A Study on Cultural Orientation and Development of Holistic Framework for the International Students in Mumbai Region

Navigating through a new city is adventurous, but a guidebook detailing the 'go-to' spots and the 'to-do' activities, makes the experience priceless and wholesome. So is a teaching-learning guide map for non-native students.

Students across continents seek quality education to enhance their career prospects, enthusiastic to conquer the impossible – language, belief, culture, and geography, known-barriers in this quest. Higher Education Institutions are breeding grounds for intellectual expansion and transformative construction of individuals, society, and the nation. Curriculum and practices that encourage diversity, culture, and perspectives cater to a sense of inclusion among non-native students.

Dr. Krupa Rai, Assistant Professor, Marketing & International Business, K J Somaiya Institute of Management, and Dr. Satyendra Kumar Upadhyay, Director-International Relations, are developing a structured teaching-learning roadmap for orienting international students' to the native culture. "The research study also focuses on peer groups to appreciate multicultural nuances and create solutions for multidimensional challenges which are faced during the teaching-learning process," says Dr. Rai, the lead investigator. The ongoing activity of Cultural Orientation Framework assessments from more than 400+ stakeholders (administration to peer-groups) helps understand both perceived and real problems that the students face.

"The intent is to create a checklist and navigation map for academic institutions to both identify and address opportunities & problems to provide a wholesome experience for every international student," comments Dr. Satyendra Kumar Upadhyay, the co-lead of the study.

Our University has international students from 15 countries pursuing different programmes. Strengthening the existing multicultural perspective from our international student community will help promote unity, creativity, and create a distinct identity for Somaiya Vidyavihar University and help place it on the global map.