Tagged / international students

AHRC Success Story- Block Grant Partnership

Grants Academy, PG research, R & KE Operations

 

Continuing on the AHRC Success Story, we wanted to look at the Block Grant Partnership, (studentships for MSc and PhD students) which was awarded on April 2011 and is now nearing its end, with the final students recruited last September.

We had a chat with supervisors and students, to see both sides of the studentship experience.

 Paula Hughes- MA Graduate

I received the AHRC grant to study the MA in Post Production Editing in 2011/2012.

Receiving the grant was absolutely fantastic. I would not have enrolled on the course without getting the grant. It allowed me to fully dedicate my time to studying without having to get a job and worry about finances. I have noticed the benefit too since graduating. Again I did not have to worry about debt and paying off money spent and so this enabled me to pursue jobs in editing and to not have to get any old job for the sake of paying of a loan. This has meant that my progress as an editor has perhaps been faster than if I had not received the grant.

I have just finished working on a feature documentary which is expected to be released later this year. I am also attending my first premiere in February, which I assisted on. I also have been accepted on to Skillset Craft and Tech Trainee scheme.

I have benefitted very much from the grant and I am very grateful for receiving it.

Ella Egberts, PhD student, Applied Sciences

Getting this PhD position has been very good for me. I wanted to continue in the field of research I got into during my masters. Preferably I wanted to do this in England as my research interests go out to the Palaeolithic of Britain. Moreover being able to do a PhD in another country (I am from the Netherlands) seemed to me a great experience and an opportunity.
Studying in different countries increases my international network of friends and colleagues.
So far I am still getting started, but it is all going very well. I have pushed myself already in so many new situations and have done things I would not have done if I wasn’t doing a PhD.
I have studied collections of hand-axes in the museum of Salisbury which was great. Some of these pieces are over 300.000  years old, touched by our very early ancestors and now I get the chance to see them, feel them and reveal their story to a wider public.

 

 

Professor Hugh Chignell, Media School

This was a collaborative application which brought me, my colleague Neal White from the Media School and Kate Welham from the School of Applied Sciences working closely together for this proposal. We found it challenging as it is a long process which has different levels that required a lot of work but we have also found it very positive, as we have learnt so much in the process and of course once awarded that was a real bonus, as it is very competitive.

We were awarded a studentship by the AHRC and then received internally a match funded studentship as well, which was a great boost for the Centre for Media History and has benefited the students immensely as they work closely together.

It is an exciting opportunity for students and supervisors, students can focus on their research for 3 years, producing the best possible quality work.

The AHRC funded studentship went to Tony Stoller to study classical music on radio and the match funded BU studentship went to Kathryn McDonald to study the development of the radio interview.  They have both been an inspiration to work with.  

To close, the key thing for a successful application apart from it being well written, well budgeted and so on is the research idea, once you have a good idea, that jumps from the paper, the rest will slot into place.

Find out more about the Grants Academy and the sessions coming up in February. The internal peer review has been credited with producing higher quality research proposals and increased success rates, find out more details about it here. Don’t miss Friday’s post on funding opportunities coming up at AHRC.

 

Sport Students Learn About Employability Of Their European Peers – And More

Once again, beginning of October the Sports group hosted senior academics from some of its European partner universities in order to provide students with international insights into topics of their study and future career. In addition, the visitors worked with BU staff on progressing international research agendas and teaching models, such as intercultural mixed-group student management games partly facilitated via online conferencing.

Dr Stefan Walzel (German Sport University Cologne) and Gerco van Dalfsen (Hanzehogeschool Groningen and Secretary General European Association for Sport Management) presented and discussed with students of all UG/PG levels and all Sport pathways topics of neuromarketing, sport city strategies, leadership and provided insights into the employability and career prospects of their own respective graduates. Both visitors stressed the need for their universities to include an array of international activities and learning experiences into their students’ curriculum in order to lift their competitiveness on an increasingly international job market.

Together with BU sport management colleague Dr Tim Breitbarth, they also progressed a collaborative international study on community perceptions of professional sport clubs’ social responsibility initiatives by collecting further data in Bournemouth. A fourth set of data was collected in the USA end of October.

Gerco and Stefan were also very interested to meet with BU sport students who will study in Cologne and Groningen in semester 2, and receive feedback from the Sport group’s ever-first incoming Erasmus exchange student in order to manage expectations and processes for future exchanges, such as the four students arriving in Bournemouth for semester 2.

 

Dr Stefan Walzel presenting on sport, neuroscience and marketing

Sport students of all levels and Sport pathways during Dr Walzel’s presentation in the Fusion Seminar Series

Gerco van Dalfsen with Level I students of all Sport pathways

Gerco van Dalfsen with sport management Masters student Andreas Stylianides and Philip Smith (from left to right)

European visitors and incoming/outgoing Sport students get-together.

Students Reflect on Internationalisation Experience

In September, four sport students engaged in intensive extra-curricula internationalisation activities in order to enhance their study, professional and personal intercultural experience. This BU blog article combines their personal reflections.

Sport management and sport development students Luke Frary, John Bryson, Oliver Johnson and Stefan Ferencz significantly contributed to the Student Seminar and the main conference of the European Association for Sport Management (EASM) in Turkey from 7 to 14 September (http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2013/09/19/bu-sport-students-and-academic-succeed-at-european-association-for-sport-management-conference-in-istanbul).

 

The students’ key reflections and conclusions in short:

  • Oliver Johnson: “Upon first hearing about the opportunity to participate in the reputable European Association of Sports Management conference and Master Student Seminar in Istanbul, I was instantly attracted and impressed that my university was able to offer this to me. (…) Looking back, what I achieved over the course of the week has been astonishing, as I honestly believe that the experiences that I have gathered shall put me in a great stead for the future. I would recommend such an experience to anyone, it really is an opportunity not to be missed.”
  • Luke Frary: “Over the next few days we got to know the various individuals from all over Europe as we engaged in the Masters Student Seminar. The topics covered where not entirely different to those I had covered at Bournemouth, but through adding an international perspective, the approach becomes refreshingly different. (…) Later in the week we were divided into groups to work on a management game. I was grouped with students from Germany, Finland and Holland. Once again it was insightful to work with the addition of an international dimension. It became clear that when studying in just one country, it is easy to adopt a narrow approach to your studies.”
  • John Bryson: “I thoroughly enjoyed this international experience and the chance to stay in a foreign city and work collaboratively with people from such diverse backgrounds and cultures. This is an experience that I have gained many new skills form and will benefit me greatly going forward.”
  • Stefan Ferencz: “The main conference enabled me to learn about current issues and trends in the field of sports management, thus providing me with useful information that I will utilise in my final year. Having observed how speakers structure their presentations, I now feel more confident about speaking at the presentations required for some of my units during level H. (…) I would recommend any sports management student to attend an EASM conference as it will definitely have a positive impact on skills, knowledge and future career. Overall, I feel proud to have successfully represented Bournemouth University at an international stage.”

 

Please read about their reflections in more length below the pictures.

 

Part of the international student group during venue visit and on-site lecturing in Istanbul.

John Bryson (second from left) during team work.

Luke Frary in discussion with the NBA Europe Business Development Manager

International students mingling during coffee break. In the middle, BU students talking to retired UNICEF Partnership Director.

Stefan Ferencz (third from right) with his team, awarded for winning their case competition.

 

John Bryson

“I travelled to Istanbul along with three other Bournemouth University students to attend the European Association of Sports Management (EASM) Masters Student Seminar and EASM Conference. The seminar and conference provided me with some excellent experiences including presenting my dissertation research, working in a team with other international students in a sports management game, gaining an insight into cutting edge sports management research and issues and also making many professional and personal contacts.

With help and guidance from Dr Tim Breitbarth I was able to present my dissertation research at the corporate social responsibility workshop during the EASM Conference alongside many of the authors that I had referenced in my own work. This was a rewarding experience as I was able to make a contribution to the conference while showing off my dissertation that I had worked on throughout the previous academic year.

During the student seminar I also worked on a sports management game. I found this particularly interesting as it allowed me to work on a real life scenario to devise and implement solutions. During the management game I was required to work in a team with students from The Netherlands, Finland, Germany and Turkey. I really enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside other students from different countries and cultures and the challenge of combining many different ideas and perspectives into a successful end product. In the end our hard work paid off as we won our case competition and were able to work on the project further and present it our final solution at the main conference.

The seminar and conference also provided me with the opportunity to make many professional and personal contacts that will be very useful going forward in my career. The management game was especially useful for networking as we were devising solutions for industry professionals and it was a useful task to showcase your imagination, creativity and problem solving skills.

I thoroughly enjoyed this international experience and the chance to stay in a foreign city and work collaboratively with people from such diverse backgrounds and cultures. This is an experience that I have gained many new skills form and will benefit me greatly going forward.“

 

Luke Frary

“Upon leaving the arrivals lounge of Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport it was highly satisfying to be instantly reminded that we were visiting new territories when our non-English-speaking taxi driver some how managed to gesture that there would be a suspicious extra charge for our ‘over sized luggage.’

After a short ride we arrived with a warm welcome at the reception of our hotel (which clearly was going to exceed all expectations of accommodation at a student conference). Here we were informed that we would be separated and would be sharing rooms with students from other European Universities as a way of encouraging the ‘multicultural atmosphere’ that the conference programme alluded to. In hindsight, we were extremely naïve as we approached this with scepticism – one of the many valuable lessons we learnt during the conference.

After a short while we were escorted to the Sports campus of Mamara University for the opening of the Masters Student Seminar. Once again the scepticism set in when we heard the words ‘ice-breaker’ bellowed above the closed conversations taking place in small clusters of previously familiar friends.  We then proceeded to play a number of games that finished with holding hands and dancing around in a circle to a Turkish song. Little did we know that this song would become a regular during the conference and a very memorable part of the trip.

Over the next few days we got to know the various individuals from all over Europe as we engaged in the Masters Student Seminar. The days started with Key Note speeches on some highly engaging topics. The topics covered where not entirely different to those I had covered at Bournemouth, but through adding an international perspective, the approach becomes refreshingly different.

Later in the week we were divided into groups to work on a management game. I was grouped with students from Germany, Finland and Holland. Once again it was insightful to work with the addition of an international dimension. It became clear that when studying in just one country, it is easy to adopt a narrow approach to your studies.

In between the keynote speakers and the management game, we were able to select from a number of sports activities. For me the highlight was kayaking along the Bosphorus and mooring alongside a Turkish restaurant to sample a local snack.

The following week welcomed the main conference. There were some very interesting presentations and there were many great opportunities to generate ideas and inspirations to take into one’s own studies. In the evenings the hospitality the Turkish had arranged was phenomenal. It was great to share these moments with the large group of new friends we had made.

The conference came to its finale with a cruise around the Bosphorus in a yacht big enough to accommodate the entirety of the conference delegate list. As the   boat returned at the end of the evening and it was time to say goodbye to our new friends, it became clear how enriching the whole experience had been and how our expectations had been greatly exceeded in all areas.”

 

Stefan Ferencz

“The EASM 2013 conference in Istanbul has been a unique experience that has given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge in the field of sports management and also to create a network of sports management students from around Europe.

The adventure began with the Student Seminar held at one of the campuses of Marmara University. Presentations delivered by academics and professionals were soon followed by the Management Game. The Management Game focuses on a very engaging and challenging group activity which gave me the opportunity to work with students from different countries, to develop communication and decision making skills and to work effectively under time pressure. I feel that I have benefited from all the challenges that arose during group work, from the research required to deliver the presentation as well as from the reward of producing the best case study for the allocated subtheme.

The main conference enabled me to learn about current issues and trends in the field of sports management, thus providing me with useful information that I will utilise in my final year. Having observed how speakers structure their presentations, I now feel more confident about speaking at the presentations required for some of my units during level H. The conference has been an amazing source of information provided by well-known academics and professionals and has generated many ideas for my future dissertation. Along with great social and sporting activities organized by staff, the conference has ended in style, with a superb boat trip on the Bosporus.

I would recommend any sports management student to attend an EASM conference, as it will definitely have a positive impact on skills, knowledge and future career. Overall, I feel proud to have successfully represented Bournemouth University at an international stage and I would very much like to get involved in future EASM projects.”

 

Oliver Johnson

“Upon first hearing about the opportunity to participate in the reputable European Association of Sports Management conference and Master Student Seminar in Istanbul, I was instantly attracted and impressed that my university was able to offer this to me.  I applied in order to further my working experience, looking to participate in activities outside my comfort zone and within a foreign environment.  I believe this is crucial to any student’s development, as not only does such an activity like appealing on a CV to employers, it helps to develop key characteristics such as communication, team work and working under pressure within a foreign environment.

A factor that enabled me to participate in the conference was the backing of the Global Horizons Fund, as they seek to provide financial assistance to students, like myself, who are enthusiastic and eager to learn or participate in competitions abroad to further their education.  Organisations such as Global Horizons make such an opportunity all the more attainable, as there are often financial restrictions associated with learning abroad which often dissuade students from participating.

My week in Istanbul was split into two halves: the first half, as part of the Master Student Seminar, was based at Marmara University and the other half, in the heart of Istanbul, at the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition centre for the main conference. The structure of the Master Student Seminar was organised excellently, as there was balanced daily routine of informative, interesting speakers and leisure activities.

The main focus of the seminar was the Master Student Seminar competition, where students were randomly assigned to multi-national working groups. The aim was to put together a presentation and report on an assigned topic. I was assigned to the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility, whereby our group had to propose an idea, on behalf of a local company, in order to promote physical activity amongst the community. Initially, I did find the task challenging, as the groups were comprised of foreign students, it was occasionally difficult to communicate effectively. However, I believe that our group gelled remarkably and were able to collate a strong argument for our case. This was proven as we were selected as the winners of our topic, where we would progress to present at the main conference in front of a jury of astute professionals and conference attendees, competing against other student groups’ topics. Personally, I have very little experience in presenting in front of a large audience; therefore I initially felt the prospect of doing so very daunting. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic experience to showcase our hard work at such an esteemed event.  My group was eventually announced as winners of the overall competition, an achievement that I am extremely proud of.

Although the work involved was demanding, there was allocated time to see the sights of wonderful sights of Istanbul and to have fun. My personal highlight of the trip was kayaking up the river Bosporus and under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, a spectacular sight. As mentioned previously, the organisation of the trip was excellent, with the assistance of several Marmara University students, who would often act as tour guides always willing to recommend places for us to visit and making sure everyone was looked after.

Looking back, what I achieved over the course of the week has been astonishing as I honestly believe that the experiences that I have gathered shall put me in a great stead for the future. I would recommend such an experience to anyone, it really is an opportunity not to be missed.”

 

Muslim international students and media representations of Islam

In January 2012, Dr Lorraine Brown from the School of Tourism and Professor Barry Richards from the Media School won £2000 from the Research Development Fund to conduct research on the impact of media representations of Muslims and of Islam on the lived experiences of international Muslim students.

The aim of this unique collaborative project was to make a contribution to the literature on the international student experience, and to academic understanding of sojourner perceptions of media images and how these shape the sojourn experience.

25 interviews were undertaken with international Muslim students. These have been transcribed and thematically analysed. Themes derived from analysis include: media consumption; perceptions of representations of Islam; impact of perceived representations on the international sojourn and well-being; impact of perceived representations on host attitudes towards and treatment of Muslims in the UK; correcting negative image of Islam through positive narratives and accurate representations of the faith.

Findings have been written up into two journal articles, which will be submitted in 2013.

The first article concerns the profile of media consumption, focusing on the media students consume and the perceptions formed of how Islam is represented in the media. The second article looks at the implications of negative representations of Islam for well-being, including consequences for self-esteem, identity and satisfaction with the sojourn.

Internationalisation and the research process

Dr Sara Ashencaen Crabtree and Professor Jonathan Parker from the School of Health and Social Care discuss some of their recent research that explores the experiences of exchange students.

Although internationalisation is much wider in reach than student exchanges it is recognised that such exchanges can play a critical part in enhancing students’ appreciation and understanding of global issues.  In this blog we describe some of our research exploring the experiences and perceptions of students undertaking an exchange and their ensuing culture shock. Accordingly, a three-year British Council PM1 2 funded research study into student mobility has provided a wealth of data on student learning in international social work placements; although this also provides some important implications for other types of international student exchanges.

BU students at a dinner hosted by Universiti Sains Penang

In respect of these particular student opportunities, the sustainable development of the placements was created through the forging of Memoranda of Understanding with two participating universities: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in East Malaysia; and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang. The history of the two universities differ; where like BU, UNIMAS is a new university, but with a lively social science faculty, which has been home to a thriving social work programme from the institution’s inception.  USM, by contrast, is a long established, APEX status, research-intensive university, boasting the oldest academic social work provision in the country, and where social work programmes are offered at undergraduate, masters and doctoral level.

Consequently, BU social work students on international placements were able to benefit from an international support network of experienced academics working in concert for the duration of the placements, as well as receiving day-to-day support from local agency staff at the placement settings. The research element of the placements focused on the process of student learning in an unfamiliar cultural context, in which the writing of a daily log and a critical incident analysis formed the raw data collected by the students.

An analysis of data indicates that the concept of liminality – a process of moving through experiences from a status-less position to one of becoming – is useful in understanding the transitions experienced by the students and their confrontation with professional and personal values, often markedly different from their own.  These are duly reflected on in terms of the mediation of the domains of familiar and unfamiliar ‘cultures’ and disciplinary practice. Liminality was also demonstrated by an awareness, new for some, of minority status and how this was perceived in the local context. Exposure to unfamiliar norms relating to gender, religion and culture, were also experienced, where, for example, previously unquestioned assumptions relating to Islam and women were re-examined upon encountering ‘strong’ Muslim feminists.

BU Student, Gatrine Muldoon, with the indigenous family who 'adopted' her.

Other aspects of liminality were constituted through the experience of encountering alternative ideological constructs, such as that of meritocracy as opposed to equal opportunities, ‘triage’ welfare provision as opposed to universal rights, or the strongly promoted Confucian values of family self-reliance wherever possible, even under the circumstances of absolute poverty. These experiences bring the students into sharp relief with their own, often, ethnocentric values, challenging notions of diversity, acceptance and cultural norms which, when worked through, can provide a depth of cultural sensitivity important in working in the contemporary global world.

While analysis of the data continues and the nexus of collaboration has widened over time to encompass other programmes in HSC, such as the new BA Sociology and Social Policy, dilemmas of how such partnerships may be fostered for mutual benefit in terms of expectation and reciprocation are raised. This has relevance for international partnerships between institutions where, for example, significant socio-economic differentials may exist, or where institutional research and resource capacity are unequal.

The outcome of this study, however, indicates a need to theorise teaching and learning in order to more comprehensively address global and internationalisation issues within and beyond the classroom setting. This also requires ways to address ethnocentricity effectively, so often implicit in the perspectives and assumptions of individuals, even those with insight into cultural relativity. Finally, the conclusion of this study will lead to practical outcomes in terms of follow-up research to examine whether international placements enhance employment opportunities for graduates.