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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Nottingh
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UC Lon
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Warw
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Oxford
Cambridge
LSE
Birming
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Leed
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Edinbu
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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 ?