A First-Year Seminar for
International Students
Maureen Andrade
BYU-Hawaii
Overview
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The Institution – BYU Hawaii
International Students in the U.S.
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Course Development
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Needs Analysis
Curriculum Development
Course Assessment
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Quick Facts
Adjustment: Language, Education System, Social, Financial
Small Group Instructional Diagnosis
Course Evaluations
Student & Faculty Surveys
Conclusions & Implications
The Institution – BYU Hawaii
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Private, religiously-affiliated, 4-year
2,400 students, 45% international
Asia, South Pacific
Admitted with a 475 TOEFL
Tested to determine need for further English
language support (credit-bearing courses in
EIL program)
International Students in the U.S.
Quick Facts
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580,000 in 2001-2002
4% of the total enrollment; 13.7% graduate student
enrollment
56% Asian
Primarily concentrated in metropolitan areas
Research I, Master’s I, Community Colleges
6 year graduation rates – nonresident aliens 56.7%
compared to 56% all students (NCAA)
One-year retention rate – nonresident aliens 76%
(CSRDE) compared to 72% all students (ACT)
International Students in the U.S.
Adjustment: Language Skills
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Excellent English skills by standards of home countries
TOEFL scores do not guarantee sufficient competency
Sensitivity to language ability hinders class participation,
social interaction
Vocabulary challenging; native-speaker discourse
Difficulties understanding lectures & reading materials,
completing writing assignments, taking tests
Expressing opinions, asking questions
More time needed to complete assignments and tests
International Students in the U.S.
Adjustment: Educational System
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Often best educated in home countries
Accustomed to passive learning (i.e. lectures)
Don’t engage in academic discourse; receive truth from,
agree with & respect professor
American classrooms informal; freedom of expression
discourteous
Unfamiliar classroom customs – attendance, frequent
testing & assignments, grading, self-directed learning,
academic honesty
Collectivist or individualist cultures – discomfort with
group work or independent work
International Students in the U.S.
Adjustment: Social
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Minority in a majority culture
Social isolation (communal living, extended
families)
Less social support than American students
More lonely & homesick than American students
Focus on studies & exclude social life
Difficulties communicating in English
Views of friendship differ
International Students in the U.S.
Adjustment: Financial
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Fewer sources of financial support
Little or no access to welfare, loans,
scholarships
Must be enrolled full-time
Pay out-of-state tuition
Financial support from home may be unstable
Pressure to graduate as soon as possible
Course Development
Needs Analysis: Process
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Self-study of the EIL program
Participants included EIL faculty, other
faculty, administrators, support service staff,
students
Weekly meetings, focus groups, surveys,
retreat over one-year period
Data compiled & analyzed by a 6-member
curriculum committee
Course Development
Needs Analysis: Findings
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Address student transition
Current orientation not meeting needs of
international students
Information provided in EIL program varied & was
inconsistently provided
Semester-long course; 2 credits
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Specific needs
Appropriate level of language
More time to interact with materials
Course Development
Needs Analysis: Themes
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Policies & procedures of the EIL program
Policies & procedures of the University
Campus resources, time management,
computer & study skills
American university classroom culture
American culture; appreciation for diversity
Knowledge of regional history & culture
Course Development
Needs Analysis: EIL
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EIL course requirement
Curriculum
Advancement & completion
Length of time to complete
Credit
Policies – absence & complaint
Course Development
Needs Analysis: University
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Graduation requirements
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Credit hours
Grading system
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General education
Major & minor
Electives
Letter grades
Grade point average
Academic standing
Academic advising
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Registration (online)
Major academic plan
Course Development
Needs Analysis: Campus Resources
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Academic Support
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Physical Well-Being
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Recreation centers
Health Center
Security
Student Development
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Labs & Tutoring – reading, writing, listening, speaking, math, computer
Computer, study, time management skills
Library
International Student Services
Career Services
Counseling
Social Interaction
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Student Association
Religious Activities
Course Development
Needs Analysis: Education System
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Active learning
Assignments
Course syllabus
Academic honesty
Attendance, punctuality
Levels of formality
Course Development
Needs Analysis: Culture
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Friendship
Dating
Appropriate questions
Gestures / Body language
Stages of cultural adjustment
Cultural values
Course Development
Needs Analysis: Hawaii/Community
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History
Language
Customs
Places of significance
Using the bus
Getting a driver’s license
Course Development
Curriculum: Materials
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Reviewed available texts & materials
University catalog & website
Rotation system to develop materials
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Four instructors divided up objectives
Created materials & taught to four different
sections
Revised & refined
Course Development
Curriculum: Activities
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Pair & group work
Surveys, interviews, observations
Presentations
Guests
Orientations to support services
Learner journal – emphasize English skills
E-mail, internet sites
Course Assessment
Small Group Instructional Diagnosis
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Facilitator visits class mid-semester
What do you like about the class, what needs
improvement, what suggestions do you have
for bringing about the improvement?
Group discussion followed by whole class
Ideas recorded & given to instructor
Instructor follows up with class & facilitator
Course Assessment
SGID: Findings
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Too easy
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Learner journal assignment introduced
Focus on language
Helped teachers identify what needed to be
reviewed
Attendance important
Students liked rotation
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Good for course development
Logistic problems with more sections
Course Assessment
Course Evaluations
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Objectives, organization, homework, content,
texts & materials, exams, grading, knowledge
or skills
7 point scale (strongly disagree to very
strongly agree)
340 students over 5 year period
Average for all questions 5.6
Course Assessment
Student Surveys
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60 students; 93% response rate; administered in class
Questions
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What do you like about the course?
What types of information were most valuable to you as a
new student?
Is there anything missing from the course that you would
like to see included?
What suggestions do you have for improvement of the
course?
Do you feel the course will have a positive effect on you as
a student at the university?
What do you like about the course?
What types of information were most
valuable to you as a new student?
Anything missing from the course that
you would like to see included?
What suggestions do you have for
improving the course?
Do you feel the course will have a
positive effect on you as a student?
Course Assessment
Faculty Survey
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Do you focus on some objectives more than others?
If so, which ones and why?
Briefly describe some of your most successful
activities & lessons.
Summarize information from learner journals about
student reactions to the course.
Do you see the course as valuable to international
students? Why or why not?
What percentage of time, if any, do you spend
focusing on language skills?
Do you focus on some of the
objectives more than others?
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Not really
EIL program
University policies & resources
Varied some depending on student needs &
interests
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Submitting late assignments, coming unprepared
– time management, expectations
Briefly describe some of your most
successful activities or lessons.
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Question period – first five minutes of class
Puzzle of U. S. – diversity & size
Library tour
Media lab
Bank representative
Dating panel
Group presentations
Summarize information from learner
journals about student reactions.
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Similar to survey responses
Overall, students satisfied
“I expected most of the course material to be
taken as officious and superfluous, but none of
it was so taken. Perhaps my sparkling
presentations made everything interesting, or
perhaps students are simply hungry for good,
accurate, reliable info - presented in a form
that is simple and easy to take.”
Do you see the course as valuable to
international students?
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“As a former international student, I teach
things that I wish someone had told me
before. Students understand that and they are
appreciative of what I teach in this class.”
“As I see it, [name of course] is a useful
venue for students to relax a bit and talk about
real, new-student issues with a semiauthoritative information source.”
How does the course need
improvement?
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Standardized & updated materials
Class excursions
What percentage of time do you spend
focusing on language skills?
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Language not taught explicitly but learned
through course activities
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Reading skills
Presentations
Summaries
New vocabulary
Class participation
Listening to lectures & presentations
Conclusions & Implications
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Initiative is successful in aiding transition
More thorough treatment of orientation materials; appropriate
to audience
Involvement behaviors identified
Limitations:
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Data self-reported but students not self-selected
No control group; actual adjustment not measured
No measures of academic achievement or persistence
Objective is adjustment, not persistence
Further research:
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Determine if benefits long-lasting (involvement, active learning)
Investigate ways to provide further support after first semester