Engaging our overseas graduate IT coursework community: Developing communication and critical thinking skills

It is evident, both in the literature and our experience in teaching, that many overseas students need assistance and guidance to accommodate cultural and academic expectations of Australian universities in their first year of graduate studies. This paper discusses the design of an entry-level subject, Professional Practice in IT, for our graduate IT coursework students, to meet their needs. The paper extends our previous work to support students in adapting to the Australian teaching and learning environment and minimise plagiarism. The aim of the subject is to institutionalise appropriate support for overseas students (and mature students who return to study after a long break) at the entry point to our graduate coursework to support their learning. The subject incorporates critical thinking, effective group work and communication and time management skills. The skills are reinforced in later subjects as part of our quality assurance approach to ensure that students become more actively engaged in their own learning and that the requirements of potential employers are met