TITLE OVERSEAS STUDENTS̓ ACADEMIC SUPPORT A PERSPECTIVE AUTHOR DELROY

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TITLE Overseas Students̓ Academic Support: A Perspective


AUTHOR Delroy Brown


PRESENTER Delroy Brown


OCCUPATION Senior Associate Lecturer


AGENCY Kumbari/Ngurpai Lag, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba




SUMMARY


Since 1987, the growth in the presence of overseas students on Australia̓s university campuses has escalated and has transformed universities in many ways. One of the areas of transformation has been the creation of extra pressures on structural, pedagogical and curricular resources. However, despite efforts by some institutions to provide adequate support systems for overseas students, areas of academic support remain problematic. This lack of proper academic support to overseas students is crucial not only to the success of their education, but also to the economic future of institutions that increasingly depend on the fees of overseas students for fiscal survival.


As the number of overseas students increases in universities, it is imperative that effective strategies be found by institutions to service the academic needs of these students, particularly in subject areas traditionally regarded as at risk. This paper argues that because the language and cultural areas are at risk, provision of extra academic support studies should be implemented beyond what is currently being provided. Based on data gathered from a summer term‘s work involving 15 overseas students at one university, the paper discusses a workable model that has produced successful outcomes for students enrolled in a Communications unit. The paper calls for the exploration of theoretical models that would inform practice and facilitate academic success of overseas students.

`Overseas Students̓ Academic Support: a perspective


Since 1987, the growth in full fee paying overseas students on Australia̓s university campuses has escalated. This growth has conspired various changes to the structure, pedagogy and curriculum of Australian higher education. One of these changes has been the need for institutions to provide adequate support systems and services to enhance the education of overseas students. It is argued that many overseas students from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) encounter various levels of language difficulties, especially during their initial periods of study (Ballard, 1988). Burns (1991) demonstrates that overseas students experience more adjustment difficulties than local students. Yet, despite efforts by some universities to provide adequate infrastructures to facilitate the education of overseas students, areas of academic support largely remain problematic (Hubbard, 1994). This lack of proper academic support to overseas students is not only crucial to their success, but has some economic implications for institutions (Brown, 1993), since they depend increasingly on the fees of overseas students for fiscal survival in a competitive market.


Context and Background


The past decade has seen a substantive increase in the number of overseas students enrolled at Australian universities. In 1994, for instance, 69,062 students from abroad (an increase of 12.1 per cent) entered Australia to receive their education (The Australian, 6/4/94, p.15). The vast majority of these were full fee paying students from Asian countries. In economic terms, this influx has contributed an estimated $1.5 billion to the Australian economy (Campus Review, November 17-23, 1994). If trends continue, this vital source of revenue on which the tertiary sector now depends, could soon reach the $2 billion mark (Campus Review, November 17-23, 1994). However, future growth will largely depend on the measure of support systems and services provided by institutions. In fact, not only do overseas students themselves regard this support as significant (Baker, 1993), so does the Australian Vice-Chancellors̓ Committee (AVCC). For instance, the AVCC̓s Code of Ethical Practice states:


academic programs, support services and environment offered to overseas students [should] encourage them to have a positive attitude about Australian education and Australia when they return home at the conclusion of their studies. Institutions should establish an appropriate infrastructure to be the focal point for all inquiries and to ensure both the effective implementation of the institution̓s full-fee overseas student program and the provision of all necessary support services (AVCC & ACDP, 1989, pp. 145-152)


This area of support and services has come under scrutiny lately, particularly in relation to those overseas students from NESB. Two surveys at the University of NSW and the University of Technology, Sydney, revealed that the major complaint made by overseas students, concerned education and facilities at the two campuses (The Australian, 22/4/92, p.13). Studies by Hubbard (1994) also essentialise the effects of academic support on overseas student performance. This situation became the focus of a paper presented at a recent International Development Project (IDP) Conference in Sydney by David Back (1994) on the theme: “Offshore Education - Second class qualifications?”. Back contends that “offshore students are entitled to receive the same level of support as Australian based students who are studying the same programme using the same form of delivery.” (p.2). While Back̓s argument may seem over ambitious to some institutions, given the realities of funding constraints, his point is well taken that much more could be done to address the support needs of offshore students. Back̓s concerns however, have particular relevance to the context of onshore overseas students as well. Whilst current practice in Australian institutions provides overseas students with the same level of support as domestic Australian students, overseas students are at a disadvantage in terms of their language and other cultural limitations.


This paper argues that the language and cultural difficulties experienced by overseas students, justify the provision of extra academic support necessary for assisting overseas students to cope more effectively with their course work especially in subjects that require language ability and critical analysis. The paper draws upon empirical study of a group of fifteen uniprep overseas students who were studying a course in Communications at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), during the Summer term of 1994. The class consisted of students from eight nations (Table 1.):

Table 1. List of nationalities represented in the class

Korea 4

Hong Kong 3

Japan 2

Malaysia 2

Thailand 1

Taiwan 1

Fiji 1

Indonesia 1


15

___________________________________________________


The Communications unit is one of USQ̓s corporate units taught to all undergraduate students. For the summer term it involved attendance at 2 hour lecture-tutorials followed by an hour of support studies (SS), twice weekly over nine weeks. The overall aim of the unit was to present material to equip students with the basic understanding of the communication process as theorised and practiced in Australia (Communications Study Book, 1994). On the other hand, the overall aim of the SS was to enlarge on the content presented in the lecture/tutorial sessions, as well as to clarify points of misunderstanding , definitions and vocabulary. The following discussions will review the procedures of both the lecture-tutorials and the SS, describe the outcomes in terms of the students̓ success, and provide a summary and recommendations.


Lecture-tutorials


Two academics taught the class separately: one for a period of two weeks and the other for seven weeks. It seemed clear that relationship between students and teachers was optimum to the culture of learning (Hubbard, 1994). For instance, at the outset lecturers made a genuine effort in class to familiarised themselves with the correct spelling and pronunciation of students̓ names. Throughout each session, references were made to students by their names to draw them into discussions and interactions. Occasionally the lecturers asked students to provide examples from their own cultural backgrounds to illustrate certain theoretical and conceptual aspects of the lessons. Lecturers made illustrative comparisons between the overseas students̓ examples and those used by themselves to differentiate and make appropriate cultural linkages. Both teachers appeared relaxed and possessed an appreciable knowledge of things Asian. Students appeared willing to participate in discussions, but only when requested and prompted by the lecturer to do so. As part of their activities, students were given opportunity to stand in front of the class and give an oral presentation of why their particular country should be visited by an Australian. These talks, though constrained by language limitations for some students, nevertheless were to the point, informative, and sometimes humorous. The students also seemed comfortable in small group work for problem-solving. In addition, students were required to interview some staff members from different departments of the university. This exposed students to contacts with the wider university community.


While the above aspects were positive, there were also some negative aspects. For example, because the lecturers had so much material to cover in a limited time span, some students found the pace beyond their ability to comprehend, given language constraints. This meant that some students had either misunderstood or had missed points altogether. Another area that produced some anxiety for overseas students concerned semantic barriers. Some students had difficulty reconciling connotative and denotative words, particularly words that had changed in local meanings over the years, but still retain denotative meanings overseas. Perhaps one of the most recurring difficulties students faced, and which compounded their problems, involved reading analysis. A few students whose English ability limited their understanding found it difficult to analyse texts. These areas of difficulty were usually addressed and solutions found during the support sessions following the lecture-tutorials.


Support Instructions


Tenuously based on the Supplemental Instruction (S.I) model being propagated at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and renamed Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), support sessions were conducted following lecture-tutorials. These sessions sought to address individual difficulties students encountered with the content and provided two basic functions. On the one hand, they assisted students to gain a fuller understanding of the material; while on the other hand, sessions identified areas that the lecturer might improve on through feedback from students via the support leader. The overriding philosophy for support instructions was borrowed from PASS:

“Tell me, I forget,

show me, I remember,

involve me and I understand”


At the outset of each session, students were asked to identify problem areas. These were listed on the board. Those who understood the solutions to the problems identified were encouraged to share their insights with the group. In a case where the entire class misunderstood a concept or point, the leader, as facilitator, directed class members to locate the solutions in the text to enable further discussions and clarifications. There were a few students who despite the hour of support in class required extra tuition on a one-to-one basis. Although attendance at support sessions was mandatory, on an average eight of the fifteen students usually attended. Four students required a minimum of between one and 3 hours of extra tuition with the support facilitator. Both the group sessions as well as the individual instructions involved going over past exam papers to prepare the overseas students on how to interpret exam questions and the accepted styles of answering.


Description of outcomes


Of the thirteen students who sat the final exam in Communications, two received High

Distinctions; there were two A̓s, five B̓s and one C. One was given a make-up exam, and two received F̓s (See Table 2). Such results were most gratifying by any standards, and were attributed to the close working relations of the lecturers, and the assistance of the support sessions.


Table 2. Exam Results of 13 Overseas Students

HD

A

B

C

IS

F



2

2

5

1

1

2


___________________________________________


Apart from the academic achievements of these students, there were other notable spin offs; for example:


● Students appeared satisfied with the style of delivery of the lectures and support instructions.


● A social bonding emerged within the group that fostered a relaxed and amiable atmosphere among the students from different nations.


● The students felt free to express how they felt about the lesson especially being in a smaller group.


Discussion


It has been argued that overseas students are particularly vulnerable during the first semester of their studies in Australia, and that their problems relate not only to language, but also to adjusting to the new system and environment ( Samuelowicz, 1987; Mansell, 1988; Burns, 1991). The summer term program at USQ, took into account the reality of students̓ language difficulties. In addition, it responded to the adjustment requirements of students. Thus, not only were the academic needs being met by the staff, but students were also being initiated into the education system as they interacted with staff from other departments through interviews for their assignments. Lecture sessions incorporated culturally-based content with comparative applications. Not surprisingly, the academic outcome proved above average, and students seemed to be making progress in coping with the cultural double shift that they must make from their own cultural setting to that of Australia̓s, and from their native classroom culture to the new one (Ballard, 1988).


Summary and recommendations


Clearly, the evidence borne out by the above experience demonstrates that there are benefits to be gained through the implementation of support sessions based on the PASS model. The model encourages cooperation between educators and overseas students that facilitates profitable outcomes for both. The present study, though only fractional, suggests that overseas students not only can succeed academically in subjects traditionally considered as difficult, but they are able to gain confidence in their ability and adaptation to the Australian system.


RECOMMENDATIONS


The following are therefore recommended:


● that institutions concerned with providing the highest standards of teaching and learning for overseas students (Kramer, 1994), adopt or develop similar programs along the lines espoused by the PASS model.

● that such models pay attention to the close cooperation of academic staff and support facilitators to ensure unanimity in aims and objectives to maximise the performance of overseas students.

● that the development of this kind of program should also encourage lecturers and tutors to incorporate culturally-based content into their presentations to bridge the cultural gap in the classroom.

● that future research into this aspect of the overseas student phenomenon consider comparative studies to determine the differences between participants and non-participant students in this kind of program, so that more conclusive theory may inform praxis and facilitate the academic success of overseas students.


References


Australian Vice-Chancellors̓ Committee & Australian Committee of Directors and

Principals (1989) `Code of Ethical Practice in the Provision of Full-fee Courses to Overseas Students by Australian Higher Education Institutions̓. In Bruce Williams (ed.), Overseas Students in Australia. Canberra: IDP.


Back, David (1994) Offshore Education - Second class qualification? Paper presented

at DIP Conference in Sydney, October.


Baker, Ian (1993) Lessons from the introduction of fees for overseas students. Journal

of Tertiary Education Administration, 15, 1, pp. 95-98.


Ballard, B. (1988) Overseas Students: Educational Opportunity and Challenge, Paper

presented at Australian College of Education International Education , International Conference, International House, Parkville, Vic., 19 September.


Brown, D.G. (1993) From Aid to Trade: Contradictions, Contestations and Complexities

of Australia̓s Policy to Market Education to Asia. In M. Bella, J. McCollow & J. Knight (eds.), Higher Education in Transition: Working Papers of the Higher Education Policy Project. Brisbane: Graduate School of Education, University of Queensland.


Burns, R.B. (1991) Study and Stress among First Year Overseas Students in an

Australian University. Higher Education Research and Development, 10,1,pp.61-77.


Campus Review, 17-23/11/94.


Communications Study Book, (1994) Unit 90501. Toowoomba: University of Southern

Queensland Press.


Hubbard, R. (1994) Addressing the Language and Cultural Problems of Overseas

Students in the Context of Mathematics Classes. Higher Education Research and Development, 13, 2, pp. 133-142.


Kramer, L. (1994) Alumni International Education - A Perspective, A Paper presented

at IDP Conference, Sydney, 5 October.


Mansell, D.S. (1988) Teaching Overseas Tertiary Students, Paper presented at

Australian College of Education International Education, International Conference, International House, Parkville, Vic., 19 September.


Samuelowicz, K. (1987) Learning Problems of Overseas Students: Two sides of a Story.

Higher Education Research and Development, 6, 2, pp.121-133.


The Australian, 6/4/94, p.15


The Australian, 22/4/92, p.13




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