The Office for Students (OfS) has commissioned LSE Enterprise as external evaluators of work designed to improve the integration and experience of international students in UK higher education.
The partnership seeks to identify innovation and best practice within universities and colleges, as well as identify gaps for better provision of support in England.
As part of the evaluation, LSE Enterprise will analyse the results of a call for evidence, conduct a literature review and work with students and staff through focus groups, surveys, and other means to identify positive, sustainable practice in the following areas:
- work to prevent and tackle harassment and sexual misconduct
- how responding to the coronavirus pandemic has shaped practice in supporting international students to adapt to and integrate with UK higher education
- work to ensure the accessibility and effectiveness of wellbeing and support services (such as student services and mental health provision).
After conducting this study, the evaluator will produce a report that will inform an OfS topic findings report due to be published later this year.
Notes
- The OfS published its aims for the study and an Insight brief on the experience of international students in March 2022.
- The government's international education strategy, originally published in March 2019 and last updated in May 2022, focuses on growing international partnerships through ‘promoting the breadth and diversity of [...] UK education’. This involves providing a welcoming environment for international students and developing an increasingly competitive offer. This project is intended to support delivery of this strategy.
- The work the OfS has already undertaken has included formative stakeholder engagement (in partnership with the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)) and an evidence review to identify existing information and gaps on practice in supporting the international student experience. The need to address these gaps and deepen our understanding of successful interventions has informed our identification of themes for this call for evidence.