Enhancing Transfer Student Experiences


CLA Transfer Advising will enhance the international transfer student experience from a multi-faceted approach. Our CLA 3001 Transfer Semester Experience course will be modified to intentionally foster international and domestic student interaction to encourage engagement and a positive sense of belonging. CLA’s portion of Transfer Welcome Day will also include specific programs for international students. In collaboration with ISSS, we will create videos for international transfer students for use in our online orientation, website, and CLA 3001 course.

Carlson International Student Academic Success Event Series


These three events are aimed at reducing the cultural shock for international students and strengthen their English skills in order to improve their experience adjusting to the US classroom environment and help them to succeed in their academic and post-graduation careers.

Event 1: Carlson New International Student Seminar- The New International Student Seminar will help first year international students to better understand US classroom expectations, how to thrive at Carlson in-class participation activities, and how to talk to professors, TAs, and fellow students.

Academic Advisor Focusing On The International Student Experience


The College of Science and Engineering's Academic Advising Office has created a new advising role (Senior Academic Advisor with a Focus on the International Student Experience) with the use of the international fee. In addition to a caseload of undergraduate students in the College, this advisor's project work will focus on ways to support and enhance our international students' experience and success in the College.

Targeted Peer Assisted Learning


Building on a well-established and successful academic support model at the University of Minnesota, Targeted Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) sessions are structured supplemental learning sessions that bring international students together with their domestic classmates in meaningful cooperative learning experiences. PAL sessions are facilitated by rigorously trained undergraduate students, who guide participants through planned activities leading toward mastery and deeper understanding of course concepts.

Student English Language Supprt (SELS)


Student English Language Support (SELS) provides one-on-one tutoring and group workshops for international undergraduate students who are multilingual. During an in-person or online consultation, students can work with trained consultants on any English language skill, including speaking, listening, reading, writing, and pronunciation. SELS workshops focus on areas of particular interest or target students in specific disciplines. More information is available on the SELS website at ccaps.umn.edu/sels.

English Language Support Website for Multilingual Learners


This project centers on the development of online resources for multilingual students looking to refine their academic English skills in order to excel in university coursework. Students who are non-native speakers of English may experience specific challenges with listening and reading comprehension, difficulties with speaking during class discussions and presentations, and challenges with producing writing that effectively meets discipline-specific expectations.

Center for Writing


Funding allows the Center for Writing to fund a 75 percent-time Multilingual Learner Specialist with a background in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). With experience teaching English language learners, this specialist consultant is especially well poised to acknowledge and respect international students' life experiences, worldviews, and language backgrounds - while demystifying for international students the conventions of American academic discourse and explaining the nuances of American English grammar and vocabulary.

Additional funding for Student English Language Support (SELS)


This project provides funding for an additional 25% time ESL professional to work as a tutor in the Student English Language Support (SELS) program during spring and fall semester. SELS provides one-to-one and small group tutoring to international students whose first language is not English. More information is available on the SELS website at cce.umn.edu/eslhelp.