Overseas Study Visits Scheme

Overseas Study Visits 2008/09

One of the key aims of the PMI is to sustain and improve international student satisfaction ratings by strengthening the quality of the international student experience. The aim of this scheme is to identify relevant aspects of policy and best practice in institutions in key competitor countries overseas. It is therefore an opportunity for individual professional development and at the same time, will provide a contribution to national or sector policy in this area.

The following people have been selected to go on an overseas study visit:

• Sally Saca (Oxford Brookes University) “How can mentoring and buddying schemes aid integration into the host society?” (Norway)
• Fiona Nouri (Royal Veterinary College) “Veterinary medicine students’ experience of student support services and an investigation into the health and wellbeing aspects of the university structure” (USA & Canada)
• Wendy Knowles (York St. John University) “Good practice within services for disabled international students in American institutions – what can we learn from the American experience?” (USA)
• Katrina Abatis (University of Leicester) “Internationalisation of Japanese universities and the integration of students within the wider local community” (Japan)
• Sharon Bolton (Imperial College London) “The interpretation of Australian immigration rules by institutions and procedures adopted to ensure student compliance” (Australia)
• Erica Arthur (Keele University) “The basis for successful exchanges, focusing on student expectations and staff training” (Canada & South Korea)

Overseas Study Visits 2007/08

Nine study visit applications were received in 2007 and the following five were funded and completed. All the reports are published together in a special PMI edition of World Views or you can download each individually below.

• Rosemary Gibson, University of Nottingham - looking at ongoing programme offered to develop intercultural awareness and communications, to help students get the most out of their time at university - University of Melbourne & University of Minnesota.
  Report of study visit
• Jennifer Raper, Lancaster University - A comparative study of the processes of social integration - University of Melbourne, Monash University & University of Auckland.
  Report of study visit
• Claire Massey, University of Plymouth Students’ Union - The involvement and development of international students within volunteer programmes - Boston University, University of Massachusetts, North-Eastern University, Harvard & MIT.
  Report of study visit
• Alana Holland, University of Surrey - The integration of international students with Dutch students and the local community - Delft University of Technology, Leiden University, CHN University & University of Groningen.
  Report of study visit
• Christina Leong, Keele University – How Monash prepare and manage international education initiatives and projects - Monash University.
  Report of study visit