A World of Learning Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 1 The Canadian Bureau for International Education The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) is Canada’s national, bilingual, not-for-profit, membership organization dedicated to making Canada a global leader in international education. CBIE is the national voice promoting Canadian international education on behalf of members by mobilizing expertise, knowledge, opportunity and leadership. CBIE’s pan-Canadian membership comprises all levels of education, including schools and school boards, cégeps, colleges, polytechnics, language schools and universities, which enroll over 1.2 million students from coast to coast. CBIE is an association of educational institutions and of their people — professionals, leaders, students — who are engaged in internationalizing institutions, programs, student services, campuses and communities. CBIE’s activities comprise advocacy, research, training programs, scholarship management, knowledge transfer through technical assistance, professional development for international educators, and engaging in cooperative projects in capacity building, institutional strengthening and human resource development. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education (également disponible en français: Un monde à apprendre : résultats et potentiel du Canada en matière d’éducation internationale) ISBN: 978-1-894129-73-2 To purchase the full report, visit CBIE’s Publications page at www.cbie-bcei.ca Members price: $25 Non-members price: $40 ©2012 CBIE Project Manager: Janine Knight-Grofe Authors: Jennifer Humphries, Janine Knight-Grofe and David McDine Editor: Jennifer Humphries The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors. Table of Contents List of Acronyms Used in This Report ................................................................................ ii Preface ...................................................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ vi Chapter 1: Internationalization in Canada......................................................................1 1.1 Leadership of International Education in Canada ...................................................................................1 1.2 International Education Marketing......................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Internationalization at the Provincial/Territorial Level...........................................................................8 1.4 Internationalization at Canadian Institutions........................................................................................12 Case Studies: University of Windsor, Douglas College, University of Regina, Cégep International Chapter 2: International Students in Canada.............................................................21 2.1 Total Number of International Students in Canada including Places of Origin................................... 22 2.2 Scholarships for Study in Canada..........................................................................................................30 2.3 Immigration............................................................................................................................................ 33 2.4 Economic Impact of International Students in Canada........................................................................39 Case Studies: Simon Fraser University, Cambrian College, University of Alberta, Université de Saint-Boniface, Nova Scotia International Student Program Chapter 3: Going to the Source — International Student Survey ............49 Chapter 4: Canadian Students Studying Abroad...................................................59 4.1 Data and Statistics.................................................................................................................................. 61 4.2 Challenges to Study Abroad Data Collection........................................................................................63 4.3 The Economic Dimension of Study Abroad: From Students to Ambassadors....................................65 4.4 Canada’s International Education Strategy and Study Abroad............................................................67 4.5 The Importance of Scholarships to International Education...............................................................68 Case Studies: Kwantlen Polytechnic University, University of New Brunswick Chapter 5: Globalization of Student Learning .......................................................... 73 Case Studies: Thompson Rivers University, York University, Quest University Canada, University of Victoria Chapter 6: Canadian Education Overseas.....................................................................83 6.1 Canadian Institutions Abroad: Post-secondary.....................................................................................84 6.2 Canadian Institutions Overseas: Kindergarten to Grade 12 .................................................................87 Case Studies: Cape Breton University, University of Victoria Concluding Remarks ....................................................................................................................94 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................95 References ............................................................................................................................................97 Appendix: 2012 World of Learning International Student Survey ........... 100 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 List of Acronyms Used in This Report ii ACCC Association of Canadian Community Colleges AUCC Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada CCIEM Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing CEC Canadian Experience Class CIC Citizenship and Immigration Canada CMEC Council of Ministers of Education of Canada CUP Canadian University Press CREPUQ Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec DAAD German Academic Exchange Service DFAIT Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada EAIE European Association for International Education EDC Export Development Canada HRSDC Human Resources and Skills Development Canada ICG Illuminate Consulting Group IIE Institute of International Education IAU International Association of Universities ILN CBIE’s Internationalization Leaders’ Network NAFSA NAFSA: Association of International Educators OCWP Off-Campus Work Permit Program PGWP Post-Graduation Work Permit Program WES World Education Services WUSC World University Service of Canada A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Preface I am pleased to share with you CBIE’s first annual report on the state of international education in Canada — A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012. Karen McBride President and CEO Canadian Bureau for International Education Our first goal with this report is to review on a yearly basis how Canada is faring in terms of achieving its objectives. Our second goal is to suggest where Canada has the potential to achieve more. As I write, The Globe and Mail newspaper is running a series of feature articles on higher education, under the umbrella Our Time to Lead. It offers the general public a window In the globalized world of the 21st century, education needs to develop a country’s critical, engaged citizens, but it also needs to develop citizens of the world. on the wide-ranging set of discussions coursing International education offers an array of ways through academia. While these discussions go to do this, including: welcoming learners from on regularly, there are moments in time where across the globe to our schools and campuses; they intensify in response to the perceived ensuring that our students have the opportunity need for significant change. At these moments to study abroad; infusing international it is crucial that citizens — students, parents, perspectives in curriculum and extracurricular workers, employers, industry CEOs and activities; working to ensure learning outcomes government leaders — get involved. that prepare students for participation in What change is needed now? At base, education needs to develop students who can think critically, integrate different perspectives, consider alternatives and make informed a globalized world; and partnering with institutions abroad to develop collaborative approaches and activities that benefit learning and learners on both sides. decisions. As Mark Kingwell reminds us, This inaugural report presents a snapshot “education is about citizenship, not job training of Canada’s international education landscape or simple personal enrichment — though it covering a number of these elements. may incidentally provide both. Postsecondary In subsequent years, while addressing key institutions should be in the business, primarily, aspects, the report may focus on a central of creating critical, engaged citizens” (The Globe theme. A constant will be a series of case studies and Mail, October 13, 2012). from schools, school boards, language schools, A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 iii colleges, polytechnics and universities. promotion. This is important because it is widely We hope that these real-world success stories acknowledged that, in the world of international will inspire others and help them avoid some education marketing, the country comes first: of the challenges and pitfalls that our writers students considering study abroad look at the have confronted. country, then at a specific place. This is less Here are my primary observations about Canada’s performance and potential this year, drawn from the report, chapter-by-chapter. Chapter one reports that Canada has made key advances in international education. The education sector has organized, created the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing (CCIEM), and is working concertedly and effectively. Heeding our call for enhanced support, in 2011 the federal government earmarked $10M over two years the overall impression of a country no doubt has an impact on the frequency with which its institutions are invited to participate in collaborative work. Over the year, educational institutions increasingly made internationalization one of their top priorities. The ways in which institutions engage are varied: the case studies illustrate diverse, creative examples of internationalization across Canada. for international education and appointed an Chapter two offers a wealth of data on our eminent Advisory Panel to consider a national international student population. Canada is strategy. In 2012, following receipt of the Panel’s doing relatively well. In 2011, there were nearly comprehensive report, the federal government 240,000 international students in Canada, all linked international education with the national levels of study combined, up 75% from a decade prosperity agenda. Currently it is included ago. Canada has shown steady progress, in consultations towards an updated Global averaging over 10% increases in each of the past Commerce Strategy. While on the surface this three years. Compared with other major host may seem to be a departure from how we countries, our performance is strong. However typically think about it, it positions international there are a number of factors that need to be education as a priority issue and one that merits considered, such as the impact of large-scale investment. These are both positive outcomes of scholarship programs that may diminish over CCIEM advocacy and the Advisory Panel report. time (and possibly very suddenly) and issues For the most part, provincial governments have stepped up their efforts in international education. Several have developed detailed strategies. In 2011, under the aegis of the Council of the Federation and the Council of Ministers of iv true for institutions seeking partners, although in other host countries that may make Canada more attractive only temporarily. Canada’s overall reputation — its brand recognition — needs to be attended to if it is to remain a destination of choice on its own merits. Education, the provinces and territories released Our survey in chapter three details the a report on marketing education internationally. experience of international students in Canada. Among other conclusions the report suggested The results of the survey are, for the most the importance of a national approach to part, encouraging — 91% of students are either A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 satisfied or very satisfied with their decision A respected Panel has delivered nn to study in Canada and many plan to remain in a strong report that sets ambitious Canada after completing their current program but achievable targets; of study to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, apply to become a permanent resident, The education sector comprised nn or study for another degree or diploma here. of the CCIEM partners and their However, a significant number of respondents member school districts and indicated that they did not feel entirely welcome. institutions have welcomed the This is a finding that we plan to analyze more report and are already ‘rolling fully in the coming months. up their sleeves’; While considerable progress is being made in The government has acknowledged nn key areas of international education, chapter the centrality of international four underscores the need for much greater education to national prosperity; effort in support of Canadians to study abroad. CBIE and our CCIEM partners have advocated in favour of a national strategy and investment for study abroad. The report of the Advisory Panel clearly positioned study abroad as a competitiveness issue. Going forward, we need to help the vast majority of our students go global, not just a handful as is the case now. Chapter five looks at the internationalization of student learning, and is informed by rich case studies on innovative programs at a range of institutions, while chapter six offers an overview of the ways that we are taking Canadian education abroad. This report demonstrates that Canada is progressing towards key goals. However it also shows gaps. Most critical is the need to develop an action plan that provides a clear expression of our goals, objectives and targets, and how we will achieve them. Put another way, we need to fully roll out the report of the Advisory Panel, following up on its 14 recommendations. Canada’s brand has gained nn prominence in the past few years for reasons as diverse as comparative economic stability post-2008, support for the Libyan people during the revolution and the highly successful 2010 winter Olympics in British Columbia. I sincerely hope that our next annual report will describe considerable progress on the Panel’s recommendations. International education, in all of its facets, is critical to Canada’s future. As Canada’s national association focusing exclusively on international education, CBIE continuously strives to enhance its services to members, inform government policy and contribute to the increased internationalization of education in Canada to the benefit of all citizens and partners around the world. I hope that the information in this report will be of great value to all who support these endeavours. Moreover, as the Panel stated, we need to seize the current moment. It is hard to imagine a more propitious time to move quickly: October 2012 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 v Executive Summary A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance International Students and Potential in International Education 2012 is the first edition of CBIE’s annual report on international education in Canada. Our goal with this publication is to provide a valuable resource that will be used by leaders, policy-makers and professionals across the education sphere, in government and the private sector, as well as by fellow researchers in this country and abroad, to advance our collective understanding of international education in Canada. Chapter two considers the global demand for higher education outside one’s country of origin, expected to increase from 4.1 million in 2010 to 7.2 million by 2025. In 2010, Canada enrolled about 5% of internationally mobile students, making it the 7th most popular host country behind the USA, UK, France, China, Australia and Germany. Over the last decade, the number of international students in Canada has increased by 75% to Internationalization in Canada nearly 240,000 students at all levels. Canada’s international student population comes from countries across the globe, but a few send far more students than others. China, India, Korea, Chapter one reviews international education’s increasing importance for Canada, driven by broader globalization trends. This shift, which has made Canadian international education efforts more focused and robust, can be seen at the federal and provincial levels of government as well as at individual institutions across Canada. The chapter looks at major developments including: policy statements and strategies; marketing initiatives by the education sector and Saudi Arabia and the United States, combined, make up more than half of Canada’s international students. These countries, among other high-growth countries such as Nigeria, the Philippines, Vietnam and Iran, represent key international education markets that add to the cultural and social fabric of Canada and provide linkages for future business, research and diplomatic partnerships. by governments; promoting pathways between Moreover, international students contribute education levels and types; and the report of greatly to Canada’s economy, spending more the Advisory Panel on Canada’s International than $7.7 billion on tuition, accommodation Education Strategy appointed by the federal and discretionary expenses and generating government. Case studies of institution-wide more than $445 million in government revenue. internationalization round out the chapter. vi A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 To continue to increase Canada’s market About nine out of 10 student respondents s share of mobile students and to ensure students tated they were either satisfied or very satisfied have a positive experience during their stay, with their experience in Canada. Almost it is important to understand why students 25% of students stated that they plan to apply choose Canada over other countries and how for a post-graduation work permit following government policies impact a student’s decision graduation, 20% of students indicated they to study in Canada. To accomplish this, this would apply for permanent residence in Canada, chapter utilizes government data to explore and a further 17% plan to remain in Canada to issues such as ease of obtaining a study permit, pursue further studies. the availability of scholarships, opportunities for off-campus and post-graduation work, and opportunities to transition to a permanent resident. Canadian Students Studying Abroad Going to the Source Chapter four switches the focus to Canadian In September 2012, CBIE surveyed 1,668 international students from 18 universities and colleges. More than half of respondents are studying for a bachelor’s degree and about two-thirds are in the first, second or third students. Study abroad, defined as exchanges or courses taken abroad for credit towards a Canadian credential, is valuable in that these experiences help develop globally minded citizens and prepare graduates for careers in a globalized economy. year of a multi-year program. The vast majority As argued by Dr. Sheryl Bond in this chapter, of the students came from China, India or the study abroad research is impeded by data United States, and the top 15 countries listed collection challenges, driven largely by lack by respondents align with Canada’s top sending of a national policy on study abroad — an issue countries. recently taken up by the Advisory Panel on This chapter looks in detail at international Canada’s International Education Strategy. students’ decision to study in Canada, Despite the benefits of study abroad at the including their perspectives on Canada’s individual (e.g. employment skills) and national academic reputation, Canada’s reputation as (e.g. economic competitiveness) levels, Canada’s a safe country, the affordability of education participation rate of 3% is significantly lower than in Canada, and opportunities for work after that of other countries. For example, Germany graduation and to become a permanent has a 30% participation rate and aims to reach resident of Canada. 50%. Australia, a country of similar size and demographics to Canada, has a participation rate that is twice Canada’s. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 vii A number of recommendations are made in this chapter on how to improve Canada’s study abroad participation rates, including increased funding for scholarship programs, improved marketing of international opportunities, and exploring the benefits of study abroad from Canadian Education Overseas This chapter provides a snapshot of Canadian education abroad — at the primary, secondary the employer’s standpoint. and post-secondary levels — with a focus on The chapter closes with two case studies which growing interest for Canadian institutions. highlight Canadian institutional success stories in globalizing the student experience. offshore campus development as an area of Over the past ten years, an increasing number of post-secondary institutions have initiated education programs in other countries. The Globalization of Student Learning majority of these programs, a few of which In chapter five, it is argued that Canadian These programs introduce a number of social, institutions must prepare their students for financial, and political benefits both for local life in a globalized world. To do so requires partner institutions and their surrounding a comprehensive approach to institutional communities as well as for Canadian institutions. internationalization, involving international However, they also grapple with a number of students, study abroad, and bringing global challenges such as competition, substantial perspectives into the design of curriculum, investment, host country regulations, and research projects, and student services. ensuring quality. Case studies show how several Canadian At the K-12 level, there are currently 84 Canadian institutions are globalizing their students’ schools operating across Asia, the Americas, educational experience. Africa and the Middle East, using programming are highlighted in this chapter, are delivered in cooperation with international partner institutions. based on provincial education standards. While these programs are highly successful, they also face challenges, including branding and quality assurance. viii A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Chapter 1: Internationalization in Canada Over the past ten years, internationalization has become a key feature of the Canadian campus. While there have been international education initiatives in Canada for many years, earlier internationalization efforts at the governmental and institutional levels focused on increased numbers of international students and growing Canada’s share of the millions of internationally mobile young people. Today, many institutions’ strategic plans are more robust, covering a comprehensive swath of internationalization activities. As we will see in this chapter and throughout this report, both at the federal/provincial/territorial as well as the institutional levels, there has been a rethink that includes greater focus on Canadian students studying abroad, internationalizing the campus and curriculum, broadening and deepening international partnerships, and bringing Canadian qualifications to students in countries around the world. However, this energized focus on internationalization raises ethical questions of whether Canada is taking a globally responsible approach. Canada’s institutional strategic thinkers on international education are currently considering key questions such as: What are the key facilitators and obstacles at the international, national and institutional levels to moving forward in a “globally responsible” way? nn What should be the desired impacts of internationalization at the institutional level if a strategy seeks to be “globally responsible”? and nn How might such a strategy influence teaching and learning, research and service? nn It is recognized that international education should serve the purpose of contributing positively to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of Canada, but also aim for balance, ensuring that countries from which Canada benefits are also benefitting from our international education activities. 1.1 Leadership of International Education in Canada In Canada, the provinces and territories have constitutional responsibility for education, while at the federal level, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has overall policy responsibility for issues related to international student immigration, and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), along with the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada (CMEC), are the national bodies that focus on internationalization, including the marketing and branding of Canadian education. In addition, the national associations which form the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing (CCIEM), detailed below, are comprised of institutional members which all have a strong interest in international education. The Consortium, led by CBIE, advocates on behalf of its 450 members for improved international education policies and practices at the federal, provincial/territorial and institutional levels, and actively supports member institutions in their internationalization efforts, with a particular focus on branding Canada internationally as an education destination and internationalization leader. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 1 1.1.2 International Education and the Federal Government The Government of Canada has formally expressed commitment to international education, particularly in recent years. In Advantage Canada (2006) and Compete to Win (2008) the federal government affirmed the importance of attracting international students to Canada, as well as preparing Canadians to interact effectively in the global economy. Support for internationalization has been provided at the federal level through DFAIT’s Edu-Canada, an initiative launched in 2007. Edu-Canada, funded with $1 million per year, seeks to leverage DFAIT’s network of embassies and consulates to undertake promotion efforts and attract more international students to Canada. Under Edu-Canada, DFAIT entered into partnership with the provincial and territorial governments through CMEC to launch and jointly manage Canada’s education brand “Education au/in Canada” (see below for more on the brand). And in 2011 the Government of Canada committed $10 million over two years to international education and named an Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy with a mandate to recommend ways to strengthen international education as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. 1.1.2.1 The Federal Government’s International Education Strategy The Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, appointed by The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, together with the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, is comprised of an eminent group of Canadians which include representatives connected to five CBIE member institutions. Panel members are: Dr. Amit Chakma, President, Western University, who serves as Chair; Dr. Colin Dodds, President, Saint Mary’s University, and former Chair of CBIE’s Board of Directors; Lorna Smith, Director of International Education, Mount Royal University, a former member of CBIE’s Board of Directors; André Bisson, Chairman of the Board of the Centre for Interuniversity Research in the Analysis of Organizations, director of Transat A.T. and Chancellor Emeritus of Université de Montréal; Dr. Don Wright, President, British Columbia Institute of Technology; and Jacynthe Côté, President and CEO, Rio Tinto Alcan. The Panel’s report, released in August 2012, provides recommendations for a far-reaching international education strategy which would not replace but rather support current efforts, and would line up with national as well as provincial/territorial policies. 2 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 The Panel’s 14 recommendations are categorized into five themes, as follows: 1. Targets for success: These recommendations are at the core of the strategy and focus on what the Panel believes are achievable goals for greater numbers of international students, as well as growth in the number of Canadian students studying abroad: Recommendation 1: Double the number of international students choosing Canada by 2022. nn Recommendation 2: Introduce an International Mobility Program for Canadian Students to serve 50,000 students per year by 2022. nn 2. Policy coordination and ensuring sustainable quality: The Panel recognized that one of the greatest challenges in international promotion of Canadian education is coordinating the efforts of the many stakeholders. They propose a coordination mechanism and make clear that the sustained quality of Canadian education is fundamental to the success of the strategy: Recommendation 3: Make internationalizing education in Canada a strategic component of Government of Canada official policies and plans. nn Recommendation 4: Create a Council on International Education and Research (CIER) to provide policy advice to the ministers of International Trade, Finance, Citizenship and Immigration, and Industry. nn Recommendation 5: Maintain and enhance the quality of the education systems and ensure their sustainability. nn 3. Promotion of Education in Canada: These recommendations aim to change Canadian education’s international recognition factor from well-kept secret to well-known resource: Recommendation 6: Focus Canada’s promotional efforts on a limited number of priority markets for targeted resource allocation. nn Recommendation 7: Increase marketing of Canada’s brand. nn Recommendation 8: Develop a sophisticated and comprehensive e-communication system that will serve as a national portal for international students interested in education in Canada. nn 4. Investments: The Panel sees strategic scholarship offerings as crucial to attract the best and the brightest internationally mobile students to Canada: Recommendation 9: Brand Canada through scholarships for international undergraduate students. nn Recommendation 10: Regroup grants and scholarships available to international graduate students and post-doctoral fellows under one label/brand, with a focus on priority areas aligned with Canada’s innovation and prosperity agenda. nn A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 3 Recommendation 11: Develop comprehensive and multifaceted bilateral agreements with priority countries that focus on all aspects of graduate education and research, supported by appropriate levels of funding. nn 5. Infrastructure and support: The recommendations in this section highlight the importance of immigration processing working in concert with the proposed strategy: Recommendation 12: Improve study permit processing to provide consistent and timely service to high quality candidates. nn Recommendation 13: Expand and facilitate comprehensive training for staff at Canadian embassies and offices abroad on Canada’s diverse education offerings and study pathways. Training opportunities should also be available for stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of both the programs and cultural support required by international students. nn Recommendation 14: Support the expansion and promotion of the existing Canadian Experience Class program to contribute to Canada’s skilled immigrant and labour market needs. nn CBIE and partners in the Consortium applaud the recommendations and support the Panel in encouraging all Canadians to embrace the benefits of international education. However they emphasize the need to act swiftly and to invest substantially. As the Panel pointed out, Canada must seize the current moment when we are well positioned to become a major player in international education — due to factors internal to Canada and to outside factors that enhance Canada’s attractiveness. Moreover institutions are investing heavily in promotion but this must be matched appropriately by government and private sector support if we are to rise to a higher position among the many countries aiming for excellence as hosts and senders of mobile students, and as leaders in internationalization at home and research collaboration with partners abroad. 4 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 1.2 International Education Marketing Marketing efforts that support the Panel’s recommendation to dramatically increase the number of international students in Canada are already taking place. Education au/in Canada, the Canadian education brand, as well as the Consortium for International Education Marketing (CCIEM) support institutions’ individual efforts by promoting Canadian education and Canada’s education system as a whole. 1.2.1 Status Report on Education au/in Canada The following section is a joint submission from CMEC and DFAIT. The launch of the Imagine Education au/in Canada brand in September 2008 marked a new phase in Canada’s engagement within the field of international education. The brand, developed through collaboration between the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and the provinces and territories through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), has enabled governments, educational institutions, and organizations to speak to international students with a consistent voice and message. Since its launch, the Imagine Education au/in Canada brand has become the window through which international students view Canada and the umbrella under which Canadian institutions recruit foreign students. However, the brand is more than just a recruitment tool. Those institutions authorized to use the brand consistently provide high quality education programs, deal with international students in accordance with recognized codes of practice, and are subject to quality-assurance mechanisms that monitor adherence to set standards. The brand, therefore, encompasses a pan-Canadian strategy on international education and a philosophy about standards of quality and service. To date, over 182 institutions and organizations have been authorized to use the brand through a process that includes pre-authorization by a provincial/territorial government, participation in mandatory brand training, and the signing of a sub-license agreement. These include 78 postsecondary institutions, 42 elementary and secondary schools, and 50 second-language institutions accredited by Languages Canada. Twelve non-governmental organizations, including CBIE and all of the Consortium partner associations, have also been authorized. Use of the brand among institutions, and its concomitant brand recognition, is increasing in Canada. Efforts are underway to further increase both the number of institutions using the brand, and the depth of their use of the brand. These efforts include outreach through non-governmental organizations, regular advertising of the benefits of brand inclusion through the Imagine Bulletin, and regular on-line training sessions. While efforts to ensure the rollout of the brand to eligible institutions continue, several recent developments involving the brand deserve a mention. In March 2012, the Government of Ontario extended brand eligibility to its publicly funded colleges and universities. Since that time, several A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 5 Ontario institutions have signaled their strong interest in using the brand. As well, the Government of the Northwest Territories has, for the first time, submitted a brand eligibility list, thereby becoming the newest jurisdiction to join the brand family. Lastly, the announcement by Citizenship and Immigration Canada of proposed changes to Canada’s International Student Program (ISP), as well as the newly released report of the federal Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, may also have implications for the implementation of the brand. 1.2.2 The Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing CBIE is an active and committed member of the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing (CCIEM), a group of national education associations with a strong involvement and track record in international education marketing, whose purpose is to bring together the education sector for a cohesive pan-Canadian approach to the existing international marketing efforts of Canadian institutions and key stakeholders. Founded in 2010, and chaired by the President and CEO of CBIE, CCIEM comprises CBIE, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), the Canadian Association of Public Schools-International (CAPS-I) and Languages Canada. CCIEM assembles the full spectrum of the education systems in Canada, to come together to speak with one voice. CCIEM contributed extensively to the consultations of the Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy and to the ongoing work of government and other stakeholders. CCIEM is uniquely positioned to support and implement key elements of Canada’s strategy, drawing on the energy and creativity of its collective 450 member institutions from coast to coast. 1.2.3 International Education Pathways as a Means of Marketing Canadian Education An area of the international education landscape that has yet to be examined in great detail and is often misunderstood is the various pathways that international students follow. Pathways refer to a transition from one education sector or level to another.1 For international students, the trajectory is sometimes more complex and technical than is commonly believed. For example, secondary schools offer excellent pathways to higher education. In a CBIE survey (CBIE 2009) fully 30% of post-secondary international students had previously studied in a secondary school or language school in Canada (see also chapter two, figure 14). But, research carried out by Illuminate Consulting Group Ltd. in 2011 shows that most institutions do not have a definition of international student pathways. See Figure 1 below. 1 6 CCIEM has commissioned Illuminate Consulting Group Ltd. to conduct research into Canadian education pathways. The forthcoming report will be available from CBIE. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Figure 1 –Figure English 1 Does YourDoes Institution Have a Sta ndard Definition of International Your Institution Haave a Standard Definition Student Pa of International Sathways? Student Pathways Schools Schools Language Language Higher Education Higher Education 0% 0% 10% 10% 20% 30% 30% 40% 50% 50% Yes Yes No 60% 60% 70% 80% 90% 90% 100% 100% No Source: Illuminate Consulting Group Ltd. However, understanding of the concept is growing and a pathways approach is seen as a potential competitive advantage for Canada, as high quality pathways could enhance recruitment and retention of international students. There are current efforts to increase the number of pathways within education, and from education to work, and to promote these to international students as a distinctive feature of Canadian education. Some universities are developing academic preparatory programs within their institutions, and language schools and language programs within higher education institutions (or partnered with them) are uniquely placed to promote education pathways. The ICG research made clear, however, that institutions want to do much more. Over 85% of respondents to the ICG survey of higher education institutions, language schools and secondary schools would like CCIEM to address a clear national strategy on international student pathways, to help their institution build and utilize pathways. Over 90% responded that it is important or somewhat important that CCIEM address a framework for cooperation between educational institutions. And at least 90% of respondents would like more information on the relative performance of pathway students compared with other students. In addition, CBIE has begun the process of looking at pathways from the student’s perspective. The CBIE student portal in development in 2012 will serve to address some gaps in the understanding of pathways by clearly identifying schools as a springboard to post-secondary education in Canada. CCIEM, with its whole-of-sector approach and coverage, is well-placed to study and recommend policies and practices to enhance international student pathways. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 7 1.3 Internationalization at the Provincial/Territorial Level Recognizing the significant social, cultural and economic benefits to their jurisdictions that result from increased internationalization, the provinces have begun to formalize international education strategies. Acting on a request from the Council of the Federation, comprised of the Premiers and leaders of the 13 provinces and territories, CMEC released in June 2011 Bringing Education in Canada to the World, Bringing the World to Canada: An International Education Marketing Action Plan for Provinces and Territories. This plan brought together provincial/territorial ministers of education and immigration to discuss how they could cooperate in international education promotion. While the plan mainly focuses on the recruitment of international students, it also highlights the issue of retaining international students in Canada after they graduate. The marketing plan encouraged the jurisdictions to continue to implement their own international education strategies, but to seek, where possible, collaboration with others through CMEC. Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec and Saskatchewan have provided their strategies or statements for this report (detailed below). Prince Edward Island has advised us that the province is beginning development of its first international student strategy. In future years we expect to publish summaries of 13 strategies covering all provinces and territories. In May 2012, British Columbia released an extensive international education strategy that supports the two-way flow of students, giving BC students new opportunities to study or conduct research abroad and encouraging more international students to choose BC. In fact, international education is one of the key sectors in the BC jobs plan Canada Starts Here. A summary of BC’s international education strategy is below.2 BC’s International Education Strategy At-a-Glance British Columbia has a vision of a high quality international education system that fosters social benefits and economic prosperity for all citizens. The strategy aims to position the province — and its residents — to benefit even more from the social, cultural and economic opportunities that flow from international education. Through the Strategy, the Province aims to achieve three goals: 1. Create a globally oriented education system in British Columbia. 2. Ensure that all students receive quality learning and life experiences. 3. Maximize the benefits of international education — social, cultural and economic — for all BC communities, families and businesses. Highlights of the Strategy: u $2 million to the Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship Society for the One World International Scholarship program to help BC students study or undertake co-op terms or internships abroad. u $2.3 million to the Mitacs Accelerate program to support BC and international students pursuing graduate education/ industry internships in the province. u Dedicated education officers will be placed in a number of BC’s overseas trade and investment offices to help advance the province’s international education interests in priority markets. u A new quality assurance framework will be developed to streamline and strengthen quality assurance for all post-secondary education programs and institutions operating in the province. u $700,000 to the Mitacs Globalink program to support international students participating in research internships at BC universities. 2 8 For the full strategy, visit the website. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Alberta views international education as a building block in developing and advancing the province’s economic and social prosperity. Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education has produced a plan that focuses on three pillars: global policy dialogues; the learner; and Campus Alberta. It is summarized in Figure 2. Figure 2 In Manitoba, international education is a mainstay of the overall education landscape. The province’s current international education strategy, which covers the period from 2008 to 2013, focuses on ways the provincial government can help build the capacity of Manitoba’s educational institutions to pursue and succeed in international education initiatives as well as to prepare citizens to succeed in the world of tomorrow. Manitoba Advanced Education and Literacy categorizes its international education priorities into five components. These are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Attracting greater numbers of international students; Projects and contracts with development agencies and large contractors; Internationalization of the campus; Delivering Manitoba education offshore; and International mobility of students and faculty. A graphic summary of Manitoba’s international education strategy appears in Figure 3. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 9 Figure 3 International Students Recruiting fee-paying students from outside Canada and providing concomitant educational programming, accommodation, and support services. Internationalization Incorporating an international dimension into teaching and learning practices across the curriculum and within the classroom. Projects & Contracts Assisting educational institutions in successfully bidding on high-value educationrelated projects from development agencies (ex. World Bank) and large contractors (ex. foreign governments). Manitoba’s International Education Strategy Offshore Delivery & Partnerships Offering programs or program components overseas. This may be done directly (ex. branch campuses or distance delivery) or by working with partners to deliver programming recognized by a Manitoba institution. Mobility of Students & Faculty Providing opportunities for direct overseas experience for students, teachers, faculty and other educational staff. In Ontario, the post-secondary international strategy is based on two public priorities: By 2015, increase international student enrolment at colleges and universities by 50% while maintaining spaces for Ontario students; and nn Make Ontario a global destination of choice for post-secondary education. nn Ontario has been successful in promoting itself with respect to international education. This success has put Ontario in a position to achieve its goal of increasing international enrolment from 38,000 international students in 2009-10 to 57,000 international students in 2015. Full-time international enrolment in 2011-12 was 52,373 students — nearly 75% of Ontario’s targeted growth of 19,000 additional international students. Since 2006-07, the Ontario government has made significant investments in providing support for both students and institutions to take part in international opportunities. Ontario’s role is to set a high bar for international education by implementing a policy framework that protects its global reputation for quality programs, student protection, and a positive student experience. Ontario’s 2012 discussion paper entitled Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation and Knowledge will guide a series of stakeholder consultations to help inform a plan for post-secondary education in the province. The international education strategy will support this broader vision for higher education in Ontario. 10 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Although Québec had already been making efforts to internationalize education for a few years, in 2002, the Government of Québec, in collaboration with education networks, developed the ministerial strategy for internationalizing Québec education (Stratégie ministérielle pour l’internationalisation de l’éducation québécoise), and, in 2008, its five-year action plan for incoming and outgoing mobility. The 2008 adoption of the three-year government-education network initiative to recruit international students (Initiative gouvernement-réseaux de l’éducation en matière de recrutement d’étudiantes et d’étudiants étrangers) aimed to coordinate the efforts of the various departments and education network partners to attract more international students to Québec, thereby helping to achieve government objectives regarding the economy, education, research, immigration, employment and international relations. This initiative enhanced certain existing measures and implemented new ones. When the initiative ended, the majority of the measures were maintained. In addition to taking measures to support international students upon their arrival, in the past few years, Québec has stepped up its efforts related to outgoing mobility in order to provide Québec students who want to complete part of their full-time schooling outside the province with appropriate financial support to develop their skills and abilities to succeed in an international context. Saskatchewan does not have a publicly announced provincial strategy for international education, though the Government of Saskatchewan has taken a number of steps to advance provincial and institutional interests in international education. In 2009, the Government of Saskatchewan undertook extensive stakeholder consultations to identify opportunities to promote Saskatchewan as an educational destination for international students. To respond to the recommendations of stakeholders, the province: expanded the international students category of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) to include students who have graduated in Canada and worked for a Saskatchewan employer for six months; and nn expanded eligibility for the Graduate Retention Program to international students who have completed qualified programs and remained in Saskatchewan after graduation. nn The consultations also informed the development of a provincial immigration strategy which was released later that year. The strategy committed government to increasing the number of international students immigrating to Saskatchewan and establishing a council on international education. The Saskatchewan International Education Council includes representatives from government as well as the secondary and post-secondary education sectors. The Council’s mandate is to develop strategies for international education activities that focus on recruiting students, joint marketing initiatives, and faculty and student exchanges. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 11 1.4 Internationalization at Canadian Institutions Findings from AUCC’s 2007 report Internationalizing Canadian Campuses demonstrate clearly that internationalization has become an integral part of Canadian universities’ institutional strategies, organizational approaches, and expected learning outcomes for students. A decade ago, few institutions prioritized internationalization, but today it would be difficult to find an institution where internationalizing the campus is not a top institutional goal. Universities acknowledge that providing students with international and intercultural skills is a core institutional responsibility (AUCC, 2007). The narrative is similar at Canadian colleges. In fact, today internationalization is a key strategic drive for Canadian colleges. ACCC (2010) reports that: 87% of colleges have international students; nn 81% of colleges are involved in international cooperation through the CIDA-supported Canadian College Partnership Program (CCPP) and international financial institutions; nn 65% of colleges have international mobility programs for faculty and staff (such as exchanges, joint applied research, overseas teaching, project development, consulting services abroad and practicum supervision). nn A relatively recent development in many institutions is the dedicated senior leader with specific responsibility for internationalization. These positions vary in title, but include Vice-President or Associate Vice-President International, or Provost International. Enhancing the level of effort for internationalization through this high-level addition to the senior administration structure is likely to boost international education efforts at these Canadian institutions. In support of the new cadre of senior leaders, CBIE is establishing an Internationalization Leaders Network (ILN). Meetings of the ILN will feature top-of-mind issues in internationalization and give leaders a place to connect with one another. While international education may be a strand or occasional feature at other senior leaders’ events, it will be the ILN’s unique focus. 12 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES The following case studies highlight a few of the many strong examples of institutional internationalization strategies across Canada. Moving Internationalization from Commitment to Action Introduction As at many Canadian universities, internationalization is considered an essential aspect for knowledge exchange and student mobility at the University of Windsor. Previously, substantial efforts and resources were invested in internationalization-related operations, but the University lacked a clear definition and goals for internationalization. In the most recent strategic plan, internationalization was announced by President Alan Wildeman as one of the University of Windsor’s five strategic priorities. Since then, a series of coordinated initiatives have been launched. In this case study, these initiatives will be discussed at the strategic, managerial and operational levels. While internationalization is an ongoing commitment and process at the University of Windsor, encouraging results have been observed and many lessons have been learned. Strategic Direction and Goals Making a strategic commitment to internationalization, the University’s strategic plan “Thinking Forward...Taking Action” (2010) calls on the University to “Promote international engagement through student recruitment, student and faculty exchange, and partnerships that complement our teaching and research strengths” (p. 20). This strategic goal emphasizes that internationalization is not an isolated notion for a particular group, but an essential component for all campus activities including research, teaching and learning, student services and external partner relations. It required both horizontal and vertical integration to realize the new internationalization strategy. Horizontally An Integrative Approach for Internationalization Strategic Strategic goals, planning, resources allocation New organization structure Managerial Infrastructure and systems Processes Operational Teaching/ Learning Faculty Administration Research External Community A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 13 CASE STUDIES integration focuses on the participation and coordination of all academic and service units on campus. Vertically, integration implies setting up systems and processes so that activities at all levels on campus can support attainment of the new internationalization goals. To take this commitment to action and get the buy-in of the campus, an Internationalization Advisory Committee was struck with members from each faculty who are champions for their international activities. This committee provides feedback to the administration regarding devising international strategy, setting policies and goals, and acts as a bridge between the administrations and faculties. For example, an important new strategic direction that the University has adopted is to move from a single-agent international recruiting model to a multi-agent, multi-channel model. This new model allows the University not only to control its international recruitment efforts, but also to strategically position itself globally and to build strategic alliances and partnerships. To prepare for the implementation of this strategy, the office of Vice-Provost, Students and International launched a series of initiatives ranging from conducting surveys on the best practices for international recruiting, mapping the current international recruiting processes, designing a system to manage multiple agents, and building internal processes and procedures to facilitate the new recruiting model. The consultation, planning and implementation of this new strategy involved all units at all levels on campus, which illustrates the importance of embracing an integrative model at the strategic level. Managerial Planning To manage the process of internationalization in order to reach its strategic roles, the University has allocated substantial resources and taken a series of actions to build the infrastructure needed, including a new organization structure for international operations, physical facilities, and enhanced student services. Under the new organizational structure, several new positions were created, including vice-provost, students and international; associate vice-provost, international; and director of international affairs. This office oversees internationalization related development and activities, including international recruiting, international partnership and articulations, international admission, international student exchange, international student advising, faculty exchange and other new initiatives. This office also facilitates and promotes internationalization at the faculty level, as well as serving as a hub and information centre for internationalization at the University. Operational Processes To ensure that the University’s strategic goals are not lost at the operational level, all members of the international office are participating in a process mapping exercise covering an international student’s journey from initiating the first inquiry to graduation. The exercise is intended to lead to a more efficient and effective process at the operational level. To facilitate each faculty’s efforts to move from commitment to action, the vice-provost international and associate vice-provost, international are intimately involved in each faculty’s planning for international recruiting targets, international partnerships for research and program articulations. 14 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES Problems, Challenges and Opportunities Some of the main challenges for the internationalization process include: 1. A massive undertaking requires detailed planning and systematic approaches; 2. Managing resistance to change and finding ways to get buy-ins; 3. Balancing the interests of different units. Internationalization also presents tremendous opportunities, such as: 1. Revamping current practice; 2. Aligning interests and operations through vertical and horizontal integrations; 3. Establishing global position and international reputation. Lessons learned and going forward 1. 2. 3. Internationalization is a full campus undertaking that requires the development of widespread (both vertical and horizontal) buy-in throughout the institution. The institution needs to be prepared to allocate substantial resources to achieve internationalization goals. Successful internationalization is not free of charge. Some organizational change will be needed to effectively implement internationalization. Internationalization does not take place overnight, but requires considerable institutional commitment over time.3 Implementing Internationalization: An Integrated Approach 2011-2016 Creating an implementation strategy that moves internationalization from the margin to the mainstream of the college In 2011 Douglas College faced the challenge of creating an implementation plan to integrate internationalization into the teaching, research and service functions of the institution. This responded to the institutional strategic plan: Pathways to Success: Strategic Plan 2010-15 which identified internationalization as one of the six key goals of the institution. Douglas College enrolls over 1000 international students from over 45 countries This goal built on the success of the institution in attracting foreign students, creating international partnerships, and providing study abroad opportunities for domestic students. The intent was to move the international mandate beyond Douglas College International (DCI) to engage the institution as a whole. If successful, internationalization would become a defining characteristic of the college. 3 For more information, visit the website. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 15 CASE STUDIES While DCI led the development of the implementation strategy, it was a cross-institutional initiative involving administrators, faculty, staff, and students. The first step was creating an advisory group with representatives from each faculty and relevant service area. This group set the general direction for the planning by defining five implementation goals: 1. Build a Globalized Identity so internationalization is perceived as an institutional priority. 2. Transform the Student Experience so students rate Douglas College as a top global campus in BC. 3. Engage Faculty and Staff to drive internationalization in their areas. 4. Globalize Programs and Services to facilitate international studies. 5. Demonstrate Institutional Commitment by involving the whole institution in implementing internationalization. To identify the actions needed to achieve the five goals DCI first interviewed administrators, and engaged the help of students in the college’s Marketing Research class to gather data from faculty, domestic students and international students. Faculty was surveyed to determine their understanding and attitudes regarding internationalization. Of a possible 485 faculty 94 responded (19%). To determine the goals, priorities, and opinions of students regarding internationalization 100 international students and 900 domestic students completed surveys, 28 international students participated in focus groups and five domestic students engaged in in-depth interviews. The research showed that faculties and service departments are supportive of internationalization with 84% of faculty stating that internationalization makes the college a more appealing place to work. International students are mainly satisfied with their experience at Douglas College with 90% indicating that they would recommend the college. While there is interest from domestic students to study abroad, this is hindered by cost, time (many students work part-time) and access to information on opportunities. 16 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES Institutional challenges include: 1. moving beyond the “champions” to involve a broader range of faculty and staff, 2. providing increased support to international students to foster their engagement, retention, and success, 3. reaching out to international groups in the community as a resource, 4. increasing the international content in programs, 5. ensuring that policies, services and administrative processes support student mobility, 6. providing recognition for the global learning experiences of students, 7. increasing not only the number but also the diversity of international students, 8. engaging in inter-institutional partnerships to increase the quality and relevance of programs and 9. preparing faculty and students to work and study in a cross-cultural environment. As a result of the findings the college adopted the following outcomes to promote student access, student success, program/service relevance, faculty/staff development, and community engagement: Institution Mission statement reflects internationalization Internationalization reflected in college identity and communications nnInternational inter-institutional collaborations and projects nnInternationalization evaluation and reporting nn nn Students nn Program nn Increased: nnnumber and diversity of international students nndomestic student mobility nninternational student retention and alumni nnPolicies and processes to improve international student transfer Program development includes international market analysis Curriculum includes a global aspect in each program nnFaculty and service departments engaged in cross-institutional global initiatives nnInternational learning recognized by a Certificate in Global Competence nn Faculty and Staff Community Faculty engagement and professional development through international teaching, curriculum and research nnStaff and faculty cross-cultural training nnStaff professional development to globalize services nnIncrease faculty, staff and administrator mobility nn International Advisory Group Globalized events and activities nn nn The Douglas College Internationalization Implementation Plan provides a detailed description of the “outcomes”, “strategies” and “activities” that are used to integrate internationalization into the institution. It also describes how DCI and international education will evolve into an integral part of the institutional mainstream. It is hoped that this planning document will provide a useful resource to other institutions in planning their internationalization strategy. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 17 CASE STUDIES A Call to Leadership — Maintaining the momentum in internationalization The Issue As one of the first Canadian institutions to sign academic agreements with Chinese institutions in the early 1980s, the University of Regina has a long history of international activity, and has developed a diverse and highly successful program of internationalization. This development has not taken place without challenges, however. In the past 30 years, the international profile of Canadian universities has changed dramatically. Over that time, other universities across the country have also begun expanding their international networks, with a key focus on China. As a result, the University of Regina is one of many Canadian universities actively engaged in international activities, meaning there is increased competition among institutions for international students, research partnerships, and funding opportunities. This new level of competition has posed challenges for the University of Regina, motivating the institution to seek other opportunities. The Action Prior to 2008, the administrative structure for internationalization at the University of Regina was not as efficient as it might have been, with responsibilities divided between two separate offices. International research partnerships were managed through the Office of International Cooperation and Development, while international student services were handled through the International Student Success Office. Each office was responsible for separate, yet related activities, and a lack of coordination between the two resulted in significant overlap. The 2008 arrival of a new President, Dr. Vianne Timmons, coupled with the development of a new strategic plan with a strong focus on international education, provided the opportunity to modify this structure. The University created UR International, a “one-stop shop” that now handles all aspects of the institution’s international activities. This has allowed for greater coordination of international visits and facilitation of international agreements, and has ensured that the University is able to launch active international recruitment campaigns while efficiently and effectively managing its growing network of partnerships. 18 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES The Results Support at the executive level has been a key factor in the institution’s success. President Timmons has a long personal history of interest in international activities, and has played an instrumental role in both the creation of UR International and the subsequent expansion of the University’s international activities. Her desire to bring the University of Regina to the world and the world to the University — together with her philosophy that domestic students should be able to get “an international education in their own back yard” — has helped the institution build upon its momentum in internationalization. The results have been positive. Celebrating 30 years of cooperation in 2011, the University renewed its focus on China with the creation of a Confucius Institute through a partnership with Hunan University. In addition, the University has also undertaken several new research projects with Chinese Institutions such as North China Electric Power University (NCEP), with whom it, in 2012, established the ChinaCanada Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability Research. These initiatives have provided a platform upon which to build relationships with other countries. The University has recently established new joint degree programs with Karuyna University in India and Kookmin University in South Korea, and is actively engaged in establishing similar programs with Brazilian and Mexican institutions as well. All of these are countries with which the University of Regina had limited interaction in the past. The effect of internationalization on student enrolment at the University has been profound. At a time when enrolment was projected to decline due to provincial demographics, the University has seen an increase of approximately 3% per year in overall student enrolment since 2008. Internationalization efforts have played an important part in this growth, with international students now making up more than 10% of the University’s 13,000 students. In short, through modifying its internal structure for internationalization and building upon areas of strength, the University of Regina has been able to manoeuvre through challenges by creating opportunities. With the creation of UR International, the University has revitalized its international activities and developed crucial supports for its growing body of international students. Evidence of the institution’s success thus far can be seen in the 149 active agreements it has with 100 institutions in 27 countries.4 4 For more information, visit the website. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 19 CASE STUDIES Internationalization of Québec’s cégeps For the past several years, Québec cégeps have been very active on the international scene, and Cégep International has supported them in developing their activities: student and teacher mobility, recruitment of international students, export of expertise/international cooperation and internationalization of education programs. Cégep International strives to bring together the main cégep internationalization stakeholders to share ideas on best practices and work together to develop education tools. Various committees comprising members of the network of international college representatives advise Cégep International on the development of these tools. Since 2007, the committee for the internationalization of training programs has been quite active and has undergone substantial changes. With the awareness that globalization is significantly changing the skills profile sought by employers, cégeps are focusing on internationalizing education programs in order to develop citizens who are aware of international issues and prepared to get involved in increasingly diverse and internationalized businesses. Student mobility programs are undoubtedly an effective way to educate cégep students on intercultural and international realities. However, the vast majority of students will not have the opportunity to participate in this type of program while attending cégep. Therefore, it is essential that education programs incorporate intercultural and international components into their skills profiles. For the past few years, Cégep International’s internationalization committee has been working on developing tools to enable cégep staff in charge of international and educational programming to equip their institutions with real strategic plans for internationalizing education programs. Merely integrating international components into a few courses or carrying out a few scattered activities will not suffice. Internationalization of education programs requires new pedagogical approaches and new learning methods. The tools developed by Cégep International’s internationalization committee enable the cégeps’ various stakeholders to develop this global approach, while working on their specific areas of intervention and building an “internationalized” student profile for each cégep. A few training sessions have already been provided to cégep staff in charge of international programming, using tools developed by the committee. The committee is continuously improving these tools to provide training to cégep academic advisors, who are responsible for developing, evaluating and reviewing education programs, with the help of teachers. Based on a practical education approach, the various steps involved in internationalizing a college and its education programs are presented in graph form, using mental maps. This provides an overall mental picture of the various steps and responsibilities related to internationalizing education programs and developing citizens who are open-minded and respectful of diversity. 20 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Chapter 2: International Students in Canada In this age of rapid globalization and increasing interconnectedness, a growing number of students are seeking an international education. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that the global demand for international higher education is set to grow from nearly 4.1 million students in 2010 to 7.2 million students in 2025 (OECD, 2011, 2012). In 2010, Canada enrolled about 5% of these internationally mobile students, in seventh position behind the USA, UK, France, China, Australia and Germany. Australia, a country of similar size and population to Canada, received 7% of the international student market. China, which was not in the top eight host countries in 2001, is now in fourth position, ahead of Canada (Institute of International Education Project Atlas, 2011). However, despite our diminutive share, Canada’s economy is benefiting substantially. In 2010, international students in Canada spent over $7.7 billion on tuition and living costs, and created over 81,000 jobs (RKA Inc., 2012). This phenomenon is not restricted to large cities or one region, but plays out nationally. In British Columbia, Thompson Rivers University estimates the direct annual impact of its international students in Kamloops is $87.8 million (Thompson Rivers University, 2011). On the east coast, Nova Scotia estimated the direct economic impact of international students in 2008-09 to be $231 million (Dalhousie University, 2009). In addition, post-graduate international students engage in research and development projects at colleges and universities that spur job creation within the private sector. Moreover, the economic impact of international students is not limited to higher education: school boards and language schools enrol significant numbers of international students, leading to jobs in education and surrounding communities. But, the impact of international students in Canada goes far beyond the economic. Students with education and experience from around the world contribute to the cultural and social fabric of A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 21 Canada. While in Canada, they provide Canadian students with the opportunity to hear global perspectives in a classroom setting, and learn about diverse cultures through out-of-class interactions. After graduation, if they choose to stay in Canada, they are highly desirable immigrants. With their international backgrounds coupled with Canadian education and fluency in one or both of Canada’s official languages, they have the potential to address employment shortages, and more than that, enrich our workforce, including maintaining contacts with networks at home or in other countries, all while understanding how Canada does business. If they choose to return to their home country or another country, these students become unofficial ambassadors for Canada and potential future collaborators on cross-border research and partners in business and diplomacy. International students in Canada are highly valued and highly beneficial to this country’s educational landscape, and vital to the globalized educational institution of the future. The following sections will look closely at international students in Canada: their numbers, origins, future intentions and experiences while studying here. 2.1 Total Number of International Students in Canada, including Places of Origin In 2011, there were 239,131 international students studying in Canada, a 75% increase over the last decade. From 2008 to 2011, the number of international students in Canada has grown at a faster rate than during the 2001 to 2008 time period. More specifically, from 2001 to 2008 the average percentage increase in the number of international students in Canada was 3.8% per year and for the period from 2008 to 2011 the average per-year percentage increase jumped to 11.5 % per year. A number of factors may explain the increase in the average per-year growth rate for international students since 2008, such as changes in policies and programs within sending countries (e.g. a greater number of international student scholarships available, as in China), changes in trade relations between Canada and sending countries (British Council research in 2011 suggested a close correlation between trade and student mobility), and policy changes within Canada making the country a more attractive destination for internationally mobile students. On the last point, it is possible that the increase in the per-year growth rate may be due partly to improvements in the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP) announced in the spring (April 21st) of 2008. The program, which allowed eligible international students to obtain an open work permit for up to three years with no restrictions on the type of employment and no requirement for a job offer, made it much easier for international students to find work following graduation. For students who hoped to apply for citizenship and live in Canada following 22 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 graduation, this new program provided an additional incentive to choose Canada over other study destinations. Evidence that this change in policy had a positive impact can be gleaned from CBIE’s 2009 Canada First student survey with almost half (45%) of university students and approximately two-thirds (67%) of college students agreeing that the opportunity for permanent residency was a “very important reason in [their] decision to come to Canada” (CBIE, 2009). While the question related to residency status, not employment, it is highly likely that respondents see the two as intertwined. A fascinating area of speculation in terms of student flows is the influence of a country’s reputation or brand. Many countries take their brand very seriously and this is frequently reflected in their approach to marketing and promotion in international education. Beginning in the 1980s, Australia set the standard for country branding to recruit international students. Canada’s brand has been strong in recent years. In its Country Brand Index (CBI), FutureBrand, a global brand and innovation consultancy, ranked Canada number one in the world in 2010 and 2011.5 This is based not only on Canada’s natural beauty and multicultural fabric, but on a broad set of criteria including business opportunities. Using the FutureBrand ranking as his starting point, Copeland (2010) stresses Canada’s Six Cs: Creative, Competitive, Connected, Cosmopolitan, Civic, and Caring. Even more important, judging from results of CBIE’s 2009 Canada First student survey, is the perceived quality of education offered in Canada. “Quality of Education” was the single most important reason identified by students in their decision to study in Canada. In addition, “prestige of a Canadian degree or diploma” was identified as very important by approximately six out of ten university students and two-thirds of college students. The CBIE survey also showed that 20% of university students and 16% of college students visited websites that rank universities, such as Times Higher Education. Canada has 20 institutions in the top 500 for the 2012 QS World University Rankings (QS, 2012), including three institutions in the top 50: McGill University (18th), University of Toronto (19th) and University of British Columbia (45th). The Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE, 2012) shows 18 Canadian institutions in the top 400, including nine in the top 200 and three institutions (the same as those listed above) in the top 30. The perceived (and actual) quality of these institutions draws international students from around the world. Moreover, while international students in Canada attend a much wider array of institutions than those referenced above, it is possible that some of these students were persuaded to choose Canada as a high quality education destination based on the number of institutions ranked favourably in global benchmarks. 5 113 nations were included in the FutureBrand study in 2011. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 23 Based on the assumption that Canada’s international student population will continue to grow at a rate similar to that of the last few years, it is possible to make projections about how many international students Canada will host in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. If the growth in international students continues to increase at the same rate as the 2008 to 2011 time period (approximately 11.5% per year), by 2015 Canada will host just over 350,000 international students. See figure 4 below. It is important to note that this is just a projection and that the actual number of international students in Canada is influenced by a myriad of factors. Despite this, however, all evidence points to a growing number of international students in Canada. Even if growth projections are calculated based on a more conservative average per-year growth rate, such as the growth rate from 2001 to 2011 (approximately 7.5% increase per year), the number of international students in Canada would still reach almost 320,000 by 2015. Figure 46 Figure 4 – English Number of International Students in Canada Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada Factors that could impede growth include lack of capacity, though a recent study (DFAIT, 2011) indicates that overall there is no capacity issue. However, attention should be paid to managing enrolment in a way that maintains Canada’s high academic quality. 6 24 Within charts in this chapter, “K” is used to represent thousands. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 The table below (table 1) shows that international students in Canada come from countries across the globe. Notwithstanding this remarkable variety, certain countries send far more students to Canada than others. For example, in 2011, Chinese students alone made up approximately 28% of the total international student population in Canada, and the top five sending countries (China, India, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the United States) made up over 57% of the total international student population. The uneven distribution can be explained by a number of internal and external factors, including, for example, differences in demographic make-up of the population of the sending country (e.g. high percentage of young people in the country), the strength of the sending country’s local economy, economic ties between the sending country and Canada (e.g. cross-border business or educational partnerships), and the relative attractiveness of Canada as a study destination to students in the sending country. Table 1 International stud dents in Canada: Top 30 sendin ng countries English Country % of total IS population p in Canaada Number of students 100 % 239,131 Colombia Grand total Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 25 2.1.1 Top 15 countries of origin, 2010 and 2011 There has been very little change with respect to the top 15 countries of origin of international students from 2010 to 2011. China remained the top source country in 2011, increasing the number of students over the previous year by approximately 10,000. The remaining nine countries in the top 10 trail China by a considerable margin, but still boast impressive figures. India replaced Korea as the number two sending country with over 23,000 students in Canada in 2011 (an increase of 5,876 students over the previous year). Iran, with a nearly 20% increase from 2010 to 2011, has moved from 11th to 9th place, pushing Taiwan out of the top 10. The recent decision by Canada’s government to suspend diplomatic relations with Iran (September 7th, 2012) may have an impact on future mobility, however. Saudi Arabia, the United States, France, Japan and Mexico maintained their rank between 2010 and 2011, while Vietnam and Nigeria moved up the list from 15th to 12th and 13th to 11th, respectively. Finally, the UK has fallen out of the top 15 to be replaced by Brazil. There is reason to believe that Brazil will continue to increase its share of students in Canada given the Brazilian government’s ambitious and innovative Science without Borders Program, which will provide over 100,000 scholarships for the country’s best young talent to go abroad. According to a 2012 statement on the Education au/in Canada website, this program should increase the number of Brazilian students studying at Canadian institutions by 12,000 over the next four years. Figures 5 and 6 below show the order of the top 15 Figure 5 ‐ English sending countries in 2010 and 2011. Figure 5 International students in Canada – top p 15 sending countries (2010) g China 56,906 Republic of Korea 24,622 India 17,525 Saudi Arabia 12,945 United States of America 11 326 11,326 France 10,045 Japan 5,843 Mexico 4,353 Hong Kong 3,999 Taiwan 3,349 Iran 3,247 Germany 3,173 Nigeria 2,860 United Kingdom 2,570 Vietnam 2,450 0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% % of total IS population in Canada 25.00% 30.00% Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada 26 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Figure 6 ‐ English Figure 6 International students in Canaada – top 15 sending countries (2011) China 67,047 India 23,401 Republic of Korea 2 21,806 Saudi Arabia 13,298 United States of America 11,659 France 9,862 Japan p 5,914 5,9 4 Mexico 4,511 Iran 3,892 Hong Kong 3,812 Nigeria 3,648 Vietnam 2,957 Taiwan 2,881 Germanyy 2,801 , Brazil 2,501 0.00% 5.00% 10 0.00% 15.00% 20.00% % of total IS population in Canada 25.00% 30.00% Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada 2.1.2 High growth countries Over the last few years several countries have increased the number of students they send to Canada. Identifying the high growth countries helps Canadian policy makers and institutions determine which countries to focus on now and into the future. Figure 7 demonstrates which countries had the highest growth rate from 2008 to 2011. Those above the red dotted line represent the countries that have a growth rate that is higher than Canada’s overall international student growth rate from 2008 to 2011 (34.54%). Those countries below the red dotted line have a growth rate that is lower than the overall Canadian growth rate during this time period. As can be seen in figure 7, India’s student population has shown the highest growth rate, increasing 220% (or 73% per year) since 2008, moving India from 5th to 2nd place on the list of Canada’s top sending countries. A key factor is the Student Partners Program introduced by Citizenship and Immigration Canada in 2009, in partnership with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, to facilitate college admissions. The number of students from Saudi Arabia studying in Canada has also grown significantly, increasing almost 186% (or 62% per year), moving the country from 7th to 4th place. The King Abdullah Scholarships have been the major factor, providing as many as 12,000 scholarships, primarily at the university undergraduate level. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 27 Nigeria (105%; 16th to 11th place), the Philippines (82%; 30th to 25th), Vietnam (96%; 19th to 12th) and Iran (80%; 13th to 9th) also demonstrated substantial growth since 2008. Perhaps unsurprisingly, China boasted strong growth, increasing by 59% since 2008. More surprising is the increasing number of students from Pakistan (58%; 18th to 17th), Malaysia (52%; 24th to 21st), and Colombia (47%; 29th to 28th), as students from these countries make up a relatively small percentage of the total international student population in Canada — approximately 2.2% collectively. At the other end of the spectrum, several countries have shown declines since 2008. For example, Taiwan dropped from 9th to 13th place on the list of top sending countries between 2008 and 2011, decreasing by almost 30%. Similarly, Korea has dropped from 2nd to 3rd on the list of top sending countries between 2010 and 2011, decreasing by almost 21% since 2008. Finally, Indonesia slipped from 23rd to 29th place, down by almost 21%. Figure 7 Figure 7 – English % change in IS population (per country) from 2008 to 2011 Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada 28 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 2.1.3 Breakdown by academic level 7 More than half (54%) of all international students in Canada are enrolled at the university level. The remaining students break down as follows: Other post-secondary programs host approximately 18% of international students; Secondary or less programs host approximately 15% of international 8 students; Trade programs students; and approximately Figurehost 8 –approximately English 9% of international 9 3.5% of international students fall into the Other category. This information is presented in figure 8. Figure 8 International Students in Canada by Program Type (2011) Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada 2.1.4 Breakdown by province Figure 9 utilizes the most recent data available (2011) to show the distribution of international students across Canadian provinces and territories. Ontario institutions enrolled the highest number of international students with 96,802, followed by British Columbia with 66,554 and Québec with 33,695 students. The next closest province with approximately half the number of students as Québec is Alberta, which hosted 16,619 international students. Nova Scotia reported 8,552 students, while Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick hosted 5,780, 4,848 and 3,612 students respectively. Newfoundland and Labrador enrolled 1,804 students while Prince Edward Island hosted 786. Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut combined hosted 68 international students. 7 Level of study is defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) as detailed below: Secondary or less: primary or secondary educational institutions in Canada. Trade: vocational programs at non-university educational institutions in Canada (such as technical and vocational institutions, CÉGEPs and colleges). University: undergraduate, postgraduate (master’s and doctoral) and other studies at universities in Canada. Other post-secondary: post-secondary level of study, not at the university or trade level, including language institutions, private institutions and university qualifying programs. Other: foreign students not classified in any of the above levels of study. 8 It is important to note that the figures for students studying at the Trade level (including colleges) may be understated. The category “Other post-secondary programs” may include English as a Second Language (ESL) and français langue seconde (FLS) programs offered within colleges and universities. 9 CIC data does not include the numerous international students who come to Canada to study for a period of less than six months, as they are not required to hold a study permit to enter Canada. This group includes many international students who come to Canada for short-term language study and semester-long exchange programs. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 29 Figure 9 – English Figure 9 Number of International Students per province (2011) O t i Ontario 96 802 British Columbia 66 554 Québec 33 695 6 Alberta 16 619 Nova Scotia 8 552 Manitoba 5 780 Saskatchewan 4 848 New Brunswick 3 612 Newfoundland and Labrador 1 804 Prince Edward Island 786 Yukon, N.W.T. and Nunavut 68 0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00 0% 20.00% 25.00% % of total 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00% Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada 2.2 Scholarships for Study in Canada Dr. Sheila Embleton, Professor in the Faculty of Languages, Literature and Linguistics at York University in Toronto, Ontario, discusses the importance of scholarships for study in Canada. In August 2011 CBIE published Canada’s International Education Strategy: Focus on Scholarships (CBIE, 2011) an environmental scan reviewing existing programs. Based on over 40 interviews with experts and stakeholders, the report posited the centrality of scholarships to international education and that effective scholarship programs must figure prominently in any successful strategy for international education. The report recommended that: 30 1. A broad consultative group on international scholarships be established, reporting at the (federal) ministerial level; 2. An applicant-oriented, comprehensive, searchable database of academic programs and scholarship/financial information be constructed; 3. Scholarships be used more strategically to promote Canada’s brand; 4. The overall investment in scholarships be increased; 5. A branded entry scholarship be established for excellent international undergraduates at both colleges and universities; A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 6. Creative ways be used to encourage international students to immigrate upon graduation, including to smaller communities; 7. The children of the Canadian diaspora be recruited back to Canada; 8. Alumni networks of prestigious award holders be created and utilized; 9. Clear ways of explaining the need for skilled immigrants to fill labour market gaps be developed; 10. The tension between talent attraction to Canada and talent retention in developing countries be discussed; and that 11. Further research be conducted on the role played in international education by colleges, language schools and K-12 education, as well as on the scholarship strategies of other countries. Since then, there have been several noteworthy developments with respect to scholarship support for international students. On the negative side, some Canadian scholarship programs which attracted international students and scholars to Canada have been cut for budgetary reasons, including those that formed part of the Understanding Canada cluster of programs whose goal was to bring knowledge of Canada to the rest of the world. The multi-country mobility programs managed in Canada by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada have been cancelled. Ontario has imposed a fee of $750 per international student, to be paid by the college or university, which can either be absorbed by the institution itself or passed along as a fee increase to the student; either way, it will impact the financial situation of international students and possibly the institutional support services available to them. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 31 On the positive side, a number of scholarship programs have survived recent budget cuts, and recognition of the value of international students in Canada continues to climb. This value is variously defined: short-term economic benefits to institutions, and local or regional economic impact; long-term enrichment of our education and research capability, labour force development through skilled graduates staying as permanent residents, and downstream trade benefits. The most important development has been the August release of the report of the Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, chaired by Dr. Amit Chakma, entitled International Education: A Key Driver of Canada’s Future Prosperity (DFAIT, 2012). It contains 14 recommendations, designed both to attract “top talent” to Canada and to prepare Canadians for the global marketplace. It represents a broadly consensual view of the directions international education should take, and how and why these directions should be supported. Critically, it also imparts a sense of urgency to implementation of the 14 recommendations, urging that Canada not miss the current window of opportunity. Specifically concerning scholarships, the Panel report’s Chapter 8, “Investments”, and Recommendations 9 (“Brand Canada through scholarships for international undergraduate students”) and 10 (“Regroup grants and scholarships available to international graduate students and post-doctoral fellows under one label/brand, with a focus on priority areas aligned with Canada’s innovation and prosperity agenda”) strongly echo the CBIE report’s call for greater investment in scholarships to attract talented students at all levels of study to Canada. The report argues that scholarships can further strengthen the quality of Canadian education as well as attract top talent, all to enhance national prosperity. Further, the urgency of greater cooperation between governments (federal and provincial/territorial) as well as all institutions is underscored, as in several other reports including that of CBIE. Initiatives such as CCIEM (Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing, chaired by CBIE) are crucial in this coordination and alignment. The Panel report specified the desired number of new scholarships for international undergraduates entering Canadian colleges, polytechnics and universities —– 8,000 — as well as the desired number of scholarships for international graduate students (2,000) and post-doctoral fellows (1,000) per year. These are ambitious targets, but necessary if we are to position ourselves to compete effectively against other destinations for top talent. Co-funding by governments, business and educational institutions is suggested, presumably not just for financial expediency but because it also ensures buy-in from and alignment with goals of the multiple stakeholders. 32 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 2.3 Immigration Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is the doorway to Canadian education — for many international students, it is their first experience with Canada. CIC continues to make advances in service, such as online applications, the Global Case Management System and streamlining key processes. However, annual volume increases in international student files do not appear to be matched with commensurate resources to maintain and enhance service delivery. When processing times do improve, it can take years to change the perception that Canada is unwelcoming to individual students and unkind to sponsoring governments and organizations trying to efficiently place hundreds and even thousands of students in Canada. Canada’s capacity to capitalize on student mobility, including large-scale foreign government sponsored programs, is impeded by resource constraints within our immigration services. The Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy recommended increased capacity at CIC for international student services: aggressive processing time targets in key markets, other improvements in client service, and increased staffing with enhanced in-service training. The Panel makes clear that its recommended international education strategy must include alignment with the policies, practices and strategies of key actors in international education, including CIC. In June 2012, CIC issued a Canada Gazette Notice of proposed regulatory changes to its International Student Program (ISP), the umbrella term applied to all facets of CIC’s approach to international students. CBIE and its member institutions are fully committed to supporting the integrity of the ISP and supporting the Canadian education brand. A critical factor for international students choosing a destination for studying abroad is favourable immigration policies and practices. Changes to enhance the integrity of the system are valued. At the same time, attention must be paid to maintaining a welcoming approach for qualified students. CBIE’s response to the Notice highlighted these key caveats regarding the proposed ISP changes: Requirement to study (currently there is no regulatory requirement for study permit holders to study, a requirement that pertains in other major host countries). CBIE stated that, though it supports the proposal, flexibility should be accorded to those who have genuine predicaments transitioning between programs or are otherwise unable to enroll. nn Elimination of study permits for study of less than six months. There are a number of reasons why international students studying in Canada for less than six months may wish to hold a study permit, such as accessing institutional health insurance and the opportunity to gain practical work experience during studies. CBIE stated that, should this change be adopted, CIC should identify alternative solutions for short-term international students. nn Restriction of work permit eligibility to programs specifically designed for international students (such as the Off-Campus Work Permit and Co-op Internship Programs). CBIE urged a broader approach, supportive of Canada’s overarching objective of retaining top talent. nn At this time, CIC is reviewing the comments received, undertaking further consultations, with a view to pre-publication of the regulatory changes in December 2012. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 33 2.3.1 Study permit approval rates and processing times Table 2 shows the approval rate for study permit applications as well as the processing times per point of service (i.e. city in sending country) for 2010 and 2011. The overall approval rate, which includes points of service that are not listed in the table, stayed consistent over the last two years with approximately three out of every four applicants being approved to study in Canada. Certain cities have a higher approval rate than others. For example, over 90% of applicants are successful when they apply for a study permit in cities such as Tokyo (98.24%), Sao Paulo (98.17%), Riyadh (95.07%), London (93.58%) and Mexico City (90.35%). On the other end of the spectrum, less than 60% of applicants are successful when they apply for a study permit in cities such as Paris (59.49%), Chandigarh (57.65%), Hong Kong (57.40%) and Abu Dhabi (48.56%). Some countries experienced significant changes in their approval rates from 2010 to 2011. For example, in 2010 Hong Kong and Paris both had approval rates of nearly 95%, but in 2011 their rates had fallen to less than 60%. The approval rates for New York and Taipei also fell by nearly 20% from 2010 to 2011. Meanwhile, the approval rates for both Riyadh and New Delhi increased from 2010 to 2011 by 13% and 25%, respectively. A number of factors figure into approval rate changes, including more (or fewer) applications containing fraudulent information (often financial). There are also significant differences between points of service in terms of the average number of days it takes to process applications. The numbers shown in table 2 represent the number of days it takes to finalize 80% of cases (i.e. applications submitted). As can be observed, processing times range from seven days (New York) to 126 days (Hong Kong) with an average of 42 days (an increase of seven days from the previous year). 34 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 e 2 ‐ English In several cities CIC has been successful in reducing processing times between 2010 and 2011. For example, Lagos (77 to 35), New York (28 to 7), Sao Paulo (35 to 21) and Ho Chi Minh City (70 to 56) all reduced processing times by at least two weeks. Other points of service, such as Hong Kong (42 to 126), Berlin (14 to 42), Taipei (21 to 70), Bogota (28 to 56) and New Delhi (28 to 49) have not fared as well. Table 2 Sttudy Permit Approval Rates and Processing Tiimes by Points of Service 2010 Points of Service Approval Rate 2011 80% of Cases finalized in “X” Days Approval Rate 80% of Cases finalized in “X” Days To okyo 97.40 % 14 98.24% 21 Saao Paulo 88.74% 35 98.17% 21 Riyadh 82.24% 35 95.07% 28 Lo ondon 82.77% 42 95.58% 49 Mexico City 92.36% 42 90.35% 28 eoul Se 88.82% 28 89.91% 35 Be erlin 98 01% 98.01% 14 87 62% 87.62% 42 Ne ew Dehli 59.84% 28 85.25% 49 Taaipei 99.13% 21 80.90% 70 Bu uffalo 81.89% 9 49 80.40% 4 77 Be eijing 75.35% 35 77.05% 28 Te ehran 68.40% 56 74.20% 77 Ne ew York 88.15% 28 67.73% 7 Bo ogota 66.67% 28 67.09% 56 Ho o Chi Minh 68.80% 70 66.42% 56 Laagos 54.38% 77 66.36% 35 Paaris 94.44% 21 59.49% 21 Ch handigarh 42.97% 28 57.65% 28 Ho ong Kong 94.53% 42 57.40% 126 Ab bu Dhabi 66 17% 66.17% 56 48 56% 48.56% 70 Ovverall 72.75% 35 74.08% 42 Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada In spring 2012 temporary resident processing including student processing was eliminated at several missions: Belgrade, Berlin, Buffalo, Damascus, Dhaka, Kuala Lumpur, Tehran and Tokyo (CIC Operational Bulletins 380, 414, 415 and 425, 2012) raising the possibility of backlogs at missions destined to receive applications formerly sent to those points. Reports from institutions suggest that this has indeed transpired, with a number of students not receiving permits in time for the academic year start in September 2012 (Canadian University Press, 2012). Given the trend to online applications and the increase in Visa Application Centres (VACs) that are contracted by CIC to help applicants and ensure complete applications are submitted, the overall impact may not be significant, though some points of service may show significant slowdowns. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 35 2.3.2 Work permits issued to international students As can be seen in the graph below (figure 10), the number of work permits issued to international students (both off-campus and post-graduation) has increased steadily since 2007. Off-Campus Work Permits (OCWP) authorize students to work up to 20 hours per week during regular academic sessions, and full time during scheduled breaks (e.g. winter and summer holidays, March break, etc.). To qualify for this program, international students must be attending a publicly funded post-secondary institution or an eligible privately funded institution. Since 2007, the number of off-campus work permits and extensions issued has increased by approximately 66%, from 17,255 to 28,569. This increase may be driven in part by an increase in demand due to rising tuition fee and living costs. CBIE’s 2009 survey of international students (CBIE, 2009) revealed that approximately 90% of university and college students surveyed (n=734) worked at least 6 hours per week at an off-campus job. Figure 10 NumberNumber of Off‐offCampus Permits Extensions off‐campusWork work permits andand extensions issued Issued 0 ‐ English ‐ English 30K 30K 28,569 9 28,569 66%% ++66 increase increase since since 2007 2007 28K 28K 26K 26K Numb ber of off‐camp pus work perm mits and extenssions issued Number of off‐campus work permits and extension ns issued 24K 24K 22K 22K 20,558 8 20,558 20K 20K 18K 18K 17,255 17,255 16K 16K 16,531 16,531 17,192 7, 9 17,192 14K 14K 12K 12K 10K 0 10K 8K 8K 6K 6K 4K 4K 2K 2K 0K 0K 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010 2011 2011 Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada 36 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 The Post-Graduation Work Permit program (PGWP) allows international students, following the completion of their studies, to gain experience working in Canada for a set period of time depending on the length of the student’s academic program (with a maximum duration of three years). As detailed in figure 11, since enhancements were implemented, the number of post-graduation work permits and extensions issued has increased by approximately 108% from 10,892 to 22,675. Part of what is driving this trend is the federal government’s changes to the post-graduation work permit program (CIC, 2008), which removed restrictions on the type of employment as well as the requirement for a job offer to obtain a work permit. Figure 11 Number ofof post‐gradu uation work permits and issued Number of post‐gradua ation work permits and issued Number of post‐gradu permits and extensions extensions issued Number post‐gradua tion work permits and extensions extensions issued‐‐English English 24KK 24 11 ‐ English 11 ‐ English 22 22675 675 ++108% 108% increase increase since since 2007 2007 22KK 22 Number off of post‐graduat ion work perm mits and sions issued Num mber post‐g graduation work permits and dextens extensions isssued 20KK 20 18 K 18 K 16 K 16 K 14 K 14 K 12 K 12 K 10 892 10 892 17 833 17 833 FFederal Federal G Gov. G Gov Gov. m makes m makes c changes ch hanges to PGWP to o PGWP p program program (+ 64% in‐ (+ + 64% in‐ c crease cr orease over o2007) 2ver 20 007) 17 321 17 321 15 439 15 439 10 K 10 K 8K 8K 6K 6K 4K 4K 2K 2K 0K 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 37 2.3.3 International students to permanent residents of Canada In 2010, international students made up approximately 12% of the total number of new permanent residents in Canada, a decline of four percentage points since 2008. Moreover, there has been a decline in the number of students who transition to permanent residents. As can be seen in the graph below (figure 12, left, bar chart), the number of international students transitioning to permanent residents has declined by 17%, from 11,010 in 2008 to 8,667 in 2010 (the most recent data available). CIC data does not provide information on the success rate of applications, so it is impossible to determine the extent to which the decline in international students turned permanent residents is the result of fewer applications being received or a lower acceptance rate for submitted applications. Figure 12 (right, pie chart) also shows how the 12% of international students who transitioned to permanent residents were classified by CIC. Of the 12% of international students who transitioned to permanent residents, over one-third (35.65%) were classified as economic immigrants (permanent residents selected for their skills and ability to contribute to Canada’s economy). An additional half (46.84%) of those were classified as the spouse or dependent of an economic immigrant. Combining these figures, a pattern emerges whereby over 80% of the international students who became permanent residents in 2010 did so because they were able to demonstrate their economic value to the country. The remaining 18% breaks down as follows: almost 15% (14.58%) were classified as permanent residents sponsored by a family member who is a Canadian citizen and over 18 years of age. The remaining 2.70% fall under an “other immigrant” category, which includes “post-determination refugee claimants in Canada, deferred removal orders, retirees (no longer designated under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act), temporary resident permit holders, humanitarian and compassionate cases, sponsored humanitarian and compassionate cases outside the family class, and people granted permanent resident status based on public policy considerations” (CIC, 2012). 10 The Canadian Experience Class immigration stream (CEC), launched in 2008, accounts for a small proportion of the nearly 47% of economic immigrants. The program welcomed its 20,000th permanent resident in September 2012 (CIC, 2012, 2). The CEC allows skilled temporary foreign workers with Canadian work experience and international students with Canadian degrees, diplomas and work experience to apply for permanent residency based on meeting other criteria related to work experience and proficiency in one of Canada’s official languages. Though the CEC is Canada’s fastest growing economic immigration program, CIC had estimated that the number of successful applicants would rise from 5,000 in 2009 to 26,000 in 2012 (Office of the Auditor General, 2009). However, as of 2010, since implementation, just over 5,000 had applied through the student stream, with just over 3,000 admitted (CIC, Facts and Figures, 2010). In 2009 there were less than 2,000 successful applicants, and in 2010, just under 4,000 — a far cry from the 26,000 projected. There is need to review CEC itself in view of this performance, as well as to consider how we can assist students to access CEC. Subsequent CBIE reports will explore further the transition of international students to permanent residency through CEC, the Provincial Nominee Programs, and other programs. 10 38 This discussion (and the figure) does not include former students who became permanent residents through their refugee status. This group made up approximately 0.25% of the total number of international students turned permanent residents in 2010. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Figure 12 ‐ English ‐ English ‐ English ‐ English Number of International students who Number of International students who transitioned to permanent residency Number of International students who transitioned to permanent residency Number of International students who transitioned to permanent residency transitioned to permanent residency International student to permanent resident International student — percentage t ditotpermanent distribution ib ti (2010) ( resident ) International student to permanent resident — percentage t di distribution t ib ti (2010) ) International student to permanent( resident — percentage percentage dit tibibtiti (2010) ( )) — tt 2.70% didistribution distribution ( (2010) 2.70% 2.70% 2.70% 14.58% 14.58% 14.58% 14.58% 35.65% 35.65% 35.65% 35.65% 46.84% 46.84% 46.84% 46.84% IS to economic immigrant (spouse or dependent) IS to economic immigrant (spouse or dependent) IS to economic immigrant (spouse or dependent) IS to economic immigrant (spouse or dependent) IS to economic immigrant (primary applicant) ISto toeconomic economicimmigrant immigrant(primary (primary applicant) IS applicant) IS to economic immigrant (primary applicant) IS to family class ISto tofamily familyclass class IS IS to family class IS to other immigrant ISto toother otherimmigrant immigrant IS IS to other immigrant Year Year Year Year 2.4 Economic impact of international students in Canada According to a new report commissioned by DFAIT (RKA Inc., 2012), in 2010 international students in Canada spent in excess of $7.7 billion on tuition, accommodation and discretionary expenses; led to the creation of over 81,000 jobs; and generated more than $445 million in government revenue. This is up from the $6.5 billion and $291 million in government revenue reported in 2008. Of this, the more than 218,000 (2010) long-term (staying for at least six months) international students contributed more than $6.9 billion for the Canadian economy. The report estimates that over two-thirds of this revenue came from the two largest sending countries — China and South Korea — which had 56,906 and 24,622 international students, respectively. Short-term students who pursued language training contributed an estimated $788 million to the Canadian economy. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 39 Table 3 ‐ English g Table 3 Summary Table II Value of International Education Serrvices by Top Ten Countries by Level of Study, 2010 Area/Country Secondary or less Trade Unive ersity Other post‐ secondary Other All Long‐Term Students China $145,131,000 $142,471,000 $1,190,491,000 $322,774,000 $35,560,000 $1,836,427,000 Korea $214,820,000 $259,868,000 $181,,721,000 $38,973,000 $12,020,000 $707,402,000 India $4,451,000 $46,992,000 $157,018,000 $351,754,000 $23,373,000 $583,588,000 Saudi Arabia $14,546,000 $31,550,000 $222,160,000 $82,442,000 $76,964,000 $427,662,000 USA $19,648,000 $10,959,000 $291,0 024,000 $33,643,000 $13,857,000 $369,131,000 France $9,770,000 $7,970,000 $276,9 980,000 $33,810,000 $5,009,000 $333,539,000 Japan $28,549,000 $19,096,000 $68,5526,000 $21,985,000 $42,572,000 $180,728,000 Mexico $37,884,000 $11,624,000 $46,6 699,000 $18,321,000 $10,852,000 $125,380,000 Hong Kong $24,098,000 $7,638,000 $70,7726,000 $18,154,000 $835,000 $121,451,000 Taiwan $20,082,000 $9,963,000 $40,4 439,000 $29,646,000 $1,336,000 $101,466,000 Top 10 Areas $518,979,000 $548,131,000 $2,545,7784,000 $951,502,000 $222,378,000 $4,786,774,000 All Areas/Countries $762,889,000 $672,170,000 $3,955,5558,000 $1,229,139,000 $302,013,000 $6,921,769,000 Source: Economic Impact of International Education in Canada — An Update, DFAIT/RKA Inc. 2012 In addition to capturing the economic impact that has resulted from students’ spending on tuition, fees and basic living expenses, the report estimates that $336 million per year can be attributed to additional tourism related activities undertaken by international students and their families and friends. Comparisons can be made between educational services provided to international students in Canada and more traditional exports — by far the most impressive is the Saudi Arabia-Canada export relationship in educational services. Saudi Arabia spends the equivalent of 44% of the value of their imports from Canada on educational services. China, France, India and South Korea tell a similar story. The beneficial economic impact of international students in Canada is felt from coast to coast, as was noted at the start of this chapter. Many universities, colleges and schools boards have impressive services and programs in place to ensure that the experience of international students on their campuses is rewarding — essentially, that they get value from the money they spend on a Canadian education. The following case studies are a sampling of some of the numerous notable services from across the country, from institutions large and small. 40 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES Celebrating Interculturality Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) student demographics are unique among Canadian institutions: a full 17% of undergraduates and 23% of graduate students are international. Of these students, approximately 60% of undergraduate students are from mainland China and the largest percentage of international graduate students is also from China at 23%. When the numbers of students who are recently arrived Canadians, whose parents immigrated to Canada and/or those who have Permanent Residency status are added, the numbers rise to over 50% of the student body having been raised or had schooling in a country other than Canada. Statistics Canada’s five to ten year projections for immigration patterns for the Lower Mainland (the dominant catchment areas for SFU undergraduate students) indicate that this diversity will continue into the foreseeable future. Interestingly, 53% of SFU students self-identify as belonging to a visible minority — in other words, they feel “other” than Caucasian (the Statistics Canada descriptor). It is estimated that 57% speak English as their first language and many students are multilingual. A full 40% speak a language other than English at home. So SFU has very culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse campuses. Given this student mix, how is SFU is celebrating interculturality and moving toward pluralism among students, and how can staff, faculty, and students better succeed within the changing face of the student demographic? SFU campuses have become spaces for intercultural learning. Although a significant number of SFU students are of Asian heritage, SFU serves international students and Canadians from over 130 different countries representing multiple races and ethnicities. Students have a diversity of life, education and cultural experiences. Serving and responding to an intercultural and multilingual student body requires specific services, competencies and skills. Student Services (SS) and International Services for Students (ISS) have worked to ensure SFU front-line staff in particular are aware of and are becoming increasingly skilled in addressing these differences. The first step is getting a sense of where issues lie, getting a baseline of understanding and ensuring opportunities for ongoing training and research. Next action steps include practice and policy reviews once the challenges and barriers have been identified. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 41 CASE STUDIES As part of President Andrew Petter’s EnVision project, ISS assisted SFU’s international students to complete an anecdotal video describing their levels of connectivity to (or isolation from) SFU and local communities. ISS staff receives ongoing professional development training on social connections and intercultural communication, particularly for dealing with international students. Training on resilience and social connections led to an in-depth examination of non-academic programming for international students. This has resulted in greater emphasis on building interculturality between student communities and improving social connectivity options for all SFU students regardless of visa status. SFU has also conducted multiple surveys assessing international student satisfaction levels, the most intensive and recent being the first of three years of the International Student Barometer (ISB) 2011 survey. SFU is also engaged in a complete review of its EAL (English as an Additional Language) courses, curricular, supports and activities across the university as a whole. Student Affairs, through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SHHRC) grant has completed a five-year retrospective investigation of the supports for, and barriers to, international and new immigrant student success. Over 35,000 academic records representing students from 137 different countries (2005-2010) were examined by student citizenship, basis of admission, dominant language, and country of origin to see how these factors impact student academic success. The results allow SFU to better evaluate the effectiveness of targeted interventions such as its Back on Track (BOT) program and proposed policy changes based upon five years of data. It also provides a baseline against which to measure progress and assess interventions and policy/ practice changes. To that end SFU has already used this information to review internal retention support practices and programs and explore the expansion of some international services to all students (i.e. the BOT), adjust recruitment and retention policies (i.e. language requirements and academic requirements based upon residency) and ensure that Student Services is positioned as key to the students’ success. Using evidence from international student feedback, professional development options, the SHHRCfunded research project and changes to our Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) approach to international enrollment, SFU has developed a unique perspective showcasing an enterprise-wide approach to the complex issue of interculturality and social connection, the move toward pluralism, international student recruitment, admission, and retention for its large contingent of international and new/permanent resident students on campus. Ultimately, this has, and continues to contribute to a unique Canadian experience for these students and those who work with them. 42 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES Adopt an International Student Just in time for the holiday season, in December 2011 Cambrian College launched a program that encourages Sudburians to invite an international student into their lives. Adopt an International Student aims to foster cultural exchange in the community and offer extra support to Cambrian international students, especially over the holidays. International students are always adjusting and growing in their identity and this program makes a positive difference. With many international students being thousands of miles away from home, they often miss having a family connection. They are also curious about Canadian traditions and are happy to share some of their own cultural customs. Working with the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association (SMFAA), the new program will be ongoing and will involve many activities to facilitate a shorter adjustment period for incoming international students. It will also benefit members of the local community, as they will become more aware of the importance of internationalization. In a global economy, strong cultural understanding is crucial to success. Through the Adopt an International Student program, families meet with international students two to three times each semester. Remembering one another at birthdays and holidays or inviting students for a meal or a chat are just some examples of the possibilities of this program. Students and host families are asked to fill out a questionnaire. Participants receive information about their student/family match after a review of all applicants. The program is still in the preliminary stages and some of the challenges faced in the first few months were: Some students, especially new arrivals, are reluctant to participate due to lack of confidence in their language skills. nn Some students are vegetarians, so host family and student diets may be incompatible. nn Students are focused on school and have difficulty finding time for meeting host families. nn Cultural and religious differences are factors for some students. nn A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 43 In response to these challenges, Cambrian has modified its questionnaire and now asks hosts to identify their food and cultural preferences. The college also promotes the program to its students around holidays to give them the flexibility in finding a common time with their hosts. Last year, Cambrian’s Communications Manager invited a student from India to her home on Onwatin Lake over the holidays. “It was the first time he had walked on a frozen lake, and he’d never seen a real snowmobile or ice fishing hut before,” she explained. “He was really excited to see the things that are so typically Canadian and was more than willing to try our foods and talk about the traditions in his family as well.” Sponsored Student Program: a Win-Win for Sponsors AND Students In 2007 the University of Alberta created the Sponsored Student Program, with the primary goals of increasing the number of students who come to the University of Alberta with full scholarships from their home countries and identifying additional opportunities for collaboration with sponsoring organizations. The majority of sponsored students receive funding from their governments, with smaller cohorts funded by corporations, universities, and non-governmental organizations. The Sponsored Student Program works to achieve these goals by strengthening relationships with existing sponsors, identifying and exploring relationships with new sponsors, identifying University of Alberta programs interested in working with sponsors, and building relationships with sponsored students to address individual student challenges and to assist students to succeed in their academic programs. The results have been a winning proposition for both the University and sponsors. Services to Sponsors The Sponsored Student Program works directly with sponsors, serving as a single entry point into the University. Sponsors place students at institutions around the world and are often challenged by the differing systems of higher education and the complexity of individual institutions. Creating 44 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES a single entry point for sponsors, enables the sponsor to bring forward their questions or concerns to the Sponsored Student Program which in turn determines the best route forward within the University of Alberta, with the aim to provide the sponsor with a solution. Sponsors value having one primary contact at the institution. This is particularly valuable in complex, dynamic and decentralized institutions where services from admissions to housing to financial services are managed by different offices. Sponsors often have priority areas of interest. Understanding these priorities and identifying programs or institutional strengths suited to the sponsors identified priorities is an essential strategy for increasing student enrollment. Services to Students The Sponsored Student Program works with individual students from inquiry to graduation. The unit works with prospective students to determine if appropriate programs of study are available, and at the graduate level to assist the prospective student in identifying potential supervisors. Once admitted, staff work with students to ensure a smooth transition to the University and are in regular contact with enrolled students to ensure they are making good academic progress and to offer guidance and support when they are struggling. A well developed campus network is essential to success and enables the Sponsored Student Program to work with students to identify options for addressing challenges that the student might experience. The Sponsored Student Program also assists students in communicating with their sponsoring agencies when required. Outcomes With two full-time staff, the program has grown from 175 sponsored international students in 20072008 to 400 in 2011-2012. These 400 students come from 33 different countries and are sponsored by 62 different organizations. By comparison, in 2007 the University of Alberta was hosting students from 40 sponsoring agencies. The increase in sponsors is a result of considerable effort to identify and work with new sponsoring agencies. Of the 400 sponsored students currently attending the University, 66% are graduate students. Recruiting sponsored students is particularly important at the graduate level where internal funding is often a challenging factor in enrolling additional students. Developing ongoing collaborative relationships with sponsors provides the university with an effective means of recruiting excellent students year after year. Sponsored students are often top students, pre-selected by the in-country application process that they must go through to earn their sponsorship. In addition to recruitment success, strong sponsor relationships have resulted in further collaborations on activities such as joint national conferences, professional training and research collaboration. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 45 CASE STUDIES Strategies for Success Identifying potential sponsors relies on referral networks from current students, university faculty and staff, staff of sponsoring agencies, federal and provincial resources such as DFAIT Trade Commissioners, and colleagues at other universities operating sponsored student services. Being able to communicate directly to potential students is an essential factor in recruiting, as in many cases sponsored students select the universities where they wish to study. Sponsors can provide good suggestions on strategies for recruiting students. To provide service to sponsors and students, it is essential that the Sponsored Student Program foster strong collaborative relationships with key service providers on campus. In addition to providing valuable service, building positive relations with sponsors also requires in-person visits to the sponsor and organizing campus visits for the sponsor. Collaborating with national sponsoring agencies can be challenging as an individual university. However the sponsored student service model, when used in a consortium approach with partner universities, is an effective model for engaging national level sponsors. This is the model the University of Alberta participates in as a member of CALDO (a consortium of the Universities of Alberta, Laval, Dalhousie and Ottawa). Showing Up at the Wrong Time — International Students Welcomed by our Welcoming Team Université de Saint-Boniface (USB), founded in 1818, is the oldest teaching institution in Western Canada and one of the co-founders of the University of Manitoba. Offering 16 university and college programs to more than 1,100 students, USB is an inclusive and diverse intercultural learning environment, with nearly 25% of its students coming from some 3o different countries. The International Office, founded in 2008, prioritizes the welcoming, support and integration of international students. In the past, international students would arrive before and after classes began. Late arrivals would cause all sorts of problems for students and schools alike. In arriving so late, students not only had to deal with culture shock and adjusting to a new system, but they had also missed orientation and multiple classes, and had to catch up on the materials they had missed. They arrived at a bad time and got off to a bad start. In order to rectify this situation, the institution decided to implement a program to support new students in getting settled and starting school. How could these students be welcomed in such 46 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES a way that their immediate needs, as well as the institution’s, were met? How could they be supported to ensure their success at school? How could difficulties be prevented along the way? English The program team met with University officials to discuss the matter. Given that several internal sectors were affected, minor procedural changes were supported. Therefore, several measures were adopted by the International Office. First, the office now contacts the families of future international students to offer them welcome services and explain the importance of arriving before courses begin. An online welcome service request form has been added so that students can clearly inform the welcoming team of the details of their arrival. International Students (on study permit) by country of origin 4% 4% 4% 11% % 19% Mali Morocco Senegal France 25% 5 53% 53 Ivory Coast B ki FFaso Burkina Other countries In addition, every year, a five-student welcoming team is hired. This team assists new students in the three days following their arrival. International students are met at the airport and accompanied to their new residences. The next day, a team member gives them a tour of the neighbourhood, as well as the campus and its services. New students can also be accompanied to a financial institution and to appointments. Public transit is explained and students are given tips on settling in. The welcoming team organizes a trip to a shopping centre, which gives students the opportunity to participate in a group activity and pick up some essentials. Lastly, the team conducts a survey assessing students’ satisfaction with the services provided in order to improve on its work the following year. In terms of transportation, the International Office has negotiated a service contract with a local taxi company that provides service to and from the airport, to ensure that students receive professional service. At the beginning of the session, there is a one-day orientation for new international students. The subjects covered include society in Canada and Manitoba (laws, rights and values such as multiculturalism), the university system and the structure of education programs. Also discussed are local health services, as well as the potential dangers of using alcohol and drugs. With this system in place, students are better equipped to arrive at the right time. The team immediately takes students under its wing, and, as a result, they feel comfortable contacting the International Office to share their experiences, whether good or bad. This is an excellent foundation for their integration into the community. This customized service focuses on interpersonal contact from the time students arrive. Staff members and the welcoming team serve as cultural interpreters. In addition, the first person new students meet is a peer, which helps them develop their social network. Lastly, since the satisfaction surveys were launched in 2009, results have shown that new students are highly satisfied with the welcome service, and that this service has played an essential role in their integration into Université de Saint-Boniface. Now, students show up at just the right time.11 11 For more information, watch the video. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 47 CASE STUDIES Nova Scotia International Student Program Started in 1997, the Nova Scotia International Student Program (NSISP) is a joint venture of the Department of Education (DoE) and the seven English language school boards in Nova Scotia. The NSISP is one of the largest international programs in Canada and is the only international student program where the government and regional school boards work together to promote international education on a provincial basis. This collaboration has led to the continued growth of the NSISP and has enabled the program to have one of the most diverse international student cohorts in Canada. In its 15 years, the NSISP has hosted 7000 students from 28 countries in 92 Nova Scotian schools. In the early 1990s, Nova Scotia made it a requirement for all students to have a credit in Global Studies (history, geography, and economics) to graduate from high school. The NSISP was created to respond to the fact that while global studies was valued within the curriculum, there was very little exposure to the wider world within Nova Scotian schools. International students bring different perspectives to Nova Scotia schools and communities, helping to broaden the education of local students. In turn, the international students obtain a Nova Scotia education, learn English, and experience life in Nova Scotia. International students also have a financial impact on the local economy contributing over $20M to the economy of Nova Scotia. The greatest issue the NSISP faced from the outset was how to create an equitable distribution of students across Nova Scotia. Cooperation between school boards to operate an international student program is not typical in Canada therefore, governance became a key issue. In December 2001, member boards signed a Memorandum of Agreement setting out the guiding principles and terms of their participation. Participating school boards and the Nova Scotia Department of Education administer the program using a Management Committee which is comprised of representatives from each of the regional school boards and the DoE. The Management Committee is responsible for setting the overall direction for the NSISP and overseeing the work of the NSISP staff. The NSISP handles all applications, finances, and the marketing of the program. The NSISP is fully self-funded through tuitions paid by international students. There are many people involved in the NSISP to support the students, schools, and host families. The NSISP office has five full-time employees. Each school board has program administrators and homestay coordinators. Across the province approximately 50 people provide support to NSISP students. The regional school boards are responsible for placing students in host families and schools, offering orientations, and taking care of students on a day-to-day basis. The school board representatives are the custodians of the international students in their respective boards. The NSISP operates the largest public homestay program in Canada. The NSISP includes several other support programs and affiliated projects: nnEnglish as a Second Language Summer Camps; nnUniversity admission partnership agreements including “Pathways” program; nnProfessional development for principals, guidance counselors, and homestay coordinators; nnSchool-to-school exchange programs; nnShort-term (one to two months) programs; nnTeacher internship program. The Nova Scotia International Student Program has a proven track record in attracting international students, building diversity, and providing a full range of cross-cultural benefits for Nova Scotia students, teachers, families, schools, and communities. 48 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Chapter 3: Going to the Source — International Student Survey Since 1988, CBIE has regularly studied the experience of international students through a comprehensive national survey. Titled Canada First beginning with the 1999 edition, our survey reports were also published in 2004 and 2009. For A World of Learning, we wished to provide key data, and in particular to monitor changes on a yearly basis. Therefore we have developed a capsule survey, comprising fewer questions than Canada First, and which will be used each year. This first survey serves as our benchmark. The questionnaire appears as an appendix to this report. In September 2012, CBIE surveyed 1,668 international students from 18 universities and colleges across Canada.12 The map below (Figure 13) shows the breakdown in student participation for this survey by province,Figure excluding studentsand (approximately 5%) who did not identify their host 13 94 – English Freench institution. The majority of students who completed the survey came from Ontario (608), Québec (336), and British Columbia (327). Nova Scotia (142), Alberta (88), Newfoundland and Labrador (61) and New Brunswick (12) were also well represented.13 Figure 13 Despite not having participation from all provinces and territories, CBIE is gratified at the response to this first annual survey. Capturing the views of nearly 1,700 total participants (49% male, 49% female, 2% not stated), the survey results offer a snapshot of the international student experience in Canada. 12 Cambrian College, Camosun College, Cape Breton University, Capilano University, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Huron University College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Laurentian University, McGill University, McMaster University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, New Brunswick Community College, North Island College, Ryerson University, Thompson Rivers University, Université du Québec (all campuses), University of Calgary and University of Windsor. 13 Unfortunately, no institutions from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Nunavut or Northwest Territories were included in the sample. We hope to include them in next year’s survey. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 49 Background information Year of study and qualification sought Over half of respondents (53%) are studying for a Bachelor’s degree. The majority of students (38%) are in their second or third year of a multi-year program. Figure 14 below details the qualification sought and year of study. The bars represent the percentage breakdown of selections and the number in the right corner represents the sample size. Figure 14 14 – English Figure D Degree, di diploma l or certificate ifi s sought h 1654 Year of study 1648 Home country As can be observed in table 4, most of the students in our survey come from China, India, and the United States. This is unsurprising considering that these three countries are among the top five sending countries for 2011. Moreover, the top 15 countries parallel the top 15 sending countries overall, with the exception of Vietnam and Taiwan, which ranked in this survey as 17th and 19th respectively. 50 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Table 4 – English Table 4 Top 15 sending countries (survey) % of total Top 15 sending countries (overall) % of total China 36.08% Chin na 28.04% India 14.43% Indiaa 9.79% United States 10.51% Republic of Korea 9.12% Saudi Arabia 5.41% Saud di Arabia 5.56% France 5.33% Unitted States 4.88% Iran 4.86% Fran nce 4.12% Brazil 3 45% 3.45% Japaan 2 47% 2.47% Nigeria 3.22% Mex xico 1.89% Republic of Korea 3.14% Iran 1.63% Bangladesh 2.82% Hon ng Kong 1.59% Pakistan 2.51% Nige eria 1.53% G Germany 2.12% % Vi nam Viet 1.24% % Hong Kong 2.12% Taiw wan 1.20% Mexico 2.12% Germ many 1.17% Japan 1.88% Brazzil 1.05% International student pathways Prior experience with Canadian education As can be seen in figure 15, 592 students (36%) attended an educational institution in Canada prior to the one they are attending now. This is broken down by the type of institution attended. For example, of the 592 students, more than one in four students (27%) attended a secondary school (public or private) prior to attending their current institution. In addition, more than one in five students (22%) attended a language school prior to attending their current institution. Do international students apply to institutions outside Canada? Figure 16 shows the percentage of students who applied to an institution in a country other than Canada or their home country. About 622 (45%) students applied to an institution outside Canada. Of these, almost 40% applied to the US, more than twice the number of the next most popular destination country, the UK. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 51 Figure 15 ‐ English Figure 15 Have you ever attended a an education institution in Canada other th han the one you are attending now? Yes: 36.07% No: 63.93% YES… ...at a Secondaryy school 27.15% ...at a language e school 21.75% 17.20% ...at a Un niversity ...at a Co ollege or Polytechnic in nstitute 14.84% ...at a Trade e school 14.33% ...at a Elementaryy school ...at a Private e Career College 3.54% 592 1.18% FigureFigure 16 ‐ English 16 Did you apply to any countries c other than Canada (not counting institutiions in your home country)? Yes: 44.62 62% % No: 55.38% YES… *Top ten countries 52 622 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Why do international students choose to study in Canada? Survey results show that students choose to study in Canada for a variety of reasons. The responses have been divided into four subsections. The bars represent the percentage breakdown of responses. Canada’s academic reputation Canada’s academic reputation clearly matters to students with more than 80% of students stating that the reputation of the Canadian education system was very important (49%) or essential (32%) in their decision to study in Canada. A similar response pattern is seen regarding the position of Canadian institutions in ranking or league tables such as those of Times Higher Education, although fewer students see these as “essential,” possibly due to the fact that the tables apply uniquely to universities. Figure 17 Figure 17 ‐ English How important were the following reasons in your decision to study in Canada? Th reputation The t ti off th the C Canadian di Education Ed ti System S t 1460 Position of Canadian institutions in ranking/league tables 1458 Canada’s reputation as a safe country Safety is a key factor for international students in their decision to study in Canada. As can be seen in figure 18, more than 78% of respondents stated that Canada’s reputation as a safe country was either very important (44%) or essential (34%) in their decision to come to Canada. On the experience of international students in society, how international students thought others would behave towards them was considered either very important or essential by approximately 58% of respondents. It was also considered somewhat important by a quarter of students. Overall the social experience factor was less important than safety. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 53 Figure 18 Figure 18 ‐ English How important were the following reasons in you ur decision to study in Canada? Canada’s reputation as a safe country 3.77% 1462 17.51% 43.84% 33.52% 33 5 How I thought people would behave towards me an intternational student 1458 A related question asked students to identify whether they have experienced any form of discrimination as an international student in Canada. Excluding students who had just begun studies at their institution, 23% of students said they had experienced some form of racism from institutional staff, 24% from faculty members, 36% from other students, and 40% from members of the broader community.14 These findings should be of concern to institutional leaders and professionals seeking to offer students a welcoming environment in the classroom and in the community. CBIE plans to dig deeper into this finding and to publish further analysis over the coming months. However, international students experiencing some form of discrimination is not unique to Canada. For example, consider the Australian Human Rights Commission’s recently launched anti-racism campaign, which was developed in part because of discriminatory and sometimes violent treatment of visiting students, in particular from India (Australia Human Rights Commission, 2011). The affordability of education in Canada The cost of education can be a prohibitive factor for many students who want to study at an international institution. In 2012-13, the average university tuition for full-time international students in graduate programs is $13,163 and the average tuition for undergraduate international students is $18,641 (Statistics Canada, 2012). In addition to academic costs, student expenses include rent, food, transportation and entertainment. When asked to rate their level of concern when it comes to paying for school-related expenses such as tuition, textbooks and school supplies, approximately 57% of students said they were very concerned and 31% said they were somewhat concerned. When asked about paying for their accommodation, almost 45% of students said they were very concerned and over 40% said they were somewhat concerned. Clearly, affordability of education is a matter of importance to international students. Figure 19 shows how these costs impact a student’s decision to study in Canada. Unsurprisingly, over 60% of students stated that the cost of studying in Canada relative to costs in other countries was either very important (36%) or essential (25%) in their decision-making. 14 54 Students who had just started at their institution were removed from this data set, as it was assumed that they would not yet have sufficient experience to accurately answer this question. Therefore, the data represents the number of students who responded to the survey, minus the students who indicated that they had just started at their institution. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Figure 19 Figure 19 ‐ English How important were the following reasons in you ur decision to study in Canada? ur The cost of studying in Canada in comparison to other countries c 1458 Opportunities to work after graduation and/or become a permanent resident For many students, studying in Canada appears to be one component of longer term plan to find a job in Canada after graduation and, eventually, apply for permanent resident status. As can be seen in figure 20, 60% of students stated that opportunities for full-time work in Canada following graduation were either very important (30%) or essential (30%) in their decision to come to Canada. Regarding the opportunity for permanent residence in Canada, 55% of students said this was either very important (28%) or essential (27%), results very similar to those in CBIE’s 2009 survey. Figure 20 Figure g 20 – English g How important were the following reasons in you ur decision to study in Canada? Opportunities for full full‐time time work in Canada following myy studies 1460 Opportunities for permanent residence in Canada 1457 Are students satisfied with their decision to study in Canada? As can be seen in figure 21, international students are satisfied with their decision to study in Canada. Approximately 91% of students stated that they were either satisfied (57%) or very satisfied (34%) with their Canadian experience, and 94% of students would probably (33%) or definitely (61%) recommend Canada as a study destination.15 15 As above, students who had just started at their institution were removed from this data set, as it was assumed that they would not yet have sufficient experience to accurately answer this question. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 55 Figure 21 Figure 21 ‐ English Overall, how satisfied are you with all aspects of your Canadian experience? Would you recommend Canada as a study destination to other students? Definitely no: 1.56% Very dissatisfied: 2.59% Probably no: 4.15% Dissatisfied: 5.95% Very satisfied: 34.02% Satisfied: 57.44% Number of students who responded, first years removed: 773 Definitely yes: 60.96% Probably yes: 33.33% Number of students who responded, first years removed: 771 More specifically, students identified how valuable or beneficial their Canadian program of studies has been in a variety of areas (see figure 22). More than 90% of students indicated that their program of study was either excellent (50%) or good (42%) at making them a more educated person. In addition, approximately 73% indicated that their program of study was either excellent (32%) or good (41%) at increasing their career earnings potential. Finally, approximately 67% of students indicated that their program of study was either excellent (26%) or good (41%) at giving them the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of their country. 56 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Figure 22 Figure 22 ‐ English Please rate how valuable or beneficial you think your y Canadian program of studies has been for… …helping make me a more educated person 767 …increasing increasing the chances for making more money durin ng my working years 625 …contribute to the advancement of my country 702 What do international students plan to do after they graduate? Figure 23 shows what students plan to do after they graduate from their current institution. This question may have been difficult for some students to answer conclusively, depending on what stage they have reached in their education. Therefore, students were allowed to select multiple answers to this question. Almost one out of four (23%) students indicated that they plan to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit following graduation and about one out of five (21%) students indicated that they would apply for permanent resident status. This is unsurprising considering that over half (55%) of students stated that “opportunities for permanent residence in Canada” were either very important or essential in their decision to study in Canada. Approximately equal numbers of students (16% to 17%) indicated that they would either study for another degree or diploma in Canada or return to their home country to work or to study. Fewer than 7% of students indicated that they were planning to undertake further education in a country other than Canada and other than their home country. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 57 Figure 23 ‐ English Figure 23 What are your plans for after you complete your current academic program in Canada? Observations Mirroring the findings of the 2009 Canada First survey, students appear to have a very positive perception of Canada as a study destination. Two commonly cited reasons for wanting to study here are the overall quality of the education system as well as the perception of Canada as a safe and welcoming country. While overall it appears that students’ experience “on the ground” bears out their positive expectations for both academic and social life, it is troubling that a substantial cohort has experienced some form of racism on campus or in the local community. While this is an issue that is by no means unique to Canada, it warrants closer study. The cost of studying in Canada is also identified by students as important in their decision to study in Canada. Given the rising cost of education in Canada (undergraduate tuition fees rose 5.5% and graduate tuition fees rose 2.6% over the past year) as well as the challenges students identify in terms of financing their education (both in this survey and in the 2009 Canada First survey), the cost factor may become a more critical issue over time. Whatever the reason students choose to study in Canada, the vast majority (about nine out of ten students) stated that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their decision to study here and would recommend Canada as a study destination to other students. These findings, which parallel those in Canada First 2009, do not mean Canada should be in any way complacent. Given the vagaries of the market, the unpredictability and influence of political change, and a host of other factors, ensuring that the student experience is excellent must remain a top priority. For Canada to continue to attract strong students from across the globe (who include both the top talents and students who may not achieve the highest grades but are qualified and capable of doing well), it is important to understand why students choose Canada and how well it lives up to their expectations. Each year, this survey will provide insights into the international student experience, giving policy-makers, student services professionals and institutional leaders access to up to date information from which to develop globally competitive international education strategies. 58 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Chapter 4: Canadian Students Studying Abroad International exchanges are transformative experiences. They build worldviews and enhance students’ understanding of their own country’s place in the world. In addition, study abroad, even for a short duration, has a substantial impact on students’ skills, workforce preparedness and career prospects. Increasingly educational institutions see providing international learning to their students as an essential component of a complete education. Fully 93% of Canadian universities indicate a medium or high desire to promote and support out-of-country experiences for their students (AUCC, 2007). Rationales are chiefly twofold: developing global citizens — including values suited to an interdependent, interconnected world — and preparing graduates for careers in a globalized economy — including the ability to do business and conduct diplomacy, essential for a trading nation of middle size that aims to, and often does, punch above its weight in international finance and politics. Similarly employers increasingly view international exposure as a value-add, and often as essential. In a CBIE survey, 91% of employers said that they value job candidates with international experience and 50% said that, all else being equal, they would hire a candidate with study abroad experience over one without (CBIE, 2009). With respect to full degree programs, Canada fares well, sending 43,900 students abroad in 2007 and 45,892 in 2009 (UNESCO 2009, 2011).16 However, Canada’s participation rates in study abroad — that is, exchanges or courses taken abroad for credit towards a Canadian credential — are extremely low. AUCC found that only 2.2% of Canadian university students -- just under 18,000 students -- had completed a short-term, for credit study abroad experience in 2006-07 (AUCC, 2007). At the college level, ACCC reported that only 1.1% of college students participated in an out-of-country learning experience in 2007-08 (ACCC, 2010). Other countries have attained much higher study abroad rates: 30% of German university students participate in out-of-country study experiences, and the German Academic Exchange Service and the German government want to increase this proportion to 50% (IIE, 2012). 16 The UNESCO report does not include students in short term exchange programs of one year or less. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 59 Emerging countries are investing massively in international scholarships for their students with a view to bolstering their national competitiveness in the global economy. Brazil’s recently announced Science without Borders Program, touched on in chapter two, offers 75,000 government scholarships over four years. In response to a call from the country’s president, the Brazilian private sector added funding for 26,000 more scholarships, for a total of 101,000. The majority of these scholarships cover study abroad for one year, with the students returning to their home institutions in Brazil to complete their degree or diploma requirements. By comparison, Canada offers only a handful of scholarships for study abroad to its citizens, primarily graduate scholarships tenable abroad offered by the Granting Councils. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and DFAIT have recently eliminated programs that provided study abroad opportunities. At the provincial level, there are a number of supports offered. As part of its 2012 International Education Strategy, British Columbia Advanced Education announced $5 million for students to study or participate in an internship abroad. For several years, Québec universities have annually shared a $10 million contribution under the Programme de bourses pour de courts séjour à l’étranger (bursaries for short-term study abroad) funded by the Ministry of Education; they also share in a further annual allocation of $7.5 million under an international mobility program. However in 2012, Ontario reduced its funding for study abroad, cancelling elements of a program that had existed since 2006. Given the minimal government support, it is fortunate that a number of institutions have earmarked resources to offer partial support to their study abroad students. However it is unlikely that any of these institutions are able to provide aid to all eligible and interested applicants. Why is study abroad in the context of a Canadian program so important, given the relatively high number of Canadians enrolled in full degree or diploma programs in a foreign institution? There are several reasons that study abroad programs matter: Students get a study abroad experience that they bring back to their home campus and can share with fellow students and faculty members through in-class participation and presentations to groups. nn Students get the benefit of Canada’s own high quality education, but at the same time get to experience an international program that has been selected by their Canadian institution based on its quality, relevant courses, and ability to provide support services to international students. nn While students often confront financial challenges in undertaking study abroad, in the study abroad experience they are exempt from the higher foreign student fees charged to full program students, making study abroad the more affordable option. nn Finally, for Canada and Canadians, ensuring that our students participate in our education system reinforces that system; and ensuring that as many students as possible are able to gain a globalized education within that system further enhances its capacity, quality, breadth and reputation. nn 60 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 4.1 Data and statistics It is evident from the limited data available that Canadian students are not pursuing study abroad experiences to the same degree as students in other countries. For example, as shown in the graph below (figure 24), only 3% of Canadian university students participate in study abroad — a participation rate that is lower than that of Australia, Europe and the United States, and ten times lower than Germany. Figure 24 Figure 24 – Engglish % of studen nt population n who study abroad Study Abroad Participation Rattes Gathering data on Canada’s study abroad participation rates is challenging, as detailed by Dr. Sheryl Bond in section 4.2. That said, using a variety of resources including data from Project Atlas partners17, UNESCO data and government websites, CBIE was able to gather some information on where Canadian students choose to go when they enroll in other countries for full degree or diploma programs. As noted above, in 2009, nearly 46,000 Canadians studied internationally in full degree or diploma programs (UNESCO, 2011). The five most popular destinations for Canadian students are the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France and Ireland. Figure 25 shows how many Canadians studied in these locations in 2009. Where possible, more recent figures are presented based on contributions of data from Project Atlas partners. 17 For Project Atlas members, see: http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Project-Atlas. Data for this report were received from: Australian Education International (AEI), Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation, DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service, Education Ireland, Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) , New Zealand Ministry of Education, NUFFIC, Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education and the British Council. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 61 The United States hosted the largest proportion of Canadian students, taking in approximately 65% of all Canadians who studied abroad in 2009. The United Kingdom enrolled the second highest number of Canadians, approximately 12%. Between 2009 and 2011, while the United States’ market share of Canadian students declined by 7%, the UK’s share increased by 36%. Australia (4,678), France (1,373) and Ireland (1,060) round out the top five, followed by Germany (656), New Zealand (437), Denmark (288) and The Netherlands (187). While no thorough-going study has been done on the factors contributing to Canadians’ study abroad choices, anecdotal evidence and discussions with students and institutional representatives suggest the following. First, the overwhelming popularity of the United States as a study destination may be explained by its proximity to Canada — simply stated, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to travel back and forth between Canada and the United States. Cultural similarities between Canada and the United States (e.g. cross-over media, sports, music and the arts in general) also make the US a ‘comfortable’ destination. Added to this, Canadians receive a substantial number of scholarships from US institutions, both for academic excellence and sports prowess — for example, many US college hockey teams are powered by Canadian expatriate students. The US has been the top international destination by far for Canadians in full degree programs for decades, a reality well documented in the publication Open Doors from the Institute of International Education. Over the 1990s, for example, the US accounted for approximately 85% of Canadians enrolled abroad. Another factor, which also applies to the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Ireland and New Zealand, is a shared language with Canada (English or French). The prospect of having to learn a second (or third) language in order to study and live in another country can no doubt deter students from choosing other destinations. In fact, Canadians studying in Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands may be taking all or many of their courses in English given the increasing number of English-language offerings available in these countries. The impact of the Bologna Process, leading to the creation of the European Higher Education Area, has accelerated the use of English as a teaching language in many EU countries. Figure 25 ‐ English Figure 25 Number of Canadians studying abro oad by country per year United States U it d Kingdom United Ki d Australia France Ireland Germany New Zealand Denmark Th N The Netherlands h l d 62 2009 2011 2009 2011 2009 2011 1,373 2009 2009 9 605 1,060 2011 2007 643 656 2011 437 2011 2011 288 8 2011 187 27,546 5,350 29,697 7,280 4,390 4,678 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 4.2 Challenges to study abroad data collection To date, there is no annual (or regular) data collection on Canadians studying abroad for credit from their home institutions. CBIE’s 2009 survey of 1,200 Canadian students and AUCC’s 2007 findings offer a snapshot of the years surveyed, but given that they ask varied questions and use different methodologies, few inferences can be drawn. The fact that no Canadian repository of key indicators on study abroad is available makes accurate, up-to-date, comprehensive data collection challenging. Potential funding sources are few and, due to recent budget reductions, their ability to support international education research is increasingly limited. Dr. Sheryl L. Bond, former Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, outlines further challenges to study abroad data collection below: Challenges facing those who undertake study abroad research are likely to come from two broad and often overlapping sources identified in this section of the report as being (1) foundational, and (2) institutional. The complex social phenomena to which they both relate can be summarized in the form of a question: Why is study abroad research in Canada fragmented, under-conceptualized and generally inaccessible to students, faculty, and institutional and governmental policy-makers, all of whom need easy access to data and confidence in the veracity of research findings? A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 63 The absence of a national policy on international education in general and study abroad in particular demonstrates a lack of understanding that the potentially powerful experience can do much more than advance the learning of a small number of motivated and moneyed students. And, despite the documented perceptions of Canadians and the assertive policies and practices of other countries, Canada’s lack of a study abroad policy has led to a failure of ministries, granting councils, and other sources to fund the types of endeavours necessary to advance the field of knowledge. It is abundantly clear that study abroad research is in its relative infancy in Canada, due in large part to the absence of public policy attention and funding as compared to the body of work that has been carried out in Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Japan, among others. Knowing about and easily accessing Canadian-based literature and data that does exist and that can be of use to inform new research and research-supported policy is made particularly challenging because it is broadly dispersed among different holdings. Study abroad research and data has not been collected, archived or published in an easily-accessible format. At the institutional level, the requirement for institutions to increasingly provide institutionally held data to external as well as internal sources has led to research studies having to compete for time and attention of potential study participants such as students. Using different types of data gathering techniques and not just surveys can help generate rich and diverse data and participants may be more responsive to invitations to small group discussions than to surveys. Also, an ethical review is required of those who carry out research with human subjects. Each university and some colleges have their own general ethics review board (GERB) and follow the same guiding principles for ethical review as boards at other institutions. But the actual practices of the same board may be different over time and with a changing membership. While faculty members and graduate students are familiar with ethics policy and procedures that apply to them, what is required of professional staff carrying out studies for their administrative units may be unclear, confusing, and require time to sort out. A number of challenges, ranging from those that directly undermine the development of study abroad research for everyone to those institutional challenges which show the most variance, have been highlighted. All research involves challenges. The intent of this section is to inform the quality, depth, and usefulness of study abroad research in this country. Awareness of some institutional challenges has increased and remediation may have begun. Foundational challenges, however, must be tackled aggressively using research findings whenever possible to ground the argument for change. Until there is sufficient data to demonstrate what contribution study abroad makes to learning, it is all the more difficult to dispel the unexamined belief that such “adventures” are tangential to the real mission of post-secondary education. Though study abroad data is hard to come by in Canada, the importance of study abroad is clear, and detailed throughout the remainder of this chapter. 64 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 4.3 The economic dimension of study abroad: from students to ambassadors Amber Crawford, David McDine and Alex Paterson, graduates of the Master’s of Public Policy program at Carleton University in Ottawa, undertook research for Dr. Edward Jackson’s class “Education Policy” on the economic dimension of study abroad, as part of the requirements for their degree. This section is based on their report. Canada’s interaction with the international education marketplace is drastically one-sided. We receive far more students than we send, and we are failing to capitalize on the networks that we have established by hosting foreign students. This introduces serious risks to Canada’s long-term economic and political standing in the international marketplace. Why is the Canadian study abroad participation rate so low, and why is this a problem for Canada? Among the various barriers to study abroad, of which some are perceived and some are real, the largest and most prohibitive is the collective failure to communicate and subsequently capitalize on the individual and aggregate economic benefits from study abroad programs. For instance, a 2007 AUCC survey showed that “increas[ing] job skills and employability” was only the fifth most cited reason why Canadians chose to study abroad (AUCC 2007). Study abroad has mostly been described as worthwhile for Canadian students because of “soft” benefits. These oft-cited benefits include personal development, improved global outlook, and the opportunity to make new friends and share experiences in a new culture. Unfortunately, many of these intangibles fall outside the scope of the kind of stark economic analysis that policymakers and administrators use to justify program support. Therefore, there is a need to build upon existing data and shift the study abroad dialogue from one of positive personal experiences to one that views study abroad as an issue of international competitiveness and long-term investment. The Economic Benefits of Participating in Study Abroad Programs Canada’s low study abroad participation rate impacts our economic development, international trade opportunities, and access to overseas markets. Each student we send abroad should be viewed as an ambassador for Canada who will bring about long-run economic benefits for the country. At the individual level, and at the country level, study abroad is a national strategic issue. Individual Level There is evidence that students who study abroad are more likely to pursue further educational experiences which equate to a greater investment in themselves as individuals and, thus, as citizens more broadly. For example, a past survey found that: A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 65 87% said that study abroad influenced subsequent educational experiences; nn 75% said that they acquired skill sets abroad that influenced their career path; nn 64% said that study abroad influenced their decision to attend graduate school; nn 63% said that study abroad influenced their decision to expand or change academic majors; nn 62% said that study abroad ignited an interest in a career direction pursued after the experience; and nn Nearly 50% of all respondents have engaged in international work or volunteerism since studying abroad. (Dwyer, M. and Peters, C. No date) nn These statistics suggest that study abroad is not an isolated experience but rather an investment that promotes more understanding and proficiency with other cultures and learning experiences. Unfortunately, these economic benefits are not advertised at the forefront of why students should study abroad. The economic narrative needs to be communicated in such a way that gets the attention of decision-makers, institutions, parents, and students. The first step is to encourage Canadians to see study abroad as an investment in their career, not an isolated experience unrelated to future financial benefit to themselves or economic benefit to Canada. National Level Having Canadian citizens participate in study abroad programs is also seen as a competitive advantage over other non-study abroad participants in the job market. As Will Archer, CEO of the International Graduate Insight Group states, “A generation ago, going to university was seen as a great preparation for life…In today and tomorrow’s world, is limiting yourself to your national borders a preparation for living?” (The Independent, 2011). By comparison with other OECD countries, Canada has fallen behind in promoting study abroad as a national strategic issue. Europe developed the Erasmus strategy and scholarship program in 1987. The US introduced the Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, whose primary goal is to send up to one million US students abroad annually within the next 10 years. They have also pledged to dramatically increase funding to assist students in these opportunities (CBIE, 2009). Though a small number of study abroad supports are available from Canada’s federal and provincial governments, if Canada does not promote study abroad programs or provide adequate funding to give students a chance to access programs, then Canada will fall behind. Recommendations 1. Explore Policy and Funding Solutions Canadian policy-makers have different levers to incentivize study abroad. From providing 15% of all Canadian students a flat $1,000 travel grant, to exploring bursary programs for students choosing to go abroad, the federal and provincial governments have a potentially significant role to play to raise our national study abroad participation rates. 66 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 2. Explore Existing and Potential Partners Institutions across Canada have expressed a desire to send more students abroad. These institutions could further explore existing partnerships with international institutions, reducing administrative burden and allowing students greater access to study abroad opportunities. 3. Clarify Misconceptions and Reach out to a Student’s Sphere of Influence Canadian students have a sphere of influence — a circle of actors within their networks that influence their decisions and highlight potential education and career opportunities. By educating parents, teachers and professors, as well as high school and post-secondary administrative staff on the benefits of study abroad, students will become better informed and more enthusiastic about participating in study abroad. 4. Create a Data Collection Strategy More accurate data is needed — from the number of students pursuing study abroad and the fields they study to their career trajectory after returning to Canada, comprehensive data is necessary to benchmark and to promote the economic benefits of study abroad. 5. Target Mobility Flows to Developing Economies Canada should be strategic in deciding which geographical areas students are most heavily invested in. From an economic standpoint we have much to gain by sending students to key developing economies, in particular: Brazil, Russia, India, China, Korea and Indonesia, as these countries are either certainly or highly likely to be important economic players over the next few decades. 6. Future Research Areas and Engaging Employers Engaging with employers (especially with top executives, brand-name corporations, leading trade associations) on the benefits of study abroad will provide valuable talking points and messaging for communications with students and their sphere of influence as well as with unconvinced stakeholders in government, small and medium enterprises, and other sectors. 4.4 Canada’s International Education Strategy and Study Abroad The Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy acknowledges the importance of study abroad to Canada, and calls Canadian students that do so “powerful ambassadors” for Canada, a term used above. In its final report, the Panel calls for a “multifaceted” approach to internationalization, including placing a high value on international exchanges or internships for Canadian students, from K-12 to post-secondary. To this end, the Panel recommends that the Government of Canada co-fund a major international mobility program for 50,000 Canadian students per year by 2022. The types of exchanges the Panel highlights are short-term study and cultural exchanges, service learning and other experiential learning activities. The Panel calls on institutions and/or provinces/territories and the private sector to co-sponsor this fund at a ratio of two to one. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 67 The Advisory Panel clearly understands that study abroad is not just a nice thing to do but is imperative to Canada’s competitiveness. In percentage terms, it is not clear how far the number of students targeted would take us. Moreover it is to be hoped that many other students would self-fund or find support from their institution or other sources, boosting the 50,000 to a substantially higher number. CBIE recommends that the precise volume of students assisted within an overarching national plan be considered carefully with a view to achieving broad participation by 2022. 4.5 The Importance of Scholarships to International Education In chapter two, Dr. Sheila Embleton of York University in Toronto discussed the importance of scholarships in attracting international students to Canada. Below, she highlights the equal need for scholarships to encourage Canadian students to study abroad. CBIE’s report on scholarships (CBIE, 2011) was concerned with scholarships designed to attract international students to Canada, but offered some commentary on the need for Canadian students to study or have other learning experiences abroad, and the parallel need to support such activity financially. This is partly so that our students learn about other countries and how to adapt globally, but also can help brand Canada, and enhance knowledge abroad of Canada and Canadian values. Some limited existing federal, provincial, and institutional support was noted, together with the cancellation of the International Academic Mobility program, previously funded through HRSDC. Since 2011, Alberta has announced a program of “externships”, where 40 recent graduates in each of the next three years will receive support while they gain international work experience abroad. As well, in 2011, Export Development Canada modified the criteria for its International Business Scholarships Program to prioritize applicants who are undertaking a career-related internship abroad as part of their undergraduate program in Canada. And most importantly, the Advisory Panel report (DFAIT, 2012), noted that Canada lags behind our competitor countries in international mobility for our domestic students and strongly recommended a major expansion of study abroad, cultural exchange, service learning and experiential learning participation over the next decade (Recommendation 2: “Introduce an International Mobility Program for Canadian Students to serve 50,000 students per year by 2022”). The Panel suggested that these opportunities be available for both K-12 and post-secondary students, and that there should be a co-funding arrangement between governments and institutions. As with the increase in international students inbound to Canada, the target to fund 50,000 students to study abroad is ambitious, but crucial if we are to catch up with our competitor countries. The following case studies highlight Canadian institutional success stories in globalizing the student experience through field placements, work and study abroad. 68 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES A Capstone Course in Sociology: The Journey to Ghana It began with the re-envisioning of the curriculum of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s undergraduate degree in Sociology. The newly launched degree emphasizes connections between societies both local and global and highlights transnational perspectives and multiple knowledge bases. The Sociology department wanted to not only highlight these elements in the degree program but ensure that all students had an opportunity to participate in a capstone course overseas as part of their degree. The course, called Global Community Service, ensures that a global experience is embedded in the program and is an integral and ongoing part of the student experience at Kwantlen. 2011 saw the launch of the first international social service learning course in its first location, Accra, Ghana. Working with a foundation in Ghana and several university partnerships including the University of Ghana and the Ghana School of Journalism, students participated in pre-departure academic classes in Canada, then while in Ghana received guest lectures on the historical and cultural contexts, toured the region and took part in a two week service learning placement designed to meet their specific interests. Launching a new program always has its challenges and the costs of travelling to Ghana are substantial. Would there be enough student interest? Would facilitating a capstone course in a developing world context result in the expected learning outcomes? In response to possible challenges, the Department of Sociology at Kwantlen and lead faculty member of the field school, Charles Quist-Adade, reached out to other faculties and departments and made teaching and service learning placement accommodations that would also allow for students in Nursing, Criminology and Business to take part alongside fourth year Sociology students. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 69 CASE STUDIES The result was an interdisciplinary capstone course with a social service learning component, but with different student interests and perspectives: from human rights to social justice and from economic development to standards of health — all with specialized placements. Credit was recognized by all faculties. The field school course also went beyond the students who travelled to Ghana. The Kwantlen Student’s Ghana Portable Solar Lantern Project is a student-led initiative to create, assemble and supply affordable, environmentally-friendly and sustainable solar-powered portable lanterns for donation to rural communities in Ghana. The goal is to provide light to village students to enable them to complete their homework and other school assignments. The project was undertaken by students in Professor Quist-Adade’s Social Justice in Local and Global Contexts class at Kwantlen and then the students in Global Community Service organized a workshop on the solar lanterns in Ghana, which was attended by twenty science club students and their teacher at Eguafo Secondary School. Ten solar lanterns were donated to the students. The project is carried out with the collaboration of the Ghanaian-Canadian Association of British Columbia (GCABC), African Education through Technology (Afretech), and the Canada-African Foundation for Rural Education (CANAFRE). There were opportunities to raise funds for other community projects and scholarships for students in Ghana as well. When the students return to Canada, a major colloquium back at Kwantlen showcases the placements students took part in highlighting the learning outcomes for peers and the university community. The Ghana Field School has become a hub that reaches out to a range of students that might not otherwise work with one another, links other courses to the international experience and shares learning with the rest of the study body. t has built community, awareness and an appreciation of both the interconnectedness and the divide that exists in the world.18 18 70 For more information, visit the website and watch the video. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES My CIDA internship afforded me an invaluable entry point for a career in international development and humanitarian assistance. Centre for Property Studies (CPS): Building Sustainable Partnerships Erin O’Brien, MPhil 2005 1st AUCC Intern and 1st CIDA IYIP Intern Canada’s educational programs are changing. Students are looking for more than theory. They need a student-focused, hands-on approach to learning with a global orientation. So how can we find ways for our students to bridge the gap between theory and practice? That was the start of an exciting new project — student internships to provide UNB students in property studies with a challenging international experience to complement their academic learning. From that start in 2005, the program now includes CIDA’s International Youth Internship program, has moved from South Africa to Malawi, and expanded from two interns, one host and one discipline to a cross-cutting, institution wide program of 77 internships, 10 host organizations, and several disciplines. The latter have included land administration, geodesy and geomatics, urban and rural planning, natural resource management, maternal and child health and nutrition, gender equity, youth development, and community development. This equals over 415 months or 34.5 years of student development. Over the course of the program, organizers acquired a number of hard-earned lessons: 1. You do not want your interns to be held up at gun point on the street and robbed, or assaulted on the way to the restroom in a restaurant, get into a bar fight with locals, or get caught up in local political demonstrations. Definitely leads to learning, but to be avoided! 2. Interns can rapidly slide into Canadian behaviours that are inappropriate to local cultures and can cause offense to host organizations that detract from the experience and effectiveness of the program. This can be as simple as speaking out of turn. This emphasizes the importance of: nnConducting a full risk analysis and choosing both host country and host organization very carefully; nnEnsuring that interns are fully apprised of the risks and risk avoidance; and nnHaving an emergency plan in place with contacts, phone numbers and locations. This problem can be minimized by: nnA compulsory orientation course on the importance of culture; nnAn intercultural training course on the need to be respectful and sensitive to cultural differences, even if these are counter to Canadian values; and nnStrong leadership among team members. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 71 CASE STUDIES 3. A host organization can turn out to be less than ethical and supportive. One experience was misappropriation of donated development funds. While this risk cannot be totally eliminated it can be minimized and mitigated by: nnUsing in-country contacts to check into potential host organizations; nnMonitoring intern experience, funding flows, and communications; and nnHaving an alternative host in place and being prepared to move an intern at short notice. 4. The reputation of the originating and funding Canadian institutions can be negatively affected by intern behaviour and performance, thereby damaging the program and opportunities for future interns. This can be largely avoided by: nnA rigorous selection process involving Behavioural-Based Interviewing for Cultural Adaptation, faculty recommendations, and letters of intent; and nnEnsuring that prospective interns have developed useful and relevant skills and sufficient maturity by selecting only senior students and new graduates. 5. Performance, monitoring and evaluation are critical tasks to ensure continual learning and improvement, a positive intern experience, and an effective contribution to development. nnStart with a clear work plan for each intern; nnDevelop a reporting protocol; and nnHold regular Skype meetings. Total internships by year y (english) Planning and implementation take time since they involve a number of activities and issues including supervisor (host) identification and selection, recruiting, interviewing, supplemental fundraising, pre-departure preparation (travel arrangements, vaccinations, insurance, visas, passports), orientation, logistics, reporting protocols and reintegration. In spite of the problems encountered and the lessons learned, there have been no disasters, everyone has returned safely, and responses have been uniformly positive even though interns have encountered some difficult and challenging situations. The net result has been a program with more and more students, host organizations and disciplines participating over the years. Total Internsh hips p byy Year 20 15 10 5 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2 Year With a few practice years and many m lessons learned under our belt, our program tripled in n 2010 with the addition of the CIDA IYIP funding Developing this international internship program required a great deal of work and learning, along with some unwanted crises, but it has been also an enormously rewarding experience for all involved. The growth and development of the interns a s a result of this program has been a joy to behold. Having recently completed my Masters in Food Security, I was looking for a community-based internship to gain hands-on experience. The position with Active Youth Organization in Malawi was perfect. Aliez Kay, 2012 Intern 72 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Chapter 5: Globalization of Student Learning The dominant fact about today’s world is globalization, meaning the interdependence, interconnectedness and integrated nature of societies, climates, economies and many other aspects of life on the planet. With that overwhelming reality as backdrop, the internationalization of student learning is a valuable, even essential avenue to preparing students for life in a globalized world. Ensuring that students have an internationalized qualification upon completing their studies is becoming “Internationalization of higher education is more and more important to Canadian institutions. the process of integrating an international, This takes the form of efforts to increase the number intercultural, and global dimension into the of international students on campus and improve their purpose, functions (teaching, research, and experience in Canada, especially through engaging service), and delivery of higher education them fully in the life of the classroom and campus community, so that they and the Canadians around at the institutional and national levels.” them benefit from the exchange of perspectives (Knight, 2008) and ideas. It also takes the form of placing increasing importance on study abroad for Canadians and ensuring that the curriculum contains strong elements of international relations, international business and other internationally oriented courses and programs. Knight (1994) sees curriculum as the “backbone” of internationalization of the institution. A globalized curriculum is beneficial both for international and domestic students, by making courses more relevant to international students and ensuring that Canadian students have the opportunity for an international education “at home.” Leading thinkers in internationalization (Knight and de Wit, 1999; Hudzik, 2011) believe that it must be all-encompassing. John K. Hudzik advocates comprehensive internationalization which he defines as follows: Comprehensive internationalization is a commitment, confirmed through action, to infuse international and comparative perspectives throughout the teaching, research, and service missions of higher education. It shapes institutional ethos and values and touches the entire higher education enterprise. It is essential that it be embraced by institutional leadership, governance, faculty, students, and all academic service and support units. It is an institutional imperative, not just a desirable possibility. Comprehensive internationalization not only impacts all of campus life but the institution’s external frames of reference, partnerships, and relations. The global reconfiguration of economies, systems of trade, research, and communication, and the impact of global forces on local life, dramatically expand the need for comprehensive internationalization and the motivations and purposes driving it (Hudzik, 2011). Increasingly, institutions across Canada strive for campus-wide internationalization while school districts infuse international perspectives throughout K-12 schools. The following case studies highlight some of these efforts to globalize the student experience. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 73 CASE STUDIES Interculturalizing the Campus Context Over the past two decades Thompson Rivers University has achieved many successes in internationalization. TRU World, the international department, has excelled in international student recruitment and services, transnational education, and unique international contract training. Since 2006 additional attention has been put to internationalization at home with focus on curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular learning outcomes. Challenge In just over a decade TRU’s international student population increased by 400%, from fewer than 400 in 1998 to close to 1600 from over 70 countries and regions in 2011. This demographic shift in terms of both numbers and diversity presented challenges to the campus community in a variety of ways. Numerous supports for international students were enhanced or created but TRU World realized that other campus constituents would also require support in order to value and benefit from the richness of the changing student population. A comprehensive and systemic approach to internationalization at home was required to create a globally minded campus where students from all cultures would be welcomed and where the teaching and learning environment could begin reflect the diversity of global perspectives and experiences. Action In 2006 TRU World initiated informal research to identify classroom and campus challenges resulting from increased international student enrolment and diversity. Consultation with classroom stakeholders revealed that faculty, domestic students, and international students were all able to identify similar issues, albeit with different perspectives on the source of the challenges. This consultative process underscored the need for resources and support for the campus population to adapt to different expectations and values influenced by cultural preferences. Findings confirming challenges in the teaching and learning environment included academic integrity, multicultural group work, intercultural communication, and differing expectations and assumptions. In collaboration with TRU’s Centre for Teaching and Learning TRU: A Globally Minded Campus— A Resource for Academic Departments was developed to support faculty. This 160-page handbook was accompanied by a suite of professional development workshops for faculty to better understand the implications of culture. These workshops include: Interculturalizing the Curriculum nn Culture in the Classroom nn Applying Intercultural Theory to Practice nn Intercultural Communication nn Academic Integrity: Whose Culture is it? nn 74 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Assessment Strategies for Second Language Students CASE STUDIES nn Facilitating Multicultural Group Work nn Writing Across Borders nn Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) profiles and coaching nn At the same time, in-class student workshops were offered to support curriculum and classroom interaction. Workshops were requested by instructors to add an intercultural dimension to the discipline of study or to enhance communication and group work in culturally diverse classrooms. The intercultural approach to the academic environment has supported faculty, students, and staff. Faculty has been supported in both working with international students and internationalizing curriculum to highlight global perspectives and realities. Staff members have been supported in increasing intercultural competencies and effective communication strategies. Students have been supported in understanding the importance of intercultural skills to both their success in multicultural classrooms and to the workplace upon graduation. Figures below provide statistics for the volume and growth of these initiatives. In‐class workshop paarticipation ‐ English In‐Class Worksshop Participation 2000 2000 1800 1800 1600 1600 nts Numberr of Studen 1400 1400 1200 1200 1000 1000 800 800 600 600 400 400 200 200 00 2005‐ 2005‐06 2006 2006‐ 2006‐07 2007 2007‐ 2007‐08 2008 2008‐09 22008‐ 2009 2009‐ 2009‐10 2010 2010‐ 2010‐11 2011 2011‐ 2011‐12 2012 Ye ear A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 75 CASE STUDIES English Workshop Participaation 2006 ‐ 2012 517 509 9 Faculty S ff Staff 4391 Students In 2009 the Senate International Affairs Committee (SIAC) began to work on ways to recognize intercultural and global learning outcomes for students resulting in the creation of TRU’s Global Competency Certificate. The certificate can be earned by students in any degree program and is based on a point system in which students gain points across at least 2 out of 4 categories that range from academic course work to on and off campus volunteer work as well as experiences abroad and language study. Students build a portfolio documenting the accumulation of points, write a reflection on their learning, and prepare a “give back” in the form of presentation, article, or video to share with other students. TRU World also supports extra-curricular events aimed at building intercultural interactions and cultural sharing. TRU’s International Days is a weeklong series of events ranging from academic lectures by visiting international scholars, keynote speakers, and the campus community highlighting international involvement and global issues. It culminates in the International Showcase in which students and staff share their cultural talents through music, song, and dance. Attendance for International Days has increased annually. In 2012, over 3,000 students, staff, and community members came together for the showcase event. TRU International Days was awarded the 2011 British Columbia Council for International Education’s Outstanding Program Award. 76 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES Faculty of Education: Specialization Option in International Education The International Education office in the Faculty of Education at York University conducted a survey of undergraduate students in 2010, seeking to determine the future directions of internationalization within the Faculty. The goal was to ensure that BEd students were being appropriately prepared to be strong teachers both in international locations and in Toronto, and that they had an adequate number of learning opportunities available to them during their BEd degree programs to provide them with learning that is appropriate not only in teaching in internationally, but also in teaching locally with diverse student populations. Of those who replied to the survey, 63.8% of students indicated that they were interested in teaching internationally upon graduation. In response, the Faculty of Education created Ontario’s first “International Specialization” in the Bachelor of Education degree, which is recorded on students’ transcripts. The specialization is not “in addition” to the regular BEd program, but students make choices within the BEd program to participate in existing opportunities in order to develop their own skills and experiences. These activities include: taking elective courses that focus on international education; participating in a York-run learning opportunity in an international location for a minimum of one month; and participating in co-curricular activities that focus on international education. By giving official recognition for students’ participation in these activities, it is hoped that the Specialization will strengthen students’ interests in existing international learning opportunities and their participation in co-curricular clubs on campus and in the community, which can enhance students’ overall university experience and strengthen community partnerships at both the local and international levels. The spring 2012 graduating class included the first graduates to achieve this Specialization on their transcripts. Newly graduated teacher Amy Pitt, who completed an international summer internship in Kenya as a part of her Specialization says, “This specialization helps set me apart from other teacher candidates. For me it represents a true sense of appreciation for global citizenship, environmental, social and economic sustainability, and an open-minded, adventurous drive and passion for lifelong learning that pushes me outside of my comfort zone, outside of my own backyard and into the international community. We have so much to learn from each other around the world, why stop at the border of our own country?” Likewise, new graduate teacher Thalia Davids says, “The International Specialization has been a great opportunity and component in my success as a new teacher in the field -- having this life-changing experience for building an international repertoire and networks [has been helpful]. Earning this specialization molded me in every area as both an individual and a professional. I had a wonderful A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 77 CASE STUDIES opportunity to participate in the York International Internship Program (YIIP) where I was placed at the Jiangsu Education Services for International Exchange (JESIE) located in Nanjing, China. This three-month internship in China was an experience of a lifetime. Within my internship I taught English to students from grades 7 to 10. I also had the opportunity to speak at a teachers’ conference, which featured many teachers from Canada and the United States. Throughout this conference, other teachers — including me — mentored and led workshops for some of the local teachers and principals teaching within the school community. Having the opportunity of going abroad to China to teach and live allowed me to gain skills as a teacher and to add an international and life-changing component within the field of teaching.” Similarly, new graduate teacher Virginia Grimaldi says, “I wanted to get the International Specialization because it opens so many doors all over the world. Traveling and learning are my two favourite things in life and this specialization helped prepare me for a life filled with both. People often ask me, “why do you love traveling?” As a teacher, I offer many reasons as to how it helps me grow and learn about myself and the world. Travel will develop skills you didn’t know you had—the sheer delight you feel when reaching the top of the mountain, or helping a villager get access to clean water, or simply getting to see something in front of you that you have always seen in movies.... these things all allow access to skill sets you didn’t know you had. Both the courses I took to gain the International Specialization really gave me a fresh perspective on life. The courses demonstrated how meeting people from exotic cultures will teach you that the way you look at the world (perhaps through the lens of mass media) is not the way everybody sees it or lives it. My exchange and my class discussions fostered intercultural competence and made getting the specialization a lot of fun. Not only that, but it helped me get a job in my profession abroad right out of university! I will start the job of my dreams this autumn and I know the Specialization made it so that I stood out to potential employers in contrast to other fresh university grads.”19 19 78 For more information, visit the website A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES Seeking a New Learning Model Quest University Canada is a private, not-for-profit university that opened in 2007 in Squamish, British Columbia, offering a fouryear Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree (BASc.). An integral component of the philosophy of founder Dr. David Strangway was fostering and facilitating an international perspective as part of the undergraduate education — hence the Quest motto of Intimate. Integrated. International. The challenge was to bring this philosophy to the academic and campus culture in a way that was organic and integrated rather than feeling like a forced requirement. A number of aspects have worked together to contribute to the creation of a global and globally-minded campus culture, including: Student demographics: to ensure that the classroom discussions have multiple perspectives, there is much emphasis on having a diverse student body. Quest currently has about 55% Canadian students, 25% American, and 20% from around the world. During the 2011-2012 academic year, with 350 students in total, Quest had students from 35 different countries. nn International curriculum: as Quest has a mandatory two-year foundation program as part of the four year degree, all students take 16 courses from across the arts and sciences, and which include such courses that are international in nature, including ‘Global Perspectives, ‘Democracy and Justice’, and ‘World Religions’. nn Interdisciplinary and international thesis: instead of choosing a major, students design a ‘Question’ which is interdisciplinary and international in nature. One recent graduate from Kosovo, whose question was ‘How can we create happier societies?’, took courses to look at this question from many disciplinary perspectives, including neuroscience, psychology, political organization, anthropology, and religious studies, as well as examining Bhutan’s gross national happiness indicator system. nn Small, discussion-based classes: all Quest classes have a maximum of 20 students, which allows for more sharing of perspectives and ideas. This maximizes the benefit to all students of a diverse student body, and allows international students to share of their culture and experience. nn Second language requirement: all Quest students must study a second language at the intermediate level or higher in order to graduate. This provides much opportunity for studies abroad in addition to the exploration of the relationship between culture and language. nn A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 79 International ‘for credit’ experiences: one goal is to facilitate every Quest student to have an international experience as part of their studies. Having a flexible block plan system (where students study one course at a time for three and a half weeks rather than four or five classes at a time), facilitates these opportunities, including through international field courses, second language immersion blocks, experiential learning blocks abroad, and exchange opportunities with partner universities. Currently, approximately 65% of graduates have had an international ‘for credit’ experience. Policies are built in to help combat the usual financial barrier to this, including providing a credit on students’ housing fees for up to two blocks abroad per year. CASE STUDIES nn Residential campus: all students live on campus for all four years, and the floors and condos are balanced to ensure a mix of incoming and returning students, genders, and domestic and international students. This year Quest trialed a ‘global engagement’ floor in residence, to add to the ‘arts and culture’, ‘sustainable living’, and ‘outdoor recreation’ floors. nn Integrated events and activities: the residential campus and 20-student classes have created an integrated campus community where all activities are inclusive and integrated, rather than running a separate stream of activities for international students. nn International backgrounds of staff and faculty: staff and faculty are from various countries, and almost all have spent a significant amount of time living, working, or studying abroad. nn Student Council Representation: one of the minister positions on the SRC is that of Minister of Internationalization. They work closely with Student Affairs staff to program events and activities to share international culture with the whole campus. nn As evidence of the success of this approach to education grows yearly, a number of things have emerged as replicable, and have been, or are in the process of, being implemented at other universities in Canada, including the block plan and the approach to the residential campus. Faculty, staff, and students are continuing to develop and contribute new ideas, so there is no ‘end date’ to this project — in the spirit of Quest, everyone involved will continue to constantly review and renew so that we grow neither stagnant nor dogmatic in our approach to providing an exceptional undergraduate education.20 20 80 For more information, watch the CBC featured documentary A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES Seeking internationalized Curricula: “Learning Without Borders” as an institutional strategy for transformative change The University of Victoria’s strategic plan, as for many institutions, clearly emphasizes the goal of internationalizing the curriculum as we prepare students for their roles as global citizens. The strategic plan encourages everyone — faculty, students and staff — to be world-minded. To support this central goal, the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost, together with the Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC), collaborated to offer resources supporting faculty, instructors and academic units in integrating international elements into their curricula. Through the resultant Learning Without Borders (LWB) fund, proposals are made annually to redesign courses or components of programs. Each grant is for up to $7,500, adjudicated on the basis of a detailed proposal and budget submission. The process is competitive and involves peer review. The applicant team’s department Chair and Dean must sign off on the proposal, attesting to their support for the goals and expectations of the LWB program and the intent to permanently incorporate resulting innovations into curricula. Beyond funding curricular proposals the goal is to create a growing community of multi-disciplinary faculty members involved in the internationalization of the curriculum at UVic, who are willing to share their experiences and inspire others through their leadership in this area. For example, participants agree to serve as mentors and facilitators to future LWB cohorts and to other instructors university-wide. The LWB initiative is scheduled to run for four or five years in order to allow all academic units on campus to participate. As the years progress, preference will be given to departments and faculties that have not yet received an LWB grant. Ten curricular re-design projects (including Nursing, History in Art, Music, French, Curriculum and Instruction, Germanic and Slavic Studies, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Microbiology, Teacher Education and Intercultural Service Learning) were selected for the first year of the initiative (2011-2012) based on their potential to effect broad and deep change (e.g. core first year courses; a capstone experience). Several outcomes of the program are available for sharing with other institutions and could be easily replicated, such as the grant application and adjudication process, sample syllabi, the collaborative process, communication approaches, and the interdisciplinary and intergenerational mentoring cohort model. It was also discovered that definitions of internationalization evolved and deepened considerably during the process, and language changed. For example, the University moved from “internationalization” to “world mindedness” to “world mindfulness.” A very positive unintended outcome of the program has been the development of a scholarship of teaching and learning community interested in investigating the learning outcomes of students impacted by the program. To date, several interdisciplinary conference proposals have been submitted A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 81 CASE STUDIES collaboratively by cohort members, and a pre-conference workshop involving undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members from seven different disciplines has been delivered at the 2012 The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) Conference in Montreal. Discussions around the valuing and recognition of this kind of scholarly work have informed tenure, promotion and merit processes for faculty at the university. Other positive impacts are the inclusion of students as colleagues, and enhanced morale and scholarship opportunities of those involved in the program. Among the challenges is an uneven background among cohort members in terms of defining specific and student-focused learning outcomes. The solution was to begin the LWB with an intensive evening and two-day session that offers an abbreviated introduction to the essential elements and processes of course design. This assists instructors in applying international or world-minded lenses to the identification of core concepts, creation of learning outcomes, selection of teaching strategies nd choice of assessment modalities. It also became apparent that an assessment plan for the impacts and outcomes of the program as a whole was essential. An assessment expert was engaged to join the program support team. Informational sessions were added to the programming in order to help curricular teams in developing their own assessment plans. A pre- and post-test evaluation instrument was developed to measure the knowledge, skills and cultural understandings of the students engaged in LWB courses. This will now be applied uniformly across future courses. The data collected will enable the production of an annual program report for funding and communication purposes. A final challenge had to do with not getting “hung up” on finding the “definitive definition” of internationalization. To address this issue all parties tried to approach their work in non-conventional ways in order to allow for creativity and multiple perspectives to emerge. The STLHE workshop, for example, began with a “métissage” performance piece, weaving together the stories of three students that focused on their diverse lived experiences of the contested notion of internationalization, which then invited others to participate and thereby expand the collective lived experience of the definition.21 21 82 For more information, visit the website. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Chapter 6: Canadian Education Overseas For the past 20 years, Canadian educational institutions have been actively exporting knowledge products and services across Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East (ACCC, 2010; AUCC, 2007; Cosco, 2011). Institutions engaging in knowledge exports include colleges, institutes and universities. Canadian provincial governments have also played a role, providing access to curriculum and credentials, as well as links with school districts, both at the primary and secondary levels. The private sector has been involved in establishing schools at the pre-kindergarten and K-12 levels. In recent years, Canadian post-secondary institutions have stepped up efforts to provide Canadian degrees, diplomas and courses abroad using a variety of delivery models and institutional partnership arrangements (Knight, 2005). In parallel, the number of K-12 private schools operating abroad has expanded significantly (Cosco, 2011). The consensus emerging from current research (AUCC, 2009; Barnsley, 2006; Cosco, 2011; Toope, 2012) is that there is a growing market for Canadian knowledge exports. These exports encompass a wide array of activities, products and services and employ several delivery models, including distance education, offshore or branch campuses, joint degree and diploma programs, and franchised courses and programs. At CBIE’s Canada-Arab Education Forum in 2011, academic and government leaders from North Africa and the Middle East spoke eloquently of the need for partnership with Canada to enhance their education systems. Of particular interest in the era immediately following the “Arab Spring” were applied programs and pedagogical approaches to develop graduates capable of working and innovating in a knowledge-based economy. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 83 6.1 Canadian Institutions Abroad: Post-secondary 6.1.1 Snapshot The past decade has seen a steady increase in knowledge exports by Canadian institutions. Data collected by ACCC, AUCC and DFAIT in 2009 show that the majority of Canadian post-secondary programs offered abroad — approximately 84% — are delivered through partner institutions. Of those, more than 50% employ a joint delivery model where students also study in Canada for part of their program, leading to a double or joint degree. Conversely the research identified only a small cluster of institutions, representing 3% of all Canadian knowledge exports, which are establishing their own campuses abroad. Notable examples include: The Schulich School of Business at York University established a Canada-India MBA program with the first year of the program taught in Mumbai and the final year delivered in Toronto. Graduates receive an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. In 2011, Schulich was offered a more permanent situation in India with an offer by an Indian company to build a state of the art campus in Hyderabad. Next steps are under consideration and depend in part on changes in Indian law relating to foreign education providers. nn In 2009 the University of Waterloo established its first campus abroad in the United Arab Emirates. It offers undergraduate programs using a 2+2 program delivery model whereby Emirati students are offered the opportunity to complete up to two years of their studies in Waterloo. Programs offered are chemical and civil engineering, financial analysis and risk management, information technology management and mathematics. nn In 2000, CBIE was invited by the Government of Qatar to help it develop a college on the Canadian model, including identification of a college partner. The College of the North Atlantic was selected by the Government of Qatar to establish an offshore campus, to support the country’s shift towards a knowledge-based economy. The Qatar campus is widely considered to be the nation’s premiere comprehensive technical college with more than 650 staff and faculty serving a student population of over 4,600 students. The college offers programs in health sciences, information technology, engineering technology, business studies, security studies and banking and financial services. nn The University of Calgary, in collaboration with the Hamad Medical Corporation, has established its presence in Qatar through the development of a Doha-based branch campus offering a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) degree program to prepare students to lead health promotion and disease prevention in Qatar. University of Calgary Qatar plays a key role in Qatar’s health sector through its engagement with local communities and participation in localized research to address Qatari health challenges. nn 84 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 In 2012, Algonquin College, in collaboration with the Cadre Group of Saudi Arabia, began delivering technical and vocational education and training in industrial technology, information and communications technology, administration and hospitality to Saudi high school graduates at the Jazan Economic City Polytechnic Institute. Algonquin is responsible for developing programs and for providing curriculum, learning materials and credentials as well as leading faculty and administrative staff recruitment. nn In addition to these examples, numerous institutions have program-based partnerships that offer students and faculty mobility opportunities as well as joint research and development, in fields as diverse as computer science, health sciences and environmental studies. Many countries are investing heavily in human resource development as part of creating vibrant knowledge economies. As these countries reform their higher education systems, Canadian colleges, polytechnics and universities are ideally positioned to support them through curriculum development, research, mentorship, joint programs and branch campuses (Toope, 2012). The benefits to individual institutions and to Canada in general cover a large spectrum: Economic: While the financial benefits associated with offshore work are not typically nn the primary motivation for Canadian institutions, the economic returns are considerable and warrant further study. In addition to tuition-related revenue, offshore programs and campuses create employment opportunities for Canadians and local citizens, spur local enterprise development and foster environments conducive to private sector involvement, including technology transfer and innovation-based commercialization (AUCC, 2009). Research and Development: In Canada, post-secondary institutions conduct the majority of research, valued at nearly $10 billion annually. In many instances, research projects undertaken by universities with the support of the private sector continue to spur innovation and support technology-transfer through business incubators, research parks and innovation hubs. Canadian offshore work is also creating linkages and participating in cutting-edge research nn A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 85 in health sciences, engineering, and information and communication technologies. The benefits to faculty and, in particular, younger faculty members, are also considerable, as offshore campuses provide new avenues for emerging research leaders to conduct research and find research collaborators (AUCC, 2011). Political: Educational institutions have always served as international conduits allowing nn for dialogue and cooperation in research and scientific endeavour. As Toope points out, governments around the world are recognizing the important role of higher education in what our Governor General, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston calls “the diplomacy of knowledge.” Offshore programs and campuses provide forums that convene thought leaders around emerging global challenges to develop collective solutions (Toope, 2012). Social: Canadian offshore programs and campuses are also supporting the local communities nn they operate in by creating opportunities for local students to undertake post-secondary education at high quality institutions. Where financial, cultural and other issues impede study abroad, Canadian offshore campuses provide an accessible alternative. Research on the challenges associated with offshore work is limited. However, drawing on the available literature, the most common challenges are: International Competition: Canadian offshore campus development faces significant nn competition from competitor governments in the US, UK and Australia, all of whom are actively supporting their institutions to internationalize through campus establishment and long-term program delivery agreements. In addition, those seeking funding from international development banks confront competition from new players including India and the Philippines (CFHSS, 2011). Development Costs: Offshore campus development, unlike popular twinning arrangements, nn require institutions to bear the full economic cost and associated risks of a given project including land, building construction, equipment, general materials as well as human capital. The investment needed to establish and maintain offshore campuses is significant with sole responsibility for financial losses and risks resting with the home campus. Partnering or twinning provides a more balanced approach which distributes risks to all parties involved and enables home and host country institutions to contribute using existing infrastructure and equipment and capitalizing on expertise within the partner institutions (Salmi, 2009). Host Country Regulations: Host country regulatory structures governing the nn establishment and operation of offshore campuses are relatively underdeveloped and there are few common standards or approaches available that institutions can rely on. Canadian institutions negotiating agreements with host governments often must dedicate substantial resources to obtain exemptions and ensure that projects align with a host country’s broader education strategy (Scherf, K. and Macpherson, I., 2008). Quality Assurance: Quality assurance is a priority for Canadian institutions operating nn overseas. Recent experience from Australian offshore projects suggests that a key challenge has been recruiting high-quality academic staff at the host institution which is critical to maintaining offshore quality. Based on Australia’s experience, we can infer that ensuring quality and hence the success of an offshore Canadian campus project may largely depend on attracting and retaining high quality academic staff (AIE, 2011; AUCC, 2007). 86 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 6.2 Canadian Institutions Overseas: Kindergarten to Grade 12 Canadian primary and secondary education is rated among the best in the world, with Canadian students achieving high scores in reading, mathematics and science (OECD, 2009). Through infrastructure investments, pioneering of new learning technologies and a commitment to pedagogical excellence, Canadian K-12 institutions continue to push boundaries and break new ground. In recognition of the quality derived through Canadian K-12 education, there is increasing global demand to internationalize the Canadian K-12 curriculum and to offer a high-quality, internationally recognized Canadian education around the world (MaRS, 2011). Moreover, as stated in the 2011 report of the Asia Pacific Foundation, “Canada’s provincial accreditation of overseas schools is one of the most innovative international initiatives in education... Canada is the only nation where government accredits, regulates, inspects and garners fees for the use of curricula overseas. (This)... should be understood as an innovative Canadian approach in international education.” 6.2.1 Snapshot At the time of writing, there are 84 schools operating across Asia, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East that offer K-12 programming based on one of Canada’s provincial education systems. Canadian schools abroad offer the same courses, material, methodology and classroom management techniques as their counterparts in Canada, while incorporating local subject matter. By far the majority of the schools are in China. Other Asian host countries are Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. There is a much smaller number of schools in Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Ghana, as well as and a handful in Europe and in the Caribbean. The provinces involved in this activity are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Institutional quality is of paramount concern and schools offering a provincially accredited K-12 education must maintain institutional standards for programming, staffing and overall administration as mandated by the relevant provincial education authority. Note that Ontario has had a moratorium on adding schools for several years, due to the resources required to monitor and ensure quality. The Canadian International School of Egypt (CISE), established in 2002, is a successful example of a Canadian K-12 school operating abroad. This signature CBIE initiative established the first Canadian K-12 school in Egypt which models Canadian primary and secondary education practices A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 87 and integrates a rigorous institutional accreditation and quality assurance process. Students receive the equivalent quality of education as they would in Canada and are able to transition to Canadian and international post-secondary institutions through a higher education pathway embedded within the CISE management model. CISE academic and senior administrative personnel originate from Canada and Egypt and receive training that is certified by the province of Ontario. 6.2.2 Importance to Canada Internationalizing Canadian K-12 education abroad is a critical, yet underdeveloped, segment of Canada’s overall international education landscape (Cosco, 2011). Local demand across Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean for Canadian K-12 education continues to grow based on the enhanced prestige associated with a Canadian education coupled with increased opportunities to continue post-secondary studies in Canada and improved employment prospects. The benefits to Canada are broad-based and encompass employment opportunities for Canadians seeking international work experience and increased flows of students to Canadian post-secondary institutions. 6.2.3 Challenges Two key challenges for successfully implanting Canadian K-12 education in other countries figure prominently: international competition (DFAIT, 2012) and maintaining institutional quality (Cosco, 2011). Relative to our peers, Canada faces immense competition from the US, the UK and Australia, all of which have been engaged in developing schools abroad for many years. However, Canada’s reputation for high-quality education along with increased local demand for Canadian education will position Canadian education service providers to develop new markets and increase the education footprint in countries where a presence has already been established. nn Quality assurance for Canadian institutions abroad is not, in and of itself, a challenge. Maintaining quality continues to be a central element of each Canadian provincial Ministry of Education’s international strategy. The challenge lies in adapting the rigorous institutional accreditation and quality assurance mechanisms to reflect a dynamic and fluid international education environment such that Canadian offerings continue to be demanded by new generations of learners. nn The export of knowledge products and services through Canadian offshore programs and campuses is still in its infancy, though what is clear from the available research and the experience of Canadian institutions operating abroad is that the global growth potential is tremendous and the benefits to the host country and to the Canadian education sector, workforce and economy are immense. As the sector continues to develop, new market entrants have the opportunity to carefully assess the existing development models and refine them to reflect the changing dynamics of the global education marketplace, new competitor innovations and the education and labour market needs of partner countries. CBIE will continue to monitor developments and to connect Canadian institutions to the partners, research and strategies that can position Canada as a leading exporter of knowledge products and services. 88 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES The following case studies are from Cape Breton University and the University of Victoria, which have implemented quite diverse international programs. Global Outreach Initiatives Cape Breton University (CBU) in Sydney, Nova Scotia is home to more than 3300 students with close to 1000 international students from 32 countries, with the top five source countries being China, Saudi Arabia, India, Nigeria, and Egypt. CBU has been involved with international partnerships and recruitment activities since the mid-1990s; international student enrollment numbers have experienced a dramatic growth, especially in the last five years. The number of international students enrolled at CBU grew from 345 in 2007 to 415 in 2009 and this number doubled between 2009 and 2011 (see table below - CBU International Student Enrollment by Year). As of October 2011, approximately 26% of CBU’s total full-time student body was composed of international students. CBU holds one of the highest international student enrollment percentages in Atlantic Canada. Two examples of partnerships in progress follow. Breton UniversityCBU (English) International Student Enrollment by Year International Centre for English Academic Preparation Inc. (ICEAP) is a private English language school that has been offering 1200 English Academic Preparation (EAP) courses 956 1000 to international students who wish to enter CBU but lack the required English 800 634 proficiency. ICEAP has been a partner 600 of CBU since 2010; its establishment has 415 344 345 supported the doubling of CBU’s overseas 400 recruitment effort and directly contributed 200 to the rapid growth of CBU’s international student population in recent years. By the 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 end of 2011, ICEAP cumulatively graduated Year more than 300 students, who participate in 8-week program modules tailored to meet individual student needs in small class settings. Students choose to participate based on a need to meet TOEFL and IELTS test results or to attain additional language and study skills in advance of entering an academic program. In addition to its two largest markets, China and Saudi Arabia, ICEAP is continually exploring new markets including Brazil, Russia and Turkey. In February 2012, CBU renewed its partnership with ICEAP with a 5-year agreement that further enhanced ICEAP’s position as CBU’s exclusive local EAP partner. CBU International S Students CBU International Student En nrollment by Year A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 89 CASE STUDIES ICEAP and CBU maintain an effective working relationship through open communication and active involvement. As a result, partnership issues have been minimal overall. Based on recommendations from CBU faculty and administration, the language school has updated its curriculum and raised its academic standards in keeping with CBU’s academic expectations. As the relationship continues, there are some communication matters that require further attention including the need to better clarify that ICEAP is not a department of CBU as it often is thought to be by prospective students and their parents. As well, document verification at times involves three parties — CBU, an in-country agent and ICEAP — and the process continues to be refined so that it is efficient and effective for CBU. The Canadian International College (CIC) in Cairo, Egypt, is another example of CBU’s expertise in building strong international partnerships. Founded in 2004, CIC became the first Canadian campus in Egypt, offering undergraduate degree programs in business, engineering technology and technology information. This cooperative initiative is an effort to promote Canadian academic programming abroad, which allows Egyptian students to gain full access to the high quality Canadian university education system. For CIC/CBU students, they can either choose to complete the entire program on the Cairo campus, or they can transfer to CBU’s Sydney, Nova Scotia campus at any stage of their studies. Students from the Cairo campus entering year three of their program at CBU must provide TOEFL test results prior to transferring to CBU. Credits obtained from CIC/CBU joint programs are fully accredited by CBU22. Since 2004, CBU has conferred 569 baccalaureate level degrees at the Cairo campus (See the table below - CBU Degrees Issued at Cairo Campus by Year), and 151 students have chosen to study at the Sydney campus with 142 of them obtaining a CBU baccalaureate or master’s degree. CBU Degrees Issued at Cairo Campus by Year CBU plays a critical and multifaceted role in assisting CIC with development, management and quality assurance of academic programming as well as accrediting of degrees delivered at CIC. Despite all of these accomplishments, the partnership has encountered several challenges which can be summarized as: nnLanguage issues nnAdmission standards nnInformation tracking nnCultural awareness 22 90 The technology information program is no longer offered at the Sydney campus, thus the transfer option is not available for students enrolled in this program. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CBU degrees issued (English) CASE STUDIES CBU Degrees Issued att Cairo Campus by Year Number of Degre ees issued 140 120 133 130 119 109 100 78 80 60 40 20 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Y Year Currently, CBU and CIC continue to collaborate in search of solutions to address these challenges. A newly signed agreement places particular emphasis on the improvement of academic and administrative supports to CIC, increasing awareness of the respective business cultures, and dispute resolution and avoidance. As well, the new agreement states that the admission standards will be further clarified and the existing language issues will be addressed with proper measurements. For many years, due to the lack of understanding in respective cultures and business conduct, tracking or sharing of the information has been a key concern for cross-border educational programs. CBU is dedicated to improving the efficiency of communication between CBU staff in Sydney and CIC staff in Cairo. Through continued visits between the two campuses, the working relationship between the partners will reinforce CBU’s goal to deliver premium education locally and abroad. 23 23 For more information, visit the CIC and ICEAP websites. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 91 CASE STUDIES Innovative, intersectoral and multi-organizational approach to Early Childhood Development Background The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) grew out of a need identified by UNICEF headquarters in 1994 to address early childhood care and development (ECD) leadership capacity in the Majority (developing) World. Aware of an innovative ECD community development approach developed by the School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria (the First Nations Partnerships Program, FNPP, Pence, 1989), UNICEF asked if the generative curriculum approach could be adapted for use in Africa. The result, through subsequent development funding support from the Norwegian Educational Trust Fund and the World Bank in 2000, was the ECDVU program — a combined online and face-to-face delivery of contextualized graduate level education taking place fully within the development region. As of 2012, the ECDVU program has completed four deliveries in Sub-Saharan Africa (and two in the Middle East), with a total of 106 African graduates and completion rates of over 95%. Overview The ECDVU program supports the efforts of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to address the care and development needs of their youngest citizens. The approach taken promotes within-country and within-region leadership capacity to address those needs, respecting both local sources of knowledge as well as internationally published information. The approach is innovative, inter-sectoral and multi-organizational; it is demonstrably effective as evidenced by external evaluations in 2004 and 2011. Program participation involves several steps: first, broadly representative committees within participating countries identify key national objectives in regards to child well-being (for example, policy, program and/or training development); the committee then openly solicits applications from individuals who are in a position to address those challenges and who have a record of social and child contributions; the applications are then vetted within country and submitted to the ECDVU program before each country cohort team is confirmed (typically 3-5 individuals). Each of these country-identified early childhood care and development (ECD) teams joins similarly selected ECD teams to form a ‘program delivery cohort’ of approximately 25 to 30 individuals from eight to 10 SSA countries. The ECDVU program then engages with these leaders employing primarily, at present, African instructors (part of a transitional process leading to African universities’ sponsorship of the program). Participants continue with their in-country employment throughout the delivery of the program. Strong south-south communities of learning and practice are forged within and across countries, and advances in ECD policies and program development within one country are immediately shared with all other participating countries. 92 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 CASE STUDIES As noted, the ECDVU program has extraordinarily high completion rates with virtually no brain drain outside of the continent. The external evaluation for 2004 concluded: “By any measure ECDVU has been singularly successful in meeting and exceeding all of its objectives.” the 2011 evaluation noted: “[Its graduates] have made many major contributions to ECD in their countries and region.” These contributions include the development of national policies, networks, programs and new tertiary education programs. The ECDVU program is recognized internationally as an extremely successful and innovative leader in ECD program and policy capacity building, and its work has been featured in numerous international presentations, keynotes, consultations and publications. While the focus of the ECDVU is on ECD, the methods employed can be used to address a wide range of leadership and capacity needs in health, social welfare, education and many other areas of professional leadership. The ECDVU initiative has built on its networks to also take a leadership role in mounting a series of successful African International Conferences on ECD. Commencing with Kampala, Uganda in 1999, the 4th Conference, held in Dakar, Senegal in 2009, brought over 500 participants from 44 countries, including two Presidents, four First Ladies, and Ministers from a wide range of countries. The third conference, held in Accra, Ghana, led to the publication of the first African edited volume on ECD (Garcia, Pence, and Evans, 2008). A planned fifth international conference will once again see the ECDVU program join forces with The World Bank, UNICEF, UNESCO, ADEA, WHO, SAVE, PLAN, AKDN, and country governments. Most recently, the ECDVU initiative has worked with the Eastern and Southern African Regional Office of UNICEF, UNESCO/BREDA, SAVE, the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD), and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD) to launch a ‘Scholars and Institutions’ initiative designed to support African scholars and tertiary institutions to further develop educational and research programs in support of Africa’s children. Such a multi-pronged, multi-level approach is essential to ensure full, successful and sustainable capacity building in support of African children’s well-being. A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 93 Concluding Remarks This inaugural annual report presents a snapshot of Canada’s international education landscape in 2012. It appears at a pivotal moment in the history of international education in Canada. For the first time, Canada is on the brink of adopting a national strategy. This is a development that CBIE has urged for four decades. It is highly gratifying to have our voice and the voice of our institutional members heard. Over the coming year we will be looking for significant progress in the areas addressed by the Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy. In particular, it is critical that stakeholders — education, government, business — collaborate effectively. It is also critical that all parties invest financially and in time, energy and creativity. Finally it is essential that all recognize the need for greater harmonization of approaches to achieve our shared objectives. Without these ingredients, it will be difficult to achieve the kind of strategy, bolstered by the required action plan, envisaged by the Panel. 94 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 Acknowledgements This is the first report of its kind in Canada. A report of this scope requires the input of many individuals and organizations. CBIE is grateful for the generous time and effort provided by colleagues across the country. Thank you to the 18 institutions which participated in the international student survey. The survey was conducted at a time when international students were just settling into school and those who work with them had a heavy work load. We are deeply indebted to the individuals who provided exceptional support in the survey implementation. We also thank the nearly 1,700 students who took time out of their busy fall calendar to complete the questionnaire. We are grateful to those who contributed sections, Dr. Sheryl Bond, former Associate Professor at Queen’s University, Dr. Sheila Embleton, former Vice-President Academic at York University, Aamir Taiyeb at CMEC and Sylvie-Michèle Racicot at DFAIT, as well as Amber Crawford, David McDine and Alex Paterson, graduates of the Master’s of Public Policy program at Carleton University, and Abbas Sumar at CBIE. We would also like to thank our international partners in Project Atlas who contributed data to inform the chapter on Canadian students abroad. CBIE appreciates the contributions of the following provinces which provided their strategies or statements on international education: Alberta Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education; British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Technology and Innovation; Manitoba Advanced Education and Literacy; Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; Québec Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport; and Saskatchewan Ministry of Advanced Education. Thank you to the following for their excellent case studies: nnCambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology Hadi Fergani, Internationalization Coordinator nnCape Breton University Nuan Song, Administrative Coordinator, CBU Global nnCégep International Sylvie Thériault, directrice générale nnDouglas College Dr. Betty Mitchell, Manager, International Contracts and Projects nnKwantlen Polytechnic University Sandra Schinnerl, Director, International Students and Scholars and Dr. Charles Quist-Adade, Co-Chair, Sociology nnNova Scotia International Student Program Paul Millman, Executive Director nnQuest University Melanie Koenderman, Dean of Students nnSimon Fraser University Shaheen Nanji, Director, International Development, Lindsay Neilson, Associate Director, International Services for Students, Tim Rahilly, Associate Vice-President, Students and Philip Steenkamp, Vice-President, External nnThompson Rivers University Kyra Garson, Internationalization/Intercultural Consultant, Centre for Teaching and Learning A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 95 Université Saint-Boniface Robin Rooke-Hanke, Coordonnatrice et Mona Dupré-Ollinik, assistante, Bureau international nnUniversity of Alberta Dr. Britta Baron, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (International), Doug Weir, Executive Director, Student Programs and Services and Dan Fredrick, Manager, Sponsored Student Program nnUniversity of New Brunswick Dr. Ian R. Methven, Director, Centre for Property Studies and Veronica McGinn, Project Coordinator nnUniversity of Regina Rebecca Berthiaume, Awards Facilitator, President’s Office nnUniversity of Victoria Early Childhood Development, Dr. James Anglin, Professor, School of Child and Youth Care and Dr. Alan Pence, Professor and UNESCO Chair in Early Childhood Education, Care and Development, School of Child and Youth Care nnUniversity of Victoria Learning without Borders, Dr. James Anglin and Teresa Dawson, Senior Instructor and Director, Learning and Teaching Centre nnUniversity of Windsor Dr. Diana Kao, Associate Vice-Provost, International nnYork University Laura Crane, International Education Coordinator, Faculty of Education nn Photo credits Cover Photo “International students at Trent University’s Symons campus in Peterborough, Ontario” courtesy of Trent University. Many thanks also to these institutions: Cambrian College, Cape Breton University, Douglas College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Nova Scotia International Student Program, Quest University Canada, Simon Fraser University, St. Thomas University, Thompson Rivers University, Trent University, University of New Brunswick, University of Regina, University of Victoria, York University. 96 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 References ACCC. Internationalizing Canadian Colleges and Institutes: The First National Report on International Education and Mobility. Ottawa: ACCC, 2010. Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy. International Education: A Key Driver of Canada’s Future Prosperity. Ottawa: DFAIT, Government of Canada 2012. Andriano, Bryan. Study Abroad Participation and Engagement Practices of First-generation Undergraduate Students, Doctoral Dissertation. Ann Arbor: ProQuest LLC, 2010. AUCC. 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At which institution are you currently enrolled? 6. What is your major field of study? 7. For what degree, diploma, or certificate are you currently studying? 8. In what year of study are you? 9. Please describe your ability to study in English o Full time o Part time o Male o Female o Prefer not to say o Humanities (e.g., history, visual/performing arts, linguistics, etc.) o Social Sciences (e.g., anthropology, political science, psychology, etc.) o Natural Sciences (e.g., space sciences, life sciences, chemistry, physics, etc.) o Formal Sciences (e.g., computer science, statistics, mathematics, etc.) o Professions and applied sciences (e.g., education, law, architecture, etc.) o Technical training (e.g., learning a trade, massage therapy, dental assisting) o Business (e.g., Accounting, Marketing, Public Relations, etc.) o Other (please specify) 10. Have you participated in an exchange (study abroad) program at an institution located outside of Canada while enrolled at a Canadian institution? 11. Have you ever attended an educational institution in Canada other than the one you are attending now? 12. Did you apply for admission to institutions in more than one country? o Yes o No 13. What other countries (not counting your home country) did you apply to? 14. How important were the following reasons in your decision to study in Canada? Please select one response for each item. • Canada’s reputation in general • Canada’s reputation as a safe country • The reputation of the education system in Canada • Availability of scholarships to study in Canada • Availability of scholarships to study in Canada • Off-campus work opportunities in Canada • Opportunities for full-time work in Canada following my studies • Opportunities for permanent residence in Canada 100 Not important o o o o o o Somewhat important o o o o o o Very important o o o o o o Essential o o o o o o o o o o o o o o A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 • How I thought people would behave toward me as an international student • The cost of studying in Canada in comparison to other countries • A relative, friend, or teacher lived/studied or is living/ studying in Canada • CDN institutions gave most attractive conditions for admission to my intended program • Position of Canadian institutions in ranking/league tables o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 15. How important were the following reasons in choosing your current institution rather than another Canadian institution? Please select one response for each item. Not important • The quality of education o • The prestige of a degree/diploma from this institution o • The cost of studying at this institution o • The amount of financial support this institution offered me o • I knew someone who studied or is studying here o • The availability of a particular program at this institution o • The availability of a study abroad program at this institution o • The availability of a co-op program (within Canada) at this institution o • Factors associated with the location of this institution (climate, city size, proximity to my country, etc.) o • The institution provided information in my language o • The position of my institution in ranking/league tables o Somewhat important o o o o o o o Very important o o o o o o o Essential o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 16. How useful did you find the following resources (online or offline) when choosing to attend your institution? Please select one response for each item. Did not use this resource Not useful Somewhat useful Very useful o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o • Someone in my home country (a friend, parent, relative, professor, etc.) • A government department in my home country • Advertising (in newspaper, magazine, or online) • Education fair • Education agents • Institution websites • scholarships.gc.ca (Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada) • educationau-incanada.ca • cic.gc.ca (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) • cbie-bcei.ca (Canadian Bureau for International Education) • Websites that rank universities such as THES (topuniversities.com) or Shanghai Jiao Tong (ed.sjtu.edu.cn) • studyincanada.com • higheredge.ca • Other: ____________________________________________ 17. Please rate your experience upon first arrival in Canada. Please select one response for each of the following. If an item does not apply to your situation please indicate ‘not applicable.’ • Welcome by CREPUQ reception service (Quebec only) • Welcome by a dedicated international student reception service (outside of Quebec) • Experience with Canadian immigration officials • Institutional orientation program • Assistance to locate accommodation in the city • Assistance to set up a bank account • Assistance to obtain health insurance Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Very Not satisfied applicable o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 101 18. Have you received immigration assistance from a representative at student affairs or the international students office at your institution? (e.g., advice, help filling out forms, contacting Citizen and Immigration Canada on your behalf) o Yes o No 19. Please rate how valuable or beneficial you think your Canadian program of studies has been for each of the following. Select one response for each item. If an item does not apply to your situation please indicate ‘not applicable.’ Poor Fair Good Excellent • Helping make me a more educated person o o o o • Preparing me for employment in Canada o o o o • Preparing me for employment in my home country o o o o • Preparing me for further study o o o o • Helping me discover my career interests o o o o • Increasing the chances for making more money during my working years o o o o • Contribute to my family’s well-being o o o o • Contribute to the advancement of my country o o o o Not applicable o o o o o o o o 20. How satisfied were you with the services or facilities you have used at your institution? Please select one response for each item. Did not use the service • Assistance from an International Student Adviser o • Cultural Associations (e.g., African Student Association, Muslim Student Association) o • English tutoring o • Student Counselling Services o • Housing services o • Study skills/learning support services o • Recreational facilities o • Facilities for religious worship (e.g., quiet room for prayer) o • Services that make the institution more environmentally friendly (e.g., recycling program) o 21. How much success have you had making friends with: • Other international students • Canadian students Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied o o o No success o o Very satisfied o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Very little success o o Some success o o A lot of success o o 22. Please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: I have experienced some form of racism or discrimination as an international student in Canada while interacting with: • Institutional staff • Institutional faculty members • Other students at my institution • Members of the broader community (off-campus) Strongly disagree Disagree Agree o o o o o o o o o o o o Strongly agree o o o o 23. Where are you currently living? Select one response only. o University or college residence o Room, apartment, or house that I am renting by myself o Room, apartment, or house that I am renting with members of my family (or with my partner) o Room, apartment, or house that I am renting with people who are not family members o Homestay (renting a room from a host family) o In a condominium or house that I (or a family member) purchased 102 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 24. Please indicate how safe you feel in the following locations. • On campus • Your accommodation • Public transport (e.g. trains, bus stops) • Public spaces (off campus locations in the city) Not safe Not particularly Fairly at all safe safe o o o o o o o o o o o o Very safe Not applicable o o o o o o o o 25. Please rate your level of concern when it comes to paying for the following while studying in Canada Not concerned at all Somewhat concerned Very concerned o o o o o o o o o o o o • Accommodation (e.g., rent payments, including utilities such as heat, hydro and electricity) • School-related expenses (e.g., tuition, textbooks, school supplies) • Social activities (e.g., going to pub or coffee shop with friends) • Food, clothing, transportation 26. Please indicate which financial supports are currently helping to help pay for your education. Select ALL that apply. o Parents, relatives, or guardians o Spouse o Friends o Teachers o Loans or scholarships from government or agency in my home country o University or college scholarship o Loans or scholarships from government in Canada o Loans/scholarships from government or agency not in Canada and not in my home country o Personal savings o On-campus work income o Off-campus work income o Paid internship or co-op 27. What are your plans for after you complete your current academic program in Canada? o Study for another degree/diploma in Canada o Study for another degree/diploma outside Canada (not home country) o Apply for Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) o Apply for permanent residence status o Return to home country to attend work or study o Not sure o None of the above 28. Would you recommend this institution to other international students? o Definitely no o Probably no o Probably yes o Definitely yes 29. Would you recommend Canada as a study destination to other students? o Definitely no o Probably no o Probably yes o Definitely yes 30. Overall, how satisfied are you with all aspects of your Canadian education experience? o Very dissatisfied o Dissatisfied o Satisfied o Very satisfied A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 103 Canadian Bureau for International Education 220 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 1550 Ottawa, ON, Canada K1P 5Z9 Å (613) 237-4820 Æ (613) 237-1073 www.cbie-bcei.ca Expertise • Knowledge 104 A World of Learning: Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education 2012 • Opportunity • Leadership