Seneca International Student Services Identifying International College Students at Risk of Academic Failure
Outline of the Presentation 1. Historical Background 2. Challenges Faced by International Students 3. Identifying Students at Risk of Academic Failure 4. Discussion
Demographic Weight of the 18- to 24-Year-Old Population in Canada
Full-Time Students Enrolled at Ontario CAATs YearNumber of Students , , , , , , , , , ,536
International Full-Time Students Enrolled at Ontario CAATs YearNumber of Students 20046, , , , , , , , , ,273
Percentage of International Students at 24 Ontario CAATs
Difficulties that CAATs May Face If the current rates of increase in international students and decrease in domestic students persist, in 10 years half of all students at Ontario colleges will be international 2. HE institutions may not be adequately prepared to deal with the increase in such students on their campuses 3. Research shows that HE institutions where international students constitute more than 25% of the student population are likely to experience challenges
Graduation Rates for Ontario CAATs ( KPI)
Challenges Faced by International College Students 1. Mastering English 2. Adjusting to the Canadian classroom 3. Learning the rules of academic honesty 4. Coping with financial problems 5. Asking for help As a result of these factors, international students often underperform academically and consequently withdraw from college.
What Can Be Done To Help International Students Succeed? 1. Importance of the first semester - A large percentage of students who fail their first semester drop out 2. Starfish early alert system 3. Identification of students at risk of academic failure before they start their programs
Student Characteristics 1. Age Students aged 20 to 22 are most likely to fail 2. Gender Female students are more likely to succeed 3. High school GPA Strong correlation between HSGPA and academic success 4. Type of program Certificate, diploma, degree, graduate certificate 5. Country of origin 6. Use of an agent
Question for Discussion The first step is to identify international students who are likely to experience academic difficulties. What approach should be taken to help such students?