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How are UK institutions preparing their international students for academic transition? A survey of ‘Prepare for Succes

How are UK institutions preparing their international students for academic transition? A survey of ‘Prepare for Success’ use in HE and FE . Julie Watson 13th July 2010. Overview.

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How are UK institutions preparing their international students for academic transition? A survey of ‘Prepare for Succes

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  1. How are UK institutions preparing their international students for academic transition? A survey of ‘Prepare for Success’ use in HE and FE Julie Watson 13th July 2010

  2. Overview • Overview of Prepare for Success (PfS) - a free web learning tool for international students and UK institutions • Extent and method of take-up in UK Higher and Further Education • Examples from various institutions • Detailed example of a pre-arrival online course for international students, incorporating parts of PfS • Questions and discussion

  3. The PfS website so far • A web-based teaching/learning ‘transition’ tool for international students and receiving UK institutions: • Main menu of 22 interactive multimedia learning resources introducing international students to aspects of academic life, study skills, and teaching and learning styles in the UK • An interactive study pathways page through the learning resources allowing users to select by skill or by topic • A browsable interactive FAQs bank of simple questions and answers about academic study in the UK.

  4. Summary of PfS website use to date • Since July 2008: over 100,000 visits • Student users representing 196 countries • c. 60-70 UK receiving institutions use it (HE 80% ; FE 20%) • 100+ site feedback forms from student users; (only 12 from institutions!) • Other institutions use it (UK secondary schools and sixth form colleges, institutions overseas) • Referrers (traffic through other websites which are linking to PfS) = 73% ( include. Search engines) ; 27% come directly using web address

  5. Top referrer groups linking to PfS since July 2009

  6. A sample of particular referrers UKCISA / British Council / BALEAP / UCAS / Access College UK / HEA Subject Centres / EAP World / Erasmus mundus Google / Yahoo / Bing Twitter / Facebook / Blip TV / Digg / Nings / Delicious / The Student Room (message board) / Plurk (Taiwanese Twitter) / Youtube / Renren (Chinese Facebook) / Wikipedia Wretch (Taiwanese portal) / Yam (Taiwanese portal) / Xici.net (Chinese portal) / Sina (Chinese portal) / Anglie (Czech portal) / Net.hr (Hungarian portal) / Znaniye (Russian portal) Worldwide Studies Ukraine / Chilean Ministry of Education / UK Student Life Churches Together / The Independent (Newspaper) / Student Calculator / Study skills Blog Palgrave MacMillan / Pearson / BT (search engine) / Tesco (search engine)

  7. Survey of UK institutional use “…it’s used on a pre-sessional course to familiarise students with living and studying in Britain. It’s used both in the classroom and is accessed by students independently. It’s made available in this way to 200 students” “…available on VLE for students to access as they wish for independent study. c.80 students” “Some of the (web) pages are embedded into year long full-time Web CT (VLE) areas.” “There is a link to PfS from the front page of our VLE (Desire2Learn) which is accessed by all of our college staff and 2000 students (up to 1000 are international or have English as a second language)” “I use links to parts of it during our pre-sessional course as part of our Guided Independent Learning Programme” In a course wiki - “this year we had over 100 mainly Chinese (students)” “(PfS) is included in our VLE for international students before they arrive, but the site is currently being piloted and hasn’t gone full live. Student feedback so far is very positive.”

  8. What are they doing with it? Link from institutional website Link from student services website Link from academic department website Link from course-specific website Link in information sent out to agents Link in translated information for students Link in institutional welcome pack online Links in course wiki Links in VLE-hosted online courses Links in independent study programme online Link in student confirmation letters and routine emails

  9. A few examples of institutional use University of Aberdeen Telford College of Art and Technology School of Pharmacy, Univ of London Dept of Computer Science, Univ of Warwick University of Nottingham (Pathways) University of Exeter (Insessional Independent Study Programme) University of Portsmouth (Pre-arrival Course: PrepUP) University of Reading (International Foundation Programme: Get Prep@red) University of Warwick (Institute of Education: Module support)

  10. How to embed Prepare for Success 22 learning resources are designed as interactive multimedia ‘learning objects’ and available as online ‘building blocks’ for any institution’s online course / resource - selected learning objects can be linked to from within a VLE / wiki / blog - linked items sit alongside an institution's own resources in online induction courses or support packages for pre- or post-arrival use with international students

  11. Example: Arrive UK A 5 week, part-time online course in Moodle (VLE) Focus on living and studying in Southampton and the UK; British academic culture and study skills Blend of technologies: learning objects (our own and PfS), podcasts, videos, discussion forum, chat room

  12. Arrive UK: a pre-arrival online course for international students 12 of our own learning object resources (UK, University and Southampton-specific focus ) 11 learning object resources from ‘Prepare for Success’ (UK academic culture and study skills) Other resources: our own podcasts, vidcasts, images Specialist EAP tutors University of Southampton graduate student

  13. In a pre-arrival online course for international students Links to Prepare for Success resources Univ of S’ton’s own resources

  14. Some University and Southampton–specific content • Finding out about Southampton • Travelling to and from Southampton • Shopping in Britain • Money matters • About the University of Southampton • Finding your way around campus • Finding out about your School • Student social life

  15. Student feedback on benefits of doing a pre-arrival course “Each section was useful and enjoyable for me, through the introduction week by week helped me understanding gradually how to live, study and social in the University of Southampton.” “This online course help me knowing about the university well. Moreover, it showed me how the management students spend their time to study.” “I am feeling like that I have been living in the Southampton, therefore I won't feel extremely anxious when I arriving here.” “The advantages are: 1. be familiar with the culture and environment 2.understand what the international students should do 3. assist me to practice English skills.” “Getting to know other students, dealing with the shock of moving to a new culture.”

  16. Free website resources for institutions • Downloadable PfS logos available to embed in any website, welcome pack, student confirmation email, agent information etc. • Institutional guide on embedding PfS resources for pre-arrival or post-arrival / induction use • Downloadable poster to advertise PfS to newly arrived international students

  17. Thank you J.Watson@soton.ac.uk

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