Transcript UNIVERSITY SKILLS 101 - Memorial University of Newfoundland

Bridging the Gap
Enhancing Learning Outcomes
for International Students
Overview
 International students
 Classroom expectations
 Specific problems areas
 Academic Writing and Plagiarism
 Resources
Who are our International
Students?
 Graduate vs. Undergraduate
 Native English Speaking vs. Non-Native
English Speaking
 Exchange vs. International
International Students
Undergraduate vs. Graduate
2004-05 International Students
Total: 681
Full-Time
Undergraduate
Full-Time
Graduate
Part-Time
Undergraduate
Part-tTime
Graduate
Other
Undergraduate Students
2004-05 International Undergraduate
Students, Total: 377
Africa
Asia
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
US
Pacific
Graduate Students
2004-05 International Graduate Students
Total: 294
Africa
Asia
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
US
Pacific
International Students:
Challenges
 May not be used to continuous assessment, class
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participation, group work
May not approach their professor with problems,
questions or concerns – not necessarily because they
are shy but because of culture
May feel excluded from Canadian groups
Generally stick together
May chat with other students during class – common
in some cultures
Pressure to do well
Graduate vs. Undergraduate
Differences
Undergraduate Students
Graduate Students
Tend to be younger/less mature
More mature, better timemanagement skills
First time away from home =
culture shock and homesickness
Family responsibilities = stress,
more financial obligations
Pay more in tuition due to
differential tuition fees
Little or no tuition differential =
lower tuition fees than
international undergraduates
More courses = more to juggle
More focused in their studies
Access to scholarships and
grants but they have work
responsibilities: TA/RA
Faculty Experiences
 How do you find out who in your class is an
international student?
 What are some of the difficulties you have
encountered international students?
 What is the most critical issue for you in
helping international students be successful in
the classroom?
 If we cannot directly address your
question/problem during this session, we will
provide follow-up via email.
Differences in expectations
These generalizations are meant to offer a basis for comparison purposes only.
Western
Other Countries
Encouraged to be
Expected to be passive –
independent, critical thinkers.
Expected to participate in
class discussions and pay
attention to speaker: whether
prof or a peer.
Responsible for seeking
clarification, or assistance.
Asks professor How? Why?
Who? Importance?
Reads texts selectively.
Expected to keep up with
readings and assignments.
receivers of accepted knowledge.
Expects important points to be
repeated in lectures - paying
attention is less essential and
students may chat…or sleep.
May not seek help when s/he
doesn’t understand something.
May be afraid to ask questions.
Reads text deeply.
May not place value on
assignments, expecting a 100%
final exam.
Acculturation Issues
“When I left my country I was blue, and everyone in the new
country was yellow …now I’ve returned to my country, I am
green.”
 The sojourner experience – voluntary displacement with
intention to return home. How much should we expect
students to adapt?
“There is no way to achieve academically unless personal issues
are OK.”
 Students cannot speak to their families about problems –
academic, cultural, or personal. They have to pretend
everything is going positively to comfort parents.
 Setting the tone – can we make the classroom a more
supportive environment? Profs are the real “front-line” people –
seeing the students more regularly than any other staff
members.
 Striving for balance – what is our responsibility? Know and use
the university resources.
Time Management
“I don’t know what is important to study”.
 Students may devote all their time to their course work, yet lag
behind.
 Vital background knowledge on topics is often non-existent: not
only due to the cultural difference, but sometimes due to narrow
experience (limited practical and extracurricular opportunities).
“Canadian teachers don’t push us to study.”
 The “memorize and cram” method only works if the material is
comprehensible.
 Students may not realize until too late that they need to
demonstrate a fairly sophisticated understanding of material on
exams – not simple regurgitation of unrelated facts.
“Rhythm of work” here is stressful – compressed.”
 Students who do not perceive time as linear or a commodity to
be “spent” may become bewildered by the pace of our semesters.
 Multitasking may be problematic – students may concentrate on
one difficult course to the exclusion of others.
Group Work
“Why is group work always individual work for me?”
 Int’l students feel they are perceived as a liability to the group.
 How are groups divided? Integration vs. ghettoization.
 Isolation - can we design group assignments so that Canadian
students will value the contributions of int’l students?
“What is the point of group work/presentations/class discussions?”
 When the professor is seen as the fountain of all knowledge –
any time s/he is not speaking is wasting valuable lecture time.
 Since int’l students may place no value on the contributions of
classmates, they may chat with each other while other students
are speaking – to us this is extremely rude behaviour.
 Try to frame this use of class time to clearly demonstrate that
you value student contributions.
Assessment
“I spent hours working on my assignment, but still failed.”
 What do we do when language inhibits clarity? …when the
student obviously missed the point of the assignment yet still
did a great deal of work?
“I don’t even know where to begin correcting my international
students’ assignments”
 You are not an editor – yet that is what some students may
need. Their ideas may be fine, but they need help with
language and organization.
 Offer students the opportunity to visit the Writing Center before
you correct their work. See if your department would be willing
to hire a dedicated MUCEP student tutor.
 Offer to look at a draft of the assignment prior to the due date.
“My professor told me that she would pass my group no matter
what, because we are all international students.”
 Universities in the UK and Australia, which are further ahead in
the internationalization thrust, are currently bemoaning the
watering down of academic standards.
Academic Writing Issues
 Acquisition of Academic Literacy:
“I had falsely assumed that the students had academic writing
knowledge and never even asked myself where they got it”
 academic interaction that is heavily dependent on previous
experience and background knowledge (Silva, Leki, & Carson, 1997)
 paper writing is not a common practice in many educational
institutions outside North America
 Provide specific guidelines in written form of the organization
and style of particular assignments
 Provide students with exemplary writing
 Raise students awareness about appropriate field-related
terminology
Academic Writing Issues
(Cont.)
 Language Issues:
“ English is writer responsible, the reader wants to know where the
paper is going”
 Differences in rhetoric and structure
“ You can’t really help it, it does influence your grading of the papers”
Disruptive influence of surface-level problems
 Use process-oriented approach to student writing
 Provide students option of submitting early drafts for revision
 Encourage students to ask questions about their written
assignments throughout the course
Academic Writing Issues (Cont.)
Plagiarism
 Western World View
“There was a teacher from
Europe, who said you
mustn’t do it.
His friends all agreed,
Plagiarism is evil indeed,
now everyone obey and
rue it.”
(Pickering, 2002)
 Eastern World View
“ There was a devotee of
Confucius, who was very
conscientious.
Never did write a word
He’d not before heard
So as not be thought
presumptuous.”
(Pickering, 2002)
Academic Writing Issues
(Cont.)
 Plagiarism:
authorship and ownership as cultural and historical tradition
reliance on quoting and paraphrasing in developing language
proficiency
 Provide verbal and written explanation of your definition of
plagiarism. Illustrate the concept with specific examples
 Engage students in discussion on ownership of ideas
 Inform students of the consequences of plagiarizing
 If plagiarism is suspected, meet with student in private and,
if possible, provide student with an opportunity to rewrite.
Campus Resources
 Writing Centre - SN 2053
www.mun.ca/writingcentre
 ESL Program
 SN 4065 / SN 4069 [email protected]
 International Student Advising
 Corte Real, 1st floor [email protected]
 Counselling Centre - UC 5000
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