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?