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In an effort to better support the academic success of international students, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Mary Kraus has hired Roberto Arruda to serve as CU Boulder鈥檚 first director of international student academic success.

This new position was created in response to the recommendations of听the Task Force for International Student Success, established by Provost Russell Moore in December 2016.

Faculty support

Kraus said the administration is currently focused on responding to the task force鈥檚 recommendation to better support faculty.

鈥淔aculty said they are struggling to engage international students,鈥� Kraus said. 鈥淢any听report听they don鈥檛 have the proper multicultural skills to work with international students or to provide a sufficiently supportive classroom.鈥�

Kraus explained the director of international student academic success is responsible for providing faculty, staff and students with the support they need. Integral to this is the development of coalitions among all units across campus that work with undergraduate international students.听

鈥淩oberto brings tremendous experience to this role, as he has worked in education for many years, during which time he has taught English as a foreign and second language, as well as worked in an international office with sponsored students, advised international students and conducted immigration work.鈥�

Customized workshops and individual consultations

Arruda says he is currently focused on two functions: hosting workshops for faculty and providing individual consultations with faculty members who are working to improve the academic experience of international students.

鈥淚 work all across campus to听host a number of different workshops听for any department that requests them, all of which can be adjusted to the individual needs of your department or听program,鈥� Arruda said.

Workshops are typically 50 minutes and cover such topics as听international students in the classroom:听teaching tips,听intercultural communication in the classroom, and听assessing international student learning.

Arruda says, in addition to providing customized versions of workshops for departments or other units, he also is happy to identify and develop new workshops based on the needs of the faculty听and work with individual faculty members who have questions about specific challenges they are facing with international students.

鈥淢any faculty report issues about international students under-participating in class or talk about the struggles of second language,鈥� Arruda said. 鈥淢y job is to learn about issues, help the instructor figure out what we can control in this situation and develop strategies to address.鈥�

Arruda explains there are many reasons students might not be participating in class as much as an instructor expects, including the fact that some cultures do not emphasize interaction and participation in the classroom, making student-centered classrooms unfamiliar to students from such cultures.

鈥淪ometimes it isn鈥檛 feasible to get students to participate in class,鈥� Arruda explains. 鈥淥ur job is to ask ourselves, 鈥榃hat are we trying to accomplish through class participation, and what are some other ways we can accomplish and measure the same thing?鈥欌��

Improving the academic experience for all students

Arruda says when you improve learning for international students, you improve learning for all.

鈥淲hen we dig into this issue, what we鈥檙e really talking about is inclusive pedagogy, Arruda says.

鈥淲hen we take the time to devise strategies that will make it听easier for international students to learn, there are many domestic students who benefit from those same accommodations. For example, providing an example of a successful assignment makes it clear to students what is expected of them, which helps those who are not familiar with certain types of assignments.

Arruda also is working with campus partners to develop support services to improve international students' academic experience at CU.

For more information, visit the听International Student Academic Success website听or contact Arruda at听roberto.arruda@colorado.edu.