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This guide is for those new to teaching who work with diverse groups of students on mainstream undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses in UK higher education (HE).

 

This guide will be useful to those who want to:

• learn about cultural diversity in approaches to learning;
• pick up techniques for engaging all students in a range of contexts;
• uncover their own assumptions and relate them to their teaching practices.

The approach this guide takes values the diversity that mixed groups of home and international students, and staff, bring to HE and seeks to promote teaching where all students can participate and learn effectively.

Students beginning their study will have mixed experiences and expectations. International students travelling to study in the UK have clearly demonstrated a respect for the UK HE system and recognise the value of a UK degree. On arrival, however, our students’ previous experience may not necessarily have prepared them well, and their expectations may not match what they find. Bridging this gap to ensure that all students can perform to their potential does not have to mean changing what we ask of students, but it does mean recognising the scale of the transition with which some students are faced.