Track I: Enhancing our students' experiences with student exchange

Link to abstract
Presenters: John Hammond, Caroline Reid, Nosheen Rachel-Naseem, Sophie Ball, Dominic Lenaghan and Matilda Filolli

Caroline Reid, Dominic Lenaghan & Nosheen Rachel-Naseem,

Caroline, John, Nosheen, Sophie, Dominic and  Matilda delivered a fantastic session highlighting the importance of student exchange and the significant role it can play in enhancing the student experience. The session covered  how an exchange could be incorporated into the curriculum and drew on the extensive experience of the speakers and the many years they share of organising, promoting  and participating in student exchange. The session went some way to dispel many of the myths that have grown up around the difficulties of organising and managing student exchange and showed that the benefits to both student and institution far outweigh any perceived problems of fitting exchange into the Universities academic structures, it is in fact surprisingly straight forward.

The session also highlighted the need to encourage more of our students and staff to take up this unique opportunity  as although Middlesex has over 130 partners and an exceptional student exchange programme we still receive far more students than we send out. With the introduction of fees an exchange is an incredibly effective way of adding value to a student’s degree and of developing vital employability and skills, it is something that can give a real edge to our students in an increasingly globalised, mobile and competitive jobs market.

If the audience was left in any doubt of the benefits of exchange the compelling account from two Middlesex students, Dominic and  Matilda, further highlighted the huge benefits to be gained. Both students had very different experiences but shared a common belief that it had fundamentally changed them and allowed them to develop as both individuals and learners.

I, for one, will be taking away how important this is for us as an institution and will be doing my best to arrange my own exchange in the coming year......yes staff can go on exchange too.

Alex Chapman, CLTE

Track I Reid

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Presenter profile - Track I: Nosheen Rachel-Naseem

Enhancing our students' experiences with a Student Exchange

Nosheen Rachel-Naseem, Student Exchange Manager

Nosheen Rachel-Naseem

Nosheen Rachel-Naseem is a PhD student at Middlesex, currently at the writing up stage of her thesis on the introduction of student peer mentoring to Universities in Pakistan. Nosheen is also the Student Exchanges manager for the University. After completing her Masters in Chemistry at the University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan, she taught Chemistry at O and A level at Lahore Grammar School, as well as teaching Science Education at Ali Institute of Education to pre- and in-service teachers. She joined Middlesex to take a Masters in Education: Leadership, Management and Change, after which she began her PhD in the School of Arts and Education. Inspired by the effectiveness of peer-mentoring in UK HE and after experience as a mentor with the Aimhigher and Student Associate Schemes here at Middlesex, she developed her PhD project with the aim of bringing these benefits to HE in Pakistan where such schemes to enhance student support were non-existent.

Through her work in international education, and especially in the student exchange area, she has gained considerable expertise in both the principles and the practice of student mobility in higher education. As one of the presenting team on the topic of student exchange as an enhancement of the student HE experience, she will bring detailed knowledge of the benefits of this cost-effective and highly valued strategy for enriching the lives of students, for increasing employability for those taking part in exchanges, and in the benefits to the University of supporting a much expanded scheme of student exchange at Middlesex, particularly as the 2020 target approaches for 20% participation of all HE students across the EU in cross-border student mobility.

Nosheen’s research interests are: The emotional and social development of young people, including counselling and student needs in specific cultures; Comparative analysis of student support services in higher educational institutions in developed countries and their implementation in developing countries. Management of change and measuring the impact of change in educational institutions in developing countries through action research. Management in Education for Sustainable Futures and Global Citizenship. Policy and Practice, Learning and Teaching in Science Education.

Information on the student exchange programme at Middlesex can be found here