Getting to Know Your International Students

Abstract

Instructors and international students often face misunderstandings caused by different implicit expectations about education and learning. These implicit expectations are shaped by past educational experiences in varied cultural contexts. This multimedia resource introduces you to the lived experiences of five international students at KPU. In a series of videos, students share about the following topics: Expectations about assignments -- Classroom experiences in their home countries -- Understandings about plagiarism -- Surprises in the transition to the Canadian education system -- Forming relationships with instructors, and -- Using English in the classroom.

By listening to these students’ experiences, you will come to better understand the challenges experienced by students transitioning to Canada. This will equip you to make the implicit expectations of the Canadian post-secondary system explicit to your students, enabling more successful learning for all.