Dr Alessio Iannetti
School of Biomedical, Nutritional, and Sports Sciences
Faculty of Medical Sciences
As an International Admissions Tutor, Dr Alessio Iannetti set out to understand the unique support needs of international students—both as they first arrive and as they move through their degree programmes. Realising that many of these challenges might also affect home students, he undertook a research project comparing the needs of both groups. By gathering feedback from students and staff, Dr Iannetti’s pilot project highlights ways to support inclusive learning communities.
What did you do?
With funding from Newcastle University’s Education Enhancement Fund, Dr Iannetti and collaborators conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students across different stages (Years 1, 2, and 3), from both home and international backgrounds. The aim was twofold:
- Identify support gaps for international students and compare them against the needs of home students.
- Explore how these needs evolve as students progress in their academic journey.
They examined themes such as induction experiences, academic skills, social integration, personal tutoring, and broader practical challenges (e.g. housing, finances). By engaging both students and staff—through interviews and a follow-up workshop—the research team developed a set of recommendations to address common concerns and offer targeted support for specific groups.
In the videos below, dr Iannetti introduces the project and its aims.
Who is involved?
Dr Alessio Iannetti and Dr Shiney Mathew, FMS
Dr Dangeni (LTDS), Kathleen Gustin (Student Life)
Anna Toon, Marcus Subunvong (student interns)
Funded by: Newcastle University Education Enhancement Fund 2023-24
What are the findings?
The study suggested that while both groups face similar core challenges, international students generally experience them more intensely and with additional layers of complexity due to cultural, linguistic, and geographical factors.
The project also revealed that students’ support needs vary considerably across different stages. While first-year undergraduates tend to require practical, transitional assistance—such as guidance on day-to-day logistics (bank account, SIM card, accommodation) and adapting to university culture—more advanced students increasingly focus on academic and social challenges, ranging from understanding feedback to finding inclusive ways to connect with peers. By speaking with learners at various points in their degrees, Dr Iannetti’s research uncovers how these evolving needs can be addressed more effectively.
Dr Alessio Iannetti presents the findings of the research in the video below.
Some of the themes include:
- Transition to university:
- International students often face challenges linked to practical tasks (e.g. setting up bank accounts, phone contracts).
- Home students highlighted struggles with unfamiliar academic norms and self-directed learning, despite facing fewer logistical hurdles.
- Academic needs:
- Many home students found Stage 2 more demanding than international students, especially regarding essay-based assessments and time management.
- Across both groups, interpreting and acting on feedback was a recurring difficulty. Students often felt the feedback was “too general” and wanted clearer advice tailored to their work.
- Social integration:
- Home and international students tended to socialise within their own groups. Both emphasised the importance of accessible events—particularly daytime or alcohol-free gatherings—to encourage genuine interaction across cultures.
- Practical support:
- Housing (particularly finding private accommodation) was consistently a stress point for all students.
- Financing concerns emerged more often among home students (e.g. sourcing affordable lunch options near the medical school).
Overall, the project confirmed that while home and international students share certain challenges, distinct differences require more targeted interventions.
Student Voice
The quotes below highlight some of the challenges home and international students face, and their recommendations.
ON FEEDBACK: It just felt like it was really vague sometimes (…) If it was complimenting something, it would just say good, but it wouldn’t necessarily say why it was good. And then, something was lacking (…) sometimes they would just say, like this isn’t relevant (…) I didn’t find it all that helpful. Stage 3 Home Student.
ON DECOLONIZATION: I had an ageing module, and obviously aging is quite like a broad topic, but they really focus on like how Mediterranean diet is very like good for you know promoting health. (…) But I did think that it could also be beneficial to research other cultures who also have high life expectancies like, maybe Japan cause they don’t eat Mediterranean food, but they do so also have a high life expectancy. So I’m not really sure why they don’t really include researchers on those type of a more worldwide view of other culture’s diets. Stage 3 international student
ON LANGUAGE BARRIER: Sometimes I do also struggle with like the accents here, because you both you and I have, like American accents. Yeah, I think a lot of international students find it hard to adjust to like the British accent here. Stage 2 international student
ON CAPTIONS: And I think with ReCap… a lot of international students definitely rely on ReCap a lot. (…) I know now it’s mostly auto generated [captions], but I think it will be way better if it could actually be a script that they [lecturers] actually submitted. Just so that even with like these difficult words, these scientific words, sometimes I don’t even know how to spell these words so , I have to kind of guess. Stage 2 international student
ON SOCIALISING: I’ve still made English friends over here, but they’re a bit more set in their groups, and it’s a bit more difficult to crack into that, because it’s not quite as fluid – Stage 1 International Student
ON EXTRA-READING: I think we are encouraged more this year to like do a lot more extra reading, and I feel like it would have been good if we had more support for that earlier on in the in like the degree like in maybe from stage one. Stage 3 Home Student.
ON SOCIAL EVENTS: Events tend to be at bars or involve drinking, and that not really an option for everyone, especially like if you don’t drink for like personal reasons, like dietary reasons, religious reasons. So I think, probably more like social, so like sober events would be good and especially things that are like ideally free and like in a in an area that’s fairly accessible for everyone. Stage3 Home Student
Recommendations
Based on his research, Dr Iannetti recommends the following strategies to colleagues seeking to support international students more effectively:
Recognise distinct practical challenges
- Offer (or signpost) guidance on everyday tasks, such as opening bank accounts or navigating local housing.
- Consider timely refresher sessions in addition to induction-week briefings, as not all students address logistical needs at the same pace.
Facilitate social and intercultural engagement
- Arrange inclusive social events where students can meet in a relaxed setting—daytime or alcohol-free activities help increase accessibility (for example, intercultural cooking class).
- Where possible, embed these sessions into timetabled activities (e.g. within a “learning community” module) to encourage participation.
Provide clear academic support
- Strengthen personal tutoring and mentoring structures, ensuring staff are aware of common barriers international students face.
- Encourage feedback literacy by showing students precisely how to locate and interpret feedback; supply concrete suggestions for improvement.
Tailor resources to diverse backgrounds
- Acknowledge differing educational traditions: some international students may excel with certain study strategies while home students might require more guidance, and vice versa.
- Ensure cultural inclusivity in teaching examples (e.g. referencing global perspectives rather than focusing on one region).
Dr Iannetti’s project highlights that effective interventions often benefit all learners while still addressing the unique needs of specific groups. His research underlines the importance of practical guidance, academic support, and inclusive community-building to enhance the student experience for everyone involved.
The Graduate Framework
This case study demonstrates the following attributes:
- Collaborative
- Confident
- Curious
- Engaged
- Future-focused
- Globally and culturally aware
- Resilient