Page 108 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience

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Chapter 5
Education Authority found that more than 80% of students in the country felt supported academically during the COVID-19 pandemic (Donnelly, 2021). However, given that some aspects of the move to online learning are likely to be permanent, it is critical that IBCs invest in training academic staff and putting supports in place to successfully offer online and blended learning. The finding that, in some cases, academic staff were being more lenient in marking/grading, as well as the policy of one faculty to erase failing grades, is likely a departure from the academic quality the university seeks to offer and the assurance of academic equivalency across campuses.
Results suggest that fostering a strong sense of community that is specific to the IBC gives students reasons to enroll at the IBC, rather than, for example, enrolling in the degree program online. Interviews with students revealed that they primarily identify as part of their campus community, and secondarily as a part of the wider university community. It stands to reason that IBCs that are not able to maintain a sense of community unique to their campus may struggle to attract and retain students. This is supported by Astin’s Student Involvement Theory (1999) as well as research indicating that students’ level of integration is predictive of their satisfaction with their experience (Merola et al., 2019). IBCs that are teaching online must community as a part of the value proposition for students to make enrolling an appealing option.
Results highlighted the potential of IBCs to increase education pathways and mobility options. IBCs aided universities in student enrollment during the pandemic by allowing some students to study at their campus instead of at the home campus, for those that could not do so for various reasons. Universities had begun to promote the various education pathways and programs available more heavily in connection with the IBC, for example, the option to begin a degree at the IBC and then transfer to the home campus. Going forward, universities may leverage the greater quality and availability of online provision to make education pathways and mobility options within the reach of more students.