Communicating with International Students: How do their social networks impact on where they go to for information?

Nearly all institutions that attract international students provide crucial information — particularly in relation to non-academic issues (e.g. access health services, food, accommodation, and leisure activities) — to these students while they are in Australia. However, this information is not well accessed by the students because of the lack of understanding on how international students search, access, use, rely on or share information. This paper therefore investigates how international students access information related to non-academic issues and provides insights into ways institutions can engage with their international students in the online environment. Through analysing interview data from a series of 8 focus groups, this early research shows that international students display different information seeking behaviour depending on the social networks they belong to while in Australia. By mapping the social networks of international students, this paper suggests some practical implications to effectively provide information to international students

We are the Change that we Seek: Information Interactions During a Change of Viewpoint

There has been considerable hype about filter bubbles and echo chambers influencing the views of information consumers. The fear is that these technologies are undermining democracy by swaying opinion and creating an uninformed, polarised populace. The literature in this space is mostly techno-centric, addressing the impact of technology. In contrast, our work is the first research in the information interaction field to examine changing viewpoints from a human-centric perspective. It provides a new understanding of view change and how we might support informed, autonomous view change behaviour. We interviewed 18 participants about a self-identified change of view, and the information touchpoints they engaged with along the way. In this paper we present the information types and sources that informed changes of viewpoint, and the ways in which our participants interacted with that information. We describe our findings in the context of the techno-centric literature and suggest principles for designing digital information environments that support user autonomy and reflection in viewpoint formation

On Birthing Dancing Stars: The Need for Bounded Chaos in Information Interaction

While computers causing chaos is acommon social trope, nearly the entirety of the history of computing is dedicated to generating order. Typical interactive information retrieval tasks ask computers to support the traversal and exploration of large, complex information spaces. The implicit assumption is that they are to support users in simplifying the complexity (i.e. in creating order from chaos). But for some types of task, particularly those that involve the creative application or synthesis of knowledge or the creation of new knowledge, this assumption may be incorrect. It is increasingly evident that perfect order—and the systems we create with it—support highly-structured information tasks well, but provide poor support for less-structured tasks.We need digital information environments that help create a little more chaos from order to spark creative thinking and knowledge creation. This paper argues for the need for information systems that offerwhat we term ‘bounded chaos’, and offers research directions that may support the creation of such interface

Transnational citizens and identities: International students' self-perceived identities, their social networks and their consumption of entertainment media in Australia

International students are part of a global circulation of people who face challenges maintaining their national, cultural and ethnic identities. They encounter such challenges while developing new (transnational) identities as they physically cross national boundaries for the purpose of education and seeking migration. In travelling abroad international students become transnational citizens who grow to be adept at maintaining links with their home countries while exploring new cultures similar to or other than their own. By conducting 30 in-depth interviews with international students in Melbourne on their self-perceived identities in Australia, their social networks and their consumption entertainment media, this study suggests that the consumption of entertainment media (film, television and music) and the creation and maintenance of social networks in Australia play pivotal roles in identity maintenance and/or formation which may be permanent (e.g. national and cultural identities through their sense of belonging to home country) or temporary (e.g. identity through status as international students). Entertainment media and social networks are elements that contribute to the links international students have with the homeland while developing of their sense of belonging in Australia. This study also observes that international students have transnational identities before embarking on their educational sojourn due to their exposure to global entertainment media outside of their home country, home culture and home language (e.g. Mainland Chinese consumption of American entertainment media)

Finding their way around: international students' use of information sources

There has been some research on the information behaviour of international students that is related to their academic issues (e.g. coursework and patterns of library use). However, little research has explored other non-academic issues (e.g. access health services and accommodation) of international student everyday life. This paper therefore explores the sources of information that international students rely on for academic and everyday living as well as the patterns students use in accessing these information sources. By analyzing interview data from a series of 7 focus groups, this study shows that international students rely on a wide range of information sources and display different patterns in using these sources depending on the source type, origin and amount as well as the students' education level. Some practical implications to effectively provide information to international students are suggested

Home away from home: International students and their identity-based social networks in Australia

This paper explores the role of identity in helping international students form social networks at an Australian institution and how these networks contribute to creating a sense of home away. The findings suggest that international students form distinct social networks that are not necessarily solely made up of fellow students from their home countries. Rather, international students form a mixture of social networks that are based on the complex individual identities of each student centred on a variety of common factors, such as: course of study, place of work, neighbourhood, culture, religion and personal interests (hobbies). Hence many students are part of social groups that consist of international students from their specific region and beyond, as well as local (Anglo and non-Anglo) students. These locally based social networks complement existing home-based networks which are maintained virtually through social media to create a home away from home

International students in the digital age: do you know where your students go to for information?

With vast numbers of international students entering Australia, educational institutions and other international student service providers (including levels of government and community groups), often encounter challenges when disseminating relevant and timely information to these students. Often these challenges are compounded by many studies in the past that have focused on country of origin as a way to differentiate international students from each other. This research was born out of a need to find new, creative and effective ways of disseminating information to international students that go beyond traditional classifications. Therefore, this study argued that it is more useful to look at the sources of information from the perspective of different social network groupings than from the country of origin perspective

Mapping the Social Networks of International Students: Foundations for Improving Communication

The adjustment of new migrants to Australia has been the subject of much research. In this project, we look specifically at international students who as transient sojourners also display the same needs as new migrants. International Students bring with them a set of social roles/identities and belong to existing social networks which they maintain, while concurrently developing fresh and conflicting ones throughout their sojourn. These conflicting social roles/identities and networks are complicated further by the transient nature of international students in Australia. Therefore, this project aims to explore how different groups of international students might access information that affects their health and lifestyle in Australia. The project also aims to study the relationship between international students¿ self- perceived identity/social roles and social networks, in order to understand the patterns of communication of different groups of students. For example, do students who identify themselves strongly as temporary visitors rely on Australian sources of information or go back to their home country 3 sources, given the ease with which this might be done in the digital age