Supporting International Students at Residency Presented by: Ivonne Meza Product Manager-International Online Laureate Education, Inc. Annamaria Szilagyi,

Supporting International Students at Residency

Presented by:

Ivonne MezaProduct Manager-International OnlineLaureate Education, Inc.

Annamaria Szilagyi, Ph.D.Wilson Awardee 2012Team Leader, Student ExperienceUniversity of Liverpool, Laureate Online Education

Welcome to Today’s Webinar!

• Click the arrow to view panel.• Adjust audio setup as needed.• Ask questions throughout the webinar.• Closed captioning available via link

• Technical Support: 800-263-6317• Evaluation link provided at end of webinar in the

questions area

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Outcomes

• Provide a context for appreciating the unique needs of international students at residency

• Develop strategies for supporting international students at residency

• Create awareness about the importance of effective cross cultural communication

• Differentiate among various cultures students represent in class

• Identify Strategies to better support our students to be successful in the classroom

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POLL: What is your biggest challenge related to supporting international students at residency?

Language barriers

Content challenges

Communication style

Cultural isolation

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So, why is this important?

Culturally rich learning environment

Impacts student success

Growing student

population

Increased retention

Source: Gollnick & Chinn, 2006

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You get the following list of students attending Residencies: what do they look like?

• Li-Mai• Ana Maria Lopez• Elke Müller• Hwang, Shin Ja • LaShonda Wallace• Dambudzo Masitsela

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The hidden layers of a Culture…

Common student role

US Student Nigerian Student

Participative Passive

Inquisitive Silent

Discusses Feedback Acknowledges Feedback

Source: Mackenzie & Wallace, 2011; Medubi, 2010

References at the end of presentation!

For example….

Nigerian students consider themselves the receptors of knowledge. They listen, make notes, and reiterate information in exams and assignments.

• Respect elders and authority• Respect family• Gender roles• Value of education

Cultural Values =

Perceptions of the Faculty Role

US Nigerian

Democratic Authority

Equal relationships Moral mentor

The use of humor Serious

Informal Source of knowledge

Source: Anderson, 2008

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Cultural competency in Education

• Culturally responsive teaching:– Affirms cultures of students– Views Culture as strength– Reflects students’ cultures in the teaching process

• Behaving and communicating appropriately (based on one’s knowledge skills and attitudes) to achieve one’s goals through:Flexibility, Cultural self-awareness, Respect, Openness, curiosity, Empathy, Etc..

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Plagiarism

Remain aware that for certain cultures, accusing someone of plagiarism, can be a very negative connotation and social implications.

-Use examples of what plagiarism is, not just the definition.-Explain where does the importance of originality stems from in the U.S.-Review how turn it in works, before an assignment is due

Tips:

“In the Yoruba culture a child that lies, will steal. A child that steals will commit adultery, and it can go further. You can be very easily called an adulteress and even a murderer.” (Female, Online Nigerian student, University of Liverpool)

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Strategies

•Remain present of the impact of culture

•Foster awareness of norms and values

•Remain curious

•Recognize & encourage sharing

•Recognize time & circumstantial sensitivity

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Other reminders…

By growing the reach of Education, and viewing our students through a global lens, we take part of delivering on

our mission of social change around the world.

•Accents do not have a correlation to language fluency

•Avoid using idioms, slang, jargon or acronyms

•Provide examples to clarify communication

•Provide details on the context of an assignment

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Discussion topics:

Given what you learned today, what will you do differently as you support international students at residency?

What other questions about supporting international students do you have?

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Resources• Low-Context vs. High-Context Cultures

The following video demonstrates two of the cultural dimensions that influence communication online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tIUilYX56E&feature=related

• Cultural Competence Living and communicating across cultures implies adapting and understanding. Communicationmisunderstandings can be avoided if we can better understand the influence of culture in the meaning we attach to concepts. These videos demonstrate, with humor, situations in which communication is hindered by a lack of understanding of cultural dimensions. *Here are some useful resources that may help you to become more culturally competent.– Developing Cultural Competence www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd6ksEx3rZw– Dr. Fons Trompenaars on Culture

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqNI8le1bF4&feature=PlayList&p=1C80223F31574458&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

– About Culture Shock http://www.worldwide.edu/travel_planner/culture_shock.html– Waltzing Matilda Misunderstanding (examples of people NOT understanding meaning and

context) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2NiVL_UP94&feature=related

Additional Resources:Anderson, T. (2008) Theory and Practice of Online Learning. 2nd ed, Canada: Marquis Book Printing.Wilson, M., Quayyum, A. & Boshier, R. (1998). World wide America? Think globally, click locally. Distance Education , 19 (1), 109-

123.Beckloff , R. (2008). Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Adult Development: Implications for Adult Education in Africa. Convergence ,

41 (2-3), 13-26.Mackenzie, L. & Wallace, M. (2011). The Communication of Respect as a Significant Dimension of Cross-Cultural Communication

Competence. Cross-Cultural Communication , 7 (3), 10-18.Maiangwa B., U. U. (2012). "Babtism by Fire": Boko Haram and the Reign of Terror in Nigeria. Africa Today , 59 (2), 42-57.Medubi, O. (2010). A cross-cultural study of silence in Nigeria – an ethnological ethnolinguistic approach. Journal of Multicultural

Discourses , 5 (1), 27-44.Moore, M. G. (2006). Editorial. Questions of Culture. The American Journal of Distance Education , 20 (1), 1-5.Ogbogu, C. O. (2011). Gender Inequality in Academia: Evidences from Nigeria. Contemporary Issues in Education Research , 4 (9),

1-8.Seckel, S. (2007). Characteristics and Responsibilities of Successful e-Learners. Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems , 21 (2), 22-

26.Spitzberg, B and Changnon, G (2009) ‘Conceptualizing intercultural competence’, in Deardorff (ed) The SAGE handbook of

intercultural competence, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Trompenaas, F., & Hampden-Turner, C. (1998). Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Global Business.

New York: McGraw-Hill.Uzuner, S. (2009). Questions of Culture in Distance Learning: A Research Review. International Review of Research in Open and

Distance Learning , 10 (3), 1-19.Ukpo, E. (2006). Support for distance learners in a Nigerian distance education programme. Open Learning, 21(3), 253-261Zhan, Q. (2009). Perceived Teacher Credibility and Student Learning: Development of a Multicultural Model. Western Journal of

Communication, 73 (3), 326–347.