Improving the provision of pre-arrival information and support to international students via the use of online resources

Shelley Webster


Abstract
Rapid growth in international students studying in the UK has resulted in focus being placed upon the international student experience at all stages of the academic cycle. Particularly relevant is the pre-arrival stage, where the increased number of students from different countries means it is hard to provide comprehensive pre-arrival support to all new students. Traditional in-country pre-departure briefings are no longer financially or logistically viable and do not provide adequate support to all. This project aimed to develop a new approach to pre-arrival support, in the form of an ‘online pre-departure briefing’. This would utilise both social and multi-media resources and could be adapted to work in other institutions. Measures were identified for gauging the success of the project, including data analysis, student feedback and student participation and the data was used to identify areas of strength and weakness and make recommendations for further improvements to either the current or adapted models.

link: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/article/view/31


The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index