The International Postgraduate Student Experience – QAA perspective Dr Laura Bellingham Research, Development and Partnerships Group UKCGE workshop Thursday 19 th April 2012, University of Edinburgh

UKCGE workshop “The objective is to enable participants to identify the key issues for supervisors when working with international research students, and to develop strategies for managing these issues”.

Role of the QAA QAA’s mission is to safeguard standards and improve the quality of UK higher education We work with the higher education community to develop reference points and guidance that are used by all providers We conduct reviews and publish reports that identify findings inc. recommendations and good practice We investigate concerns

UK Quality Code for Higher Education 1.Programme design and approval 2.Admissions 3.Learning and teaching 4.Student support, learning resources and careers education 5.Student engagement 6.Assessment and APL 7.External examining 8.Programme monitoring and review 9.Complaints and appeals 10.Collaborative arrangements 11.Research degrees

UK Quality Code for Higher Education The Code covers the whole of the UK and relates to all students Individual chapters may set out particular circumstances relating to international students and postgraduate students and others Additional guidance for international students has recently been published

Research degrees Originally Section 1 of Code of practice Now chapter B11 of UK Quality Code Consultation earlier this year Pertains to doctorates and research master’s Includes a national ‘Expectation’ and additional ‘Indicators’ that set out what the community and QAA expects

Research degrees: Expectation HE providers award research degrees in a peer reviewed research environment that provides secure academic standards for doing and learning about research. This environment also includes and appropriate infrastructure which offers students the support and resources they need for successful academic and personal outcomes of their research degrees

Research degrees: Indicators 22 Indicators covering: the research environment, supervisor arrangements, regulations, information provided to students, admission & selection, induction, skills development, assessment, and complaints & appeals. Draft available at: ions/Pages/research-degrees.aspx ions/Pages/research-degrees.aspx

International students guidance nformationAndGuidance/Documen ts/International-students.pdf Available at:

Development Thematic enquiries 2009 Scoping discussion April 2010 Advisory group Consultation Aug – Oct 2011 Published Jan 2012 General principles, signposts to further guidance, student lifecycle

Content –Introduction –Overarching principles –Marketing and recruitment –Admissions –Pre-arrival –Enrolment, orientation and student services –Academic induction and learning and teaching –Employability and careers education –Graduation and departure

Overarching principles: An inclusive environment Institutions should seek to provide an inclusive environment where the needs of international students are considered and met alongside those of other students in an integrated and embedded way.

Continuous improvement Institutions should continuously reflect on and review their policies and practices, actively seeking and using feedback from students, to make improvements.

Student engagement Institutions should ensure that international students are represented in student engagement activities and that their feedback is taken into account in making enhancements to existing policies and practice.

Clear and accessible information Institutions should ensure that the information they provide at all stages of the student lifecycle is clear, accessible, accurate, and consistent across the institution. Where technical terminology is unavoidable, clear explanation should be provided.

Shared responsibility Responsibility for meeting the needs of a diverse student body should rest with all staff within an institution, not just those with a specific remit for managing international students' experiences.

Staff development All staff working with international students should have access to appropriate training and development opportunities, which support them in recognising and addressing the needs of an internationally diverse student community.