Page 102 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience
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Chapter 5
students observed a drop, at least initially, in engagement and teaching effectiveness. One student felt that the quality of the lectures dropped because lecturers could not see the reactions of students who had their cameras off and so could not teach as effectively; several others attributed the initial dip in the effectiveness of the learning environment to what one undergraduate described as “shell- shock”, since the COVID-19 pandemic began abruptly. “I give them props for attempting to deliver the same quality of education as [they did] in person. Granted, it has not been the easiest,” said one student. All students felt that the IBC had effectively solicited and acted on feedback to improve, including, for example, shifting the times at which courses were scheduled in order to allow for breaks between online sessions; offering leniency for IT-related difficulties in completing online assignments or exams; and making lecturers more available to students to answer questions outside of class time.
Content analysis points to a differential effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on campuses of the same institution, often resulting from different national regulations. For example, Malaysia retained the requirement that counseling training be conducted in person, leading to delays in completing qualifications for some students at the Malaysia campus that were not experienced by students at the UK or Australia campuses. One student who was on an exchange program at the Australia campus at the start of the pandemic felt that the movement control order was stricter in Malaysia, noting that “the Malaysia campus was totally closed, whereas in Australia, when the lockdown wasn’t in place students could still go to campus for labs.”
On the other hand, two of the leaders of IBCs specifically mentioned that they felt the Malaysia campus was a better place to experience the pandemic than other campuses. One leader declared, “Malaysia adapted quickly. We just got on with it, and did some really great work, whereas in the UK, they took a bit longer to adapt.” The onset of the pandemic prompted one student to transfer from a large research university in Australia to an IBC in Malaysia—his home country. In addition to being closer to family and cheaper, he felt that the IBC






























































































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