Presenters will discuss best practices for the use of technology to support the academic needs of international students within the online/ face-to-face classroom environment.
"As the Web-based learning market becomes increasingly global, it is important for online education providers to have an understanding of the different educational values and cultural expectations of the participants as well as the impact of those differences on learning in order to maintain a competitive advantage in today's e-learning world" (Liu et al., 2010, p. 177). Along with online education, international student enrollment continues to rise across the United States and globally. The perceptions of international students often are not considered in course design thereby placing them at a disadvantage. Crose (2011) states, "in addition to international students, domestic students also comprise a diverse group of learners. With an increase in cultural diversity in the classroom, new challenges exist that faculty must be aware of in order to meet the needs of both host and international students" (p. 388).
Faculty can focus their efforts to accommodate all learners through establishing an inviting classroom environment, engaging students in class discussions, facilitating group activities and projects, creating a variety of assessments, and providing students with constructive and timely feedback. The suggestions offered in this session are designed to fit the needs of all students with the intention of ameliorating issues of dissonance via the integration of ICT (information and communications technology). This session will provide attendees with research-based best practices for the use of technological tools to support the academic needs of international students within the online and face-to-face classroom environment.
By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
1. Identify strategies to create an inviting classroom environment for learners.
2. Apply teaching best practices to engage students in class discussions.
3. Implement strategies to facilitate group activities and projects.
4. Describe strategies to create a variety of assessments.
5. List steps to take to implement technological tools.
References:
Crose, B. (2011). Internationalization of the higher education classroom: Strategies to facilitate intercultural learning and academic success. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 23(3), 388-395.
Liu, X., Liu, S., Lee, S., & Magjuka, R. J. (2010). Cultural differences in online learning: International student perceptions. Educational Technology & Society, 13(3), 177-188.