This paper reports on the adjustment of East Asian Masters level students who came to study at a campus based university in the UK 2004-5. International students face challenges in respect to language proficiency, academic expectations and social participation. In this longitudinal study the experiences of a group of students from East Asian countries were surveyed, with a sample of eight students from five countries tracked through regular interviews. The paper describes the level of satisfaction which students experienced and the challenges they faced. It was found that students largely enjoyed their sojourn and achieved satisfactory levels of academic success. They encountered 'culture bumps' rather than culture shock. Adjustment was facilitated by adequate preparation; appropriate academic attainment; and satisfying levels of social participation with other international students. It is suggested that these students were experiencing an 'international post graduate student culture' rather than integration into local culture.

This study used a community of inquiry (CoI) framework to investigate the potential in terms of fostering collaborative writing of integrating online learning communities (OLCs) with English language learning. The aim was to examine the possible impacts of out-of-class OLCs (guided by teachers) on students’ collaborative English writing outcomes and learning satisfaction. In accordance with the CoI framework, an experiment was conducted and both quantitative (end-of-semester group essay scores) and qualitative (interviews and field notes) data were collected. The results indicate the teacher-guided out-of-class OLC approach to be more effective than the lecture-based approach when it comes to fostering English learners’ collaborative writing. More specifically, the online approach helps students to write better group research essays, develop higher levels of satisfaction concerning their learning experiences and devote more time to the learning process. The results suggest that future studies of OLCs should examine the provision of safe and supportive learning environments intended to foster autonomous learning. Moreover, the results have a number of implications with regard to enhancing students’ learning motivation in out-of-class OLCs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the education sector to explore dramatically different teaching modes. This article is a study of emergency remote teaching (ERT) in a community college in Hong Kong. It investigates the challenges that a cohort of 50 ESL lecturers encountered and the strategic responses they adopted in relation to ERT. Documents such as the college newsletter, post-teaching reports and meeting records were used to analyze the language teachers’ context of adjustment, and one-on-one interviews were conducted with four participants from the cohort to explore their firsthand experiences. The analysis revealed the variety of challenges that the participants faced, including the development of technological skills, the preparation of online materials, the implementation of online assessment and marking, as well as interaction with students. In response to these challenges, the participants adopted diverse strategies to achieve pedagogical development in facilitating their teaching practices with students in synchronic online teaching. This article argues that language educators need to develop technological and online interactional competencies so that new pedagogical activities can be developed to enhance students’ learning. In addition, training sessions should be provided to support their pedagogical adaptation and development of new skills. Accordingly, it concludes that adjustment requires both individual and institutional investments.

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Online learning continues to grow and is increasing including more diverse students. Diverse students with various backgrounds and experiences challenge educators to implement pedagogies to achieve equitable learning experiences and outcomes. This chapter aims to discuss four equity pedagogies commonly referred to in the literature that can contribute to democratic and inclusive learning experiences for all students. The chapter's four strategies include pedagogic voice, universal design for learning, equitable assessment, and collaborative learning. Although these strategies were discussed separately, the universal design for learning framework can incorporate both the pedagogic voice, equitable assessments, and collaborative learning while considering their unique perspectives. If well-designed and implemented, these strategies can help all students to receive fair education and prepare them to succeed in a changing world and become agents for social change. The chapter includes recommendations for practice and future research.