Staff reflections on UWA as a foreign environment

What issues are experienced?

• Similar issues were encountered as in UWA such as whether to use standard text book for teaching or not, are we training the students to researchers, managers or simply workers and should we teach the students contents/ knowledge, skills, experience or ways to learn, etc....
• ...grading or assessment is quite different from the U.S. system. Numbers go from 0-100 but the range of passing scores seems to be 50-80 rather than 70-100. It is hard to change the mindset developed over many years that 70 is a failing grade. ...
• ... I had a very good experience with students. Most of them are very mature and highly motivated to learn and actively participate in the courses taught. There are problems with timetable which cause clashes between the courses. This would need to be taken care of in the future, especially since more and more new courses are being offered recently by different departments, including ours.

Are the assumptions about learning and knowledge, about education different/the same?

• ...similar but different. They think learning is a bitter or suffering process. ...work hard to study well. They feel the only way to study well is to work hard and spend lots of time. Therefore more than half high school students wear glasses.
• ...one difference that I notice coming from a land grant institution is that there is a bit less emphasis on applied research and teaching. In a U.S. situation, students would be taught concepts of plant growth, but also some how to material.
• The institution from which I graduated emphasised strongly the aim of forming an educated individual, and maintaining the status of the ´Temple of Knowledge´. I am under the impression that the actions of UWA are much more ´market´ and ´quality of consumer service´ driven, and, therefore, focus on producing employable graduates.
• ...evident, for example, from the much narrower engineering degree curriculum, which does not include such subjects as philosophy, economics, foreign languages and modern physics.

What differences/similarities are there between the home country/ institution and UWA in relation to teaching and learning?

• The organisation and the way of teaching and learning are similar but the student level is slightly different. Here a majority of the population has the chance to come to university but back in China, about only a small proportion of the population can study at the University level. ... I find it very difficult to pitch the level of teaching as we have such a diverse level of students. ...they used standard text books almost nationwide for University teaching nationwide for University teaching.
• ...few differences between learning and teaching in a Malaysian educational institution and UWA which are worthy of mention. Firstly, in Malaysia, the emphasis is on the transmission of knowledge. The lecturer is viewed as a instructor rather than as a facilitator and there is less interaction between lecturers and students. ... learning in Malaysia is a much more passive experience and there is less focus on critical thinking. Most students find it difficult to challenge the views held by their lecturers and this perhaps could be rooted in the Malaysian´s deference to authority. ... UWA offers students significantly greater educational opportunities and resources. For example there are more electives offered, the libraries have more extensive collections of journals and books, and students have greater access to computing facilities. All of which make learning a more enjoyable and meaningful experience here than in the home country.
• ... it seems to me that UWA is quite innovative and that good practice here is the same as what would be considered good practice back home, i.e. active learning, etc. I´m not sure what the uptake of new teaching practices are in either place.
• ...Students here (I am referring to engineering) have very little freedom in comparison to students at Warsaw University of Technology, where I studied. ... partly, caused by the rigid pass-by-year system. When I studied, from the sixth semester I had almost unrestricted choice which units to take, and if I wished, I could take much longer (or shorter) time to complete my degree.
• Some of the lecture theaters at the UWA would require better maintenance (clean black- or whiteboards ready for the next lectures, overhead projectors ready for use), so that lecturers do not have to spend time cleaning or looking around for a spare light-bulb before they start with their lecture...

Are learning processes the same or different? Is teaching the same or different?

• ...similar but they pay more attention to knowledge, skills and experience but we here pay more attention to ways of learning and use of knowledge to solve problems. ... more lectures, lab classes and practical experiments in the farms and factories but they don´t write so much essays as we do here.
• Malaysian students ... at UWA face a number of problems...They tend to be more serious about studies, probably because of economic reasons. ... they are more examination-oriented and only read materials which are absolutely necessary to do well in examinations. Generally Malaysian students have difficulty expressing themselves in tutorials and writing assignments. This is not surprising as the main medium of instruction in Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia ... The problem is compounded with having to deal with a different social, cultural and political environment. Not only do they have to learn to be more independent, they also have to understand the Australian way of life...
• ... learning processes are pretty similar. ...teaching is fairly similar with a combination of lecturing, active learning, etc. Post-graduate formal education is the exception rather than the rule and I think this limits the breadth of knowledge compared to the U.S. system. On the other hand, I´m really impressed with the honors projects that the students do. I wish there had been a system like that at my alma mater.
• ...major difference in teaching I perceive in the area of assessment -automatic, ´equitable´ here and very personal back in Warsaw, where almost all major units were assessed based on comprehensive, oral examinations.

What helps/hinders the process of being here?

• ...a lot of good teachers here from worldwide, who can help the students with their learning. Lack of financial support to the students is one factor hindering student learning as I have encountered a few times that students could not come to my lectures because they have to work and earn their living. In China, either the government or parents will provide enough financial support for the students at the university.
• ... very helpful for me to have discussions with other lecturers who have gone through the same adjustment process in the past. They have been able to point out similarities and differences, how to adjust, etc.
• ...colleagues in my Department were very supportive to get me started quickly. ...it helped me ´to swim at the full speed in the new waters´... special praise for the library staff in Medical Library who has been actively involved in providing assistance and organizing extracurricular courses for our students about the use of the library facilities.

What could be done to support staff and students from overseas, especially in relation to teaching and learning issues?

• 1. Help them with their language.
  2. Be more patient as they need more time to react and explain.
  3. More encouragement to, and appreciation of their good work.
  4. Sense their problems and try to help actively because they tend to be more modest and introvert.
• ...we should consider the introduction of a first year unit for all overseas students which focuses on communication, report writing, and even how to understand the Australian way of life... It may also be worthwhile to re-evaluate some of the methods of assessment currently used. ... should we continue with the allocation of marks for tutorial participation when particular units have large overseas student populations. It may also be useful to undertake a comprehensive survey of the problems faced by overseas students and what support they expect to receive from UWA...
• ...it would be good to have a session where new lecturers similar backgrounds could get together with others and maybe some experienced lecturers to discuss these issues and how to deal with them.