Rebecca Maxwell Stuart Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow 11 June 2015 Transnational Student Engagement

Content Background Conceptual Framework Demographics Student Engagement Student Identities Students as Partners Students as Customers Apathy Cycle Conclusions

BACKGROUND Conceptual Framework Demographic Data

Conceptual Framework Click here to insert text

Transnational Students 16(+2) students interviewed Semi-structured interviews minutes each 3 different Scottish institutions – Branch Campus (UAE) – International Centre (UAE & Singapore) – Twinning Program (India) All students were studying business related degrees 10 PGT / 8 UG 10 FT / 8 PT 10 internationals / 8 nationals 9 women / 9 men 7.5 were student reps Age range: 20 – 42 (avg. 29)

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT DEFINITION How Transnational Students Define Student Engagement

What is TNE Student Engagement? Student-led “Student engagement to me means representing the Uni A’s brand and getting to network within Uni A…. I think it is something that is more prominent in Scotland unlike the international centre, because I think it is the culture more, it is set up more in that way in Scotland. However, when it comes to the UAE, people don’t want to do a lot of stuff. So it’s work, university and then I don’t want to do anything else, I don’t want to get engaged.” Student 3 Staff-led “… I would define it as answering and involving the student into something, so that the student is engaging in a process, in a decision, in a strategy… Engagement is just involvement of a student.” Student 9 “…interact with the students is also important in order to interact with the lecturers.” Student 7

STUDENT IDENTITIES Students as Partners Students as Customers

Students as Partners Four Key Characteristics: Helping each other, ‘hand in hand’; “I feel that I have played both the roles of taking in what the college had to provide me, or the university had to provide me, and in some way giving it back in terms of my roles or my activities, my interactions so yes, it's like a partner.” Student 12 Being ‘part’ of the institution; “A partner cannot give an objective opinion about his or her university because he is a partner, he is a part of it. But if you ask from the customer-student he will say every detail objectively.” Student 7 Student voice, opinions matter, recognition; “See you are a partner when your opinions matter and it's a give and take situation.” Student 9 Advocacy. Representatives, ‘face’ of the university. “In a way we are representatives for the university. Because, if someone asks me how is the university, so I represent the university so okay I am the face of Uni B because I have studied through that university. So the way that I behave, the way I work in the industry, probably in some way I will also represent Uni B.” Student 13 The majority of students did not feel that they were partners, because they felt these four characteristics were not met.

Students as Customers Two Key Characteristics: Education as a product/service Student pays fees and then consume the service Students question the ‘value for money’ “Uni C. is providing me with something, and I am accessing it and using it and consuming it. So it basically makes me a customer. ” Student 10 Disengagement Particularly appropriate for part-time postgraduates Students feel alienated from the institution Low interaction from students, staff and institution “If I was a full time student I would probably consider myself a partner, but I'm more of a customer than a partner as I am a part time student and not engaged much with the university itself” Student 6 A number of students expressed that they did not like the term “customer” but felt resigned to using this term.

THE APATHY CYCLE

Apathy Cycle Students StaffUniversity TNE Students are invisible to institutions Out of sight, out of mind Focus is on local students External commitments No closing the loop No representation Why bother? Students do not engage much in class. Too many commitments Students complain too much and too often

Who has the power to break this cycle?

Conclusions Students are committed to their degree, to learning and personal development The classroom is where students feel most engaged TNE students are alienated from the general university community Low partnership, high consumerism No closing the feedback loop Apathy Cycle

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