ACADEMIC HOSPITALITY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION : BUILDING GUIDELINES FOR ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC STAFF Erasmus Project

Project Title

ACADEMIC HOSPITALITY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION : BUILDING GUIDELINES FOR ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC STAFF

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Research and innovation; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

International students are students who chose to undertake their education in a country other than their own. According to the definition of UNESCO, international students are students who crossed a national or territorial border for the purpose of education and now enrolled outside their country of origin. International students generally described in the literature as a vulnerable group, usually face with loneliness, isolation, culture shock, language and academic achievement problems. These problems might cause psychological distress among students.
While the number of international students in Europe increases, the complexity of education, socialization and cultural diversity problems among international students require innovative solutions. The present project behaves as an innovative tool with its Academic Hospitality Model for this problem solving.
Increasing number of international students all over the world caused academics’ need to consider the way of learning and teaching of the increased numbers of international students in their university classes. Also culture shock is one of the main problems that sojourner students face. While there are a lot of definitions about culture shock, the most commons are “being rejected by/and or rejecting members of the new culture” or “confusion in role, role expectations, values”. Both university staff and students can manage the effects of culture shock by their rational collaboration. The cultural background of international students affect their learning process as well as socialization activities.
As a result of the diversity of international students’ cultural background, the academic staff in universities face an increasing demand to question the efficiency of their teaching methods and approaches. They should be educated in terms of cultural diversity. Teaching process is dynamic, especially in interactive classrooms, so how to manage the diversity of cultural backgrounds of international students is a significant issue in the teaching/learning processes.
The main objective of the present project is the identification of conditions in Academic Hospitality Model (in meaning of terms, activities, required training, coaching system) in partner countries and establish good practices to develop a common methodology for academic hospitality for international students. The project will present different strategies and approaches that will enhance the life standard of international students and academic hospitality of higher education institutions.
One of the two main step of the Academic Hospitality Model is the International Student Coaching System. We highly inspired from the brother/sister tradition that is applied in boarding high schools while establishing the international students coaching system. The aim of the international coaching system is to develop critical thinking skills and understand the cultural diversities.
The other main step of the Academic Hospitality Model is organizing workshops for academic and non academic staff. The participants of the workshops will be the academic staff that have international students in their classroom and the non academic staff that is responsible for international students. The workshops for academic staff will have three aspects: cultural, academic and social. The main topic of the workshops will be the learning difficulties of international students. Some teaching models (blended and flipped learning) will be advised to academic staff that will enhance the academic success of international students. Also assessment and examination procedures of international students and counselling opportunities will be discussed. The workshops for non academic staff will be mainly based on problem solving against their administrative and daily problems that they face in the campus.
The output of the Academic Hospitality Model will be providing a Guideline for Academic and non Academic Staff in higher education institutions to follow while facing the problems about international students. This written guideline will include academic, cultural and social advises based on organizational behavior culture and how to apply and sustain the academic hospitality in higher education institutions. Also an Acahos Web Portal will be designed to sustain the International Coaching System.
With reference to the European priority higher education field-specific priority-promoting internationalization- this project will serve as an excellent tool for providing academic hospitality in higher education institutions.

Project Website

http://www.acahos.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 190078 Eur

Project Coordinator

BURSA ULUDAG UNIVERSITESI & Country: TR

Project Partners

• STICHTING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FRIESLAND
• MUGLA SITKI KOCMAN UNIVERSITY
• LETTERKENNY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
• KAUNO TECHNOLOGIJOS UNIVERSITETAS
• ANKARA HACI BAYRAM VELI UNIVERSITESI
• UNIVERSIDAD DE LEON
• ULUSLARARASI MURAD HUDAVENDIGAR ANADOLU IMAM HATIP LISESI