Abstract
Throughout Australasia and beyond, institutions of higher education are being asked to internationalise and increase the number of non-local students on campus. Accordingly, in EFL (English as a foreign language) settings, many institutions are now offering more courses in English, the de facto language of internationalisation. To better understand the transition issues facing inbound EFL exchange students, a mixed-method study was conducted at a bilingual (Chinese-English) Hong Kong university that now hosts 1,000+ semester and year-long non-local exchange students, most of whom speak English as an additional language. As the University actively promotes eLearning (e.g., online discussion boards, blended courses), a mixed-method study investigated how EFL exchange students were coping with the eLearning component of their English-medium courses. After explaining the research design and guiding questions, this presentation provides a profile of the 92 participants (primarily EFL speakers from Asia and Europe). Surveys and in-depth interviews with a sampling of participants offered a window into the benefits and challenges of eLearning in English-medium courses. After summarising the key findings, the pedagogical implications will be discussed (e.g., the need for eLearning workshops). This presentation underscores the merits of soliciting student perspectives to provide direction for meaningful eLearning support for non-local EFL exchange students.
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