Vol 5(2) full

Volume 5, Issue 2

ISSN 2397-3072

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ISEJ The International Student Experience Journal

Editorial Phil Horspool, University of Leicester

Articles  Providing Feedback to International Students in Higher Education: A case study approach. Victoria Mann & Joseph Warburton  Small Group Mentoring of International Undergraduate Students: A Pilot Program. Susan Graham

Student Articles  My experience of an industrial placement abroad. Alisha Fleming  My African Adventure. The experience as a whole. Charlotte Veale

Reviews  Thinking Beyond the Content: Critical Reading for Academic Success, by Nolan J Weil and Raymond Cepk. Dongwook Kim  Thinking Beyond the Content: Critical Reading for Academic Success, by Nolan J Weil and Raymond Cepk. Gustavo Viegas

ISEJ – International Student Experience Journal

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Editorial Phil Horspool University of Leicester Welcome to the latest issue of ISEJ. We decided that people generally get plenty of presents in December hence its January release. This is the first issue involving Emma Stringer Burns our new academic editor and when we finally say goodbye to founder member Chris Lima. We are confident that the journal will continue to prosper and develop under Emma’s guidance.

The opening article is based on a small scale study conducted by staff from the University of Sheffield on providing effective feedback to students. The authors argue that effective feedback is invaluable in improving the academic performance of international students. Feedback is often something that is done automatically and this paper helps to show why giving serious thought to how it can be most effectively delivered can be a key to success.

Secondly from Canada we have a paper on the equally important and often overlooked area of mentoring. The focus here is on non-academic barriers and leaves us with some important key lessons for moving forward.

Student contributions are a key component of ISEJ and something that differentiates our journal from others. In this issue we have two. Firstly we have a first-hand reflective account of a student’s experience in Belgium. Placements abroad are increasingly offered to students and can be both a challenging and exciting experience for those who take up the offer.

Charlotte Veale describes a very different experience in which she volunteers at an orphanage in Kenya. We all know that the classroom is just part of the student experience of going to university and it is great to hear accounts of those who experience other cultures.

We complete this issue with two book reviews of Thinking beyond the Content: Critical Reading for Academic Success. Both reviewers highly recommend the book to international students.

Until now ISEJ has managed to fund itself through sponsorship and the generosity of some of those who helped to set it up. Willing volunteers give us their time for free but there are some expenses involved in producing a journal twice a year with the main one being the cost of the website.

We are looking at ways in which we can raise what we need each year so we can continue to publish ISEJ. Ideally we would find a few sponsors or institutions willing to contribute a small amount rather than look at subscriptions. If you have any ideas or think your institution might be interested, we can look at promoting courses, materials etc. in return.

Please contact us if you’d like to find out more. We hope you agree that it would be a shame if we couldn’t continue for the sake of a few hundred pounds each year.

Best wishes for 2018.

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Article

Providing Feedback to International Students in Higher Education: A small scale study Victoria Mann & Joseph Warburton University of Sheffield

ABSTRACT Effective feedback can be useful in supporting a student’s academic development and in supporting students to identify strengths and areas for improvement. This paper combines literature about feedback with students’ experiences to consider effective and less effective feedback and discusses how effective feedback can provide a basis for improving international students’ academic performance. Students’ experiences were elicited via a small scale investigation which comprised of a series of three interviews. The first was conducted when the six participants (students) received feedback, the second a week after receiving feedback and the third was when they were starting a new assignment. This was to gauge both the immediate impact of feedback and the extent to which feedback is utilised in future assignments. Working from the perspective of students currently studying in Higher Education, the paper has found that the structuring of feedback can be crucial in ensuring that feedback meets its aim of being a formative learning tool. Clarity, specificity and tone were found to be particularly useful in enabling students to use feedback effectively. If feedback provided clear guidelines to improve future assignments, students were able to utilise this in future assignments. ……………………………………………………………………………………………..........

Introduction Feedback is a key area for developing a student academically; it has the potential to both recognise and develop strong areas of writing and to provide guidance to improve weaker areas.

Unfortunately, however, feedback does not always achieve this. “Teachers have varied perceptions and beliefs about the purposes of written feedback, and are uncertain about what it achieves and what use students make of it” Bailey and Garner (2010, p.1). Equally, Nicol’s (2010) study has found that student surveys have uncovered that students are dissatisfied with their assignment feedback. This article will discuss assignment feedback from the perspective of undergraduate international students. It considers issues around understanding and implementing feedback and will evaluate ways to make feedback more accessible and useable for international students.

Involving Students in Research This paper is the result of a collaboration between tutors and international students who are currently experiencing receiving feedback on their assignments. This will provide an opportunity to utilise student experience to consider the implications for practice. Hurst (cited 2

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in Holloway, 2001) reflects that what is needed is for students’ perspectives to be reflected in research. This is echoed by Ferguson (2011) who argues for incorporating the perspectives of those who are affected by policy and practices, namely the students. This study, therefore, aims to integrate student experience with the literature that considers feedback and provides recommendations.

Methodology The investigation was a qualitative small-scale study based on six students’ experiences of receiving feedback on their courses. The students are undergraduate international students from China and Saudi Arabia, studying in diverse areas including Community Studies, Science and the Social Sciences. The students were recruited via an email advertisement, sent to undergraduate students, and all six students who responded were recruited. The students expressed an interest in participating in the research and have a particular interest in the interpretation of written communication.

Their perspective was underpinned by a review of the literature in this area to consider whether the issues highlighted in the literature reflected the experiences of international students. The literature is discussed in each section of the paper, followed by the students’ perspective. Whilst the paper is based on a small number of international students, and thus qualitative by nature, the issues raised could be of interest to both international students and higher education lecturers.

The students’ experiences were elicited through hour-long, individual, semi-structured interviews. Each student was individually interviewed three times. The first was when they immediately received feedback for an assignment, the second was after a week to give them an opportunity to consider the feedback, and the third was when they were starting a new assignment to determine if the students had used the feedback to inform their work.

Themes were identified using the thematic analysis tool, namely framework analysis.

Richie and Spencer (2002) describe framework analysis as a process which involves a number of different, but interconnected stages. Srivastava & Thomson (2009) describe these five stages as familiarisation; indexing; charting; mapping and interpretation. This process begins with the data collection (Rabiee, 2004), as the researcher looks for broad themes. This stage is key in identifying themes to create the framework. Srivastava & Thomson (2009) explain that in this stage, the researcher immerses themselves in the data by listening to the audio tapes, reading transcripts and reviewing the themes from the document analysis. It provides, therefore, a structure for analysis, allowing for the data to be collated and themes to be identified. The themes identified were clarity of feedback, negative feedback, specificity of feedback, and utilisation feedback.

Feedback Feedback, if used constructively, can be an efficient learning tool providing students with an understanding of both their strengths and areas for further development. For example, Black and Williams (1998) found that feedback has a largely positive effect on students’ learning and development. In addition to providing summative assessment, feedback also provides the opportunity for formative development. In this sense, Shute (2008, pp.153) defines the purpose of feedback as “information communicated to the learner that is intended to modify his or her thinking or behaviour for the purpose of improving learning.” Furthermore, Rae and Cochrane (2008) argue that for feedback to be effective the focus should be on development, rather than 3

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summative assessment, with the aim being to encourage and improve learning. Thus, the emphasis is changed from addressing why a mark was awarded to supporting the student in improving future grades. A key theme from the interviews was that international students were generally positive about feedback and how it could be used formatively: “I really want to improve my writing and get a good degree; I try to use the assignment criteria and the feedback helps me to improve this.” (Student C) “Feedback can be one of the most useful ways for students to develop their writing. The lecturer can comment on the specific elements of your work that are good and areas that would benefit from further work. This can be something simple like referencing, to a detailed explanation about how to ensure writing is critical and not just descriptive.”

(Student F) “I have found that feedback is most helpful when it provides clear guidelines on how to improve future assignments.” (Student E) Thus, the interviews showed that the students were motivated to use feedback formatively to improve their assignments and to improve their academic writing skills. Many of the students interviewed, however, perceived feedback as overtly critical and found it a source of anxiety and stress: “Feedback can be a really useful tool, but equally, it can be a real de-motivator. It is easy for a student who isn’t confident about their work to perceive their feedback as wholly negative, even if they have achieved a respectable mark.” (Student B) “Sometimes I have got a good mark, but really negative feedback and I get confused and anxious about my work.” (Student A) This experience is underscored by the literature. Ferguson (2011, p.57) found that many students discussed the role feedback has in building confidence and encouragement and conversely how negative feedback could be discouraging; noting one student’s comment that “If all comments are negative I would never write a paper again”. Ferguson (Ibid) also identified the framing of feedback as having an impact on students, for example, suggesting improvements, rather than commenting on deficits. He exemplified this using a student’s comment that the phrasing, “you could have tried this” rather than “you did not do this” was preferred. Finally, he found that students often ignored feedback if it was perceived as too negative. Feedback can therefore, have a negative impact on the student; limiting its effectiveness in terms of improving students’ further work. It is vital that tutors recognise the impact of feedback and how it may affect their development (Pitts, 2005).

Blanket phrases such as ‘please proofread’, can also be unhelpful in terms of formative guidance, the errors may not necessarily be in the work because of a lack of care, but because the student genuinely has not seen the mistakes. This is not to say that issues regarding proofreading should not be addressed, rather that this statement does not provide any guidance on the grammatical and structural issues in the writing. If the lecturer commented on a specific element of the writing that could be improved, such as by suggesting reviewing the use of apostrophes, this gives the student a starting point for improvement. Equally, it is really important to include positives elements in the feedback, where possible.

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A further issue with feedback is ensuring that students are able to understand and act on the written advice given by their tutors. One of the key themes emerging from the interviews was a lack of clarity around what the feedback to trying to communicate to the student: “The problem with written feedback is that it is one way and can be misinterpreted. The misinterpretation can come from a student not understanding what the tutor wants, or from being unclear about how the feedback matches the criteria.” (Student C) “I had a comment on my work saying I needed to be more critical, I don’t know how to do this, or what it means.” (student A) “I have found that feedback can be too vague. An example of this is phrases such as ‘along the right lines’ which doesn’t provide anything to work with.” (Student F) This is supported by Higgins (2000, p.1) and Chanock (2000) who argued that many students are simply unable to understand and interpret feedback comments correctly and that students frequently misunderstood comments provided, such as ‘too much description, not enough analysis’. Chanock (ibid) found that almost half the students sampled did not interpret this comment in the way that it had been intended.

For feedback to be effective, Sadler (1989) considered that three elements need to be in place. Firstly, the student must know what constitutes a good assignment. This can be achieved through the use of clearly defined criteria. Secondly, the student needs to know how their current work compares with a good assignment as this enables students to understand the reasoning for the marks they are currently getting. Finally, the student needs to know how to improve their assignments to close the gap between their current work and the level of work they are aspiring to achieve. Feedback, therefore, works within the context of students having an understanding of the criteria of an assignment and the extent to which they are meeting the criteria. The students interviewed in the study were particularly unclear about what constitutes a good assignment and how to improve their assignments. To ensure that feedback is useful for international students, these issues need to be considered. The section below discusses ways to make feedback more purposeful for international students.

Strategies for providing feedback If feedback is to be used effectively, it needs to be clearly understood by the student and specific enough for them to take action on it. Equally, the issue of student anxiety raised by the students in this study when receiving feedback must also be considered. Brookhart (2008) suggests that tutors consider three aspects of providing feedback; clarity, specificity and tone. Clarity is concerned with ensuring the student understands what is written and can be as simple as ensuring the feedback is typed or written neatly. The use of language is also important.

Brookhart (ibid) gives the example of using straightforward vocabulary and sentence structure and ensuring that the feedback matches the student’s development level. Equally, a jargon free criteria and avoidance of the use of symbols can improve readability, as some students misunderstand what a symbol is trying to express. Specificity considers how to provide feedback that the student can use. The use of clarity, specificity and tone can be especially important for international students who may be just beginning to be acculturated into the academic practices of their department. Here, Students A, D and E discuss feedback that they have found useful in their courses.

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“Feedback that addresses the assignment guidance specifically really helps me to know what went wrong and what I did well at” (Student A) “The best feedback is feedback that is clear and provides specific targets. The more targeted it is the better. I am looking for concrete ways to improve my written performance and feedback can provide the guidance to make that happen.” (Student D) “An example of good feedback I have received is ‘the overall structure is good, but think about including models of person centred support, to link more closely to practice’. This example encourages me to think about theoretical models, but, just as importantly, points out that the theory needs to be applied in practice.” (Student E) Brinko (1993) discusses ways that the content of feedback could be improved in terms of being more specific. These include ensuring the feedback contains concrete information, for example, referring to lines of enquiry in the student’s assignment and providing specific targets for improvement. An example of this could be to suggest that a student makes use of Web of Knowledge to broaden their reading. Glover and Brown (2006) also consider specific and clear feedback to be important in improving its usefulness and suggest a strategy to achieve this could be to ensure that it is clearly aligned to the course criteria, using criterion referencing in relation to the learning outcomes. Finally, tone refers to ensuring that the feedback is supportive; Glover and Brown (2006) suggests focusing on the main weaknesses of the assignment rather than highlighting every mistake, arguing that an overly critical stance can be disheartening. This was a theme running through the study with a number of students saying that they found the feedback experience to be disheartening, as some of the feedback seemed negative.

Conclusion Feedback can be a powerful learning tool, enabling tutors to identify key areas of strengths and areas for further development. Equally, students often find feedback to be a source of stress and may misunderstand what they need to do to improve their future performance. This is particularly the case for international students who may not be able to make use of general statements such as ‘please proofread’.

Tutors can work towards addressing these issues with feedback by considering how the feedback can be used formatively to improve future performance, as opposed to justifying the mark given. If tutors utilise Brookhart’s (2008) three aspects of feedback, clarity, specificity and tone, they can address issues of understanding feedback, effectively using the suggestions and responding positively to critical feedback.

The case study has highlighted international students’ perspectives on feedback, demonstrating that making the assignment criteria clear and referencing the criteria in feedback can be effective in supporting students in closing the gap between their written performance and a model performance.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR v.e.mann@sheffield.ac.uk

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References Bailey, R. and Garner, M. 2010. Is the feedback in higher education assessment worth the paper it is written on? Teachers' reflections on their practices. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(2), pp. 187-198.

Black, P. and William, D. 1998. Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), pp.7-74.

Brinko K T. 1993. The practice of giving feedback to improve teaching: What is effective?

Journal of Higher Education, 64(5), pp. 574-593.

Brookhart, S.M. 2008. How to give effective feedback to your students. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Alexandria, VA. Chanock K. 2000. Comments on essays: do students understand what tutors write? Teaching in Higher Education, 5(1), pp. 95–105.

Ferguson P. 2011. Student perceptions of quality feedback in teacher education. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(1), pp. 51–62.

Glover C., and Brown, E. 2006. Written feedback for students: too much, too detailed or too incomprehensible to be effective? Bioscience Education, 7(1), pp. 1-16.

Higgins R. 2000. ‘Be more critical’: rethinking assessment feedback, paper presented to British Educational Research Association Conference, Cardiff University, 7–10 September.

Available online at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001548.htm.

Holloway S. 2001. The experience of higher education from the perspective of disabled students. Disability & Society, 16(4), pp. 597-615.

Nicol D. 2010. From monologue to dialogue: improving written feedback processes in mass higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(5), pp.501-517.

Pitts S E. 2005. Testing, testing...’How do students use written feedback? Active learning in Higher Education, 6(3), pp. 218-229.

Rabiee F. 2004. Focus-group interview and data analysis. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 63(4), pp.655-660.

Rae A M., and Cochrane D K. 2008. Listening to students How to make written assessment feedback useful. Active Learning in Higher Education, 9(3), pp. 217-230.

Sadler D R. 1989. Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems, Instructional Science, 18(2), pp. 119–144.

Shute V J. 2008. Focus on formative feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), pp.153-189.

Srivastava, A., and Thomson, S. B. (2009). Framework analysis: a qualitative methodology for applied policy research. Journal of Administration & Governance, 4(2), pp. 72-9.

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Article Small Group Mentoring of International Undergraduate Students: A Pilot Program Susan C. Graham University of Prince Edward Island ABSTRACT International students often face non-academic barriers to success in their classes and programs of study. Some of these non-academic barriers include gaps in their cultural understanding, differences in expectations of themselves and of others, and a lack of strategies regarding how to tackle these challenges. Motivated by the continually increasing number of international students enrolling in the Faculty of Business at the University of Prince Edward Island (located on the east coast of Canada), the Coffee Coaching program was developed to help address some of the non-academic barriers many international students are facing in their classes. Based on the premise of a mentoring relationship whereby the mentor and mentee meet to discuss various topics over a "cup of coffee", the Coffee Coaching program brought together a faculty mentor and small groups of international students who were identified as experiencing non-academic barriers to success in their classes. This paper examines the first-hand account of the founder of the Coffee Coaching program with respect to how and why the program was developed and implemented and how participants perceived the program. The paper will conclude with key lessons learned for moving forward. ……………………………………………………………………………………………..........

Introduction Universities across North America, and Atlantic Canada in particular, are increasingly investing in recruiting international students to help grow their academic programs. For example, the rate of international students enrolled in the University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty of Business undergraduate degree grew from under 10% in 2000 to approximately 30% - 40% in 2016 (UPEI, 2016). While international students, like all other students, experience a range of successes in their studies, these students can be particularly affected by challenges tied to being international students. Challenges include English language deficiencies, inadequate academic preparedness for the rigour of a North American business education, and barriers tied to differences in cultural expectations and norms. This paper will describe the purpose of the Coffee Coaching program, the program’s development and design, implementation, participant feedback, and lessons learned.

Literature Review The literature confirms the growth of international students attending post-secondary education institutions at many western universities (Guo & Chase, 2011) and that these same international students often face barriers that impact their abilities to succeed in their programs of study (Polrazli & Graham, 2007; Rienties, Beausaert, Grohnert, Nienmantsverdriet, & Kommers, 2012). Some of the barriers faced by international students include English language skills 8

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(Yanyin & Yinan, 2010), academic readiness (Lee, Farruggia, & Brown, 2013; Wang, Li, O’Kane, Mao, & Zhang, 2015), familiarity of educational expectations and norms (Grey, 2002; Sharfaei, Nejati, Quazi, & Heidt, 2016), micro-aggressions (Houshmand, Spanierman, & Tafarodi, 2014), social integration (Yun & Le, 2012), and cultural adaptation or assimilation (Munro, 2011; Sherry, Thomas, & Wing, 2010; Tung, 2011). Research also supports the claim that if international students receive support directly tied to addressing specific barriers, these students experience improved levels of success and satisfaction (Arambewela & Hall, 2013; Bordia, Bordia, & Restubog, 2015) and an increased sense of self-responsibility for learning (Warring, 2010).

One of the challenges is that international students are less likely than their domestic peers to access support services offered to help address barriers to success. Specifically, international students are less likely to utilize peer-to-peer mentoring opportunities (Dancer, Morrison, & Tarr, 2015; Outhred, & Chester, 2013), counselling services (Bong, Bennett, & Beauchemin, 2014), mental health services (Tung, 2011), and librarian services (Curry & Copeman, 2005; Song, 2004). Yet when international students access these services, the students clearly benefit (Ragavan, 2014).

Rose (2005), noted that international students identified relationships as being important attributes for successful mentoring. Group-based mentoring incorporating faculty as a mentor were considered by Heng-Yu, Lahman, Hsin-Te, and Yi-Chia (2008) within the context of supporting international students pursuing doctoral dissertation and careers in academia. When considering small groups, Ding, Bosker, Xu, Rugers, and Heugten (2015) noted that heterogeneity of group members was negatively correlated to group performance.

Working in multicultural groups has also been demonstrated to increase students’ selfawareness and to develop core leadership and team related skills (Robson, Forster, & Powell, 2016). A specific challenge in mentoring international students, identified by Wedding, McCartney, & Currey (2009) is confronting these students about their needs and the challenges that may be inhibiting success in the classroom. Mentoring provided social support for international students transitioning into a post-secondary education program.

Program Development When reflecting on ways to support international students in understanding and adopting the cultural expectations and norms of North American business classes, professors in the Faculty of Business spoke about mentoring as a means of supporting students. The challenge for the Faculty of Business was the imbalance of faculty members to international students, which meant that forging meaningful mentoring relationships would be impractical. Thus, one-onone mentoring was not a viable or sustainable option. So the option of mentoring via small groups was examined as a means to support more students while utilizing fewer resources.

The Coffee Coaching program was modeled after “coffee dates” whereby people get together over a cup of coffee to discuss various topics. Unlike a formal classroom setting or even an office environment, the “coffee date” model emphasized listening and learning, and supported shared experiences and understanding. No preparatory work was expected of the participants. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming, and relaxed. Students and the facilitator grabbed a cup of coffee, sat around a small round table, and talked about their experiences.

The target audience for the Coffee Coaching program was international students who may not be reaching their potential in their courses due to non-academic related challenges.

Students who enrolled in Introduction to Marketing in 2015 and 2016, were international students, and who received a final grade between 40% – 70%, were identified and contacted.

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Of the approximately 80 students who received invitations, approximately 30 responded by inquiring about further details regarding the program or to express interest in the program.

Twenty-five of those students committed to participating in the program, and 15 showed up at least once during the eight-week program.

Of the 15 students who began the program, 13 students completed the program by attending at least 50% of the Coffee Coaching sessions. Seven students attended all six sessions, three students attended five of the content sessions, and three attended four of the six content sessions. Two students attended only two of the six content sessions and thus did not receive a certificate of participation. The profile of the students who attended the program are as follows (15): six female, nine male; eight Chinese, two Indian, one Nigerian, one Middle Eastern, one South American, one Caribbean, and one European; most students were in first or second year, and two of the students were in third year.

The Program The program consisted of eight sessions held over a 12-week semester. Each of the sessions centered on a predetermined theme that served as the foundation for the weekly discussion.

The first theme was titled, Success: What is Success and who is Responsible for your Success? This topic was identified out of a desire to have students take ownership of their academic performance. Two main concepts were discussed. First, that success can mean different things to different people. Some of the students in the group said that success to them was high grades, while others said success was passing their courses. A few students stated that success to them meant securing a good job after graduation or gaining admission to a graduate program. All students agreed that success, in whatever form, was important to them and that they were aware that they were not well positioned to achieve that success without undergoing some changes in their academic performance. The conversation then moved on to who was responsible for a student’s success. The discussion included the role of the faculty member, whom all students agreed played a role in a student’s success. However, the central conclusion was that students themselves were primarily responsible for their own success in terms of doing the work required of them, being engaged in their studies, seeking help when needed, and trying their best.

Building from the conversation the previous week, the theme for session two was Help!

How to Find Help and How to Help Yourself! During this session the group developed a list of where to go on campus, and in the broader community, if a student needs help of any kind. The group then shifted its focus to developing a list of ways that students can help themselves. All students agreed that one of the keys to success is recognizing when help is needed and getting that help early, rather than waiting until it is too late. Students all left with a copy of the lists that the groups created.

One of the ways students identified that they could help themselves was to develop a plan for their program of study, which was the third theme: Pathways through their Program.

During this session, the discussion focused on the various pathways through the business program, options for supplementary learning such as co-op placements and exchanges, sequencing courses and choosing electives, and selecting subject-area specializations. The key lesson from this session was the importance of planning to ensure students were able to access the courses that they needed or wanted, and to make sure students derived the greatest value from their educational experience.

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The theme for the fourth session was In Class Strategies & Group Work. Perhaps the most common comment from faculty members when discussing challenges faced by international students centered on group work behaviours that negatively impacted student performance. Session topics included the importance of class punctuality, class participation, note taking, assignment and exam preparation, textbook reading, course engagement, and group work norms. Every student agreed that there were concrete steps they could take on a day-to-day basis that would help them succeed in their courses. However, students diverged when discussing group work and their experiences with working in groups for class assignments. Some students seemed genuinely confused about what the expected norms were in a group setting, and reported difficulty “fitting in.� Of primary concern was the gap in language skills, real or perceived. Several students also expressed disappointment, frustration, and even sadness when their work was not well received by their group members. In comparison, one student spoke at length about the warm reception she received by her group members and how they made her feed valued by the group. Lastly, students spoke about the way in which groups are assigned in classes, with most preferring that the faculty member assign groups with some consideration for pairing students with at least one other student whom they knew.

Mentoring was the theme for the fifth session. Among the topics discussed were the importance of mentors, existing or past mentors, finding mentors, different kinds of mentors, and how to benefit from a mentoring relationship. Everyone shared their experiences with mentors and how those mentors shaped their lives. For most students, their previous or current mentors were their parents, other family members, or teachers. The students also recognized the importance of finding new mentors as their lives transitioned from being students into being professionals in the work world.

The last themed session was titled, Putting your Plan into Action. The focus of this session was to build a plan on how best to move forward to achieve the success that each student had identified at the beginning of the program. The group discussed the importance of putting the lessons learned into action and changing their behaviours to better align with what they need to do to be successful. Students reaffirmed that they had the responsibility and the power to shape their success.

The Coffee Coaching program ended with a celebratory ceremony. The Director of the International Relations Office and the Coffee Coaching founder/facilitator spoke to the students about their potential for success. Students received a certificate that they can include in their portfolio and add to their resume. The students appreciated the pomp and ceremony, with all of the students dressing up and taking photos to commemorate the event.

After the last themed session, students were invited to complete a short, online survey about their experiences with the Coffee Coaching program. All students who participated in the program received the survey invitation and six students responded by completing the questionnaire. Some highlights from the survey responses include: all respondents said they would recommend the Coffee Coaching program to their friends and five of the six respondents reported that they believe the Coffee Coaching Program had an impact on their success in classes. Students reported that the best part of the program was talking about and sharing their own experiences, small groups, and free coffee. Regarding the improvement of the Coffee Coaching program, students mentioned attendance and the inclusion of different topics. One student observantly noted that while all participants were seated around a circular table along with the facilitator, most of the comments by students were directed at the facilitator rather than the other participants. In summary, all respondents affirmed that the Coffee Coaching program was worthwhile.

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Lessons Learned The Coffee Coaching program was a pilot, intended to help address the ongoing and growing concern regarding the success of international students in the business program at the University of Prince Edward Island. As part of the program plan, a final report was prepared that outlined key lessons learned in the hopes that future iterations of the program can build on its successes and learn from its failures. These key lessons can be categorized into recruitment, attendance, participation, themes, and other.

The Introduction to Marketing course, as a proxy for identifying and recruiting international students in the early years of their program, was inefficient. Because of the reading and writing intensive nature of this course, many international students were opting to delay taking the course until well into their program and therefore were not first-year students.

A gap existed between students who expressed an interest in the program and those who came to the sessions, and it is unclear why. In the future, working more closely with the International Relations Office, the Registrar’s Office, and the English-as-a-Second Language program might be a more effective and efficient means of identifying potential participants.

Attendance was very good for the students who completed the program, with a notable exception with the group scheduled for 9:00 am. While the students from the 9:00 am session eventually arrived at the sessions, habitual tardiness was an issue. Lateness was not an issue for the 10:30 am and 1:00 pm groups. To encourage strong attendance, each student was emailed a reminder about the weekly session and students indicated that reminder was helpful in getting them to the sessions. When scheduling sessions in the future, avoidance of the 9:00 am time slot is recommended.

Student participation in the discussions was good and got better over the duration of the program. Most students were very active and engaged in the entire discussion, except for one student who did not utter a single word throughout the entire program despite numerous gentle attempts to draw the student into the conversation. As pointed out previously, the comments provided by the students were often directed at the facilitator with little student-to-student dialogue. Students also switched off their electronic devices during the discussions.

The themes were well received by the students and resulted in diverse conversations with notable interconnectedness between successive weeks. The themes addressed many of the challenges identified by faculty members. The only theme that was originally planned as part of the Coffee Coaching program and was not covered was Academic Integrity: What Every Student Needs to Know. This session was cancelled due to a snowstorm.

Lastly, students articulated their appreciation of the opportunity to get to know one of their professors through this program. Students reported that this connection with a faculty member made them feel more valued and understood, and in some cases less frightened, with respect to their class experience. The lasting legacy of this program may be that international students feel valued as individuals and part of the University community.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR scgraham@upei.ca

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References Arambewela, R., and Hall, J., (2013). The interactional effects of the internal and external university environment, and the influence of personal values, on satisfaction among international post-graduate students. Studies in Higher Education, 38 (7), p. 972 – 988.

Bong, J. H., Bennett, R., and Beauchemin, J., (2014). International students’ utilization of counselling services. College Student Journal, 48 (3), p. 347 – 354.

Bordia, S., Bordia, P., and Restubog, S. L. D., (2015). Promises from afar: a model of international student psychological contract in business education. Studies in Higher Education, 40 (2), p. 212 – 232.

Curry, A., and Copeman, D. (2005). Reference service to international students: A field stimulation research study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31 (5), p. 409 – 420.

Dancer, D, Morrison, K., and Tarr, G., (2015). Measuring the effects of peer learning on students’ academic achievement in first-year business statistics. Studies in Higher Education, 40 (10), p. 1808-1828.

Ding, N., Bosker, R. J., Xu, X., Rugers, L., and Heugten, P. P. V., (2015). International group heterogeneity and students’ business project achievements. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 26 (3), p. 197 – 215.

Grey, M., (2002). Drawing with difference: Challenges faced by international students in an undergraduate business degree. Teaching in Higher Education, 7 (2), p. 153 – 166.

Guo, S., and Chase, M., (2011). Internationalization of higher education: integrating international students into Canadian academic environment. Teaching in Higher Education, 16 (3), p. 305 – 318.

Heng,-Yu, K., Lahman, M. K. E., Hsin-Te, Y., and Yi-Chia, C., (2008). Into the academy: preparing and mentoring international doctoral students. Educational Technology Research & Development, 56 (3), p. 365 – 377.

Houshmand, S., Spanierman, L. B., and Tafarodi, R. W. (2014). Excluded and avoided: Racial Micro-aggressions targeting Asian international students in Canada. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20 (3), p. 377 – 388.

Lee, B., Farruggia, S. P., and Brown, G. T. L., (2013). Academic difficulties encountered by East Asian international students in New Zealand. Higher Education Research & Development, 32 (6), p. 915 – 931.

Munro, L.,(2011). Go boldly, dream large: The challenges confronting non-traditional students at university. Australian Journal of Education, 55 (2), p. 115 – 131.

Outhred, T., and Chester, A., (2013). Improving the international student experience in Australia through embedded peer mentoring. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 21 (3), p. 312 – 332.

Polrazli, S., and Grahame, K., (2007). Barriers to adjustment: Needs of international students within a semi-urban campus community. Journal of International Psychology, 34 (1), p. 28 – 45.

Ragavan, S. K., (2014). Peer mentoring for international students in a UK law school: lessons from a pilot case study. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 51 (3), p. 292 302.

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Rienties, B., Beausaert, S., Grohnert, T., Nienmantsverdriet, S., and Kommers, P., (2012).

Understanding academic performance of international students: the role of ethnicity, academic and social integration. Higher Education, 62 (6), p. 685 – 700.

Robson, F., Forster, G., and Powell, L., (2016). Participatory learning in residential weekends: benefit or barrier to learning for the international student? Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 53 (3), p. 274 – 284.

Rose, G., (2005). Group differences in graduate students’ concepts of the ideal mentor.

Research in Higher Education, 46 (1), p. 53 – 80.

Shafaei, A., Nejati, M., Quazi, A., and Heidt, T., (2016). When in Rome, so as the Romans do: Do international students’ acculturation attitudes impact their ethical academic conduct?

71 (5), p. 651 – 666.

Sherry, M., Thomas, P., and Wing, H. C., (2010). International students: a vulnerable student population. Higher Education, 60 (1), p. 33 – 46.

Song, Y.,(2004). A comparative study on information-seeking behaviors of domestic and international business students. Research Strategies, 20 (1/2), p23 – 34.

Tung, W., (2011). Acculturative stress and help-seeking behaviors among international students. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 23 (5), p. 383.

UPEI (2016). UPEI Registrar’s Office (internal communication). Available online at: http://www.upei.ca/studentlife/registrars-office.

Wang, C., Li, X., O’Kane, J., Mao, Z., and Zhang, W., (2015). An exploration of the readiness, challenges, and expected support for their overseas study of Chinese business and management programme students. Higher Education Quarterly, 69 (4), p. 314 – 341.

Warring, S., (2010). Facilitating independence amongst Chinese international students completing a Bachelor of Applied Business Studies degree. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 47 (4), p. 379 – 392.

Wedding, D., McCartney, J. L., and Currey, D. E., (2009). Lessons relevant to psychologists who serve as mentors for international students. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40 (2), p. 189 – 193.

Yanyin, Z., and Yinan, M., (2010). Another look at the language difficulties of international students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14 (4), p. 371 – 388.

Yun, Y., and Le. Q., (2012). International students’ social engagement and social well-being in an Australian regional area. International Journal of Wellness and Society, 2 (3), p. 119 – 132.

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Appendix One: Summary of Discussion Topics Week One:

Success: What is Success and who is Responsible for your Success?

All students agreed that they want to be successful in their studies.

Each student had their own definition of success, some identify very high grades as being successful while others were less concerned with achieving high marks and instead viewed passing their courses as success.

Some students also mentioned “learning” as part of their goal to be successful.

The students all affirmed that they were responsible for their own success, and recognized that the professor’s role in their success was to establish the foundation to be successful by teaching concepts, engaging students, providing material, and developing assessment tools.

The students reported that they liked to do well in their courses and that good grades made them feel better about themselves.

Students also made a clear link with having success in a course and being more motivated, identifying a circular logic (success led to motivation, motivation led to success).

All of the students also confessed that they sometimes (often times) procrastinate.

Setting high expectations of themselves was common among the students.

Each student recognized that English skills were a real barrier to success in many of their classes. Some acknowledged that they could do more to regularly practice their English skills (and came up with strategies to work on this).

The students brainstormed strategies that would help them succeed in their classes, such as attending all classes, reading course material, taking notes, asking questions, etc., which they admitted that sometimes they often did not do.

Students declared that they were more motivated to succeed in classes that were interesting and relatable. Students particularly did not like when the professor read from the textbook during class.

After some discussion, students admitted that they play an important role in making classes interesting by being active participants and asking questions.

Week Two:

Help! How to Find Help and How to Help Yourself!

A handout listing where students can turn to get help and how students can help themselves was shared with students. A copy is attached as an Appendix.

Students added the “chaplaincy” as a place students could turn for help.

Students talked about fear, shyness, etc. of approaching professors.

We talked about the importance of knowing and taking advantage of professors’ office hours.

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Students mentioned the importance of the writing center for help, but pointed out that the scope of the help often wasn’t sufficient in resolving writing challenges.

Specifically, students needed help with grammar and flow.

Students brought up “Grammarly” and reported it was an excellent resource and should be talked about more and used more.

We spoke extensively about the role of librarians and how invaluable they can be for students.

The importance of getting to know fellow classmates was also cited as being critical for success in both classes and the business program.

One of the most important themes of the day was the critical importance of getting help early, and not waiting until it was too late (when the semester was almost over or after they received a poor grade).

We also spoke of the importance of reviewing and reflecting on any feedback provided and incorporating that feedback into future assignments.

Several students shared strategies for taking good notes and spoke of working with classmates to supplement notes.

Again, students talked about the importance of practicing their English skills.

We talked about starting assignments early, but while students seemed to agree in principle they seemed a bit reluctant to commit to practicing this strategy.

We also talked about the importance of taking care of themselves in terms of getting adequate sleep, exercise, and eating a healthy diet.

All students recognized that they could play a big role in setting themselves up for success.

Week Three: Pathways through their Program I shared that there was no longer one single way to complete their program of study.

In fact, students take a variety of pathways through their programs including taking longer than 4 years, online courses, specializations, changing programs, etc.

We talked about the critical importance of registering for courses early to ensure students both get the course they want and the schedules that work best for them.

We also identified why international students tended to register later and came up with some strategies to mitigate against this.

I shared the importance of getting on wait lists and checking on wait lists regularly to help increase the chances that students get into the courses that they want.

Students talked about choosing electives and how to get the most value from electives.

Some chose electives to boost their grades, while others chose electives based on interest or connection to their field of study.

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Students shared some electives that may be beneficial to business students, including languages, environmental studies, psychology, sociology, economics, math, etc.

A general consensus emerged among students that online courses were substantially easier than in-person courses.

Students had an interesting discussion about whether it was better to take required courses or electives during the summer. Again, students felt that summer courses tended to be easier.

We discussed the Faculty of Business’s specializations and how to take advantage of specializations if that was what students wanted.

Students were not all concerned with graduating on time, some wanted to graduate early while other were prepared to delay graduation if needed.

We talked about the role that co-op could play in helping prepare them for the work world.

Students talked about knowing whom they should talk to about selecting courses and planning their pathway through their program, including the importance of multi-year planning.

Week Four: In Class Strategies & Group Work Group work was the main theme of this session because this appears to be a problem for many international students.

I shared with students the myriad of reasons why we assign group work in the business program.

Students shared what their group experiences in the business program have been like thus far. The results were mixed. Most had a least some positive group experiences, but most also had at least one group experience that was less positive.

We discussed the various ways professors assign groups (students chose, professor choses, or mixed).

Students preferred when the professor assigned the group, but appreciated it if they were allowed to request one friend to be in their group.

The students agreed that groups were more likely to procrastinate and that often led to problems within the group.

Students expressed feeling bad when they were told by members of a group that their work isn’t good enough.

We talked about some strategies for dealing with this, including getting their work done well in advance so that feedback can be incorporated and utilizing the help available to them to ensure that they put their best work forward.

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All of the students admitted that they tend to be more passive (quiet) within the group, often letting others take the lead. This was often interpreted by others as disinterest in the group or apathy.

When problems in a group arose, students were reluctant to take steps to address the problem, preferring to ignore the problem and hope it will go away or that the project will come to a natural conclusion and therefore the issue resolved.

We talked about strategies for dealing with problems and discussed in detail how important it is to practice dealing with conflict because conflict is impossible to avoid forever.

Several students spoke about group members who were especially kind.

We talked about strategies for dividing up group work and what tasks should be completed together as a group and what tasked should be assigned to individuals.

We also talked about how important the peer evaluation process is to ensuring that students receive the grades that they, as individuals, earned. At this point, we discussed academic honesty and the importance of providing fair and accurate feedback about peers. Many students expressed discomfort in providing negative or constructive feedback that might be used to negatively impact another student’s grade.

Some of the students said they wished they could see the feedback other students provided about them.

Week Five: Mentoring We talked about what mentors were and how mentors can have a powerful impact on a person’s life.

Students shared their own personal experiences with mentors, and most identified past teachers or parents/relatives as mentors who shaped their lives.

We talked about different types of mentors and the different roles mentors could play.

Students developed strategies for how they might identify and approach a potential mentor.

We talked about the various ways mentoring relationships work, including one-time mentors, long-term mentors, career mentors, personal mentors, etc.

Students listed several topics they could talk about with mentors.

The students also commented about the importance of showing respect to mentors.

(This may have been the most engaged conversation of the entire Coffee Coaching program.)

Week Six: Putting your Plan into Action We revisited a lot of the main themes from our previous conversations.

I stressed that everything we talked about was useless unless students put what they learned into action.

We pointed out the difference between knowing and doing.

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Students identified small and regular steps they could take to make these lessons a part of their routine.

I asked if anyone had already incorporated some of our themes into their daily lives and if they saw a difference.

One student took concrete steps to find a mentor in her future professional field.

Another student said he now makes a point of connecting with his professors and asking questions. One student said that the way he views his in-class behaviour has changed (for the better).

Students all acknowledged the self-determination of what they can achieve. They set their own limits on their accomplishments by the choices they make.

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Appendix Two: Student Feedback When the program concluded, students were asked to complete a survey designed to capture their thoughts and views on their experience with the Coffee Coaching program. Here are the results (verbatim) from students:

What was the best part Talking about own experience with others. of the Coffee Coaching The path of successful. program?

Small group.

That we get free coffee, also the way professor Susan designed the program to let us speak and say what could be the major issue for us the international student.

The best part for me when everyone is sharing their experience.

Sharing ideas with participants that had similar experiences.

What part(s) of the Attendance.

Coffee Coaching Widely topics. program could be The communication between students are very little. improved?

I liked it the way it is.

I really liked the way it is. It’s more like a conversation and that makes it easy for people to open-up and share whatever they want.

Would you Yes (6) recommend the Coffee No (0) Coaching program to Not Sure (0) your friends?

Do you think the Yes. Coffee Coaching Yes. program had an impact Absolutely! on the way your think No but it provided me with more ways to become successful. about success in your Yes, I started to rethink about courses I am taking. classes?

Yes. Do you think the Yes. Coffee Coaching Yes. program will motivate Yes, it helps me a lot of how to get some help from others. or inspire you to Yes. change your behaviour Yes, I started to contact with my professors more than before. so that you are more Yes. successful in your classes?

Do you think the Yes. Coffee Coaching Of course. program is Yes, I learn a lot from it. worthwhile?

Yes. Yes, it is.

Yes.

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Student Article A placement year abroad - Is it right for me?

Alisha Fleming University of Leeds This article describes the personal experience and reflections of a third year university student who opted to complete a sandwich year at a pharmaceutical company in Belgium.

My placement abroad For my sandwich placement, I opted to travel abroad to Brussels (Belgium), where I undertook work in a toxicology focused research lab at UCB Biopharma. I took on a supervised role in research into drug-induced cardiac injury biomarkers. As this was my first time working in an industrial laboratory, I spent the first few weeks of my placement familiarizing myself with the literature and learning the lab techniques I would be using over the year. I was thrown in at the deep end as I was given a considerable amount of responsibility within months of my placement, and expected to follow unfamiliar scientific protocols precisely and grasp new techniques quickly. Whilst on placement I studied gene and microRNA expression and learnt to master techniques such as RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, real-time qPCR and ELISA. Working in a medium sized company with a small research department, I effectively took on the position of a lab technician for my supervisor. This was a steep learning curve but provided me with invaluable experience which will be the envy of my peers in my final year of university.

Challenges Taking on a job role in industry for the first time was a challenge in itself. Initially, I found lab work quite solitary as the labs were minimally staffed and most of the time I was working alone. I found new techniques difficult to grasp and felt little job satisfaction or motivation to continue with the role. This left me feeling confused as to which direction I saw my career path heading. I had wanted to try a lab-based position to see if it was the kind of career I wanted to pursue and from what I had experienced early on, it certainly was not.

The pressure of living abroad was a major test on my personal strength and adaptability. After the initial excitement of starting a new job and exploring a new city, I started to feel overwhelmed and homesick, which was something I had not experienced in my first two years at university. It was the first time I had lived abroad and it was a struggle for me to adapt. I was surrounded by not one, but three foreign languages (French, Dutch and Flemish), and the cultural differences were greater than I had anticipated.

Sadly, I feel the language barrier prevented me from making friends and settling in as quickly as I would have liked. Added to this, there were only three student interns on my placement at UCB and the majority of our co-workers were older with families, so our social network was quite small which was not what I had been used to at university. That being said, with help and support I was able to overcome these challenges and draw some positive conclusions from my placement abroad.

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Positive aspects of placement abroad Although at times the positive aspects of a placement year abroad seemed few and far between, I have been left with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and gratitude for the opportunity I was fortunate enough to be offered. I have gained a massive amount of professional experience including improving my lab skills, which will stand me in good stead for my dissertation project this coming year, as well as when it comes to applying for graduate jobs.

I have also developed a number of life skills improved my organizational skills, my time management and communication skills. I have a better understanding and awareness of what it is like to work in a professional environment and within a team, and have enjoyed engaging in what feels like an entirely different chapter of life compared to life as a student at university.

I really appreciated the free time after work, on weekends and on holidays and I particularly cherished not having to revise over Christmas! The job role made me realize what was important for me personally in order to find job satisfaction, which enabled me to start focusing on the types of graduate jobs I would consider applying for after university.

As clichéd as it sounds, I feel undertaking a placement abroad has enabled me to grow as a person. There were times when I felt like quitting, as I was not enjoying where I was living or the job I was doing, but I dealt with it and pushed through. This perseverance made me stronger and I actually began to feel a lot more comfortable both in the job role and in the country as time went by. If I had quit when it got tough, I feel sure I would have deeply regretted it.

Working abroad has enabled me to make connections internationally and form friendships across the globe. I became more culturally aware, travelled to numerous places and made lasting memories. I feel I have come out of the experience with a more open and positive mind-set, as well as a new found appreciation for the flexibility of student life. I would recommend this experience to everyone, even if you have doubts initially; the challenge is well worth it.

Advice for students considering a placement year abroad If you are offered the opportunity to do a sandwich placement abroad, I would highly recommend you take it. Undertake extensive research about where you are considering going to ensure you feel like it is somewhere you could grow to enjoy, or where you can identify with the culture. Although it is great to completely push yourself out of your comfort zone, the experience can be daunting. Familiarizing yourself with your future job or home could take the edge off when it comes to move out day. Also, there is no harm in being prepared! It will mean you can find fulfilment from your placement year much earlier on, leaving more room for development later in the year.

Perhaps try to learn the language used in the country you are planning to work in.

Although it may not be essential for work purposes, it will help you to feel more integrated in the society and make friendships much easier. The ability to speak another language is also particularly useful in terms of career prospects, so I would strongly advise this, as it was what I regret the most from my placement year.

Another idea if you plan to work abroad is to use apps such as ‘Meet Up’ and ‘Facebook’ to find activities or social groups in your local area. Joining a gym, sports club, dance club or any society where you can meet people will help you feel better about living abroad and will help you find friends, so don’t be shy!

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Conclusion Working abroad and an industrial placement are both valuable experiences which will not only enhance your professional development but also enhance you as a person. Getting work experience early can help to drive your career forward and can help you determine your future career path. Moving to a different country can be daunting, but broadening your horizons might just surprise you and open your eyes to a new way of thinking. Overall, a placement year abroad has been positive in many aspects of my life, and I would recommend anyone even considering it, to just go for it.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR ajfleming96@gmail.com

Student Article My African Adventure: The experience as a whole Charlotte Veale Bath Spa University During the summer of 2017, I spent one month volunteering at The Child of Mercy Orphanage (COMOC) in Mombasa, Kenya. I can honestly say that taking up the opportunity was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I had had no expectations of the trip, yet I became immersed in the wonderful, lively, beautiful and busy Kenyan culture and came back with very strong links to a new group of inspiring people on the other side of the world. Not only did this experience highlight how easy it is to take for granted the free education we have access to in the UK, or the endless supply of clean water, but it made me aware how much knowledge there is to learn, and all this happened simply by spending as little as one month in a foreign country.

My journey started on 27th June at a small local train station in Cornwall; four hours later I arrived at London Heathrow; the next stop was a busy port of Mombasa, where I arrived within approximately 20 hours, with a short change at Nairobi. I will never forget the wave of heat as I stepped off the plane looking for someone waiting to pick me up from the airport.

Trying to find the lady I had arranged to meet, but had never seen before, was one of the most daunting parts of the trip. I was soon comforted when I sighted in a distance a handwritten piece of paper with my name on it “Charlotte”. I was welcomed with a friendly handshake and a beautiful smile by a lady called Jessy, who is the founder of the orphanage.

My first impressions of Mombasa were pure excitement, amazement and friendliness.

After a short taxi ride we arrived at a port; there, along with 30 other cars and around 400 people, we boarded a ferry which took us across the water to a village called Likoni, which, as I was to discover soon, is a truly amazing place. The orphanage was located in the heart of this town, only a five-minute walk from a beach and surrounded by hundreds of market stalls which would open at the crack of dawn and close when the sun started setting. The lovely smiling 23

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faces of the children as I entered the orphanage immediately made me feel so welcome. I was introduced straight away to everyone and the staff, including the helpers who the children would call Aunties and Uncles. Jessy showed me to my room and the volunteers’ area where other volunteers were already staying. Seeing I had missed a whole night due to the time difference, I was offered the afternoon to sleep, but I was more interested in exploring the culture straight away!

So, instead of having a rest and only within a few hours of arriving in Mombasa, I was already travelling into the heart of the town on the back of mopeds, which cost three pence a trip, and Tuk Tuks, which fill the streets with colour and noise. Jessy and the manager, James, gave me a tour of the busy city and took me to a local Western supermarket where I was able to stock up on bottled water and home comforts.

I soon settled in to the Kenyan life and built really close relationships with the children and staff. I loved waking up at five o’clock every morning listening to the prayers at the local Mosque being played through a speaker and hearing the children sing together before starting their day at school at six o’clock. I soon established a routine and my day would always start with a cold salt-water shower and fresh Mandazi, which is fried triangles of bread. Once the children had left for school, I would help the Aunties to hand wash all the children’s bedding and clothes in big buckets of collected rain water using green soap and a brush. By the time this and any other jobs were done, I would be collected in a Tuk Tuk and taken to the local primary school called Timbwani Baptist Primary School. I volunteered as a teaching assistant in a reception class where the ages of the children ranged from 1 to 6. I would arrive at the school every day with one of the Uncles and hand out porridge (when there were enough funds) to the children at break time. Soon after, the next class would begin and I would supervise the children, by marking their books, playing games, creating activities and singing. After that I would be collected, sometimes in a Tuk Tuk and other times on a moped.

I was very lucky to be given two days off a week to explore Mombasa and I feel extremely fortunate to have spent so much time with Jessy. She would take me to so many different places, thanks to which I was able to get completely immersed in the Kenyan culture.

I was shown beautiful places, like Diani Beach, the Fort Jesus Museum, Jessy’s family’s homes, numerous markets, historical places, lots of beaches and so much more. Around half way through my stay in Kenya, more volunteers arrived, and I was lucky enough to spend time with them and to take part in a safari weekend. We got to spend three days in two different national parks: Tsavo East and Amobseli, where we stayed in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. This weekend was a completely different experience to the everyday life at the orphanage. We had the most incredible time and saw so much wildlife! We soon returned from the short trip away and settled back into the Mombasa life.

What have I learnt?

I have learnt so much from this experience in Kenya and there isn't one day that goes by when I don't reflect on the time spent there. I have learnt to appreciate family, education, the right to travel freely throughout the world, to be independent, to learn how to adapt to a new routine in an unknown culture, but most importantly to appreciate the privileged life I am lucky enough to live in the UK. Education is valued so highly in Kenya and seeing how much pride the children take in the right to an education is so uplifting to experience. Every child that I was lucky enough to meet, looked forward to school, tried so hard, both with their studies at school and when doing homework, and this is because it is such a privilege for them to be able to attend classes.

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I learnt a lot from one particular girl named Susan, who would arrange to arrive at school at five o'clock in the morning and would then return home at nine o’clock at night. I have never met anyone with so much determination to gain a valuable education in the way she did. One of her many goals is to be accepted to the University of Bristol in England and I hope that one day she is able to achieve this.

What did I love?

I loved having the opportunity to immerse myself in a completely different culture surrounded by so many friendly people and I returned with a passion and love for Kenya. It’s often said that first-time visitors to Africa either love it or hate it. Although the concept of Africa is so broad, I feel that, in general, it will be a place that I will return to many times throughout my life and forever love.

Having previously visited South Africa, I can already see the differences between the two places and I believe that this is one of the many traits of Africa; there are so many disparities and differences between the countries, with each one bursting with culture and so much to offer.

I also loved being able to make new friends from different countries. During my time in Kenya, there were three other volunteers, one from Sweden and two from Germany. Just within one month, I made such lovely friends and I now have many memories with these people to cherish.

What were the challenges and what would I do differently?

The thought of spending one month away in a foreign country can be very intimidating, but the best advice that I would give to someone going to take part in an international exchange, volunteering or studying abroad would be to make the most of every single day. My time in Mombasa flew by so quickly and before I knew it, I had to make transport arrangements to get to the airport to fly back home and make plans for my last few days.

There were moments of the day when I would not have any jobs to do, but every time this happened (although it was not often), I would explore the area and the local beaches, or speak to the people around me about their lives. It was when speaking to these people that I found out so much information, or got to see more of the area, making memories, but most importantly, learning!

With regards to being away from home for such an amount of time, I did not find this a huge challenge, but of course there were moments when I reflected and thought of home.

Throughout these times, I would make sure that I was not alone and that I was joining any possible activities, such as helping the children with their homework or helping the Uncles prepare the evening meal for the children and staff.

There really is very little that I would do differently if I were to have this opportunity again. The only minor thing that I would perhaps change is to research the area that you are going to more. I did research, and read the Lonely Planet guide on Mombasa before I went, as it is always handy to know as much information as possible about the area, such as previous tourists’ experiences but that didn’t seem sufficient.

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What advice would I give?

The most important advice that I would give to someone taking part in an experience like this would be not to overthink but to take every opportunity that you get offered. Most of the time, the best memories that you will make are from the unexpected and unplanned moments. Each day that I spent there was jam-packed and full of amazing activities, which meant that I had little time to sit quietly alone. Because each day was so busy, the time went by so quickly and I remember telling myself often that ‘I have ages left’ or ‘I can do that another day’ but so much changes when you are staying in a foreign country that you cannot predict what experience you will have each day, and for that reason, when learning to live in another country, be spontaneous!

The second piece of advice that I would give is to write a day-to-day journal whilst you are there. I wrote down as much as I possibly could each day, for example, what I did, what I ate and how I was feeling. It has been amazing to re-read this journal since returning and share my thoughts with family and friends, as it’s so easy to forget the details.

My time in Mombasa was truly incredible, and I hope to return at the end of my degree to see the progress that COMOC will have made and what the children will have achieved. I had the best time of my life and brought back hundreds of memories with me. I would truly recommend this experience to everyone and would like to thank everybody at the orphanage for all the hard work that they do every day!

CONTACT THE AUTHOR charlotte.veale16@bathspa.ac.uk

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Book Review Thinking Beyond the Content: Critical Reading for Academic Success Authors: Nolan J Weil and Raymond Cepko ISBN-13: 978-0472089772

ISBN-10: 0472089773

Dongwook Kim Hao Phan University of St Andrews Thinking beyond the Text: Critical Reading for Academic Success is written for college-bound ESL students. Therefore, the basic aims of this book are to encourage its readers to read efficiently and understand clearly the various types of academic texts required for successful academic performance in university. This book does not simply provide a series of academic texts. Each chapter of this book also poses several questions to students related to topics and themes of the chapter. After each reading, students can check their own understanding of the text without guidance from the tutor. In that sense, its fundamental aim as a teaching material for increasing the reading ability of ESL learners seems to be fully achieved.

Understanding and thinking about books or academic articles from various points of view is necessary for all students studying in university. However, since some ESL students are not accustomed to critical thinking, they sometimes have difficulty studying in universities in the UK. As this book also focuses on promoting critical thinking skills, it could help those who want to improve their ability to think critically.

In the book, certain sections such as Critical Focus, Critical Focus Application, and For Discussion are aimed at not only enhancing readers’ comprehension of the content of a text, but also increasing their ability to think critically. Every question in ‘Critical Focus Application’, and ‘For Discussion’ sections includes words such as “your opinion”, “what”, and “why”, which implies that not only should students using this book grasp an understanding of the texts, but they also need to think for themselves about the content. Thus, by studying with this book, instead of reading and accepting information suggested in a text, readers are encouraged to cultivate their own approach to reading actively, critically, and deeply.

This book consists of several chapters with different topics, and those chapters cover various aspects of academic and social issues. By reading about the diverse topics, students can explore connections between different academic disciplines and broaden their views and understanding of the topic by looking at it from various perspectives. Moreover, each chapter and each section requires students to read actively and think autonomously so that teachers do not need to lead the class. However, what is required for teachers using this book is to encourage students to engage in activities such as group discussion and research projects.

Finally, another observation is that international students encounter many unfamiliar words while reading articles or a variety of texts. The book Thinking beyond the Text: Critical Reading for Academic Success provides a glossary for ESL readers, or international students.

Thus, this enables them to read without referring to a dictionary, which leads the students to learn those words more easily.

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In conclusion, through using this book, students can learn about different types of academic readings, and nourish critical and logical thought. As an international student studying with this book, I consider that it provides a real opportunity to enhance English reading skills. Therefore, I would also strongly recommend this book to English learners as well.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR dk68@st-andrews.ac.uk

Book Review Thinking Beyond the Content: Critical Reading for Academic Success Authors: Nolan J Weil and Raymond Cepko ISBN-13: 978-0472089772 ISBN-10: 0472089773 Gustavo Mello Viegas University of St Andrews For international students whose native language is not English, going to university in the United Kingdom may seem a bit scary and even intimidating. Even though nearly half of the student body in the institution where I am studying is international, we know that the majority of people we are going to be working with during our undergraduate studies are native speakers.

Therefore, it is expected of us to assimilate a whole new academic reading culture, which is the basis for university success. Thinking Beyond the Text: Critical Reading for Academic Success by Nolan J. Weil and Raymond Cepko, published by Michigan ELT in 2008, is a fundamental tool for both teachers and students on a foundation course when making this transition from one language to another, from one reading system to another, and from one academic culture to another.

Firstly, the book’s aim goes far beyond understanding the literal meanings of words on a piece of paper. It teaches students how to make use of their critical and analytical skills in order to answer complex but important questions regarding an immense variety of themes.

These range from climate change to artificial intelligence (AI) and global health, of interest to readers from a wide range of academic fields. One example is a text about the growing influence of chatbots not only in the field of robotics and AI but also in the very study of language and its complexities. Thus, the book successfully emphasizes the need for active instead of passive reading which is intended developing the skill of interacting with the text.

Another advantage of the book is the fact that it deals closely with a wide range of academic vocabulary which many international, and indeed domestic students lack. Every text is followed by interesting exercises asking the students to link key words and expressions to their meaning as presented in the text. A text about infectious diseases, for instance, presents words such as quarantine, pandemic and immunity. In this way, the reader learns new words and how to use them in various contexts.

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The organisation and format of the book is also pedagogically interesting. The book is divided into four units with three readings in each. These texts introduce students to a variety of styles and genres, thus sensitising the reader to different types of text and promoting the evaluation of sources. The readings are preceded by an overview of the general theme along with pre-reading questions which are aimed at sparking the students’ curiosity and attention.

Following the texts, there is a series of different and engaging tasks that can be done individually or in groups. A good example are the Critical Focus sections, which address topics such as detecting bias in a text or making use of citations and references.

It is worth noting, however, that no book is supposed to be an end in itself. In other words, its full potential cannot be achieved without an active teacher and motivated students.

In my own experience, I was only able to maintain my concentration and interest in the tasks due to my teacher’s very active and engaging style, asking us intriguing questions that were not in the book while stimulating discussion and debate. Providing the students with a more humane and interactive side of education, therefore, is a vital complement for the strictly established exercises of the book.

Finally, I would like to strongly recommend Thinking Beyond the Text: Critical Reading for Academic Success. As an international student and a non-native speaker, I can attest to the benefits of learning an English critical reading style while developing new perspectives on extremely relevant subjects of today’s world.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR gmv@st-andrews.ac.uk

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXPERIENCE JOURNAL Call for Papers Deadline for submissions to the Spring/Summer Issue is 31st March 2018 For submissions and submission guidelines please visit our website http://isejournal.weebly.com

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ISSN 2397-3072

The International Student Experience Journal is a peerreviewed online publication for those involved in researching, teaching and providing services to international students in Higher Education in the UK and other English speaking countries. The Journal links the everyday concerns of university staff including academics, researchers, EAP practitioners and the students themselves with insights gained from related academic disciplines such as applied linguistics, education, psychology, and sociology.

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