Innovative International Student Support Programming

Innovations in Academic Advisement for International Students

Institution Program Details
American University

Lit-160: The Culture of Higher Education in the U.S.

  • This course explores the cultural assumptions underlying academic practices and personal interactions in university communities in the U.S. It focuses on decisions students make to define their relationships within the academic cultures in which they find themselves. Special attention is paid to how U.S. cultural norms are viewed by observers from other countries. Course topics include, but are not limited to: understanding the educational institutional context, including the role of academic integrity; examining student-faculty interactions; conducting research; and successful cultural adaptation. Modules include: (1) Culture & the US University as a Discourse Community, (2) Intercultural Communication on Campus, (3) The Principles of Argument & Authority in US Education, (4) Issues of Language and Power, and (5) Cultural Adjustment and Fatigue.
Binghamton University

The Academic Success Program

  • The Academic Success Program (ASP) gives international students a head start transitioning to American college life. The ASP is a requirement for admission to Binghamton University for a select group of international students. Students apply for Binghamton University admission as usual and are then chosen by the Admissions Committee to attend the ASP.
  • This five–week program held during the summer before freshman year is designed to help you further develop your English language proficiency while earning up to six (6) credits toward your degree. In addition, you will learn where to get academic support, become familiar with the campus and local culture through a few day trips, and connect with fellow students and faculty.
Boise State University

UNIV 115: Transitions for International Students

  • This one–credit class will help international students build an effective support system and explore academic skills and behaviors necessary for educational success. This class provides academic support to familiarize students with Boise State Culture, campus resources, policies, procedures and student life opportunities. Students will also develop an academic plan.
Drexel University

HUM006: Speaking and Listening

  • This four-hour, non-credit course is available for undergraduate and graduate international students who need to develop skills and confidence in their oral communication skills.
Gonzaga University

UNIV 112 – Bridge to Western Culture

  • This course is designed for international students from non-Western cultures who will benefit from additional basic knowledge of the essential history, people, and ideas that have forged the societies of the Western world. It is intended to facilitate the international student's transition into the intellectual life of the American liberal arts university and to enhance prospects of success at Gonzaga University. Course components include the development of study skills and strategies, as well as an introduction to Western religions, philosophy, history, the Jesuit tradition, and U.S. culture. Readings will be taken from a variety of sources, many of them on the Internet. Eligible students will include graduates of Gonzaga's English Language Center, international freshmen and transfer students, and other interested persons.
Green River Community College

International Student College Experience

  • International Student College Experience prepares all new international students for academic success at Green River and beyond. It provides students with essential information and practical skills that will help make their transition to Green River Community College and the US as seamless as possible.
  • International Student College Experience targets areas where students are known to struggle during their first quarters. The course is taught by one instructor and a variety of guest speakers such as successful alumni, current senior students, and other experts on a wide variety of relevant topics.
Indiana University at Bloomington

SLST-T125: Academic Language and Culture at US Universities for International Students

  • For international students who have passed the IEPE (Indiana English Proficiency Exam). Introduction for international students to academic language and culture at universities within the United States with a focus on language and communication in use for interaction in the classroom setting and other learning environments. Engagement in academic, linguistic, and experiential discovery of the university as a cultural space with the goal of ensuring academic success.
Stanford University

"A Stanford Education" – A New Way of learning

  • Provides international students an overview of the Academic System at Stanford including academic integrity, in-class learning, and tips for academic success to help international students begin their studies.
University of California at Berkeley

CW 21 - Conflict Management for Academic Success for International Students

  • This advanced oral communications course is reserved for first-year international students who speak a first language other than English. Students learn and practice university level cross-cultural communication strategies to help them fully participate in academic life. Applying Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) theories and methods used in business and law, students develop strategies for resolving communication problems, misunderstandings, and conflicts that can arise in academic settings and beyond. CW 21 is designed to improve class participation skills, including understanding lectures and instructions; contributing to and leading group discussions; speaking up in class; and asking for and using feedback from professors.
University of California at Davis

EDU98: Introduction to American Culture and the University Experience

  • The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers International Student Resources, which include office hours for information/referrals and a series of EDU 98 seminars to introduce new international students to American culture and the University experience.
  • New international students may register for one 2-unit P/NP seminar, EDU 98, each quarter of their first year at UC Davis. Each seminar includes views on American culture, an introduction to resources on campus, and practice in successful student strategies that will help you to excel at UC Davis.
University of California at Irvine

University Studies 84, Bridges to University Success

  • The purpose of this course is to assist first-year international students in making a successful transition to the University of California, Irvine, which includes a focus on academics as well as the social and emotional aspects of transition. The course is also meant to help students identify and develop strategies that will facilitate their adjustment and enhance chances for success at UCI. The course consists of lectures, discussion, course assignments, writing labs, and other activities – all designed to provide students with comprehensive insights that will help identify and strengthen the skills, resources, and talents needed to achieve and have a positive experience at UCI.

We would appreciate your feedback. We would like to hear from you about any programs you've developed to help support the orientation and integration of international students on your campus as well as others you've seen as positive models at other institutions! Please provide that information to us at contact@globaled.us.