Fostering a sense of belonging and enhancing international students' experience

The British education sector has recently become increasingly dependent upon the income generated by overseas fee-paying students. Yet the experiences of these students are sometimes upsetting, and institutions have been relatively sluggish in developing appropriate structures to support them. This session examined a successful case study: the UCA (University for the Creative Arts) International Pathway Programmes, and reports on the efforts to improve the student experience and outcomes by focusing on the entire ‘lifecycle’: pre-arrival support, induction, teaching and learning in the ‘classroom’, life outside the ‘classroom’, and next steps. The workshop enabled different practitioners to explore issues around sensitivities to teaching and learning, and learning cultures, and integration of diverse students into the learning community. The workshop provided a forum for: - exploring how different practitioners can work together to enhance the international students’ journey – to ensure good academic outcomes and positive feedback; - generating and sharing ideas and good practice; - developing a common understanding of the institution’s goals and different practitioners’ roles in achieving them; - Solution-finding.