going global: student led internationalisation heather mcknight, academic affairs manager...
TRANSCRIPT
Going global: student led internationalisation
Heather McKnight, Academic Affairs ManagerStudents’ Union
Parallel session 1 (10.00 – 11.00 am) The Checkland Building
Session Overview
• National Union of Students Internationalisation projects 'Students Without Borders' and 'Internationalising Students' Unions'
• Case studies from other universities on integration of home/international students and international projects.
• The key findings of the audit and strategy highlights
• Discussion sessions on integration and internationalisation
• UKCISA estimates that international students contribute £2.5 billion to the UK economy in university fees alone - key source of income for universities. ‘International students in the UK: facts, figures – and fiction’ (UKCISA, September 2010)
• The British Council estimates the economic contribution of international students to the UK is £12.5 billion per year.
International Student Facts
• UG international fee income alone represents between 2 and 14 per cent of total income for 80 per cent of the UK’s universities. ‘Patterns of higher education institutions in the UK’ (UUK, 2010)
• International student fees contribute to £42 million annually to college income. ‘Colleges’ international contribution’ (157 Group, 2010)
• UK postgraduate education is sustained by non-EU international students, who make up 41 per cent of all post-graduate students enrolled on full-time taught Masters Courses in the UK, and 50 per cent of all research students in the UK. ‘Taught postgraduate students: market trends and opportunities’ (UUK, 2009)
International Student Facts
Student Mobility and Employability
“Students who study abroad are more likely to achieve first class degree results: 15% of ERASMUS and 17% from other mobility programmes with upper second degrees consisting of 75% and 81% respectively, compared to 10% and 60% for non-mobile students.”
‘International Student Mobility Literature Review’ by Russell King, Allan Findlay and Jill Ahrens for HEFCE (November 2010)
Student Mobility and Employability
• 29% of graduates who have been mobile were earning a salary in excess of £20,000 six months after graduation, compared to 17% of non-mobile graduates.
The HEFCE Mobility Literature Review
• Around 60% of the country’s top employers indicate that experience of international study enhances employability and the majority commented that studying overseas makes an applicant well-rounded in terms of skills, experience and personal development.
‘Global Horizons for UK Students,’ Council for Industry and Higher Education, results from a survey of ‘over twenty large
companies’
Beyond Borders Research
• Research: ‘Beyond Borders’ 2010
• Key areas identified where support was needed to better support international students:Representation StructuresPre-inductionInductionFeedback
Report Recommendations
Institutions and Students’ Unions should work together to:
• Improve the delivery of course representation information.
• Develop methods of tracking the involvement of international students in the course representative system.
• Clarify descriptions of course representative system.
Report Recommendations
Institutions and associations should work together to:
• Find new ways to communicate to international students about representation opportunities.
• Overcome barriers to involvement among the general international student population and within specific groups of international students.
• Institutions should develop methods to ensure the feedback loop for international students is closed.
• In 2008-2009 - pilot project with four HE students’ unions. Led to the launch of Internationalising Students’ Unions in HE: A Strategic Framework and Audit Toolkit.
• Publication set out a strategic framework to enable students’ unions to involve international students fully in their work, and to offer an international experience to all students.
• It also included an audit tool which students’ unions could use to carry out a self-assessment
NUS Internationalising SU’s Project
Work with HE Unions: • Supported 40 HE students’ unions to
implement the International Students’ Strategy
• Training for the International Students’ Strategy developed and piloted to 40 HE students’ unions
• Work with 20 students’ unions to support them to pilot new projects for international students
• Resource pack and toolkit for HE unions developed
Internationalising the Student Experience
Key Challenges Faced by Students’ Unions:• Democracy and Representation• Campaigning• Activities and Participation• Services: Membership and Commercial• Communications• Staff and Officer Development• Partnerships and Collaboration• International Experience
NUS Internationalising SU’s Project
Best Practice Discussion
• In groups look at the Best Practice examples from your given category and comment on:– How well a project like this could work
here– Any examples of best practice you can
think of happening already– Potential challenges and opportunities
for joint working between Union and University
• Increasing leadership and student lead activity within international cohort.
• Increase in 24% of international student applications than last year - international Students are becoming an increasingly important demographic.
• The presence of Kaplan on campus • Improve the student experience and retention of
International Students. • Explore the opportunities for producing graduates,
both domestic and international students, who are highly culturally aware and have a global perspective thus improving employability.
Springboard Funding
The following eight strategic objectives are broken into three categories:
• Supporting International Students• Integration• Internationalising the Student Experience
Strategy: Strategic Objectives
• We will ensure that all international students are able to participate in the democratic processes and representative structures of our students' unions
• We will campaign for positive change and lobby to make sure the voices of international students are heard locally, nationally
• We will develop services that meet the needs of our international student members.
Supporting International Students
• We will create opportunities for students for home and international students to come together through societies and activities.
• We will develop genuine two-way communication between our students' unions and our international student members and ensure our communication is accessible and appropriate.
Integration
• We will develop and promote international and learning and development opportunities for officers and staff.
• Through Partnerships and Collaboration we will develop networks at local, regional and national level to support internationalisation activities to enhance member employability and increase volunteering and enterprise opportunities.
• We will provide an international experience for all students and promote a global perspective in all areas of union activity.
Internationalising the Student Experience
• Clarity, variety and appropriateness of communication
• Monitoring and evaluation of engagement with union
• Employability and Skills Development• Use of volunteers• Consideration of how work could apply to
other student groups
Key areas under each aim
• What are the key benefits for students and institution of integration and internationalisation
• Identify the greatest challenges in achieving them
• Identify areas for joint working between the SU and the University
Group Discussion
Questions...?
Thanks for coming!