Belonging Isn’t Optional: Listening to International Students, Changing Higher Education Practice
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
ADVISING IN A TIME OF CHANGE
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Session Outline
Universities in the UK increasingly recognise the strategic need to foster belonging, mattering and community for the whole of our student population. However, we need to understand how this relates specifically to international students. Over the last decade UKHE Institutions have seen a significant increase in the number of international students; whilst their presence enhances the dynamics, diversity and sustainability of the institution, there must be recognition of the needs of this student body for support navigating their new environment. The issues which they encounter include cultural and language barriers, adjusting to new academic demands, culture shock, financial pressures, and visa issues. Whilst there is recognition of a support deficit for international students at many levels of the institution, at the chalk face of higher education delivery and practice, and in critical international research, it is now being acknowledged that there are complex ethical dimensions to this aspect of internationalised HE.
A new Personal Tutoring system was introduced in our Faculty in 2024. This system is seeking to offer all students parity in their experience of academic and pastoral support. We will consider the Faculty of Arts and Humanities international student experience, and the problems academics have encountered with this group. The WeBelong project is a practice-led initiative which is seeking to hold space for the complex difficulties international students face to be explored. In the Arts and Humanities, we have not seen an adjustment to Personal Tutoring (or wider) structures to address the requirements of the international student population, specifically their need for belonging.
This paper will therefore provide a case study based on the problems we have experienced and will outline a pilot project designed to address the perceived deficit in international students’ experience and sense of belonging. Audience members can expect to be engaged in the active ongoing development of this area of practice. The authors will provide opportunities for the audience to ask questions and engage in dialogue.
If Belonging Isn’t Optional, we will ask participants to engage in developing and identifying opportunities to address belonging challenges faced by international students. Using the pilot WeBelong project aimed at improving the international student experience, the workshop will invite participants to explore some of the methods being used in this project, with an aim to gather feedback on the project and this area of education practice, together.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will critically reflect on how their personal tutoring practices and the assumptions underlying them shape international students’ experiences of belonging, support, and connection within their academic community.
Learning Outcome 2
Participants will reflect on insights from the case studies and pilot project to consider how personal tutoring structures and approaches might be adapted or reimagined to better meet the needs of internatio
Bibliography
Deuchar, A. (2022) ‘The problem with international students’ “experiences” and the promise of their practices: Reanimating research about international students in higher education’, British Journal of Educational Studies, 48(3), pp. 504–518. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3779
Jones, E. (2017) ‘Problematizing and reimagining the notion of “international student experience”’, Studies in Higher Education, 42(5), pp. 933–943. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1293880
Mittelmeier, J., Lomer, S., Al-Furqani, S. and Huang, D. (2022) Internationalisation and students’ outcomes and experiences: A review of the literature 2011–2022. Advance HE. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/membership/student-success-framework-series/student-success-framework-series-review-and-redesign-internationalisaton-he (Accessed: [add date]).
Page, A. and Chahboun, S. (2019) ‘Emerging empowerment of international students: how international student literature has shifted to include the students’ voices’, Higher Education, 78, pp. [add page numbers if needed]. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00375-7
Competencies
This session addresses the following competencies of the UKAT Professional Framework for Advising and Tutoring
P1 - Create and support environments that consider the needs and perspectives of students, and respect individual learners
P2 - Appreciate students’ views and cultures, maintain a student-centred approach and mindset, and treat students with sensitivity and fairness
C5 - How equitable and inclusive environments are created and maintained