How can universities best attract and offer value to international students? These resources offer advice on marketing strategies that boost international enrolments, to providing a warm welcome and effective student support for international cohorts in order to ensure successful outcomes for graduates and post-graduates from all over the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;

International students

About 60&nbsp;per cent of my students typically come from abroad to study economics at University College London (UCL).Inevitably, there are times when a student must travel back to their home country mid-semester to attend an important event or deal with a family crisis. In normal times, they simply catch up with any learning missed once they return.But global lockdowns have resulted in many students being stranded overseas, unable to travel for long periods, with learning continuing online.Let’s look at the barriers to learning remotely from abroad and how to give those&nbsp;studying online overseas the best possible experience, wherever they are.Tackle technical limitationsTechnology can vary enormously across the world, so strategies are needed to reduce the risk of technical issues preventing overseas students from accessing lessons remotely.One approach that worked well for me was to enlist the help of two students located in Bangladesh and Pakistan. They ran local tests of all the systems, tools and resources we use to deliver online lessons. Through their international student networks, we extended testing to other countries, too.It’s also worth ensuring that learning materials can be accessed from any device. If good wi-fi is accessible only from a phone in a public place, for example, making materials mobile-friendly and easily downloadable means that continuous internet isn’t required.Reach students in different time zonesVideoconferencing tools such as Zoom and Teams are great for bringing students together online to work collaboratively and ask their tutors questions. But how do you ensure that students locked down in different time zones get similar opportunities to interact with others in real time?We’ve addressed this in various ways.Live Zoom sessions are scheduled largely in the morning because many of our students are located in east Asia and can attend without disrupting their “normal” routine. We also run smaller online tutorial groups throughout the day. Students further afield can sign up to the sessions that work best with their local time zones and fit these around other commitments.In addition, private channels on Teams allow students located in specific regions to work together on group projects at a time of their choosing. The students can manage these sessions themselves and simply tag me in the virtual chat if they have any questions, knowing that I&nbsp;will respond once I’m back online in the UK.But there are times when it’s simply not possible for a student abroad to log on to a class. Using a video platform such as Echo360, students can access a central repository of all recordings, including virtual live sessions and group discussions, so they can not only catch up on lessons missed but also rewatch at their convenience sessions they’ve previously attended. Being able to view a full transcript of what was said is helpful, too, for revision purposes, for those with special needs and disabilities and for students who don’t speak English as a first language.Engage students globallyKeeping students engaged at a distance can be challenging, so I&nbsp;like to give them an active role in the lesson and make them feel they are in the “room” with me.Interactive questions (open-ended and multiple-choice), embedded into pre-recorded videos, offer students learning activities, with feedback, that they can access at their leisure. In addition, I&nbsp;use polling software extensively in live online sessions to encourage participation and to check students’ understanding, as I&nbsp;would in a physical classroom. I&nbsp;can view individual responses and engagement levels, and students can always raise a&nbsp;virtual hand to ask or answer a&nbsp;question anonymously. This adds value to the live sessions, making them more about interaction and less about content delivery.Prevent isolationThe pandemic has underlined how important the social and extracurricular aspects of university life are to&nbsp;students. With planning, at least some aspects of these can be replicated remotely for those learning from abroad.I’ve participated in student-run and university-facilitated quizzes and “Meet the Lecturer” events attended by&nbsp;students from around the world. Attendees have told me how much these events help to build a sense of community and break the relative isolation of learning online.A virtual event I&nbsp;organised when the first lockdown hit was much appreciated by a group of students forced to miss the last two weeks of their course. One student who joined from a quarantine hotel in central Europe was delighted just to see another human face.Looking aheadWell-designed education portals have been critical for ensuring continued learning online for overseas students and others during lockdown. With some longer-term changes, universities could use this experience to better attract and engage students at home and afar for years to come.Parama Chaudhury is professor (teaching) and director of the&nbsp;Centre for Teaching and Learning Economics (CTaLE) at University College London.

Parama Chaudhury offers advice on how to help international students continue their studies while stuck in their home countries during the pandemic

Ensuring quality digital teaching for students locked down overseas

An internationalised learning environment, whether online or face to face, provides a forum to engage with a diversity of people and ideas. However, the focus on transitioning to digital teaching may have&nbsp;pushed back discourse around internationalising teaching.Digital teaching channels are necessary to reach students both at home and abroad. Internationalisation is, therefore, inextricably intertwined with online learning.Yet, there remains a scarcity of discussion around the intersection of internationalisation, digital learning and the student experience.Drawing on my research on internationalisation, I have worked to design and deliver what my mostly international postgraduate students have described as an excellent and inclusive learning experience.Here are three approaches that I have used to promote internationalisation and encourage active online student participation in my courses. These are:mindfulness of the curriculumfostering active learning in the digital classroomresponsiveness to student feedback.Mindfulness of the curriculumIn general, tutors can decide on the teaching and learning materials. However, there may be constraints in terms of accessibility of pedagogical materials. Being mindful that the majority of the research and discourses around internationalisation are Western-focused, I purposefully included a diversity of authors in course readings.Students were introduced to readings that were authored by researchers from around the globe. It provided an opportunity to discuss context related to different regions. Promoting and embedding internationalised core texts in the curriculum produced valued learning moments for students.The move to digital enables real-time access to additional materials that can be shared during synchronous workshops. This allows teachers to be responsive to students’ enquiries in a shared collaborative space.Fostering active learning in the digital classroomInternationalisation presents a learning opportunity to work purposefully with students to deconstruct and construct shared and new knowledge.Fostering active student engagement in class allows (re)interpretation of artefacts framed by previous knowledge and experience.As has been mentioned, a major benefit of digital learning channels is the flexibility that they allow&nbsp;for the introduction of additional texts during class discussion. This means that an online resource can be shared to further enhance student learning and class engagement.Student engagement does not happen by chance. Here are the strategies I use to make the most of digital tools in teaching students in different regions:1. Students have online access to pre-lecture or workshop readings at the start of the course. This allows students to familiarise themselves with the overall course content.2. A combination of asynchronous lectures and synchronous workshops works best for my teaching. Each week, I upload the asynchronous lecture before the specified time, which is announced at the beginning of the course. This provides a sense of consistency and structure for teaching delivery.3. During each lecture, I introduce questions about the topic to be discussed during the workshops that take place later in the week.4. At the first class, I ask students to form groups, with up to four members, to work with in weekly workshops. The students are encouraged to meet in their groups before each workshop to discuss the questions posed during the lectures.5. During the workshop, each group of students is asked to select one question and to discuss their perspectives critically. This sometimes entails a critical discussion about a quote from a pre-lecture reading text.6. To promote student engagement, all members in each group work together to put forward their arguments. Input is invited from other class members who may have additional points. As a result, all students in the workshop contribute to discussions during the weekly workshops.7. To foster inclusiveness in the classroom, each group member is asked to share their perspective. Constant reaffirmation that all views are valued&nbsp;encourages student participation in class discussion, even if they sometimes express their uncertainty about their opinion.Verbal and written feedback from students, consistent student attendance throughout the course, and two recent teaching award nominations by students are all evidence of the success of an interactive and inclusive approach to teaching.Responsiveness to student feedbackA mid-course survey is a valuable online tool to assess the effectiveness of your teaching practice.In the first instance, I shared the outcome of the mid-course survey with students. I explained how I would take forward feasible actions based on student feedback. This had a positive impact on the student experience and ultimately improved learning outcomes.Internationalisation to boost educationInternationalisation, in terms of accessibility to a diversity of people and resources is a vital tool, with transformative potential using digital teaching channels. This testifies to the value of internationalisation for enhancing the student experience for all.Omolabake Fakunle is chancellor’s fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

Omolabake Fakunle explains how steps to support internationalisation in digital teaching can enhance the learning experience for all students 

Using internationalisation to enhance digital learning experiences for all

We currently have&nbsp;more than 4,000 students enrolled&nbsp;on more than 70&nbsp;fully online postgraduate degrees covering a multitude of topics from ancient worlds to vascular surgery.&nbsp;Like any university offering part-time online degrees, our students are&nbsp;based&nbsp;around the globe, with about&nbsp;40&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;in the&nbsp;UK,&nbsp;13&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;in Europe,&nbsp;13&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;in North America,&nbsp;11&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;in East Asia and Australasia,&nbsp;9&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;in Africa&nbsp;and 14&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;from the rest of the world. Most&nbsp;are working&nbsp;full time while studying and many have family commitments too. So,&nbsp;it’s essential our online degrees are accessible to all&nbsp;these&nbsp;students, no matter where&nbsp;they live and what their&nbsp;circumstances are.&nbsp;Technology for technology’s sake?&nbsp;&nbsp;Technology is of course&nbsp;critical for online learning&nbsp;–&nbsp;a&nbsp;student must have a mobile device or laptop and&nbsp;internet connection. Our teaching embraces a variety of digital&nbsp;tools&nbsp;including virtual learning environments, discussion boards, real-time collaboration and video streaming.&nbsp;We’ve explored&nbsp;more innovative&nbsp;technology too: our medical&nbsp;school recently developed advanced 360-degree video technology that enables&nbsp;students to learn in a&nbsp;virtual reality&nbsp;stem cell&nbsp;lab&nbsp;environment.&nbsp;However, it’s&nbsp;not just about&nbsp;providing learning through the most&nbsp;advanced technology&nbsp;but&nbsp;the way&nbsp;we&nbsp;use&nbsp;the technology available&nbsp;which&nbsp;is important. Many&nbsp;online&nbsp;students work in remote areas&nbsp;with unreliable internet connections or low bandwidth, which makes large video files impractical. Some students stay on at their workplace after their working day&nbsp;has ended&nbsp;so they can access&nbsp;dependable&nbsp;internet.&nbsp;A graduate&nbsp;recently&nbsp;revealed that she liked to listen to audio files of lectures while washing the dishes or walking the dog – she was juggling family, work and studies.&nbsp;So&nbsp;we&nbsp;endeavour to&nbsp;make learning materials available in a variety of formats including&nbsp;video files,&nbsp;audio files, PDF transcripts and&nbsp;PowerPoint&nbsp;files, to meet all needs.&nbsp;Supporting students&nbsp;beyond the classroom&nbsp;We developed a comprehensive support system to make online learners feel as much a part of our academic community as students&nbsp;on campus.&nbsp;This means&nbsp;remote&nbsp;students can access IT support, careers services, academic and personal development resources, disability services, digital skills, chaplaincy and counselling services&nbsp;online.&nbsp;&nbsp;IT support is provided 24/7 and many resources are in place for the student to self-serve at a time convenient to them.&nbsp;The library&nbsp;has&nbsp;an e-preference collection policy, which means that we&nbsp;buy the online version&nbsp;of&nbsp;a&nbsp;new resource&nbsp;wherever&nbsp;possible.&nbsp;Being geared up to support students online, whether they were in Edinburgh or&nbsp;Edmonton, put us in a stronger&nbsp;position to&nbsp;roll out&nbsp;remote&nbsp;support&nbsp;to&nbsp;all&nbsp;our students when the pandemic hit in 2020.&nbsp;Global&nbsp;perspectives&nbsp;The&nbsp;combination of learning materials with the&nbsp;rich diversity of&nbsp;our students’&nbsp;professional and academic experience&nbsp;is what makes online learning so different from campus learning.&nbsp;Knowledge exchange between learners from different walks of life is an essential part of our online degrees; students are encouraged to share their experiences through debates that take place on discussion forums moderated by members of academic staff.&nbsp;&nbsp;As Syeda&nbsp;Ra’ana&nbsp;Hussain, a student from Kenya commented:&nbsp;“The course ensures that, every week, we are in communication with not only our lecturers, who are incredibly supportive, but with other students from around the globe. This interaction brings up different challenges and diverse perspectives&nbsp;without having to leave our respective countries, creating a kind of global village.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of our students are studying a subject that supports their professional development, and a programme cohort will typically include students working in related fields or sharing similar professional and academic interests. When a student shares a local professional case study on the discussion forum, their learning and knowledge is enhanced by the different perspectives that other students bring to the table.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lughano&nbsp;Kalongolera, a Malawi-based graduate from our MSc in Surgical Sciences, said:&nbsp;“I learned&nbsp;a lot about how to manage patients optimally through the discussions. The interaction with students from other countries broadened my knowledge of managing the same cases in a different way.”&nbsp;Contribution to discussion forums is usually a compulsory aspect of a course, but students need little encouragement – they regularly tell us that learning from&nbsp;classmates’ experiences is&nbsp;what&nbsp;they like best about studying online. The impact of this virtual knowledge exchange goes so much deeper than the online classroom itself. Studying a master’s online enables students to take what they learn from the university and from other students and implement it in their work and lives,&nbsp;wherever they are in the world.&nbsp;Lauren Johnston-Smith&nbsp;is online&nbsp;learning&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;project&nbsp;manager&nbsp;at the&nbsp;University of Edinburgh.

Lauren Johnston-Smith describes steps to create a quality learning experience for students enrolled on online postgraduate courses from all over the world 

Developing online master’s courses for an international audience 

“The coronavirus knows no borders” has become a common saying. International education should also know no borders, and Covid-19 should not be a barrier to growth, development and progress. Despite the pandemic’s challenges to international education, it has also created opportunities. One has been the acceleration of online education for international students at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) and other institutions.We found the&nbsp;elements that were crucial for this acceleration to occur were:Consistent revision of strategy to ensure that international students don’t suffer during isolation and to innovate where possibleAgility and flexibility in meeting international students’ needsDevelopment and full integration of new learning and teaching approaches.Building a sense of communityLike many institutions, our students are dotted around the globe. Our most immediate and ongoing need has been to bring a sense of community to relieve their isolation. We used social media to set up student groups at the institutional, school or department and programme level.Connecting students with the university education community is important, but it requires staff commitment to be available to answer questions, provide solutions that are often technical&nbsp;and lend an ear. It also requires constant and consistent updating of information on the university website and other message channels.Students need to feel that they are heard, especially regarding how learning and teaching takes place. A full survey of the international students’ experience from spring semester last academic year informed discussions and changes in delivery and assessments for the current year.XJTLU also opened our doors to students in China who could not return to their institutions overseas. Through existing and new educational partnerships, institutions globally have been quick to recognise credits in partner institutions as a short-term study-abroad solution, thus ensuring those students some campus experience.Recognising different student situationsThere are disadvantages for those who study online compared with their onsite peers. Online-only students cannot access on-site facilities such as libraries, learning support spaces or informal support groups; they experience time zone issues for studying, live lectures and accessing office hours; technology problems occur.In response, XJTLU asked: “Why assess students as if these disadvantages did not exist?” This allowed the university to rethink assessment approaches, remembering that module and programme learning outcomes are what must be met, not necessarily providing the same assessment experience. Differentiated assessments have enabled students to demonstrate their understanding in a manner that considers different learning situations.Choosing and using the right technologyChoosing the right technology for your individual situation is important. XJTLU quickly selected Mediasite and BigBlueButton to provide both synchronous and asynchronous teaching options. To accommodate international students’ individual situations, this flexibility is important.With a flexible hybrid approach, live sessions are also recorded and posted on the Moodle-based virtual learning environment so that students can access lectures and seminars at will.To ensure the effective use of technology, maintain the student experience as much as possible and ensure quality assurance standards are met, teacher training also needs to change focus.Educators need training not only in how to use the technology in practical terms, but also in how to use it effectively to enhance student learning: recording bite-sized lectures, flipping the classroom, creating assessments that better suit the technology, and using chatboards and forums rather than traditional office hours and tutorials. We also explain to students that online study will help them acquire soft skills that they will need in the virtual workplace.Technology has also been important in maintaining a presence in the student recruitment market, highlighting through virtual fairs that the university is open for business.Using immersive technology, we invited potential students and parents to the university to meet academics, see the campus and experience being a student, all virtually. This is something that is not likely to change in the future, expanding exposure.The XJTLU Learning MallDuring the pandemic period, the university started an exciting initiative: the XJTLU Learning Mall, an innovative learning hub and educational platform. Besides hosting our virtual learning environment, the Learning Mall provided all students with additional flexible online learning modules and courses for educational enhancement.Staff identified what was appropriate, placing content from our global network of partners online for students to access. This May, the Learning Mall will expand to a global audience, providing short courses and training from leading educational content providers around the world in English and Chinese. All students – international or local, new or alumni, those interested in upskilling or in learning new skills – will become part of a global education network.While Covid-19 forced rapid changes on international education, what we have learned in the process will only serve to benefit cross-border learning as we move forward.Stuart Perrin is the associate principal of the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) and chair of the University International Committee at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

With its lack of physical boundaries, online teaching can be used to boost access to learning for international students, as Stuart Perrin explains

Boosting international education and collaboration through online delivery 

Patterns and trends in international movement of university students and staff, both incoming and outgoing, and the global opportunities it brings

International students

Ensuring quality digital teaching for students locked down overseas

Using internationalisation to enhance digital learning experiences for all

Developing online master’s courses for an international audience

Boosting international education and collaboration through online delivery

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