The Internationalization of Seneca College: From Abroad and From Within

Henry DecockAssociate V.P., Academic Partnerships

Jos NolleDean, Seneca International

Overview

Seneca College has a long history of attracting international students and collaborating with post-secondary institutions abroad.

49% of the students are not born in Canada making Seneca one of the most culturally diverse colleges in the system.

This presentation provides an examination of the international student population, now in excess of 5,000; documents the background of immigrants with international education; and details the elements of internationalization through Seneca’s programming, activities and strategic plan.

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Seneca at a Glance 10 campuses in Toronto, York Region and Peterborough A leader in flexible learning with one of the largest Faculties of Continuing Education and the

highest summer enrolment among Ontario colleges Seneca is number one among Ontario colleges to send graduates on to university through

postsecondary partnerships. More than 60 partner institutions in Ontario and worldwide

Map shows the 6 main campus locations

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Seneca Students• 28,000 full-time students annually• 70,000 continuing education registrants annually• Almost 8,000 students graduate from Seneca every year• Approximately 5,500 international students from 140 countries

ProgramsWith more than 500 career options and an abundance of program offerings, Seneca features more than 150 full-time programs and 140 part-time programs, including:

• 12 Degrees• 72 Diplomas• 29 Advanced Diplomas• 22 Certificates• 42 Post-graduate certificates

Seneca at a Glance

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Data Sources

Data on Internationalization From Abroad Information on Visa Enrollees:

• Provided by the Registrar’s Office• These data contain info on country of origin for Visa Students.

2014 KPI Student Satisfaction Survey

Data on Internationalization From Abroad and Within 2002-2014 Data on Seneca FT students collected on a background entering survey (BDAT)

• 78% response rate among non-grad certs.• Split into three groups: Visa, Canadian Citizen, and Other (Includes landed imm., non-student visa,

refugees…)

Data on Internationalization From Within Information on 2010–2014 Domestic Students Includes Country of Birth from OCAS. Source:

• McCloy, U., Steffler, M., Decock, H., Bain-Greenwood, F. (forthcoming). From high school to graduation and beyond: pathways of young immigrants in a Toronto college. Toronto: Centre for Research in Student Mobility.

2008-2011 Previous Education for Internationally Educated Students • Seneca FT Registrants, Info from OCAS

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Internationalization From Abroad

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Enrolment of International Students, 2006-2015• In Fall 2015, 5083 international (VISA) students were enrolled at Seneca from over 130

countries. This represents a 22.5% increase from Fall 2014. (1)

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 International 1,983 1,964 1,951 2,180 2,612 2,913 2,879 3,286 4,150 5,083

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000Full-Time Enrolment: International Students – 10 Year Trend – Fall(2)

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Where do our International Student Come From?

Top 5 International Student Countries of Origin

China36.6%

India19.3%

South Korea9.3%

Russian Federation

5.8%

Ukraine2.7%

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International Students with Degrees

34% of international students at Seneca reported having a DEGREEin the 2014 KPI student satisfaction survey , compared with 15.2% of domestic students.

With grad certificates removed, it is 27.6% international compared with 11.9 % domestic.

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Internationalization From Within

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Canada/USA -English60.5%

Canada/USA - Non-English11.0%

Central and South America

1.9%

Caribbean and Bermuda

1.6%

Europe3.1%

Africa1.7%

West Central Asia and the Middle East

5.2%

East Asia4.8%

Southeast Asia3.8%

South Asia6.3%

Oceania0.05%

Birth Region: Citizens and Landed Immigrants*Region of birth - Seneca entrants, 2010-2014

*Landed Immigrants: includes a small number of permanent residents, refugees and non-student Visas

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Philippines11%

China10%

Pakistan8%

India6%

Sri Lanka5%

Afghanistan4%Jamaica

3%Iran3%

Hong Kong2%

other48%

Canada70%

Outside of Canada

30%

Top 10 Countries of Birth: Citizens and Landed ImmigrantsSeneca entrants, 2010-2014

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Top 10 Countries of Birth: Citizens and Landed ImmigrantsSeneca entrants, 2010-2014

Philippines, 3.5%

China, 3.1%

Pakistan, 2.3%India, 1.9%

Sri Lanka, 1.7%

Afghanistan, 1.2%

Jamaica, .9%

Iran, .9%Iraq, .7%

Hong Kong, .7%

South Korea, .7%

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Students with Previous Credentials from Outside Canada: Citizens and Landed Immigrants

USA4%

Central and South America

3%Caribbean and

Bermuda3%

Europe11%

Africa5%

West Asia14%East Asia

35%

Southeast Asia8%

South Asia14%

Multiple3%

Previous Credential Location – by Region (2008 – 2012)

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China30%

Iran9%

Philippines6%

India5%

United States4%

Multiple4%

Bangladesh4%

Pakistan3%

Russian 3%

South Korea3%

Ukraine2%

other27%

Previous Credential Location - by Country (2008 – 2012)

Students with Previous Credentials from Outside Canada: Citizens and Landed Immigrants

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New students 12-13 academic year

Source: OCAS

121 different programs

Arrival in Canada?

Comparing the Groups

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Starting Age

48.2%

20.7% 24.2%

35.7%

32.9%

57.2%

16.2%

46.4%

18.7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Citizen Landed Immigrant Visa

<20 20 to 24 25+

Seneca Entering Students, 2001/02-2013/14

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First Language

72.5%

22.6% 19.8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Citizen Landed Immigrant Visa

English Chinese Italian Polish Punjabi

Portuguese Spanish Tagalog(Filipino) Tamil Other

Seneca Entering Students, 2001/02-2013/14

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Last School AttendedSeneca Entering Students, 2001/02-2013/14

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Citizen Landed Immigrant visa

Secondary School, Adult Education

College or CEGEP, Trade, Vocational, Apprenticeship Prog

University, Degree Polytechnic, University Graduate School

Other

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Starting Credential

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Citizen Landed Immigrant Visa

1 Yr - Certificate Program 2 Yr - Diploma 3 Yr - Adv. Diploma

4 Yr- Degree Grad Certificate

Seneca Entering Students, 2001/02-2013/14

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Parental Education

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Citizen Landed Immigrant Visa

No Parent with a Degree Parent has Degree Unknown

Seneca Entering Students, 2007/08-2013/14

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Aspirations for University

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

% In

dica

ted

Aspi

ratio

ns

Academic Year of Entry

Citizen Landed Immigrant Visa

Seneca Entering Students, 2001/02-2013/14, Who Aspired to University

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Transfer to University

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Gra

duat

e Tr

ansf

er R

ate

Academic Year of Graduation

Citizen Landed Immigrant Visa

Seneca Entering Students, 2001/02-2013/14, Who Graduated and Transferred to University

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Grad Certificates on the Rise for International StudentsSeneca Entering Students, 2001/02-2013/14

5.8%

6.2%

6% 7%

2%

15%

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

18.0%

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Citizen Landed Immigrant International

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First Program Type

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Citizen Landed Immigrant Visa

Business Community service Creative and Applied Arts

Health Hospitality Preparatory/Upgrading

Engineering/Technology

Seneca Entering Students, 2001/02-2013/14

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International Policies, Practices, Prospects

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Internationalization (in two directions)

Domestic students• Have free health care services (in Ontario

OHIP)• Have no immigration worries• In general are surprised they need a visa to

travel to another country• Have home/family support

International (visa) students• Need to pay for their health insurance plus

are puzzled by forms after doctor and/or hospital visits

• Have (constant) worries about their “status” in Canada (student visa and work permit)

• Are surprised that Canadian students are surprised about the stress around visas

• Their family is far away; home-sick

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Internationalization strategy and actions

Domestic students• Global competencies – orientation mostly

towards North America• Core literacies (understanding of issues in

global context)• Empathy – engagement• Be world ready & be job ready (connection

nowadays?)

International (visa) students• Global competencies – from their own cultural

perspectives

• Core literacies (come from more traditional

learning context)

• Empathy – hesitation to engage partly because of

being insecure, partly because of worries around

their status

• World ready, but not “job ready” for Canadian

job market requirements (they focus on

academics rather than on networking)

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Much Work to be Done…..

Domestic students• Offer study & work abroad opportunities with

good preparations and good debrief sessions (learning cycle)

• Create “virtual mobility” options (for example the COIL initiatives)

• Multiply experiences of those going overseas to others

International (visa) students• Offer more guidance and mentoring for

obtaining work in Canada upon graduation (co-op is good start but not enough; more is needed)

• Get them more involved in our applied research activities

• Have them coach/mentor new international arrivals

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Use our “Natural” Diversity of Staff & Students

• Seneca as one of the large GTA colleges has diversity

• In the classroom mixing & mingling does take place (certainly when we have professors who actively stimulate that)

• Outside of the classroom students still tend to “segregate” themselves too much – missed opportunities to learn globally

• Fun activities (music, dance, culture & food) are good but not enough –each activity should have some defined “learning outcomes” – we are a place of life-long learning….

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Thank you!

Henry Decockhenry.decock@senecacollege.ca

@CRSM_Senecasenecacollege.ca/mobilityresearch

Jos NolleJos.nolle@senecacollege.ca

@StudyatSenecasenecacollege.ca/international

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