In our day-to-day professional work in #intled, we all need help managing information flow, identify opportunities, synthesize possible solutions, and act appropriately to better ourselves, our audiences, and our world. To help in this often overwhelming task, Social Media & International Education (SMIE) Consulting offers this free weekly e-news brief to share our perspectives and to provide some wisdom along the way. Happy reading!
- Are you up to speed on the most used Chinese social media platforms, and what students use them for behind the Great Firewall? If not, download this practical Webcertain guide to the critical digital platforms in China.
- Apologies in advance, but I have to brag on my university a bit. UNLV’s episode of The College Tour and all the subsequent online videos have premiered. I can’t wait to share these resources with our overseas partners and prospective students.
- Chinese tech giant Alibaba introduced its version of ChatGPT, Tongyi Qianwen (seek truth by asking 1000 questions), this past week to compete with Baidu and other Chinese companies eager to get their share of the Generative AI market.
- If you’re not already using playlists on your YouTube channel to keep your audiences engaged for longer, read this Social Media Examiner piece to learn why.
International Education News
- The most widely expected news broke last week. The Department of Education reconsidered its poor guidance that displayed its ignorance of how international education works in this day and age. And there was much rejoicing.
- The regularity of school shootings in the US does have an impact on prospective international student interest, particularly from Asia. But they still come. How are you talking about this topic with prospective students and parents abroad?
- TOEFL is changing. Starting in July, the English proficiency test will be an hour shorter but will cost the same. Meanwhile, Duolingo continues to grow. What’s an English proficiency test company to do?
- After many years of hosting back-to-back December conferences, AIRC and ICEF are strengthening their ties. Glad to see the expansion of training and certification between the two organizations. Encouraging news.
- Why is the state of academic exchanges between the US and China often measured by how Ivies treat those relationships? When politics on campus push decoupling instead of engagement to solve the world’s challenges, we all lose.
- Apparently, Chinese students are still being refused US visas due to their home institution’s connections to China’s military-civil fusion strategy, post-Trump. But do those numbers show institutions ignoring this policy or hoping for the best?
- Interesting to see the lingering chill in research ties between the US and China, but not surprising given the continued political winds blowing. China has learned so much from collaborations with US institutions, but what have we learned?
- The Department of Homeland Security is restarting its Academic Partnership Council (formerly Academic Advisory Council). After the previous administration dissolved this body, higher ed lost a critical seat at the table. Good to be back.
- I enjoy this article on the importance of diversifying international student markets because it backs up the premise with an assortment of examples from around the world where countries/institutions see the need and devise a strategy to deliver.
- Two worrying examples in this University World News piece of a potential de-emphasizing of international ed in the US: the pending closure of LASPAU on Harvard’s campus and ACE’s likely ending of the Internationalization Lab.
- The ties between the US and India have been getting stronger in recent years. With India’s new National Education Policy opening the door to overseas institutions, the AAU is stepping up to lead US-India partnerships.
- Why do we consistently fail to use data to inform our international student recruitment strategies? According to this Intead blog, human nature typically wins out despite the buffet of data tools and analytics available.
- What should universities be doing to help soon-to-be international student graduates enhance their employability? This article focuses on how UK institutions should improve tie-ups with employers, but how best to do so?
- Interesting read on the varied responses to the pandemic on higher education in different countries. The common themes were hiring freezes, financial loss mitigation, assistance from the government, and diversifying revenue streams.
- Time for a change in the Western approach to international ed? “An overemphasis on the economic gain in international higher education poses a serious moral dilemma for universities in the Global North.”
- Very interested to see this ICEF Monitor article on both inbound and outbound student flows in Africa. Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco increasingly become destinations (primarily from within Africa) for overseas students.
- Australia - The reality for South Asian students in Australia, according to a recent qualitative study, is that they don’t have the same access to opportunities at job fairs, with precious few employers willing to host “temporary residents.”
- Australia - The folks at Universities Australia would probably agree with that South Asian student study on the migration system’s suitability for encouraging international students to stay and work. Much work is to be done.
- Australia - While it’s hard not to have a chuckle at the main image in this article about the severity of the housing shortage for international students in Australia, the struggle is real. $300/month for this: “It's a fresh experience, and I think camping in a living room is very different.”
- Australia - While not a demographic cliff, domestic enrollments at Australian universities seem to be down across the board, with new international students rising in a likewise cross-country trend.
- Australia - Will the current upward trend in overseas students Down Under “end in tears” like recent boom and bust cycles have shown? Are memories that short in Australia?
- Canada - Following last week’s damning TV report on how international students are being portrayed at one Canadian institution, the community surrounding that institution is rallying to support their overseas visitors.
- China - A little bit of humor for your reading enjoyment today: Colleges, businesses, and provinces in China are doing all they can to encourage students to fall in love to counter the declining birth and marriage rate.
- United Kingdom - Much the same can be said of the US policy toward international students who wish to be entrepreneurs. This article is about the UK’s system that doesn’t provide clear paths for overseas students with that next best thing idea.
- United Kingdom - One Western country not facing an upcoming domestic enrollment cliff, the UK, surprisingly, is expecting a 30% rise in UCAS undergraduate applicants by 2030.
If you’d like a more in-depth analysis of the leading news stories each week, check out our #MidweekRoundup #intled #livechat on Wednesday at 1 pm ET on the SMIE Consulting Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter feed, and LinkedIn. A podcast version is available as well on all major podcast provider platforms.
