Making the Grade: Do International Branch Campuses and Their Home Campuses Differ in International Student Satisfaction With the Academic Experience?

• In Event: International Concepts in Education

Abstract

This study investigates differences in academic satisfaction among undergraduate international students studying at IBCs and their home campuses, considering student stage of study, gender, and institution. It draws on data from 2,145 undergraduate international students enrolled at four home campuses and their six affiliated IBCs that responded to the 2018 International Student Barometer (ISB). Results indicate that international students studying at IBCs were significantly less satisfied with their academic experience—including constructs of academic and teaching quality, academic environment, and academic engagement—than international students studying at the associated home campuses. Results have important implications for how institutions carry out internationalization; in particular, ensuring that the unique experiences of students are considered in the planning and provision of transnational education.

Authors

• Rachael H Merola, University of Groningen

• Adriaan Hofman

• Ellen Jansen

• Robert Coelen, Stenden Hogeschool