Saudi international students’ perceptions of their transition to the UK and the impact of social media

In their transition to a new country, international students often feel lost, anxious or stressed. Saudi students in the UK in particular may face further challenges due to the cultural, social and religious differences that they experience. There is a lot of evidence that social media play a crucial role in this experience. By interviewing 12 Saudi students from different cities in the UK, the aim of this study is to investigate how they perceive their transition to the UK and how social media is involved. The analysis indicates that Saudi students’ perceptions of transition tend to fall in to one of two markedly different camps. Some students see transition as an opportunity to detach themselves from their home country and to engage with the new society. Those students turn to social media as a tool allowing them to build bridges with the new society. Other students feel less enthusiastic to make a full engagement with the UK society. Those students find social media as a good tool to maintain connections and links with family and friends in their home country

Understanding the programmatic and contextual forces that influence participation in a government-sponsored international student-mobility program

Although prior research establishes the forces that “push” and “pull” students to participate in foreign study, the transferability of findings from earlier studies is limited by the absence of theoretical grounding. In addition, relatively little is known about how a government-sponsored student mobility program promotes foreign study in a nation with a transitioning economy. Using case study methods, this study explores the characteristics of students who participate in such a program and identifies the programmatic characteristics and contextual forces that promote and limit participation. The findings shed light on the appropriate theoretical perspectives for understanding student participation in a government-sponsored mobility program and illustrate the need to consider how aspects of the national cultural, economic, and political context influence participation. The findings also raise several questions about how an international student mobility program should be structured to encourage participation and maximize benefits to individuals and society within a particular national context

Information technology as a sources of competitive advantage in international education

International education has emerged as a significant global industry. Over a million students study outside their country of origin, usually paying substantial annual fees to foreign institutions. A recent survey of 315 education institutions in five countries identified the effective use of information technology as a source of competitive advantage in marketing international education. Information technology in its various forms is well placed to assist education institutions to become more competitive within international markets. The Internet and Technologically Mediated Learning offer a means of promoting, administering and delivering education services to international markets. Within the Asia-Pacific region the emerging economies are likely to make increasing use of information technology, making it feasible for universities and colleges to develop new marketing and teaching strategies. The use of information technology to deliver education services overseas may become necessary due to both the demands of the market and pressure from other suppliers who are willing to embrace the new technology. The potential of the Internet is examined and it is suggested that higher education institutions will need to invest in the new technology or be uncompetitive within global markets

The Other Voices of International Higher Education: An Empirical Study of Students’ Perceptions of British University Education in China

Against a backdrop of globalised higher education (HE) – one in which a number of British universities are setting up campuses overseas – China represents a vast and lucrative market. This paper presents data on the perceptions and experiences of 20 Chinese students who are currently studying at a British university's campus located in China. Drawing upon theoretical and empirical linkages between the expansion of British HE into overseas markets and neo-colonial (or imperialist) activities, this paper discovers that sociocultural perceptions and ideological constructs such as ‘creativity’ and ‘value’ form a vital basis for the exchange of knowledge in transnational HE