Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TRANSFER
STUDENTS AND
LEARNING
COMMUNITIES
Katie Bates
Kari Berkas
Ona Fisher
Rosie Sabaric
SDAD 5400
February 24, 2015
OVERVIEW
International transfer student experience
Theoretical frameworks
Learning communities
Potential SU model
Action items
INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER
STUDENTS
An international transfer student is a student from another
country who has transferred from another institution.
Within the United States
Community Colleges
REFLECTION
Adapting to academic rigor
Connecting to peers
Finding resources on campus
Connecting with faculty
Balancing social and academic lives
educational system
Classroom norms
Language barrier
Connections with American
peers
Feeling different
Not able to work off campus
Cliques based on home
country/culture
students
Transition into a more residential/
formed
Maintain connections formed in
community college
A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
International
Transfer Student
Experience
Assumption of recent arrival
Internationa
l student
experience
Less diversity
Faculty less accustomed to
teaching international
students
ELCB
Visa requirements
Transfer
student
experience
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS
Astins Theory of Involvement
Involvement is key
LEARNING COMMUNITIES
Encourages active vs.
passive learning
Generally higher retention
rate
Connect students inside and
outside the classroom
Learning as a social
endeavor
Provides students
opportunities to learn
with/from different
perspectives
Formation of support groups
Connecting with faculty
academic affairs
collaboration
2. Clear objectives with a
ELEMENTS OF AN EMPOWERING
MULTICULTURAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
ACTION ITEM
Think about your role on campus and the information that has been
presented. What is one thing that you can do in your role to foster
an inclusive environment for international transfer students at
Seattle University? Take a moment to write this action item down.
THANK YOU
Questions?