Designing a Self-Access Website of Pre-Arrival Learning Resources to Support International...

Increasing student mobility has highlighted the challenges students face adjusting to new academic cultures when studying overseas. International students often become aware of differences in modes of study and academic expectation only after experiencing academic culture shock first-hand. This paper offers an insight into the design of a unique website which provides versatile self-access learning resources to help international students prepare for the academic skills they will need for study in the UK. Developed with the aid of government funding through the UK Council for International Student Affairs, Prepare for Success is an open website hosting multimedia learning resources, which are designed for self-directed use by students, and for blended use in teaching by institutions. The paper will firstly provide an overview of the pedagogic design of the website, and then present the findings from an evaluation of how the website is being received and used by different user groups.