Innovative International
Student Support Programming

Innovative International Student Support Programming

Introduction

U.S. colleges and universities have been increasing the numbers of international students on campus at much larger levels than the numbers they send on study abroad. Not only are the numbers larger, but also the amount of time is also longer as most international students study on a U.S. campus for a full undergraduate or graduate degree.

One important issue is the question of how well prepared international students are on a college or university campus. However, a prepared international student is only one important issue. One of the hurdles that staff discuss is the question of whether U.S. students are really interested in interactions with "the other"... the international student that may not have the same interests and expectations as they enter a U.S. college or university as a U.S. citizen undergraduate student. Another of the critical areas for successful interactions between U.S. and international students is inside the classroom. However, do faculty understand ways that they can support international students special needs and are they finding ways to have international students enhance international learning in the classroom and on campus, particularly for U.S. students who don't study abroad?

With support from CSUDH and Terra Dotta Software, the Center for Global Education at California State University has collected samples of innovative practices at colleges and universities across the U.S. We hope these help in enhancing support on your campus:

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.