Meeting the Expectations of our Chinese Students

Meeting the Expectations of our

Chinese Students

Tim Cooper, International Student Support Officer

Student Panel: Wenhui Wu, Timothy Wong, Siyang Sun, Jiayang Wang, Sheng Zhang

International Student Survey 2005(TUOS: externally conducted)

2004: International students 15% of student body

China 721Malaysia 538Greece 189Germany 149

“to understand more about these students with a viewto better understanding their needs”

Highlighted:

•Integration• Greater emphasis on academic aspects of university experience• Language skills

Recommendations:

• Arrivals/orientation• Accommodation• Finance• Language skills

What’s changed?

•Numbers•Recruitments markets•PBS

2011-12

Overseas students 20% of student body

•China 2,124•Malaysia 424•India 392•Nigeria 243

Main recruitment areas of Chinese students:

•Business/Management/Economics•EngineeringCourse choice based on definite career aimsAnd driven by needs of fast-growing economy

Informal TUOS survey of Chinese students (2009):

• Key messages not always getting through• Need to improve ways University communicates with Chinese students

2011 study by Dr Qing Gu, University of Nottingham

Chinese students can experience real difficulties in adjusting both to UK educational system and culture:

•Expect to be told what to learn, what to read and what is ‘the correct answer’

• Difficulties integrating with ‘general student life’• Home students ‘doing their own thing’• “Pub” and “group” culture

• Prolonged feelings of ‘being a visitor’• Adoption of ‘split culture’• “I’ve got two sets of values, one is for here and one is for China. I

think they are just natural”

57% “happy” in the UK66% “happy” back in China

Chinese Students Project (TUOS 2012-13)

• Review of existing information on University services and support for international students in general and Chinese students in particular• Focus groups on awareness levels of available information, perceived usefulness, needs and expectations• Production of in-house videos• Where to go for information• Access to Healthcare services

[Video clip: “Where to go for Information”]

http://youtu.be/P_qshyM1EwY

Main findings of research/focus group component:

•Need for consistent and logical layout of web pages•Less text-heavy•Universal language•Suggestion that “official” University emails widely ignored•Preference for information from friends rather than official outlets•Significance of social networking sites such as Weibo and CSSA•Confidentiality policies not always fully understood

Screenshot of message from Chinese Students Project Worker on Weibo

Screenshot of message from Chinese Students Project Worker on Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) website

Learning and Teaching

2011 study by Chinese /American academics

Very different learning styles:

•Focus on acquiring knowledge• Students not actively encouraged to reflect, think independently or offer opinion•Some reluctance to participate in class discussion•Heavily test-based, leading to strong focus on grades•Plagiarism issue needs to be carefully explained at outset

Ongoing Chinese Student project 2012-13

•Recognize significance of sites such as Weibo and investigate how all areas of the University can engage with them more effectively• This would be the first home of Chinese language videos

•Extend range of videos to include all areas of support services• e.g. Counselling Service

http://youtu.be/VaTBkCxsw2s

Video clip: interview between Chinese Students Project Workerand Student Counsellor

Digital storying

• reflect real student experience• move away from “group” perception

http://www.youziproject.com/

Video clip from “Youzi” (Chinese Students Storying Project, School of English, TUOS)