see me for who i am: responding to the interconnected needs of international & recent immigrant...
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See Me for Who I Am:
Responding to the Interconnected Needs of
International & Recent Immigrant Adult Students
Through Cross-Departmental Collaboration
Wincy Li - Ryerson University
Christian Noumi - OISE, University of Toronto
Contact Information –
Wincy Li: [email protected]
Christian Noumi: [email protected]
Agenda
● Findings of Research Study (Li, 2014): International students’ experience with student services, and
how they used resources on campus to navigate immigration
● Initiatives at RyersonSA
● What about Recent Immigrant
Adult Students (RIAS)?
● Summary + Q&A
Learning Outcomes
● Articulate common challenges that international
students and RIAS face, and how they are connected
● Reframe understanding of the “whole student” with
Bronfenbrenner’s (1983) developmental ecology theory
● Describe how students choose which resources to
utilize on campus, and what their experiences are with
these services
● Develop ideas for whole-campus, cross-departmental
collaborations
Purpose of Study
● International student recruitment and retention high
priority for higher education institutions and government
● Current literature:
o Push-pull factors in mobility decision-making
o Transitional challenges (e.g. culture shock)
o How culture affects help-seeking behaviour
● Literature gap: Holistic look of international students’
journey of immigration - how they make different
decisions affecting their transitions, and how they utilise
resources to navigate it
● Work of Nancy Arthur and Sarah Flynn (UCalgary)
Research Methodology
● Narrative inquiry
● Participants: 6 former international students
○ Graduated from Canadian universities with
Bachelor’s degrees
○ Had since applied for or obtained PR through the
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Research Findings: Process of Immigration & Decisions Involved
Research Findings: On-Campus Services and Resources Used
● Student groups and peer networks
● International student services
● Career services
● Academic and faculty advising
● Financial aid
● Registrar
● Others:○ Health & Wellness
○ Residence
○ Library
Research Findings: Experience with Student Services
● Availability and timeliness of services
● Awareness of available resources
● Advocacy
● Quality of services/resources provided○ Provision of accurate information
○ Personalised and holistic approach
○ Empathy
Bronfenbrenner’s Model
(Bronfenbrenner, 1993;
Renn & Arnold, 2003)
Initiatives at Ryerson SA
● Collaboration between Career Centre and
International Student Supporto From Home to Canada: How to Land a Career
o World of Opportunities: Job Search in Canada &
Overseas
● Faculty-centric service delivery
● Collaboration with student groups
Initiatives at Ryerson SA
Awareness Referral Collaboration
What about RIAS?
● Define Recent Immigrant Adult Students -
RIAS (Lum & Grabke, 2012)
○ Adults over 24 years old
○ Have lived in Canada for less than 10 years (could
be PR or citizen)
● Focus of discussion will be on Quebec○ ⅓ of all QC immigrants have a university degree
(MIDI, 2014)
○ Comparatively lower tuition fees
○ Issues with foreign credentials recognition in the
labour market
What about RIAS?
Interconnected needs… Importance of peers…
Sounding familiar???
Common Challenges
• Unfamiliar with system
• Cultural norms around
help-seeking: if and
who
Common Resources Used
• Financial Aid
• Learning Support
• Peers!!!
What about RIAS?
International
Student Support
LGBTQ
Positive Space
Aboriginal
Student Services
Access Centre for
Students w/ Disabilities
RIAS
Summary
● Students’ needs are interconnected and
complex
● Students are quite proactive in seeking out
assistance and resources in general
● Collaboration with on- and off-campus
partners is key to address these needs