International student experience: What it is, what it means and why it matters

Abstract

The Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) was administered to recent university graduates by Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) in order to obtain feedback about their perceptions of their course. Students were asked to rate the extent to which they agree with a series of 49 statements covering issues surrounding the education and support services provided by their university. Although data from international graduate students were collected, there is no commonly used standard, nor is there a systematic way, for reporting and tracking these results; and little is understood regarding the utility of the CEQ items as a scale of international student satisfaction. This article investigates the utility of two of the CEQ scales — Generic Skills and Good Teaching — and compare differences in satisfaction levels between domestic and international graduates. A better understanding of the experience of this student cohort will provide further insights, enable meaningful comparisons and allow university administrators and policy practitioners to make critical decisions in program planning and educational policy. Ultimately, our goal is the same, to enhance the international student’s total experience.