This presentation examines ways of improving International Postgraduate students’ educational experience through staging and scaffolding professional development activities with staff and students. We are actively supporting educators to improve and reflect on their practice within this context. Recently, the VC suggested in a SMH article that: “the future of Australian universities is likely to include bite-sized degrees, on demand courses and online-only programs for international students to meet the growing global demand for tertiary education” (July, 2018). This presentation details a range of Career Development Learning initiatives that the presenters co-lead in the Faculty of Art & Design, to support these goals. This presentation will present policies, data outcomes and design educator’s reflections on their experiences of teaching International students. The need for change comes amid warnings that “40 per cent of existing university degrees will soon be obsolete as a growing numbers of employers and students say many courses no longer align with industry requirements” (Ernst & Young, 2018). Both government and institutional strategies for future planning, exploration of wider educational theories and issues will be explored through engagement activities that are aimed at reassessing how we as educators can work together to improve the International student experience.
About Arianne Rourke
Associate Professor Arianne Rourke is an academic in the Faculty of Art and Design, Scientia Education Fellow and the Program Director of the Masters of Design. Her research examines ways of improving visual instructional design towards the long-term retention of learning. Since 2016, Arianne has Co-Curating a series of eight books on: ‘Transformative pedagogies in the visual domain’ with 163 authors from all over the globe from twenty-one countries and ninety-eight different educational institutions.
About Kim Snepvangers
Dr Kim Snepvangers is Director: Professional Experience & Engagement Projects in the Faculty of Art & Design. As the recipient of a 2017 SEIF Grant with the Faculty of Science and a 2016 SEF#3 Teaching Fellowship, her research interweaves creative and professional leadership contexts. Recent co-authored books engage visualisation with creative ecologies, visual encounters and digital assets at scale. Her research connects international, national and local projects to address marginalisation in diverse communities.
Photo Caption: A/Prof Arianne Rourke & Dr Kim Snepvangers with their 2017 Emerald Literati Award for Excellence/Highly Commended Paper.