Understanding International and Domestic Student Expectations of Peers, Faculty, and University: Implications for Professional Communication Pedagogy

Increasing populations of international students are entering Canadian universities, and instructors of Professional Communication must rapidly adapt to a changing student population. At the studied Maritime Canadian university, numbers of international students increased by 300% between 2009 and 2013. These numbers necessitate a review of our pedagogical approach to ensure student learning, success, and satisfaction in Professional Communication classrooms. Student expectations are linked to their satisfaction and, therefore, retention. We know little about the expectations incoming international students have of the university, their Canadian peers, and their instructors. We also know little about the reciprocal expectations held by domestic students and faculty of these incoming students. By surveying both domestic and international students, we sought to understand their expectations and determine if international student expectations differ from those of their domestic peers and from those of faculty. Understanding student expectations will contribute substantially to our ability to adapt pedagogy, to manage the gap between expectation and satisfaction, to develop appropriate intervention strategies, and to improve retention