Using technology to support international students

When Covid hit in 2020, our general inbox for the Office of International Education went from a daily volume of a few dozen emails to almost 1,000. Students wanted to know how the move to remote coursework would impact their visa status and how remote operations might affect work authorisation, among many queries. 

Like other educational institutions, we had to assess the mode of services offered. We turned to technology to provide services that addressed both high volume and student need. Then, as now, technology such as database management systems, virtual advising and ticketed email has bolstered student success and career readiness, and ensured regulatory needs are met. 

Here are ways your institution can leverage technology to support international students. 

Immigration advising and records maintenance 

Immigration advising and records maintenance are a key feature of international student support, which in turn ensures academic success. Depending on your country’s institution, you may have an interface with a government database to report a student visa holder’s arrival and maintenance of status. In the US, institutions maintain records through the government portal called the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (Sevis). Some institutions use interface software to maintain Sevis records, keep track of meetings with students, and manage immigration requests related to their studies. Such portals are useful for staff across the office to stay informed of changes and put students first, in that they can submit requests directly to the office. 

• Digital assumptions versus global realities in transnational education
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Virtual advising has become a popular way to support students while expanding access. Institutions use video platforms to schedule appointment-based or drop-in advising meetings for students to get their questions answered. The online format allows for multiple international populations to get support, including prospective students, those on study abroad, those on an internship or alumni on a period of work authorisation. This creates a value-add for students beyond the in-person services offered. 

For institutions with larger international student populations, scaling up to ensure optimal support can be challenging. Offices can consider adapting their email alias to a ticketing system, whereby student emails get forwarded to a platform that the whole team has access to, and assignments are based on the end digit of a ticket number. Offices can also set up email templates that help with response times. Not only does this create transparency and reduce duplication, but it also helps uncover hidden workloads and emerging themes that need new templates.  

Another strategy is using a chatbot or virtual assistant to collect questions, comb through your website, and direct students to the right webpage for support. Our office created a virtual assistant tool in Qualtrics that serves this purpose, getting about 2,000 uses annually. The tool asks the user for their student visa status and what topics they have questions about, and directs them to the corresponding pages for support. 

Holistic support for student success 

Having a robust pre-arrival e-mail campaign managed through a platform can be useful in proactively sharing information about your institution’s check-in requirements and any other important details to help prepare students for their first few weeks. These emails can provide details about upcoming orientation events and be linked to the website for students to reference later.  

Institutions may also include a pre-arrival orientation webinar to help students prepare for their travels. Offices can consider video platforms that make the recordings available via automated follow-up email and embedded code on the website, ensuring students have ongoing access. This medium is also useful for webinars about work authorisations and immigration updates with an immigration attorney, for example, so students stay informed of developments. 

International students show interest in having access to comprehensive wellness resources. As an international office, understanding what resources your campus offers and by what mode (in person or virtual) can help better support students through resource sharing. For instance, our office created a landing page on wellness resources to direct students to the right campus service. The landing page encompasses all aspects of wellness, including counselling, safety, campus recreation and health services. 

Career readiness 

Conducting an annual assessment of student needs can help your international office determine how to adjust the services you offer. Each spring, our office collects data to assess student interest in our engagement, and we’ve learned that career readiness is our students' priority. We have used technology and inter-office partnerships with our career services office to offer international alum career panel webinars and work authorisation workshops and to highlight online resources to ensure this need is addressed.

If you have limited resources to support this area, researching third-party online platforms that serve international students and support career growth can be helpful. Some offer support to US international students through job postings from employers that hire individuals with work authorisations or sponsor work visas. They also provide webinars on these topics and how to prepare for interviews. If your office can afford a subscription to these services, it would be a value-add for both the student population and your department. 

Using technology to scale and hone international student support

As institutions continue to hone their focus on student success and career readiness, developing strategies that support international students is critical for long-term success. These may include using a database management system, an email ticketing system, video software, or a third party to expand access and resources for international students.

Kate Kirk is associate director of international student and scholar service in the Office of International Education at Georgia Institute of Technology. She is also chair of the USG International Students and Scholars Committee.

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