How easy is it for international students in the creative arts to find their feet, to find accommodation, make friends, and adapt to the English education system?Do we, as a host institution and host staff and students, understand their needs, and do we give them the appropriate support?

This project tackled these issues. Fourteen postgraduate researchers interviewed 141 first-year students across the University from six regional groups - Japan, South Korea, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the USA - in their own languages.

We also interviewed 21 British students to help us make comparisons.

An internal report was presented to senior management in March 2008. There have been a number of dissemination activities and presentations at conferences.

The project is coordinated by Dr Silvia Sovic.
For further information, please contact s.sovic@fashion.arts.ac.uk

Report

Bibliography

Papers

• Coping with stress: the perspective of international students
  Paper published in Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education,Volume 6 Issue 3
• Tales of Transition: Teaching and Learning Issues for First-Year International Students in Arts and Design (pdf)
  Paper presented at the 'Learning Together: Reshaping Higher Education in a Global Age', Institute of Education, 22-24 July 2007
• International Students as 'Others'? The Experience of First-Year Students in the Creative Arts (pdf)
  Paper presented at the 'Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education' (SRHE) December 2007
• Hi-bye Friends and the Herd Instinct: International and Home Students in the Creative Arts'
  Paper published in The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning