Events
Members of the i-graduate team regularly speak at conferences and events. We also host conferences, including the annual Best Practice Exchange and Rethinking Higher Education events. Details of past and future events will always feature here. For more information about any of the events listed, or to arrange a meeting with a member of the team, please contact info@i-graduate.org.
Upcoming events
2010 New Zealand International Education Conference
5-6th August 2010
Christchurch Convention Centre, New Zealand
The New Zealand International Education Conference is now in its 19th year and is an opportunity for education institutions from New Zealand to network and share successes, contemplate the future and develop their staff capabilities. The aim of the conference is to not only provide a forum for discussion and learning, but also an opportunity for delegates to develop new business relationships.
i-graduate are proud to announce that they will be Silver Sponsors for this years event and will be represented by our in-country specialist Sharon Calvert. Sharon looks forward to meeting you there to explore how i-graduate can work with you to enable positive change within your institution in New Zealand and farther afield.
For further details of the 2010 New Zealand International Education Conference, please click here.
22nd Annual EAIE Conference
15-18th September 2010
La Cité Internationale des Congrès Nantes-Métropole
The largest event of its kind in Europe, the Annual EAIE Conference this year is disembarking in the enchanting city of Nantes in western France. The four day event will bring together international higher education professionals for hands-on interactive workshops and cutting edge sessions highlighting the latest trends within the education sector globally.
i-graduate Senior Consultant Nannette Ripmeester will also be speaking in session 8.04 'Using Statistics to Measure Success' taking place at 11.00am on Saturday 18th September. This session will allow experts to share their insights and expertise in using statistics when drawing up marketing plans and policies, it will also endeavour to demonstrate the use of statistics in measuring success.
If you would like to make an appointment to meet any of our representatives at the event please email info@i-graduate.org
For further information about the conference please visit the official website here.
Past events
UKCISA Conference 2010
12-14th July 2010
University of York
The UKCISA Conference is the main professional updating opportunity for staff who support international students in UK further and higher education.
i-graduate were delighted to have been invited to address delegates at the event. i-graduate Senior Consultant, John Taylor led a session on the Tuesday entitled 'Tracking the international student experience at FE colleges in the UK', in which he presented findings from i-graduate's latest research.
i-graduate were also a proud sponsor of the UKCISA Conference 2010 and John Taylor along with Emma Fromant from our ISB team were delighted to meet everyone who attended the i-graduate sponsored drinks reception on Monday 12th July, the event took place at the amazing York National Railway Museum., a good time was had by all and we look forward to seeing everyone again at the 2011 UKCISA Conference.
Higher Education Futures Conference
23rd June 2010
Bloomsbury Hotel, London WC1
This major conference was the first opportunity following the general election for the HE sector in the UK to understand and set the real framework and future for higher education. The conference set out how institutions are planning a decisive route and role at a time of severe public sector restraint, demographic decline, rising student expectations, a more competitive international market and demands from all political parties for an improved offer to business.
i-graduate representatives Jamie Taylor, Lizi Milne and Emma Fromant from our ISB Team attended and exhibited at the event, and not only had an opportunity to meet and greet everyone who attended but also got embroiled in the high level content that the HEF Conference had to offer.
For further details of the Higher Education Futures event, please click here.
The Changing Academic Profession
22nd June 2010
Woburn House, London WC1
Universities UK hosted this one day conference entitled 'The Changing Academic Profession' on 22 June 2010, which was chaired by Professor Les Ebdon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Bedfordshire and Chair, Million+.
i-graduate was represented at the event by Senior Consultant John Taylor, who will led a discussion group to consider the outcomes of the pilot Higher Education Careers Barometer study. Run by i-graduate in partnership with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education with 26 UK universities, this study examined career motivations amongst those working in higher education.
The conference also launched a report by the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI) on the “Changing Academic Profession: UK and beyond”, part of an international study, which examines issues such as the internationalisation of the profession and academic work; the ‘casualisation’ of the academic workforce; and the diversity of academics and academic activities.
For further information about this conference, please visit the Universities UK website.
UCAS International Recruitment and Admissions Conference
21-22nd June 2010
London
i-graduate Director William Archer presented a keynote address at the forthcoming UCAS International conference and exhibition. This residential event is aimed at all those involved in international student recruitment and admissions to higher education in the universities and colleges of the United Kingdom.
The event focused on key factors affecting international student recruitment both today and in the future, including:
• The likelihood of the current recession having longer term effects
• The internationalisation of higher education
• The growth of different types of delivery of higher education by the United Kingdom in other countries
• The growth of international recruitment in countries which were once exporters of students but now see themselves as destinations for international students.
• The effect of government policy on international recruitment in the United Kingdom.
For further information about the event, please visit the UCAS website.
NAFSA 2010 Conference and Expo
30th May-4th June 2010
Kansas City, USA
One of the key events on the calendar of many international educators, the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo, took place deep in America's heartland, Kansas City, Missouri and brought together over 7000 of the worlds most influential international education professionals. Several members of the i-graduate team attended the conference and were delighted at the response and interest shown in our services by the delegates.
The i-graduate team that represented us at NAFSA were:
- Pamela Barrett (Senior Consultant)
- Nannette Ripmeester (Head of Client Services, Europe)
- Louise Nicol (Consultant)
- Lizi Milne (ISB Account Manager)
- Francesca Sanders (ISB Account Manager)
i-graduate Senior Consultant Pamela Barrett also spoke authoratitvely in session GS156 'International Recruitment, Bridging Research and Practice' that took place in the early morning 8.00am breakfast slot on Friday 4th June. This interactive session considered how research can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of international recruitment practices and what are the opportunities and challenges. Participants will learn to use research findings to create or improve strategic recruitment plans.
For further information about the NAFSA 2011 Conference in Vancouver please click here.
Going Global 4
25-26th March 2010
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Central London
Going Global is the largest international education conference in the UK, providing the opportunity for delegates to debate the drivers and motivations for international education, at both national and institutional level. This year's conference theme was World Potential: Making Education Meet the Challenge. The event explored the trends and implications; explored models for change drawing on case studies from across the world; examined the barriers; and delivered frameworks for action across the following areas:
• Staff and student mobility
• Global partnerships
• Global citizens
• Policy and leadership
i-graduate Director William Archer participated in two sessions at Going Global 4:
1) What do the students want?
Friday 26th March
The ‘what do the students want?’ panel debate drew on four major studies of students' attitudes when choosing where to pursue their education, including i-graduate’s International Student Barometer, the largest annual study of international students in the world.
The studies have focused on students' behaviour over time and across continents, aiming to capture the dynamic nature of the student decision making processes over time. A common theme is the increasing role of targeted marketing if a university is to be successful in international student recruitment. This session offered a unique opportunity to find out the latest trends in students’ behaviour when deciding where and when to pursue their studies.
Panellists:
Chair: Hanneke Teekens, Director of Communications, Nuffic, Netherlands
• William Archer, Director, i-graduate, UK
• Rachel Fletcher, Director, Enrolment Management Services, Hobsons PLC, UK
• Dr Janet Ilieva, Senior Advisor, Education Market Intelligence and Research, British Council, UK
• Rebecca Loades, Associate Director, Graduate Management Admission Council, UK
• Jonathan Pratt, Marketing Director, StudyLink, Australia
To view a video of this panel debate, please click here.
2) Managing expectations and supporting the international experience
Friday 26th March
Chaired by Dominic Scott OBE (Chief Executive, UKCISA) this session took an insightful, evidence-based look at two significant groups of international students in the UK: students who come to the UK to learn English and students who come for higher education.
Will Archer and Tony Millns (Chief Executive, English UK) reported the results of a study of over 50 English language teaching (ELT) schools and over 2,250 ELT students to address a range of questions: How successful is the provision of English language programmes in the UK? How does the student experience vary at private and public institutions? What can the Government and institutions do to improve the experience for this group of learners? How can the UK retain and improve its global reputation as a leading provider of quality education for international students? Catherine Walter, University Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, University of Oxford, reported on a study of the experiences of postgraduate international students in UK higher education.
For further details of the conference programme, visit the Going Global website.
For further information or if you met us at the event and would like to talk to us further, please contact info@i-graduate.org.
APAIE Annual Conference
14-16th April 2010
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
APAIE is an international non-profit organisation whose goal is to activate and reinforce the internationalization of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world. Each year APAIE holds an international conference hosted by a University in the Asia-Pacific Region.
i-graduate Director Will Archer and Kevin Brett, Director of Client Services Australia delivered an interactive session at the APAIE 2010 Annual Conference and Exhibition, hosted by Griffith University on Australia’s Gold Coast. The session, entitled ‘Developing Best Practice for the International Student Experience', provided case studies of evidence led interventions by education providers to improve the international student experience.
For further details of the conference programme, please click here.
Quality, Price and Reputation
24th February 2010
University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Woolgate Exchange, 25 Basinghill Street, London
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Sponsored by:
Thank you to all who attended Quality, Price and Reputation conference on 24th February 2010, hosted by the UK Higher Education International Unit and i-graduate, with the support of Universities UK and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The event attracted over 100 delegates from the international HE sector.
The conference explored perceptions of excellence in an international higher education context and the relationship between pricing, quality and institutional reputations worldwide. Key themes included the impact of price on decision making; prestige vs. cost; the relevance of quality; and imaginative new approaches to pricing. We gained insight from international methods, including from the United States and Europe, and considered a business approach to pricing issues to assess how universities can attract the brightest and best students to their campuses. In addition to the plenaries and a panel debate, concurrent 'theory' workshop sessions explored issues relating to quality, price and reputation.
Speakers included:
Will Archer, Director, i-graduate
Professor Nicholas Barr, Professor of Public Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science
Professor Sir Drummond Bone, Chairman, International Advisory Board, Laureate Inc, UK
Carolyn Campbell, Head of International Affairs at the Quality Assurance Agency
Dr David Docherty, Chief Executive, The Council for Industry and Higher Education
Dr Dean L. Hubbard, President Emeritus, Northwest Missouri State University
Dr Neil Kemp, Visiting Fellow, Institute of Education
Arnold Longboy, Marketing Director, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business Europe Campus
John Quirk, Director of International Affairs, University of Central Lancashire
Dr Keith Sharp, Head of UK HE International Unit
Professor Steve Smith, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor, University of Exeter
Wes Streeting, President, National Union of Students
Elizabeth Tromer, International Affairs Department Director, Technical University of Denmark
David Willetts MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Universities and Skills
Please click here to view the Quality, Price and Reputation conference agenda.
We are keen to receive your feedback on the event. For further information about the event or if you were unable to attend, please contact Naomi Kenny (naomi.kenny@i-graduate.org).
Meeting the Residential Needs of International Students
29th January 2010
Imperial College, London
i-graduate Director William Archer gave a keynote address at this one day conference, organised by Unipol and UKCISA in association with CUBO. The event was aimed all those working with international students in a residential context. Will's session, entitled 'How Effective are Accommodation at Responding to the Needs of International Students' examined how feedback and benchmarked data from international students can be used to improve accommodation services.
Association of International Education Administrators 2010 Annual Conference
14-18th February 2010
Washington DC
One of the key events on the calendar of many international educators, the AIEA Annual Conference 2010, took place in Washington DC from 14th to 18th February. i-graduate were an event sponsor, and i-graduate Director Will Archer addressed delegates at the Networking Reception on 16th February.
New data from the International Student Barometer was presented during an interactive session entitled ' The Ohio experience, key findings and best practice from the International Student Barometer’. Will Archer spoke alongside David Fleshler, Associate Provost for International Affairs at Case Western Reserve University and Ronald Cushing, International Director at the University of Cincinnati.This session aimed to:
- Share the latest data from the largest annual study of international students
- Discuss examples of excellence through case studies from leading institutions worldwide
- Explore the use of benchmarking data to facilitate improvement in the student experience
The i-graduate team were represented at AIEA by:
- Will Archer (Director)
- Pamela Barrett (Consultant)
- Jessica Howlett (Senior Client Relations Executive)
For further information about the AIEA conference, please click here.
Emap Education: Recruiting and Supporting International Students Forum
21st January 2010
ICO Conference Centre, London W1
The Recruiting and Supporting International Students Forum, organised by Emap, consisted of two stand alone but complementary conference days specifically designed to help HEIs position themselves in a competitive market and provide an excellent student experience.
William Archer joined speakers from UKCISA, AGR, QAA and NUS on Day Two of the event: Meeting International Student Expectations. The plenary session, entitled 'Understanding the needs of international students: An insight into decisionmaking, expectations and experiences of international students' focussed on institutional benchmarking and enhancing competitive advantage and discussion as to how institutions can use international student feedback to inform departmental and institutional decision-making.
For more information about the Emap event, please click here.
Society for Research into HE (SRHE) Annual Conference
8-10th December 2009
Celtic Manor, Newport, South Wales
i-graduate Director William Archer presented a paper at the SRHE Annual Conference on Wednesday 9th December, entitled 'A question of time: exploring perceptions of contact hours through the largest annual study of international students'.
In summer 2009, i-graduate's International Student Barometer captured perceptions from over 50,000 students regarding the time spent on supervised and unsupervised study. Responding to recent challenges to the sector regarding study hours, this session paper reported and compared contact hours for formal and supervised study, with the addition of a 'Goldilocks measure'; whether students think this is too little, too much or just right, analysed nationally by field, level of study and nationality.
For further information about the session, please visit the SRHE conference website.
EAIE (European Association of International Education) Annual Conference
16-19th September 2009
Madrid
i-graduate representatives were involved at two sessions at the annual EAIE Conference, which took place in Madrid in September. Click here for further information about the conference.
'Marketing employability: recruiting for tomorrow'
Higher education is not exempt from a payback culture. The product we sell may be 'education' but the prospect of employability after graduation is a decisive selling point. We have to target different groups of students and their intercultural diversity in our marketing. Experts from the UK, Australia and The Netherlands provided marketing tools and strategies to help establish your institution as a vital stepping stone into tomorrow's world of higher education and employment.
'StudentPulse: understanding tomorrow's students today'
i-graduate's StudentPulse research examines the perceptions amongst prospective students in established and emerging markets across the globe. This sessionl examined the research and answer questions such as: How do prospective international students perceive their growing range of options? Which considerations currently have the biggest influence on their decisions?
AGCAS Biennial Conference
10th September 2009
Brunel University
The seminar 'Improving the international stduent experience' focused on the work being done by AGCAS, NASES, HECSU, i-graduate and UKCISA both independently and under the banner of the government's PMI2 projects. William Archer described the latest findings of the International Student Barometer and these were linked to the wide range of projects AGCAS and HE careers practitioners are carrying out to support international students and graduates. Click here for more information.
The Association of Business Schools: Developing Global Citizens
3rd September 2009
Leeds Business School
Will Archer spoke at the ABS Conference in Leeds on the theme of Global Employability. The sessionl explored the importance of global employability for business school graduates.
Click here for further information.
CASE Europe Annual Conference
27th August 2009
Liverpool
Will Archer joined alumni specialists at the CASE Europe Annual Conference to discuss approaches to measuring alumni engagement and explore how benchmarking surveys can be used to track alumni progress, strengthen communication and reinforce connections.
The panel session invited debate about different alumni surveying methods, including i-graduate's Alumni Barometer. Topics included which alumni can and should be interviewed, how best to conduct alumni surveys and disseminate the results, the benefits gained from doing an alumni tracking study, as well as how to join those already involved.
Benchmarking and attitude surveys - what does it all mean?
- William Archer, Director, International Graduate Insight Group
- Karen Brady, Head of Alumni Relations, University of Liverpool
- Judith Raab, Head of Kepler Society, Johannes Kepler University, Austria
- Sue Rees, Alumni Relations Manager, University of Ulster
Chaired by: Ian Moore, Deputy Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Coventry University
As part of the panel session, William introduced key topline findings from the Alumni Barometer run in early 2009, to illustrate the data being collected through this survey instrument.
In 2008 and 2009, 15 institutions in the UK and Europe have adopted the Alumni Barometer process to receive benchmarked data, with feedback collected from over 33,000 international and domestic alumni.
Click here for further information.
CHE Marketing Conference
18th June 2009
DAAD, Bonn, Germany
Nannette Ripmeester, i-graduate's Director of Operations EMEA, spoke at the CHE Marketing Conference in Bonn on 18th June, about the use of marketing data and how to make the next step in international student recruitment. The key focus of Nannette's talk was implementation of marketing knowledge into the HE institutions structure, supported by European examples from i-graduate's international practice.
For more information about the event, please contact info@i-graduate.org.
UKCISA Annual Conference
1st - 3rd July 2009
University of Warwick
i-graduate Director William Archer gave the opening plenary at the UKCISA Annual Conference on the 1st July. The presentation, entitled 'Understanding and supporting international students through the experience: best practice insights' set the context for the conference with a broad overview of the current recruitment market - including perceptions of the UK in the main source countries.
Using data from the world's largest study of international students i-graduate's International Student Barometer (ISB), satisfaction levels with various elements of the UK international student experience were discussed. The session provided institution-specific examples of how universities can and have used results from the ISB to improve the student experience and in particular aspects of support and target their resources more effectively.
For more information about the UKCISA Conference, please click here.
NAFSA 2009 Conference and Expo
24th - 29th May 2009
Los Angeles Convention Center
One of the key events on the calendar of many international educators, the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo, took place in Los Angeles from May 24th-29th. If you requested any information from us, this will be with you soon.
The i-graduate team were represented at NAFSA by:
- Will Archer (Director)
- Jenni Parsons (Head of Client Services, UK)
- Nannette Ripmeester (Head of Client Services, Europe)
Will Archer facilitated an interactive seminar session entitled 'Enhancing the International Student Experience: Case Studies in Excellence'. The session featured as part of the International Student and Scholar Services Knowledge Community on Friday 29th May at 11am.
Featuring representatives from some of the world's top institutions, the session used feedback from the International Student Barometer process to reveal how the international student experience compares globally. The session examined how individual universities are using feedback from international students and comparative benchmarking to improve service provision for international students within their institution. Session attendees were invited to participate in an interactive discussion to exchange best practice in service provision for international students, and how to effectively use research outcomes as a tool to identify priority areas for investment and support.
The objectives of the session:
- Share the latest data from the largest annual study of international students, the International Student Barometer
- Present examples of excellence in international student service provision through case studies from leading institutions
- Discuss how benchmarking data can be used to facilitate improvement
- Exchange best practice for improving the international student experience
Chair: William Archer, Director, i-graduate
Speakers:
Chris Madden, Pro-Vice Chancellor (International), Griffith University, Australia
Ronald Cushing, Director of UC International Services, University of Cincinnati, USA
Gill Nicholls, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic), University of Salford, UK
For more information click here
AHUA Annual Conference 2009
27th April 2009, Leeds Metropolitan University
Will Archer, i-graduate Director, addressed Heads of University Administration at the AHUA Annual Conference 2009 on Monday 27th April.
The two-day event, which took place at Leeds Metropolitan University, gave individuals involved in university administration and HE management the opportunity to network and gain an insight into emerging policy topics. The conference combined plenary sessions with workshop and panel sessions reflecting AHUA's key themes of staff development and effective HE governance.
Will Archer participated in a panel session entitled 'The Student Experience' alongside Wes Streeting, (President, NUS), Professor Morag Bell (Pro Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching and chair Student Experience Committee, Loughborough University) and Tobin Webb (President, Bristol SU).
For more information about the event, click here
Best Practice Exchange 2009, Rotterdam - 'Raising the Bar' for the international student experience
20th March 2009 in Rotterdam
The Best Practice Exchange 2009, Rotterdam was specifically designed to facilitate discussions on issues that are impacting on the international student experience in the Netherlands and other European study destinations. The day comprised presentations and round-table workshops for practitioners and decision-makers, spanning the international student experience.
In November/December 2008, i-graduate's International Student Barometer (ISB) obtained feedback from over 105,000 students. Insights from this ground-breaking study was presented at the event. Representatives from the highest-performing institutions shared some of the secrets of their success.
For more information, please click here
Attracting International Research Students: Strategy and Practice
4 March 2009
1 Victoria Street Conference Centre, London SW1
Attracting International Research Students: Strategy and Practice attracted over 120 senior officers from HE sectors in 11 countries, who gathered to consider how nations and institutions can maintain their competitive edge in attracting international research students. The themes addressed are of key strategic importance to both UK and international universities given the economic benefit and research outputs PhD students bring, which in turn boosts departmental, institutional and national reputations.
For more information about this event or if you were unable to attend, please contact Jess Davison (jess.davison@i-graduate.org)