Best Practice when Lecturing to International Students Marie Ainslie, Lesley Edmondson & Lorraine Pickett-Rose

I was completely lost until the 2 nd semester. I didnt know where he was coming from – what I was doing and why I was doing this unit. I hadnt got a clue – it was terrifying (Greek, postgraduate)

The stuff hes covering is relevant, but the way he gives the lecture we find it hard to understand (Japanese, postgraduate)

They dont understand how lost you can be and how much you dont understand. (Greek, postgraduate)

Background to the Study Initial observation of lectures and questionnaires Focus groups

Participant Profile 53 students 33 postgraduates - 20 undergraduates 50% of all students have been in the UK for less than a year Others range from 1 year – 9 years Majority of students studying a business related subject

Nationalities of students

The main concerns arising from student comments Use of specialist vocabulary Delivery Use of visual aids Use of examples Format of the lecture – length, organisation Lecturing style

Use of specialist vocabulary The lecturer was so confident…talking about NVQs/GNVQs and I was completely lost until the second semester (Greek, postgraduate) Translation is more complex in China. One sentence can be translated into many different things. Some concepts in UK & HK have different definitions (Chinese, postgraduate)

Student recommendations Reduce the amount of specialist vocabulary at the beginning of a unit Give vocabulary lists & meanings in advance Give vocabulary for students to check for themselves Run special induction courses for international students to check the understanding of key concepts

Delivery When they talk fast, its hard to understand (Cypriot, postgraduate) Voice is flat. He doesnt emphasise anything. It seems like everything is the same (Japanese, postgraduate)

Student recommendations Slow down Use your voice to emphasise important points Repeat key points and summarise There is a Portuguese saying Explain it slowly to be understood quickly. It sums it up

Use of Visual Aids Sometimes our lecturer gives us a big diagram and there are lots of links to this and that. We just keep writing but we dont understand (Taiwanese, postgraduate) When we have a class and we dont have a handout before the lecture. Its hard to just write and listen at the same time (Cypriot, postgraduate)

Student recommendations Dont make visuals too complicated & give students time to absorb the information in a diagram & make notes Dont simply read what is on the slide – explain & discuss, use examples & fewer slides

Use of Examples Use less TV examples. Some international students dont watch TV (Myanamar, undergraduate) Most examples seem to be European. We dont know them (Chinese, undergraduate) If tutor gives examples its easier.Tutors fit too much in one hour and go too fast. One hour is enough but we need clearer examples (Chinese, undergraduate)

Student recommendations Apply theory to real-life examples Use global examples that are not culturally biased

Format of the Lecture Some interesting lectures can last one hour. More than one hour is too long (Chinese, postgraduate) 3 hour lecture and sometimes the lecturer nearly forgets the break. My concentration goes (Vietnamese, postgraduate)

Student recommendations Dont try to fit too much information into one lecture otherwise its rushed and students dont understand Involve the students - ask questions & allow students to ask questions - encourage students to give their own examples

Further student recommendations Give out handouts with room for notes Give out handouts before the lecture Give all the handouts in a booklet at the start of the unit Give students time to make notes Put (simple) supplementary materials on the intranet Record lectures & put them on the intranet for viewing later

Explain specialist terminology and any acronyms in the lecture Use pictures/images for interest & understanding Use short, simple sentences on slides