Live and Learn in Ireland: Supporting International Students

Dr. Tom Farrelly (@TomFarrelly) & Mr. Antony Murphy (@AjtMurphy) – Institute of Technology, Tralee

Dr. Yvonne Kavanagh - Institute of Technology, Carlow

18th ICHE ConferenceBoston, USA

April 25 - 26, 2016

Project Background

• Project funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (www.teachingandlearning.ie)

• Forum theme – Transitions

• Higher Education Authority Clusters – Southern Cluster: Institutes of Technology Tralee (1) Cork (2) Waterford (3) Carlow (4) and University College Cork (5)

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Project Aims

• To develop online student units aimed at supporting student make the transition into Irish HE system

• To develop online staff units aimed at supporting staff who teach international students and ultimately help the students make a successful transition.

Project Plan & Development

• Literature Review

• Data Collection – Qualitative & Quantitative• Quantitative – SurveyMonkey (n=573)

• Qualitative 10 Semi-Structured interviews

• Analysis of Survey Data

• Development of the online units project website

Student SurveyThe Importance of the Student Voice – Academic; Social & Practical

Can you please indicate your home country?

Answer Options Response Percent Response Count

Brazil 13.9% 69Canada 4.6% 23China 6.4% 32India 3.6% 18Kuwait 1.2% 6Malaysia 10.6% 53Oman 2.6% 13Saudi Arabia 3.2% 16South Korea 0.4% 2United States 11.2% 56EU Country 42.2% 210Other (please specify) 85

answered question 498skipped question 75

In this question you will have a list of situations that relate to your experience of academic life in Ireland.

Answer Options Strongly agree Agree DisagreeStrongly Disagree

Neither Agree nor Disagree

I find the class atmosphere very different to my home college experience

120 164 55 18 14

I like to speak up in class 37 108 142 45 38

I like to ask questions in class 40 118 146 29 36

I work well in group or practical exercises with Irish students in my class

41 180 61 18 31

My college in Ireland provided opportunities to help me settle into college life before I came to Ireland

42 125 114 35 44

Some of my lecturers are hard to understand 50 141 111 52 20Adapting to my Irish college's assessments is challenging

40 161 107 37 29

I feel under pressure to perform well while I am in Ireland

41 125 133 56 24

My college in Ireland has provided opportunities to help me settle into college life since I came to Ireland

93 190 40 18 24

The college induction programme was very useful 76 179 45 15 36

Other (please specify)

Academic Issues

• The Grades – Irish System generally uses a smaller range in comparison to what students might be used to:

• “Be prepared to get lower grades. Over here, a 70% is considered to be great” Canadian Student

• “Anything above a 70% is awesome, you'll VERY VERY RARELY get above an 80% in an Essay” [Capitals in Original] US Student

Academic Issues II

• Expectations – In and Out of class:

• “You actually have to do the outside readings” US Student

• “The assessments are really different. You have to write a lot of essays”. EU Student

• “The classes are less formal, less structured, and less serious than I would have been used to” US Student

• “How the continuous assessments actually occur at the end of the term, followed by a final a month later” Canadian Student

• “Continuous Assessment, Interaction in Class, Accessibility of lecturers” EU Student.

Reflections on Academic

• Yes the grading is different – impact on student’s GPA to be considered

• Prepare students for the informality in most Irish lectures

• Reliance in the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences on traditional ‘long’ essays – consider greater diversity in assessments

• Academic Support modules for incoming international students

Social Issues• “Joining a club/society is not enough to make Irish friends, be

more daring to go towards them”. EU Student

• “Don't show up to social gatherings on time. There's fashionably late, then there's Irish time” Canadian Student.

• “Irish culture and a few basic accents” Malaysian Student

• “Irish people like to take the piss, don't take it personally, join in” US Student.

• “Get involved in societies and clubs, same advice I would give to anyone going to any university”. US Student

Social Issues II

• “It's really hard to make friends with Irish students” US Student.

• “Irish students do not speak in class and they are more individualistic .. In France you work as a team in class” French Student

• “Irish people can be a little immature” Brazilian Student.

• “What else do people do other than drink?” Tanzanian Student

Despite I have good Irish friends that I've known outside college, my classmates

never made effort to help me with the classes. It is normal we think that a subject is

difficult because English is not our first language, but most of my classmates never

asked with I was ok or if I needed some help. I think that people in college should be

more welcoming with people from different countries and help them more.Brazilian Student

Reflections on Social

• 100,000 welcomes? - One of the strongest aspects of Ireland is its people

• But we can’t just rely on that - colleges need to take active roles in ensuring a good healthy active and appropriate social experience

• International officers remits need to expand along with resources

• Fellow Irish students to actively involve international students - Importance of Student Union & Clubs & Socs

• International students need to be prepared to get involved

Practical Issues

•Accommodation:• “That I should have started looking for places before going to

Ireland” EU Student

• “Getting a dorm in advance is impossible for half a year” US Student” EU Student

• “Living arrangements and transportation info should be included” US Student

• “Advice on finding housing, especially. VERY difficult to do from abroad, especially with a family” Brazilian Student.

Practical Issues II

• Immigration: • “The only problem is the Irish Immigration makes it INCREDIBLY difficult to stay” (US

Student)

• “They don't respect international people and don't help them in case of having difficulty on getting a new GNIB card when going to a conference difficulty with the GNIB card” (Unstated)

• Weather: • “Suitable Clothes, for rain and cold and where to buy them” (Brazilian Student)

• “It's a bit expensive and it's raining often but you will get used to it. People are really nice in general. It's one of the best place for hiking and landscapes” (Canadian Student).

• “Mainly about the weather, that is way too different from my country's” (EU Student)

Practical Issues III

• “You have to ask for plastic bags with your groceries. Healthcare in Ireland is really difficult to navigate. Avoid A&E”. (US Student)

• “Prices and cost of life in Ireland”. (EU Student)

• “It is very expensive, but very clean, safe environment” (Malaysian Student)

• “Where to buy, timetable of the buses” (EU Student)

Reflections on Practical

• No detail is too small – Bus timetable

• Accommodation issue needs to be addressed at national level

• At local level ensure that we have tenancies that fit with international student needs

• Be upfront about real costs of living in Ireland – particularly cities

www.liveandlearninireland.net

The TeamITT: Antony Murphy; Laura Rafferty & Tom Farrelly

UCC: Suzanne Buckley

ITC: Yvonne Kavanagh

WIT: Ken McCarthy

CIT: Mervyn O’Mahony Niamh Lynes