Learning and Teaching Center (Old)

Suggestions for Advising International Students

When addressing the academic and emotional concerns of international students, it is important to consider that these two areas work in conjunction with each other as the international student struggles with emotional adjustment and academic achievement in a new and different environment.

1. International students frequently need more help understanding Carleton's specialized academic vocabulary. In particular, concepts such as distribution requirements, major requirements, and liberal arts are new to many international students.

2. Advisors may wish to double-check to make sure international students grasp fully the options they have in:

• dropping, adding, and withdrawing from courses
• selecting the S/CR/NC option
• distribution requirements
• extensions
• independent study
• Off Campus Study

3. Non-immigrant students must take a full course load each semester in order to comply with Immigration and Naturalization Service regulations governing their student status; it might be helpful to remind students of this.

4. International students need to be encouraged to plan a balanced program for themselves at Carleton:

• A balanced work load, taking into consideration relative amounts of readings, writing and lab work, with particular consideration of the student's English language skills
• A balance among courses in the student's major, distribution requirements, and electives within keeping of a liberal arts education

5. It would be helpful for advisors to call special attention to the many services available for academic and non-academic assistance and urge students to take advantage of them:

• professors' office hours
• ESL and writing workshop
• availability of tutors and teaching assistants
• advisor's office hours
• the Director for International Student Programs
• University Chaplains
• Resident Advisors
• Class Deans
• Student Health and Counseling

Surveys have shown that international students rarely seek assistance from 'official' counseling services. Unless they are personally 'steered' in that direction by faculty members or advisors, they are more likely to turn to peers and family for help with personal and academic problems, which might result in their receiving wrong information or poor advice.

(Adapted from the Macalester College International Student Handbook 1996-97)

Special Considerations for Teaching in the Multicultural Classroom

(The following is excerpted and abridged from Jane Dunphy's article to run in the March/April issue of NAFSA Newsletter. Ms. Dunphy is a coordinator of ESL at MIT.)

American colleges and universities are host to more international students (481,280 in 1997-8) than academic institutions anywhere else in the world. These students come to the United States from over 64 countries, most of which have academic conventions that are vastly different from those of the U.S.A. This multiplicity can enrich students' experiences, but it also can present an obstacle to the full and productive participation of some class members. Instructors should understand these difficulties and help all students to engage fully in their education.

Many instructors focus on language differences but are less likely to be aware of the cultural adaptation that is required for international students to be successful in their new environment. Drawing on my experience as an ESL and communications instructor at MIT and Harvard, I can point to three areas where heightened sensitivity to cultural differences can enhance learning: classroom dynamics, approach to assignments, and navigation of hierarchy.

Classroom Dynamics

With some exceptions, the general model of university education outside of the U.S.A. involves large lecture halls filled with many students listening to an authority read or speak in a formal manner from notes. There is seldom interaction between instructors and students in or out of class. Extra encouragement is needed to overcome students' unfamiliarity with class dynamics, their self-consciousness about accent and lack of fluency, or their fear of being wrong.

Instructors can encourage students in several ways:

• Where possible, use different kinds of questions to stimulate interaction. For example, students find solicitations like "Can you guess what might work here?" less intimidating than the more direct "What is the solution here?"
• Rather than waiting for volunteers to respond to each question, "cold call" on international students who are conspicuous for their lack of participation.
• Try to wait up to 10 seconds after asking a question before moving on. When international students are willing to make contributions, they may need extra time.
• Seek clarification in instructor-student exchanges to ensure mutual comprehension.

Written and Oral Assignments

Explicit guidelines for oral and written assignments are helpful I for all students, but essential for international students unaccustomed to U.S. conventions. For example, the U.S. approach to writing an argument memo or a research paper is to place the main point or opinion in the introduction and to use the following pages to support that opinion. This approach, however, is contrary to what many well-educated European students have been taught: to "save the best for last." Instructors should teach research writing and presentation skills by example, as well as provide explicit statements of expectations about the format and content of papers and presentations.

Another area that must be addressed explicitly is the role of academic honesty in assignments. English language cultures have a particularly rigorous approach to protecting intellectual property. In some cultures, however, such as Chinese, students are expected to honor respected authorities by repeating their contributions verbatim. In addition, standard documentation conventions are not widely used in all intellectual communities. Instructors should explain the U.S. concept of plagiarism and the intricacies of documenting sources.

Respect & Hierarchy

International students frequently express concern about how to navigate the hierarchical system in academic life in the United States. The difficulty is obvious even at the most basic level. The English language is unusual in that it does not have a grammatical way to indicate hierarchy. We use "you" for everyone-friends, parents, professors, and bosses. For new international students from cultures with strict linguistic and behavioral codes to show respect, it is a challenge to navigate the standard American system. To further confuse the situation, the faculty within a particular university varies in their levels of familiarity. Some conduct themselves, their classes, and their interactions with a formality that may be comfortingly familiar to some international students. Informality, however, seems to be more common. Instructors regularly sit on desks, swinging their legs as they talk or listen. They are sometimes on a first-name basis with students; many are available for help, or enjoy friendly conversations outside of class; and some can even admit ignorance in class, not a common Occurrence in many countries.

There is, in fact, much more negotiation of hierarchy in American academic life than international students are likely to have encountered. It is confusing. The result may be inappropriately passive or inappropriately, bold demeanor in the classroom. Many problems can be avoided if instructors are aware of potential difficulty, if they explicitly acknowledge their own styles and motivations, and if they clearly state their expectations in matters such as classroom behavior and terms of address.

Realizing the Potential of the Multicultural Classroom

The cultural diversity in American universities is an exciting resource. If fostered sensitively, it can enrich the intellectual lives of all of us. International students who feel their differences are understood will be more likely to engage fully in the experience that American academic life provides. In addition, they will feel more comfortable pursuing questions about other aspects of their new environment. In addition, explicit discussion of these issues in and out of class will have the added benefit of heightening the awareness of American students to different cultural assumptions in academic life. Instructors can be instrumental in creating a multicultural environment that truly benefits everyone.