The outcome of the project will be a multimedia resource for prospective and current international students, demonstrating the wealth of experiential benefits to be gained from engaging with higher education opportunities beyond the degree course, including: work placements; volunteering; HOST visits; Students’ Union activities; clubs and societies; personal development planning; employability award programmes; community activities and so on.

The aim will be to encourage international students not only to develop the knowledge and skills to succeed academically in another country, but also to take advantage of the extra-curricular activities provided in order to enjoy a fuller and more rounded experience.

Why have you chosen this project?

What evidence is there that your project is needed?  What do you aim to achieve by undertaking this project?  (Please include benefits to a) students, b) institutions, c) the sector as a whole)

To date, considerable effort has been put into ensuring that international students coming to the UK are aware of the issues and challenges that they might face including those related to acculturation, legislation, accommodation, studying, employment and others. These are real issues that need to be addressed in order that they are fully prepared for studying in the UK and succeed and thrive within the sector.

We feel, however, that there is a need for a resource that will inform prospective international students in particular, but also those currently in the UK, about the range of extra-curricular opportunities available to them within UK higher education and the potential benefits from these. As far as can be ascertained, such a resource is not currently readily available. As such, it will complement the range of materials already provided through individual universities and agencies such as UKCISA covering the more fundamental aspects of UK higher education and what international students might expect to encounter when they come here. It will also build on the knowledge and understanding of community links developed by Katrina Abatis, International Student Adviser, following her recent PMI-funded visit to Japan.

This resource will encourage and motivate international students to become involved and to develop in contexts beyond the academic, enabling them to gain skills and understanding that they can take back to their countries and into their future careers.

The benefits to international students include:

• a richer and fuller experience at a UK university;
• a broader cultural awareness beyond the university campus;
• increased opportunities to meet home students outside their studies;
• more sophisticated language skills derived from non-academic contexts;
• opportunities for personal and social development;
• enhanced employability skills.

The benefits to institutions include:

• better integration of international students with home students;
• increased internationalisation of UK universities permeating across the campus;
• activities and bodies on campus which are more representative of the student body;
• more employable international graduates;
• greater links between the institution and the local community.

The benefits to the sector include:

• a more attractive and fuller picture of higher education to promote in the international higher education marketplace;
• international graduates returning as ambassadors to their own countries with a more rounded and richer experience of studying in the UK;
• international graduates feeling that they have gained more than just a degree for their efforts and their expense;
• an enhanced reputation for UK higher education abroad based on the opportunities it provides for social and personal development as well as its academic excellence.

In what ways is it innovative? 

This project is innovative for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is considerable material and advice already available for international students informing them of what to expect in the UK higher education system and their rights and responsibilities within this. This resource will complement this material by presenting a picture of UK university life that will inspire and encourage them to become involved in new activities, and to engage with life in the UK on a different, and more rewarding, plane from merely studying.

Secondly, this resource will encourage and motivate international students to take control of their higher education experience and to use it to further their own aspirations and to pursue attainments beyond their degree. It will demonstrate the wider benefits to be gained from the extra-curricular provision available at all UK institutions, how these benefits might be achieved, and what difference these might make to their cultural understanding, language skills, personal development, and general employability.

Thirdly, it will use a range of multi-media techniques in order to do this including: short filmed motivational interviews with international students in different settings; vibrant and exciting images drawn from many activities both on- and off-campus; helpful and informative text targeted at international students that will motivate and inspire. The resulting resource will be made available through the University’s website and as a CD-Rom for use in overseas countries, UK higher education institutions, and other appropriate settings.

Finally, it will be a flexible resource suitable for use within other higher education institutions. Although the examples and contexts will be drawn from Leicester, the general guidance given in the text and voiceover will be generic, making it clear that such opportunities are available throughout the sector.