This topic was explored due to different teaching strategies being used, a diverse student body, international students, student centred pedagogies and internationalisation of the curriculum.

There are many international students in the US HE system with 1:8 being international. This does enrich the campus diversity, there is a willingness to pay for education but there are a range of abilities in education and language competence.

Challenges include teachers who make assumptions about student knowledge level, the skills learned may not match expectations and class preparation and expectation may be unfamiliar. The strategy had been to identify the skills you wanted the students to learn and apply, checks for comprehension should be incorporated into the classroom, presentation style needs thought, there should be clear guidelines given to students about participation, clear and specific instructions should be given to students about policies, grading and assessments and there should be explicit discussion of classroom practice.

Interviews with students showed that they thought:

• Professors have all the knowledge
• Students should take notes and listen
• A professors credibility is not questioned
• Students do not discuss
• Groups projects are not done
• Students are encouraged to present original work but there is no mention of plagiarism

Interviews with students showed that they thought:

• There should be a shared balance
• Students should come prepared
• Plagiarism is punishable
• Students should be co-creators

Suggestions for future educators include:

• Present a background overview for students
• Ensure cultural sensitivity
• Use diverse teaching approaches
• Watch pacing
• Discuss plagiarism
• Explain common phases
• Helps students adjust to academic life

Institutions need to consider how to teach mixed groups with international students in more detail.