Central Queensland University Australian International Campus

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Central Queensland University Australian
International Campus

• Student Services UnitPresented by
• Professor Ken HawkinsChief General Manager
  International CampusesMs. Gail BakerManager,
  Student Client ServicesMelbourne International
  Campus

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Sequence of Presentation

• Context
• Student Services Unit
• Staffing Integration
• International Campus Features
• At Risk Students
• Academic Monitoring
• Retention

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Student Services UnitcomprisingStudent
Client ServicesLearning Skills UnitRetention

• To assist all students to
• achieve personal, professional and academic
  success

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Organisational Chart
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Integration of Staff

• The Manager Student and Client Services in
  association with the Retention Manager and the
  Learning Skills Manager meet the needs and
  concerns of all students and clients who
  interface with the campus.
• These roles involve supporting general and
  academic staff in the areas of student welfare
  and academic services, immigration compliance and
  related Visa issues and assists in providing each
  individual with optimum support in terms of well
  being and academic progress.

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International Campuses

• Smaller, more personal campuses
• Easier to get to know students personally
• Possible at risk students can be identified
  early
• Support/monitoring strategies can be implemented
  early for maximum benefit
• Student cultural networks very tight-knit

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Definition of at risk

• Young people become at risk because of a lack
  of connectedness to family, community, peers or
  significant other
• Definition used by Australian Education
  Departments and
• Australian Departments of Human Services
• As most international students are living away
  from family and friends in order to complete
  their studies, according to this definition they
  have the potential to become at risk and fail
  to achieve their academic goal.

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• Imagine travelling to a foreign country where
  the language spoken is not your first language,
  beginning your studies in a degree perhaps not of
  your choosing and one that you have limited
  knowledge of. Then for good measure, add in a
  different system of education, local language
  challenges, vastly different weather conditions,
  money, transport, food, local customs and
  immigration regulations that state you must study
  hard and pass or you will be sent back to your
  own country.
• For most young people who choose to study
  overseas, they do so successfully and return to
  their home country triumphantly. However, for
  those who fail in their endeavours to gain a
  degree, it means returning home in shame and for
  some, it means never being able to return home
  again because of the enormity of that shame.

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Monitoring at risk students

• Manager Student Client Services
• Retention Manager
• Manager Learning Skills Unit
• Student Adviser

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Reasons for failure

• Social factors
• Homesickness
• Loneliness
• Lack of networks
• Many international students live alone and due
  to cultural background and values or shyness,
  find it difficult to make friends and meet new
  people, thus they are placed at risk of becoming
  alienated, lonely and targets for unscrupulous
  predators. We have many cases of young women,
  living alone, befriended by young men often from
  their own culture, who gain their confidence,
  deceive them and steal their savings and
  subsequently disappear.

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Reasons for failure continued

• Financial
• Need to work to supplement income
• International students tend to work odd hours in
  the most at risk areas of employment taxi
  driving, 24 hour supermarkets and service
  stations. The hours they work may impinge on
  their studies, with many finishing work at 7am
  and starting class at 9am. One student was
  robbed and beaten three times within a six week
  period driving a cab. He became agoraphobic and
  was counselling by the Manager, SCS via the
  internet and telephone until he felt comfortable
  enough to leave the safety of his home and return
  to the campus.

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Reasons for failure continued

• Program selection not suitable (In many
  instances, students programs are selected by
  parents based on global market trends, not on
  previous knowledge or experience)
• Poor attendance
• Inadequate assessment background - all exams.
• Lack of experience with critical enquiry
  (academic)
• Lack of experience with academic conventions
• Many students have never written an essay or
  report as in many cases much of their previous
  study has been purely exam based. Research,
  referencing and plagiarism are foreign concepts,
  and students often have limited or no experience
  with oral presentations or case studies. The LSU
  works intensively with students to assist in
  these areas.

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Monitoring Academic Progresscontinuing students

• If failed gt 50, report generated by Manager
  Student Administration
• Letter sent advising student of appointment
• Student interviewed
• Analysis of students situation at interview
• If one off situation - monitor
• If ongoing problem - discuss strategies
• LSU small groups/individual appointments less
  threatening - helps shy student
• Counsel re changing program
• Counsel re changing employment

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• Changing study load to 3 3 2
• External referral eg psychologist
• Meet regularly with Student Client Services
  team member
• Attendance and assignment submission monitored
  during term
• Results checked at end of term prior to next
  enrolment
• Either allowed to re-enrol (may include altered
  conditions)
• Or program cancelled and reported to DIMIA
• Option to transfer to distance education may be
  offered

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Student Monitoring Programnew students

• Students interviewed prior to enrolment and
  contract signed
• Analysis of students situation
• Discuss support/monitoring strategies
• LSU
• Attendance
• Assignment submission
• Monitoring of non-academic issues eg welfare
  referred to Manager Student Client Services
• This category would include VCE students and
  others deemed to be possibly at risk upon
  arrival. They are monitored to avoid problems
  arising.

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Results Autumn 2004 - MIC

• Continuing students placed on condition and
  monitored 167
• Continuing students meeting conditions and
  enrolled into Winter 2004 term 138
• 20 cancelled for not meeting course requirements
• 2 transferred to TAFE
• 2 cancelled for non-payment of fees
• 5 did not re-enrol

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Results Autumn 2004 - SIC

• Continuing students placed on condition and
  monitored 257
• Continuing students meeting conditions and
  enrolled into Winter 2004 term 175
• 66 cancelled for not meeting course requirements
• 16 did not re-enrol

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• Autumn 2004 New Students - MIC
• New students placed on condition and monitored
  144
• New students meeting conditions and enrolled into
  Winter 2004 term 102
• 13 students cancelled for not meeting course
  requirements
• 21 students cancelled by DIMIA
• 5 cancelled their own program
• 3 failed to re-enrol

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Learning Skills Unit

• The number of students who receive assistance
  each week
• MIC 278
• SIC 295
• BIC 50
• GIC 70

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LSU continued..

• Most common requests for assistance by students
• Essay/report writing
• Assignment structure/planning
• Referencing
• Case studies
• Understanding the assignment question
• Grammar
• Communicating with lecturers

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Student Client Services

• Most common requests for assistance from
  students
• Personal problems counselling
• Visa/MRT/ DIMIA queries letters of support
• Academic counselling referrals to faculties/LSU
• Employment queries referrals to TECC
• Local services, clubs, activities
• Grievances
• DIMIA Department of Immigration, Multicultural
  and Indigenous Affairs
• MRT Migration Review Tribunal

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Our achievements

• MIC Waruntip Graduated September 04.
  Achieved 3 HD, 10D, 5C 1P. Received Campus
  Directors Award.
• BIC Serina Achieved 2HD, 2D, 1C 1P.
• SIC Komal Achieved 1HD 4C.
• GIC Joong Achieved 1HD, 1D, 3C 1P.
• These students had failed all courses in either
  one or two
• terms prior to achieving these results.

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Retention initiatives

• Pro-active Orientation Program
• Linking students to LSU academic assistance
• Linking students to TECC
• New student lunch
• Cultural calendar - to celebrate our cultural
  diversity
• Links to local sporting clubs
• Links to local multicultural groups
• Culturally sensitive counselling
• Sometimes, simply providing a sympathetic ear

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External relationships

• Referrals to external welfare agencies,
  counsellors/psychologists (refer to ESOS
  Guidelines)
• DIMIA
• Migration Review Tribunal (MRT)
• Melbourne City Student Safety Committee

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• Melbourne City Student Safety Committee
• The Melbourne City Student Safety Committee is a
  pilot project formed between the Victorian Police
  and universities and colleges in the Melbourne
  CBD in response to violence against international
  students, particularly by perpetrators who are
  from the same cultural group. There have been a
  number of cases in Australia of international
  students being kidnapped, held for a period of 3
  or 4 days, tortured and robbed of their savings.
  In most cases the student doesnt report the
  crime and simply returns to their home country,
  thus not achieving their educational or personal
  goals. We are working together to raise the
  profile of the police and to ensure that students
  know it is safe to report crime.

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• On many occasions when working with students
  experiencing difficulties, I advise them that I
  have a daughter their age and can understand some
  of what they are experiencing. I am immediately
  elevated to mother status which alleviates many
  of their concerns, doubts, and opens up
  communication between us.
• The transition from high school to university is
  difficult enough for all students, but problems
  can be further amplified for international
  students who also experience culture shock. As a
  team, Student Services attempts to validate
  students cultural identity within our
  multicultural environment by providing a range of
  fun, cultural events on campus, whilst assisting
  them academically. Our aim is to connect
  students to their peers, the university community
  and/or significant others in order to build the
  protective factors which reduce the negative
  factors that can put our young people at risk.
• We aim to instil a sense of hope in our students
  so that they feel connected, committed, involved
  and future oriented in order to achieve personal,
  professional and academic success.