On May 28th, Study Support and the Library discussed the concept of ‘international students’, and the comparison to domestic students in terms of experience and needs, as per article: Jones, E. (2017). Problematising and reimagining the notion of ‘international student experience.’ Studies in Higher Education, 42(5), 933–943.
The article suggests that the over-generalisation and assumptions of international students is problematic as we focus on the student’s shortcomings and ignoring any positive contributions. This, in turn, may reinforce negative stereotyping, and racial behaviour.
These assumptions also “fail to recognize the commonalities between international and domestic students” (Jones 2017, p935). Jones (2017) has categorised a wide range of range of factors, tabulated on pages 937-939, that contribute to the experiences of international students and except a handful, are shared by domestic students.
There is no basis in dividing international students from domestic students. Domestic students come from diverse cultural backgrounds, regardless of whether they were born in Australia or not, as well as various educational background. This does not translate to academic success. If fact, domestic students may struggle more in university as it is assumed they know academic writing and other academic skills, and thus have limited support in these areas.
Charles Sturt Study Centre deals with international students only, so these tensions and comparisons tend to be limited. Support, services, and programs are created with the mindset of ‘everyone is equal’, regardless of origins and educational background, which in turn creates a safe learning environment.
However, there seems to be a disconnect, at times, between the Study Centre and Charles Sturt University (main campus), as their main focus, like many universities, is on domestic students. This has resulted in:
- Inappropriate/ irrelevant messaging
- Emphasis on certain topics, such as Academic Integrity, and not extending/ further developing it to cover the skills
- Some materials not translating very well with our students.