TEACHING & ADVISING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: CULTURAL DIFFERENCES & TIPS FOR U.S. FACULTY

1. TEACHING & ADVISING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: CULTURAL DIFFERENCES &TIPS FOR U.S. FACULTY Ellen Dussourd International Student & Scholar Services February 22, 2010

2. UB’s International Student Enrollment Fall 2009 Undergraduate 1,529 Students Graduate 2,246 Students Total 3,775 Students

3. UB’s International Student Enrollment • Change since 1999 • Graduate students: 38% increase • Undergraduate students: 173% increase • UB’s international enrollment will continue to grow

4. Stressors for International Students

5. International Students’ Stressors • Requirement to maintain their immigration status • Conditions under which international students stay in the U.S. are determined by their visa category (e.g. F-1, J-1) • Immigration regulations corresponding to the students’ visa category govern many aspects of their lives: • Studies • Work • Travel • Vacation

6. International Students’ Stressors • Post-9/11/01 Environment • Not at all benign, especially in Buffalo • International students are closely monitored. • SEVIS = Student & Exchange Visitor Information System • Seemingly minor immigration violations can have serious consequences. • Ex. Underenrollment • International students who do not maintain their immigration status are at increased risk of • Arrest • Detention • Deportation

7. International Students’ Stressors • Financial Stress / Restrictions on Work • International students who face financial crises do not have recourses that U.S. students do in such situations. • Restrictions on Travel • Fear of returning home if U.S. visa is due to expire

8. International Students’ Stressors • Language Barriers • Culture Shock • Social Isolation & Lack of Social Support • Pressure to Adapt to U.S. Culture

9. International Students’ Stressors • Academic Pressures • Face greater pressures than U.S. students do • Economic survival in home country, where competition for jobs is fierce due to population density • Need to show gratitude to parents by excelling in school • Academic success linked to individual’s and family’s reputation and status • Family’s financial sacrifice for child’s education • Will not get a second chance • Inextricable link between visa status and student status

10. Cultural Differencesin the Academic Environment

11. Cultural Differences • Class/Seminar Participation • Interruption of the plan, waste of classmates’ time & sign of selfishness • Challenge to authority • Insult to professor & embarrassment to student • Reveals ignorance, lack of preparation & weak English skills • May be viewed as showing off • May expect turn-taking; don’t want to interrupt

12. Cultural Differences • Student-Faculty Relationships • In Home Country • Faculty may not be answerable to students • no requirement to return tests • never evaluated by students • no office hours • Addressing a professor by first name may be taboo. • Faculty may never admit to a mistake or not knowing something. • At UB • May be afraid of bothering professor during office hours so feel they must be very prepared • May feel that going to professor is sign of lack of preparation

13. Cultural Differences • Course Loads, Grades & Tests • Course loads may be much heavier in home country. • Class attendance may be unimportant. • Homework may be unimportant. • Grades may be based exclusively on final exam. • Grades may typically be much lower than in the U.S. • Grades may be posted or read out publicly.

14. Cultural Differences • Academic Integrity • May not be enforced or enforced selectively • Not for homework, quizzes or tests • Only for final or national exams • Collectivist nature of society may oblige students to help their friends

15. Cultural Differences • Navigating University Bureaucracy • May not expect to find University employees in their offices • May believe they are being dodged when UB employee sets up appointment for them, gives them paper to fill out or tells they s/he will work on problem.

16. Suggestions for UB Faculty

17. Suggestions for UB Faculty • Explain your expectations in the syllabus. Remind students about those expectations from time to time. • Be on time for class, office hours and appointments. • Your policy of academic integrity and how it will be enforced. • Encourage students to come to office hours. • Give examples of assignments, tests, papers and presentations so students know what is expected. • Provide step-by-step instructions of laboratory, etc. procedures at first. • Encourage students to ask questions in class.

18. Suggestions for UB Faculty Signal clearly when you are beginning the class. Use transitions to make it clear when you are changing topics. When illustrating concepts in class, try to use examples that are not U.S. specific. In group work, try not to let students self-segregate by nationality or ethnic group. Mix them up instead.

19. Suggestions for UB Faculty • Advise international students to contact the English Language Institute, 320 Baldy Hall for: • meeting others for conversation practice • practicing listening or pronunciation • courses to improve writing or speaking • advice on how to improve English skills • help finding a tutor or editor

20. Suggestions for UB Faculty • Advise international students to contact International Student & Scholar Services, 210 Talbert Hall about/if: • checkstops that prevent them from registering for classes (e.g. Bursar, etc.) • they are not enrolled full-time or at all • they have a problem that could ultimately affect their immigration status

21. International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) • www.buffalo.edu/intlservices • 210 Talbert Hall • Tel: 645-2528 • Email: intlservices@buffalo.edu