International students’ digital experience phase two: experiences and expectations

UK universities are providing education to a large and diverse population of international students, who as of 2021/22 made up 67% of full-time UK taught postgraduates (PGT) and 17% of undergraduates who come to the UK to study. UK higher education providers (HEPs) are accepting students from diverse global areas, and the proportional representation of these areas has changed rapidly in recent years.

In April 2023, we published the first phase of research that aimed to better understand the international student digital experience (ISDX) for those who chose the UK as their study destination. We concluded that the changing nature of the UK international student cohort may require the development of new and different support to allow students to transition successfully into the UK higher education learning environment and get the most out of the courses they have invested in.

Our second phase of research has involved working directly with international students to hear their experiences, attitudes and opinions about using digital technologies both on their course and in their wider living experience. This report summarises their feedback and provides recommendations to the sector on how to improve the digital experiences of international students.

Key findings

• Civil digital infrastructure and experience of digital teaching and learning differed depending on international students’ home global area
• Home country civil digital infrastructure shapes digital practice, which in turn forms the basis of assumptions about how digital will be accessed and used in the UK
• Home global area (a hypothesised proxy for ‘cultural norms’) influences how comfortably a student can involve themselves in various online behaviours
• Most international students were positive about the use of technology-enabled learning (TEL) on their course; notably, they appreciated how it gave them access to a wide range of digital resources, online libraries and recorded lectures
• Many had some initial challenges (‘digital shocks’) as they transitioned into the habits and expectations of TEL in UK higher education. They needed to understand at the start of a course how, when and why to use digital
• Most were using AI to support their learning and wanted more guidance on effective and appropriate practice
• They often struggled with practical issues relating to digital technologies, including setting up authentication and accessing university systems outside the UK
• Current digital practice was predominantly experienced as one-way (directed to the individual student) and transactional
• It is important for individual HEPs to actively consider the needs of both current and forthcoming international student cohorts and to embed this across several strategic areas (including business planning, equality, diversity and inclusion, curriculum design and student support)