Can online pre-sessional courses be transformative learning opportunities for international student interns?

Abstract

As more UK higher education institutions (HEI) reach for blended or online learning solutions, the ways students develop and build relationships in the EAP (English for Academic Purposes) classroom have changed. One way that universities have tried to support pre-sessional students in this new learning context is by employing student interns to assist teachers in the online environment to help students prepare for life in the UK. Although this may be a pragmatic approach by institutions, there has been limited research around the intern’s experience and how they develop through this process. This explorative study investigates the experiences of international student interns and the extent they experienced transformative learning while working on an online pre-sessional course at a teaching focused university in the UK. The data collected consists of semi-structured interviews with the four interns at the end of the course. It seems that all four research participants experienced some form of transformative learning. Three key areas were identified in the research: patience and communication skills in the online environment, dealing with culture and identity, and workplace practices. Evidence suggests that a unique combination of factors in the virtual learning environment contributed to disorienting situations that allowed the international student interns to alter their point of view. Further study is needed around the role of transformative learning in the online classroom.