International Student Experience ~ Sport’s Contribution

Zena WooldridgeApril 2010

Relevance ?

UK ~ a global leader in provision of higher education:

• Export earnings of HE: £5.3 billion pa[5% of world’s scientific research and 12% of cited papers]

• Intl students contribute £3.3bn pa to UK national income

• 368,000 intl students studying at UK HEIs in 2008-9• 15% of all students studying in the UK• 10% of all undergrads• 34% of all post-grads• 55% of all PG research students

• ⅓ = other EU nations; ⅔ = RoW

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LSE

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First Degree Postgraduate Research Postgraduate Taught

Top 10 HEIs

Top 10 HEIs by intl student numbers

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

Top 10 HEIs

Top 10 HEIs by % of intl students

Relevance to HEIs

• Income ~ academic fees + other spend

UG ~ Home & EU £45.6m

PGT ~ Home & EU £14.6m

UG ~ RoW £15.0m

PGT ~ RoW £22.0m

other £7.3m

TOTAL = £104.5m

35%

Academic Fees (Birmingham 2008-9)

• Enhance global reputation & ranking• Centre of culture:

•developing ‘cosmopolitanism’•Preparing graduates fit-for-purpose in a global economy

• Intl activities ≈ 15% of total UoB turnover

Challenges to UK HE plc

• Global recession• New UK immigration system (barrier)• Growing competition world-wide• Fees (relative)• Cost of living in the UK ~ despite £ exchange rate

Importance of Intl Student ExperienceNeed to ‘raise our game’

Sport’s contribution

Best Practice

How Intl students fund themselves

• Half of Intl students rely on families•80% of Chinese students rely on families

• 25% are self-funding• 20% take out loans• ⅓ Malaysian students receive govt awards• 45% of PGR students receive UK/university awards• Pattern varies across EU/RoW

• Pressure to get best value from studies• Raises students’ expectations of universities

Market Segmentation

Intl students are not an homogenous group wrt expectations, circumstances, experiences and needs

• UG / PGT / PGR• Other EU / RoW• Nations• Cultures• …….

Good Practice Advice

1. Pre-arrival information and communications2. Arrival, welcome & orientation3. Cultural & Social Integration4. Careers & employability

5. SPORT

Pre-Arrival

• Manage expectations:• Cost / affordability• Career outcomes and employability

• Clear communications• Customised service• Web-site

• Customised ?• Integrated services ?• Clear offer ?• Peer-to-peer social media network groups & blogs ?

Arrival, Welcome & Orientation

Many intl students will enter an unfamiliar environment in an emotionally charged state where simple things such as a friendly face can make a world of difference in how the initial experience

is perceived

Intl Student Barometer ~ meeting new friends on arrival:

Intl average = 65% UK = 75% Lead USA = 78%

• Service integration affects intl student experience• Smaller universities sometimes do best

Qu: To what extent does your sports dept work with the Intl Office and others on welcome/orientation programme ?

Cultural & Social Integration

• Intl students want to experience UK cultures (90%)

• How to best offer integration with:• domestic students (2-way)

• local communities (learn language & other skills) ?

• other nationalities within intl cohort

• On-going, not just arrival & orientation

• 60% want to meet students of own nationality• Higher for nations more distant and culturally different

[80% for China, India, Pakistan, Malaysia)

• less important in HEIs with higher % of intl students

Careers & Employability

• Relates to intl students as much as domestic

• Need to earn money (some)

• UK degree a major step towards rewarding career ~ success critical to UK attracting intl students

• 50% of intl grads that go straight into employment work in the UK for first 2 years

• Support generic skills development for global careers: comms, presentation skills, team-work, problem-solving and time management

• Volunteering & sport scholarship programmes

• Example: Raymond Priestley Centre

SPORT (1)

SPORT (1)

• Important for integration

• Sports facilities:• more important to Intl students (73%) than domestic (59%)

~ though domestic students more satisfied (86%)

• More important to Intl UG than Intl PG students

• Satisfaction highest amongst EU students (83%)

• Lowest amongst US and Pakistan students (73%)

• Higher satisfaction at larger universities than smaller

• Issues around quality & breadth of provision

Intl Student Barometer ~ sports facilities satisfaction: Intl average = 76% UK = 79% Lead USA =

84%[Domestic students = 86%]

SPORT (2)

• Most frequent complaint is COST•expectations of free sport due to fee levels•Clear pre-joining/marketing info &/or add to overall fee

Student Clubs:

• Intl students less likely to join student clubs

• Most likely to join in HEIs with higher % of intl students ~ due to wider range of clubs ?

• PGTs less likely to join clubs (intensity of course)

• Issues around alcohol

SPORT ~ suggested actions (1)

• Train sports staff in cultural awareness and inter-cultural communication

• Integrate planning & delivery with Univ Intl Office

• Consider range of activities attractive to intl students (including clubs)

• On-going provision through period of study

• Offer combination of mixed and culturally-specific groups

• Consider how to use sport to encourage intl student integration with the local community

• Cost: be clear on costs prior to arrival &/or consider adding annual fee to intl tuition fee

SPORT ~ suggested actions (2)

• Consider design/content of web-site and use of peer-to-peer social media network around sport

• Offer mix of formal and informal activities

• Balance alcohol and non-alcohol events

• Promote benefits of volunteering• Promotes integration with domestic students & local

community

• Enhance employability

• Assists language, other skills and cultural awareness

• Offer incentives for participation e.g. certificates, plus emphasise the value to CVs

ACTIONS

• Intl Student Experience Strategy/Guide for Sport ?• Your HEI ?• BUCS Best Practice Guide ?• Best Practice Case Studies ?

• Find out the numbers and profile of intl students at your institution

• 2 changes to your programmes for intl students ?

Questions

• Do you have a welcome / orientation programme for Intl students that includes sport

• Do you train your sports staff in cultural awareness ?

• Do you provide programmes specifically targeted at intl students ? Do those target mixed students or culturally-specific groups ?

• Does your sport web-site specifically address intl students’ needs ?

• Do you promote the benefits of volunteering in sport to intl students ?