expectationsSpecific problems areasAcademic Writing and PlagiarismResources

Who are our International Students?

Graduate vs. UndergraduateNative English Speaking vs. Non-Native

English SpeakingExchange vs. International

International StudentsUndergraduate vs. Graduate

2004-05 International StudentsTotal: 681

Full-TimeUndergraduate

Full-TimeGraduate

Part-TimeUndergraduate

Part-tTimeGraduate

Other

Undergraduate Students

2004-05 International Undergraduate Students, Total: 377

Africa

Asia

Europe

Latin America

Middle East

US

Pacific

Graduate Students

2004-05 International Graduate StudentsTotal: 294

Africa

Asia

Europe

Latin America

Middle East

US

Pacific

International Students:Challenges

May not be used to continuous assessment, class participation, group work

May not approach their professor with problems, questions or concerns – not necessarily because they are shy but because of culture

May feel excluded from Canadian groups Generally stick together May chat with other students during class –

common in some cultures Pressure to do well

Graduate vs. Undergraduate

DifferencesUndergraduate Students Graduate Students

Tend to be younger/less mature

More mature, better time-management skills

First time away from home = culture shock and homesickness

Family responsibilities = stress, more financial obligations

Pay more in tuition due to differential tuition fees

Little or no tuition differential = lower tuition fees than international undergraduates

More courses = more to juggle

More focused in their studies

Access to scholarships and grants but they have work responsibilities: TA/RA

Faculty Experiences

How do you find out who in your class is an international student?

What are some of the difficulties you have encountered international students?

What is the most critical issue for you in helping international students be successful in the classroom?

If we cannot directly address your question/problem during this session, we will provide follow-up via email.

Differences in expectations These generalizations are meant to offer a basis for comparison purposes only.

Western Other Countries Encouraged to be independent, critical thinkers.Expected to participate in class discussions and pay attention to speaker: whether prof or a peer.Responsible for seeking clarification, or assistance. Asks professor How? Why? Who? Importance?Reads texts selectively.Expected to keep up with readings and assignments.

Expected to be passive – receivers of accepted knowledge.Expects important points to be repeated in lectures - paying attention is less essential and students may chat…or sleep.May not seek help when s/he doesn’t understand something.May be afraid to ask questions.Reads text deeply.May not place value on assignments, expecting a 100% final exam.

Acculturation Issues“When I left my country I was blue, and everyone in the

new country was yellow …now I’ve returned to my country, I am green.”

The sojourner experience – voluntary displacement with intention to return home. How much should we expect students to adapt?

“There is no way to achieve academically unless personal issues are OK.”

Students cannot speak to their families about problems – academic, cultural, or personal. They have to pretend everything is going positively to comfort parents.

Setting the tone – can we make the classroom a more supportive environment? Profs are the real “front-line” people – seeing the students more regularly than any other staff members.

Striving for balance – what is our responsibility? Know and use the university resources.

Time Management“I don’t know what is important to study”. Students may devote all their time to their course work, yet

lag behind. Vital background knowledge on topics is often non-existent:

not only due to the cultural difference, but sometimes due to narrow experience (limited practical and extracurricular opportunities).

“Canadian teachers don’t push us to study.” The “memorize and cram” method only works if the material

is comprehensible. Students may not realize until too late that they need to

demonstrate a fairly sophisticated understanding of material on exams – not simple regurgitation of unrelated facts.

“Rhythm of work” here is stressful – compressed.” Students who do not perceive time as linear or a commodity

to be “spent” may become bewildered by the pace of our semesters.

Multitasking may be problematic – students may concentrate on one difficult course to the exclusion of others.

Group Work “Why is group work always individual work for me?” Int’l students feel they are perceived as a liability to the group. How are groups divided? Integration vs. ghettoization. Isolation - can we design group assignments so that Canadian

students will value the contributions of int’l students?“What is the point of group work/presentations/class discussions?” When the professor is seen as the fountain of all knowledge –

any time s/he is not speaking is wasting valuable lecture time. Since int’l students may place no value on the contributions of

classmates, they may chat with each other while other students are speaking – to us this is extremely rude behaviour.

Try to frame this use of class time to clearly demonstrate that you value student contributions.

Assessment“I spent hours working on my assignment, but still failed.” What do we do when language inhibits clarity? …when

the student obviously missed the point of the assignment yet still did a great deal of work?

“I don’t even know where to begin correcting my international students’ assignments”

You are not an editor – yet that is what some students may need. Their ideas may be fine, but they need help with language and organization.

Offer students the opportunity to visit the Writing Center before you correct their work. See if your department would be willing to hire a dedicated MUCEP student tutor.

Offer to look at a draft of the assignment prior to the due date. “My professor told me that she would pass my group no matter what, because we are all international students.”

Universities in the UK and Australia, which are further ahead in the internationalization thrust, are currently bemoaning the watering down of academic standards.

Academic Writing Issues Acquisition of Academic Literacy: “I had falsely assumed that the students had academic writing

knowledge and never even asked myself where they got it”

academic interaction that is heavily dependent on previous experience and background knowledge (Silva, Leki, & Carson, 1997)

paper writing is not a common practice in many educational institutions outside North America

Provide specific guidelines in written form of the organization and style of particular assignments

Provide students with exemplary writing Raise students awareness about appropriate field-related

terminology

Academic Writing Issues (Cont.)

Language Issues:“ English is writer responsible, the reader wants to know where the

paper is going”

Differences in rhetoric and structure “ You can’t really help it, it does influence your grading of the papers”

Disruptive influence of surface-level problems

Use process-oriented approach to student writing Provide students option of submitting early drafts for

revision Encourage students to ask questions about their written

assignments throughout the course

Academic Writing Issues (Cont.)Plagiarism

Western World View

“There was a teacher from Europe, who said you

mustn’t do it. His friends all agreed, Plagiarism is evil indeed, now everyone obey and rue it.” (Pickering, 2002)

Eastern World View

“ There was a devotee of Confucius, who was very conscientious. Never did write a word He’d not before heard So as not be thought presumptuous.”

(Pickering, 2002)

Academic Writing Issues (Cont.)

Plagiarism: authorship and ownership as cultural and historical

tradition reliance on quoting and paraphrasing in developing

language proficiency

Provide verbal and written explanation of your definition of plagiarism. Illustrate the concept with specific examples

Engage students in discussion on ownership of ideas Inform students of the consequences of plagiarizing If plagiarism is suspected, meet with student in private

and, if possible, provide student with an opportunity to rewrite.

Campus Resources

Writing Centre - SN 2053 www.mun.ca/writingcentre ESL Program SN 4065 / SN 4069 elss@mun.ca International Student Advising Corte Real, 1st floor isa@mun.ca Counselling Centre - UC 5000