Friday 29 June, 11.15 - 11.55am
F1: 2,000 pre-sessional students? Piece of cake!
Category: Immigration
In the summer of 2017, the English Language Teaching Centre received a record number of applications – 2,000! Despite needing to issue over 1,400 single CAS and over 250 combined CAS to our pre-sessional students, the CAS team worked exceptionally hard to ensure a low refusal rate. Our efforts paid off with only one refusal.
To help our summer school students extend their visa’s within the UK to continue onto their main course, we offered a week-long document checking session at the end of their English course.
In this session, we will share the ways in which we paired the use of new technology with traditional methods to ensure that our record number of students were prepared for the checking sessions, and ultimately, their visa application.
Presenters: Azadeh Madanian Mohammadi, Immigration and Visa Adviser, University of Sheffield; Matthew Wong, Visiting Student Officer, University of Sheffield
Azadeh works as an Immigration and Visa Adviser at the University of Sheffield and she holds a PG certificate in ISAS from Nottingham University and has worked at the University of Sheffield in visa/immigration field since 2005. She has extensive PBS/Tier 4 and immigration knowledge and applied experience in these areas.
Since joining the ELTC in May 2015 as ELTC's dedicated Visa/Immigration adviser and CAS team-leader, she took on managing the visa extension for progressing ELTC students which now has become a full-fledged project.
Matthew is a Visiting Students Officer at the University of Sheffield’s English Language Teaching Centre. Each summer, he is part of a small team which issues CAS to large numbers of pre-sessional students. In 2017, Matthew planned for and event managed the visa extension sessions for progressing ELTC student which was well received by staff and students alike.
As a former international student, Matthew is very interested in the field of immigration and is currently working towards a PG Certificate in International Student Advice and Support at the University of Nottingham.
F2: Wellbeing of Chinese international students at UK universities: reports from a representative sample survey
Category: Special interest
This presentation draws on newly-collected survey data from the first nationally representative sample of Chinese UG and PGT international students in UK universities, conducted for the Bright Futures project.
Following an introduction to the project, we will present some key findings on wellbeing.
We identify the main factors that affect these students’ general life satisfaction and psychological well-being, analysing how these are related to language skills and social integration in university life.
While Chinese students report high satisfaction levels overall, a proportion of them appear to suffer from depression-related symptoms. English language level and isolation from the broader student population are significant factors, while academic adaptability and discrimination are less significant.
We also illustrate some of the issues of language and how they vary across subject areas drawing on a small-scale qualitative study of language needs among Chinese PGT students in varying disciplines at a research intensive university.
Presenters: Dr Sophia Woodman, Chancellor's Fellow (lecturer), University of Edinburgh; Dr Dorothee Schneider, Senior Researcher, University of Essex
Sophia Woodman teaches Sociology at the University of Edinburgh. Her area of research is contemporary China, and she has been involved in several research projects on Chinese international students at Edinburgh and beyond, including as part of the Bright Futures project, a pioneering investigation of East Asian student mobility.
Dorothee Schneider is a senior researcher at the University of Essex, who has been responsible for carrying out the Bright Futures project's representative sample survey of Chinese international students in the UK.
F3: Learning from complaints
Category: Student experience
While 19% of UK students are from outside the UK, around 29% of OIA complaints come from international students. International students can have particular difficulties being further from their families and existing support networks, dealing with an unfamiliar language and culture.
In this session we will look at the insights we have gathered from over 15,000 student appeals and complaints. We will consider how delegates' practices and procedures can further support international students and improve their experience.
Presenter: Anne Lee, Adjudication Manager, OIAHE
Anne Lee is an Adjudication Manager at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. Before joining the OIA in 2006 she worked in higher education and as a qualified lawyer (court work in private practice, as well as legal work for charities and public bodies). Anne has taught in universities and colleges in addition to experience of university administration and admissions.
F4: Studying in the UK is like ‘boiling an egg’ : exploring Chinese international students’ transitional experience in the UK
Category: Student experience
This session will report on research led by the University of Glasgow, exploring Chinese international postgraduate taught students’ transitional experience in the UK. In this longitudinal study, 35 interviews were conducted at the beginning and near the end of the study programme using a photo-elicitation technique and social network diagrams.
In relation to the conference theme ‘Changing lives for good’, this session will cover three emergent themes from the findings: approaches to thinking, independent learning and reformed dispositions. More specifically, students have gained a better understanding of critical thinking, divergent thinking and logical thinking. Likewise, there is greater recognition of the importance of independent learning and self-regulation, and an evolved perception of life enjoyment and openness.
Presenter: Jie Zhang, Doctoral Researcher, University of Glasgow
Jie Zhang is a doctoral researcher in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. Her research interests include international students, higher education, transitional experience, social networks and creative methods. More specifically, her current research examines Chinese postgraduate taught students' transitional experience in the UK and the role of social networks.
F5: We're all in this together. CSE: help or hindrance
Category: Student experience
In 2016, the International Support Service was one of many teams at the University of York who achieved Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation.
The team were initially sceptical about the outcomes and felt daunted by the task, but on closer examination it transpired that much of what we were already doing met the criteria and was great evidence for the bid.
CSE provided the opportunity to take stock of what we were doing, discuss what worked well, what could be improved and the practice has become embedded in the culture of our organisation which means we continually work to improve the international student experience.
In this session you’ll learn more about CSE accreditation, get the opportunity to reflect on the good practice already in place and pick up ideas on how to improve further.
Presenters: Alison Learwood, International Student Adviser, University of York; Jill Ellis, Deputy Director Student Services, University of York
Formerly a Home Office Presenting Officer, Alison Learwood has been working as an international student adviser at York for 10 years. More recently Alison has also been working on the university's Student & Academic Services Directorate bid for Customer Service Excellence and is a keen advocate of how CSE benefits both the students and the university.
Jill has spent her career working in the Student Support field in both further and higher education. Delivering gold-standard support and advice services for students and others has been at the very heart of Jill’s work during her nine years at the University of York. In 2016/7 she successfully led the Directorate to achieving CSE accreditation and she remains at the helm of the CSE Project Team this year.
F6: Intercultural induction workshops for students
Category: Student experience
In September 2017 the University of Leeds ran intercultural workshops for over 500 taught postgraduate students, within the induction programmes in six academic schools.
Designed to feel relevant and interesting for home and international students with a broad range of prior experiences, the team used a combination of icebreakers, interactive activities and discussions to provide a structured yet fun opportunity for students to get to know course-mates and share experiences; explore cultural influences and differences in a safe space; and prepare for their intercultural experience at Leeds.
This session will share their experience of the benefits and challenges of planning and delivering these workshops. It will discuss why it was important to do it; how the materials were tailored for different group sizes and demographics; and what was learned from the sessions and the student feedback.
Presenter: Jenna Isherwood, Project Manager, University of Leeds
Jenna Isherwood is a Project Manager in the International Student Office at University of Leeds, currently working on developing a range of new international student support and intercultural opportunity projects. She studied for a Masters in the USA and has a background in advice and community engagement work in higher education and third sector.
F7: Using a wiki to further the understanding of immigration compliance - one year later
Category: Immigration compliance
This is a follow up to last year's presentation about the implementation of a wiki to distribute up-to-date guidance to staff on compliance. This session will look at the situation one year on; how staff have interacted with the wiki, challenges that have been faced and how these have been overcome.
Presenter: Martin Donkin, Immigration Compliance Officer, Queen Mary University of London
Martin has been working with international students for over a decade and has recently moved from student advice to compliance. He is currently the Immigration Compliance Officer at Queen Mary University of London.
F8: Setting standards in international student safety and wellbeing
Category: Student experience
Evidence suggests international students are increasingly concerned about safety. They may rely on online articles when choosing where to study, including off-putting headlines about crime rates or student suicides. Naturally, these issues can affect students at any university, and prevent them from reaching their potential. Prospective students therefore need a way of differentiating between universities regarding the standard of support offered.
ProtectED is the first national accreditation scheme for student safety, security and wellbeing at UK universities. The scheme requires universities to have measures in place to address key student safety and wellbeing issues, including those affecting international students. This is verified by trained assessors before accreditation is awarded.
The presentation will discuss how ProtectED membership will raise standards in student support, encouraging partnership working and data collection - just some of the required initiatives - to create lasting change that will enable international students to flourish, academically and personally.
Presenters: Dr Lucy Winrow, ProtectEd Communications Manager, The University of Salford
Lucy is a researcher who works with University of Salford academics
on the ProtectED project - the first national accreditation scheme for
student safety, security and wellbeing. Her academic background is in
Law and Literary Criticism.
F9: Overcoming barriers to participation in volunteering and community engagement activities
Category: Student experience
The headline of a recent Guardian article reads ‘being a volunteer can transform your life – but not enough people know that yet’ (3/1/2018).
Evidence suggests that volunteering has many benefits, including positively influencing wellbeing, reducing loneliness, developing skills and self-confidence and aiding integration of marginalised groups.
As part of development work towards University of Leeds’ new Volunteering Strategy, we conducted a series of focus groups with international students to understand their perceptions of the role that volunteering could play in supporting their transition and experience of life in the UK, and their aims for the future.
This session will share findings about students’ perception of potential benefits and barriers to volunteering, and explain how we are using these learning points, in collaboration with colleagues across our institution and in our local community, to tailor specific interventions as well as ensuring our cross-institutional volunteering provision is inclusive of international students.
Presenters: Katy Gregg, Project Officer, University of Leeds; Dulcie Huwew, Project Assistant, University of Leeds
Katy Gregg is a Project Officer at the International Student Office at University of Leeds, currently supporting the development a range of intercultural opportunity projects with a particular focus on wellbeing and community activities.
Dulcie Huwew is a Project Assistant at the International Student Office at the University of Leeds. As a student at the University of Leeds, Dulcie volunteered with a range of societies and third sector organisations and was an Intercultural Ambassador from 2014 - 15.
F10: #Pieceofme campaign
Category: Special interest
Coventry University’s #pieceofme campaign used social media to promote, celebrate and recognise the enormous contributions made by international students to the campus, staff members, fellow home students and the community. It helped bring more awareness about the economical, social and cultural experience international students brought to the city of Coventry and also the university. This was a student-led campaign and they took an exceptional interest in showing the city and the campus a piece of them.
The session will discuss how a university can run a successful campaign and how they can use the same #pieceofme social media handle to celebrate their students.
Presenters: Hassan Azeez, International Student Adviser, Coventry University
Hassan Azeez, International Student Adviser at Coventry University. Hassan has worked in the UK HEI for over seven years specialising in international student advice and guidance.
F11: Happy Apping
Category: Student experience
The International Experience Team developed an app that has revolutionised how we prepare for and run our inductions. From acceptance to arrival and into the semester we are able to provide our students with up-to-date information, and the ability to connect with us and each other from one place: their beloved mobile phone. We have instant feedback from the students and metrics to analyse how well the app was used and how well attended the sessions were. Our stats showed a demonstrably higher take up of mandatory and optional induction events and a high level of satisfaction.
Our session will include a demonstration of making last minute adjustments to the timetable, sending push notifications and analysing the data.
We shall invite participants to download the app and take part in a QR code game as a demonstration. There will be discussion and questions.
Presenters: Deborah Graddon, International Student Adviser, University of Worcester; Catherine Hyde, Head of International Experience, University of Worcester
Deborah Graddon is International Student Advisor at the University of Worcester. She is responsible for the planning and running of international inductions (made easier by the app), giving immigration advice and other tasks.
Catherine Hyde is Head of International Experience at University of Worcester. Catherine is committed to improving the university experience for incoming international students and to providing an internationalised education for home students.
