Mentoring Students from University of Nottingham Ningbo Campus

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Mentoring Students from University of Nottingham
Ningbo Campus

• Dr Nick Thomas
• Department of History

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The Challenge

• Degree in International Studies at Ningbo since
  its foundation
• History is lead department in partnership with
  Politics
• Four year degree one year of language, then
  three years of academic study

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• In second year of academic study students can
  choose to visit UK campus, usually for a Semester
• They take second year options alongside home
  students
• 83 students in 2010-11
• ??? In 2012-13

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• Quickly became clear Ningbo students were
  struggling
• Not integrating into seminars
• Language and cultural barriers
• Not accessing academic or pastoral support

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• Each student from Ningbo given a personal tutor
  two UNNC Liaison Officers
• Induction session run specifically for them on
  arrival
• Extensive pastoral support system in the
  department
• Gateway to wider support systems elsewhere in the
  University

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• Yet do they know what a personal tutor is?
• What are their assumptions about pastoral
  support?
• What are they expecting from us and from being
  here?

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Further issues

• Two campuses on different sides of the world
• Colleagues who have never met
• Assumptions by both sides on curriculum,
  induction, advice, support, etc provided on each
  campus
• Desire to work more closely

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Mentoring system

• Introduced 2010-11
• Groups of 4 Ningbo students allocated to a mentor
• All mentors are student volunteers from second
  and third years
• There is a vetting system in place

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• Students can link mentoring to the Nottingham
  Advantage Award
• Training sessions provided
• Desire among many home students to make contact
  with international students
• Light touch to supervision of the process

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Negatives

• Some groups dont gel or the mentor loses
  interest
• Some Ningbo students want friendship to be very
  intense
• Social events dont really work very different
  expectations, home students dont attend

11
Positives

• Ningbo students like having a contact who is a
  student
• Some groups work very well indeed socialise,
  make regular contact, etc
• Sense of integrating students into the life of
  the department
• More to be done?

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Investigations

• Desire to explore student experiences, find out
  what we do well, what we can change
• Carole Mallias research on Ningbo
• Senior Tutor Network funding 2011-12

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Findings

• Culture shock Britain is not what they expected,
  feeling of exclusion, Ningbo students group
  together
• Academics seen as authority figures mentoring
  scheme helps to bridge gap

14

• Concerns before arriving
• Food, sex, the weather, accommodation, safety,
  British drinking culture
• Will they be at a disadvantage?
• How will they be perceived?

15

• Language e-mail is preferred communication as a
  result
• Students often visit academics in pairs
• English is non-inflected
• English is full of smoke screens/ diplomacy

16

• Chinese universities dont run personal tutoring
  or mentoring systems
• System of appointments in advance is alien
  again mentoring system helps here

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• Chinese students tend to wait to be approached,
  whether socially, personal tutors or mentors
  very rarely break the ice themselves
• Making something voluntary or saying it would be
  a good idea means they usually dont do it

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• Instrumentalisation
• Does it impact on my marks? If not I wont do it
• Impact on mentoring and pastoral care

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Possible solutions

• Dividing Ningbo students between personal tutees
• Advice guide for staff and mentors
• Focussed training for mentors and tutors
• Mentoring scheme for all students, home and
  international

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Conclusions

• Very much feeling our way through this situation
  there is no plan!
• Desire to avoid essentialisation deal with
  individuals
• International students have particular needs, but
  good practice for them often benefits others -
  inclusivity