Browsing by Subject "international students"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    2018-2019 International Student and Scholars Annual Statistical Report
    (2019) University of Minnesota International Student and Scholar Services
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    Embracing INTO: Library Plans and Campus Collaboration to Serve an Increased International Student Population
    (Collaborative Librarianship, 2013) Farrell, Shannon L.; Cranston, Catherine L.; Bullington, Jeffrey S.
    Universities are using private recruitment agencies to fast-track internationalization initiatives and realize tuition-based revenue increases. Colorado State University (CSU), with this dual aim of increasing the proportion of international students on campus and generating income via out-of-state tuition, signed a contract with INTO, a British organization that works to recruit international students to attend partner institutions from countries across five continents. International students, although not a homogeneous population, as a whole do bring unique challenges. Our study examined how both campus and the library could prepare for the expected large influx of international students. Seeking to understand the INTO model and the effect it would have on campus, particularly in terms of resource planning, we conducted a series of interviews with INTO staff, librarians at other U.S. INTO institutions, and CSU faculty and staff who would interact most substantially with the INTO population. Various campus departments have made significant preparations to prepare for the growing INTO population, and we identified several steps that the CSU Libraries could take to better serve these students, including enhancing existing services and fostering new campus collaborations.
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    Factors Influencing the Academic Engagement of Upper-Division Undergraduate International Students: A Case Study of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
    (2015-08) O'Brien, Mary Katherine
    The purpose of this study is to determine factors influencing the academic engagement of upper-division undergraduate international students at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UMTC). In keeping with the conceptualization of engagement as a "joint proposition"� (Davis & Murrell, 1993, p. 5), the research questions emphasize student-driven and institutional aspects of academic engagement. Bourdieu's (1986) forms of capital theory is employed to organize relevant literature and the study findings. The researcher utilized a mixed-methods research design. Data collection was primarily qualitative in nature and conducted via 20 semi-structured interviews; data were supplemented with the results from a quantitative on-line quantitative survey (n = 116) that provided broader coverage of the study themes. The researcher independently developed the survey instrument and the interview protocol. The study results are organized into individual and institutional factors affecting the academic engagement of upper-division undergraduate international students at UMTC. Key findings include the influence of campus-based relationships, including those among peers and with professors and teaching assistants, on students' academic engagement. Inductive coding of qualitative data also uncovered pedagogical supports for academic engagement including instructional clarity, opportunities for participatory and hands-on learning, guidance for group work, instructor feedback, and support for classroom inclusion and participation. Cultural factors and their relationship to international students' academic transitions are also included in the analysis and emerged as key factors influencing academic engagement of study participants.
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    International Students’ Experiences and Concerns During the Pandemic
    (SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020-07) Chirikov, Igor; Soria, Krista M.
    In contrast to domestic students, international students at research universities are more satisfied with their academic experiences and institutional support during the pandemic, according to the recent Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 22,519 undergraduate students and 7,690 graduate and professional students at five public research universities. International students’ primary concerns are not with universities themselves but with health, safety and immigration issues.
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    “Step Back and Level the Playing Field”: Exploring Power Differentials and Cultural Humility as Experienced by Undergraduate Students in Cross-National Group Work
    (2018-08) Peters, Bethany
    The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of undergraduate students who are engaged in cross-national group work and to identify strategies that undergraduates perceive as most effective in addressing the challenges identified by the literature in this field. My research questions focused on students’ experiences of power within groups, and explored ways in which cultural humility may mediate power imbalances. A thematic analysis of the literature included a review of the internationalization of higher education, recent research on cross-national interactions, and an examination of Allport’s (1954) intergroup contact theory, the conceptual framework of cultural humility (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998), and Johnson and Johnson’s (1987) model of cooperative learning. I utilized a qualitative case study design in which I conducted multiple observations of three cross-national groups in a Food Science course within the context of a large, public research university in the Midwest, over a 15-week semester. I facilitated 15 semi-structured interviews with student and instructor participants, and also analyzed course documents and multiple reflection responses from 18 students enrolled in the course. My findings indicate that both U.S. and international students reported to experience varying degrees of communicative discomfort in cross-national interactions and group work. Students perceived power within groups to be shaped by a variety of factors, but most highly regarded was the ability to express strong levels of verbal competence, which created some barriers for students from different educational backgrounds. Students demonstrated some capacity to recognize and utilize cultural humility to equalize power imbalances at the level of interpersonal dynamics. Cultural humility, however, was not applied to deconstruct the traditional norms and practices of group work, although the use of some communication methods were utilized to encourage more inclusive interactions for cross-national groups.