Bridging Our Worlds: A Staff Training Resource for Working with International Students. (DVD plus Training Manual). London: UKCISA.
Barty, A & Lago, C. (2008)

In this DVD students from across the globe talk frankly about the things that have surprised, puzzled and challenged them about living and studying in the UK. British students and staff also reflect on the issues facing international students, how they can help with the adjustment process, and what they themselves have learned from the varied perspectives and experiences international students bring with them.

Sections on Arriving (initial experiences); Surviving (day to day matters); Qualifying (the learning experience); and Advice to (future) International Students, are further divided by topic, giving trainers the option of showing longer sections for a general overview, or picking out particular sequences and clips. Additional specialist material is included on providing welfare advice and on the complex issues around teaching international students.

Together with the accompanying Trainers’ Manual, this DVD provides a valuable resource for anyone tasked with providing training on international student issues. It provides a simple way of bringing student voices directly into the training room, allowing staff to hear authentic accounts of the issues involved.

Who should use this DVD?
Trainers wishing to increase awareness of international students’ experiences and concerns among staff and students within universities and colleges.

What audiences is the DVD suitable for?
The main sections of the DVD may be used for in-house training of staff at all levels and areas of responsibility. The specialist sections at the end are targeted respectively at those involved in welfare advice and in teaching international students.

How can the DVD be used most effectively?
The opening four sections can be used in both general cultural awareness training and topic-based sessions. They are intended as a pick and mix selection of sequences on key topics, from which trainers can select material most relevant to the audience. Clips and sequences can be used as triggers for discussion and to support training exercises. Some suggested exercises are given in the accompanying Trainers’ Manual.
Bridging our worlds DVD Order form

Working with International Students: A Cross-Cultural Training Manual (2003)
by Colin Lago, updated by Alison Barty
2003, ISBN 1 870679 37 7, 298pp
First published 1990 by British Council and Huddersfield Polytechnic
Second edition 2003 UKCOSA

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