Four narratives about online international students: a critical literature review

Abstract

In the current higher education context, where there is a growing economic imperative for universities to recruit more international students, offering online programmes is seen as an effective international recruitment strategy. However, supporting online international students studying at a distance is not a simple task for both universities and tutors. The problem mainly stems from a lack of theoretical understanding of the actual ways, in which online international students experience and engage with online learning. The present article, therefore, aims to address a gap in our current understanding of online international students, by systematically, yet critically reviewing relevant academic narratives about who online international students are. Our review reveals four types of narratives presented in the published academic literature, describing and discussing online international students in particular ways such as: i) unspecified others with a rapid increase in their numbers; ii) specific others with deficits; iii) specific others as pedagogical resources; and iv) active participants in international learning communities. We discuss both the merits and the drawbacks of each type of narratives for online educators seeking pedagogical suggestions about supporting online international students in their real-life teaching contexts.

Student learning during COVID-19: It was not as bad as we feared.

“…In fact, the higher satisfaction among international students in our data demonstrates the limitation of the deficit-oriented narratives about international students that exclusively highlight what they may lack (e.g., communication skills, cultural understanding). As argued elsewhere (K. Lee & Bligh, 2019), such problemsolver attitudes toward particular student groups do not help us build an accurate understanding of their experiences. Thus, the field can benefit more from studentcentered exploratory research approaches for example, phenomenological and ethnographical studies on distance learners' lived experiences.…”

Virtual Internationalization – we did it our way

“…For instance, cultural variances in languages between nations can require time-consuming efforts to translate learning material and to find a language that is interpreted in a common way by both faculty and students (Critelli et al, 2017;Ryan et al, 2017). Differences in views on learning and expectations of students can create uncertainties for students regarding how to act in learning situations; this notion is especially visible in studies that compare different intercultural backgrounds of students (Harrison et al, 2018;Lee & Bligh, 2019;Pisutova, 2016). Administrative issues such as signing partnership agreements and merging educational systems, for instance how to grade and give credits when setting out from different system logics, can create both frustration and sometimes new innovative solutions (Larsson et al, 2005;Ryan et al, 2017).…”

“It's Doable”: International Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning in the U.S. During the Pandemic

“…Second, previous studies focused on online learning experiences of international students who registered for online or hybrid (i.e., mixed class which employed online as well as face-to-face instruction) course(s) in the first place, which did not capture international students’ experiences of a sudden transition into a fully online learning environment. Furthermore, online higher education literature has tended to overlook the unique characteristics of international students who study online and view them as a monolithic group rather than a diverse one ( Lee & Bligh, 2019 ). Students’ online learning is often taken for granted, as Biesenbach-Lucas (2003) notes that technology is frequently implemented in classrooms without appropriate strategies to create students’ positive learning experiences.…”