I am sharing an update on the Strategic Plan deliverable I’m leading, which falls under our commitment to being a people-focused organization and the initiative for learner support and services.
Embedded support for international learners through collaboration with the BCIT community advances the implementation of identified priorities and initiatives. Strengthening faculty and staff development bolsters support to student’s success and well-being. Having completed the inventory of current actions and activities across campus to support international learners, our focus is now on providing a support system that enhances their experience and success.
To date, we conducted the needs analysis, which indicated the International Peer Mentoring Program is a great way to connect new students to current students at an early stage as it helps them transition more successfully into Canadian and academic life. During the pandemic, the program expanded through a virtual platform to international students from inside and outside Canada. The full collaboration with the BCIT community has allowed us to build a framework to continue to expand and enhance this program, enabling increased individualized support to peer mentors while building a lasting peer-to-peer support system.
The Online International Orientation Resources—including videos and guides for students—were developed and integrated into the Student Success Learning Hub. This has provided all international students with the opportunity to access and review materials at their convenience, in addition to virtual international orientation events conducted in real-time. This has been especially valuable for students who started a program from outside Canada due to the pandemic or started a part-time program from a specific intake throughout the year.
We piloted an Interculturalization at BCIT webinar with the School of Transportation, which was well-received. In collaboration with the Learning and Teaching Centre, three online models for Part-Time Studies (PTS) instructors to support their approaches to teaching international students are in the final stage of development.
We will continue to build a lasting support system by exploring a blended model to find the right balance between online and in-person support and activities at various campuses, and through sustained collaboration with the BCIT community.
We look forward to piloting the online modules for PTS instructors by the end of June 2021 and expanding the Interculturalization webinar to other groups, as we continuously improve them to meet our stakeholder’s needs.
Thank you,
Tracy Wang
Director, Intl Student & Education Services, BCIT International
Commitment: People-focused organization
Initiative: Learner Support and Services
Deliverable: Embedded support for international learners
Deliverable lead: Tracy Wang, Director, Intl Student & Education Services, BCIT International