Introduction

In 2020, COVID-19 disrupted the manner in which education took place around the world (UNESCO, 2021, World Economic Forum 2020 and United Nations, 2020). Universities had to abruptly stop traditional face to face teaching and develop and provide ‘education in emergency’ strategies (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). In universities all over the world ‘education in emergency’ strategies were rolled out in many forms namely online teaching, e-learning, remote teaching, virtual teaching and distance education. The role of information and communication technology was paramount in supporting these activities. Whilst, information and communication technology has long been used in education with the likes of blended learning (Dziuban et al., 2018; McCarthy, 2018; Bingimlas, 2009), ‘education in emergency’ strategies exposed many issues with adapting to information and communication technology within the teaching and learning realm; amongst them being teacher unpreparedness (Newton, 2020; Junus et al., 2021). Aside from adapting to information and communication issues, COVID-19 disruptions also raised other equally important health and well-being issues for the teaching team and for students (Clabaugh, Duque and Fields, 2021 and de la Fuente et al., 2021). However, there is a group of students that would experience compounded health and well-being issues in comparison to other students. This group may also experience more difficulties in engaging with teaching and learning material. This group of students is known as offshore students.

The term offshore students is defined as international students who are overseas and enrolled online at a university (Sinclair, 2020). Offshore students could be new international students currently offshore (Otago University, d.u) or existing international students who had to remain offshore due to border closure. New Zealand has a long history of being a quality tertiary education destination amongst international students (Education New Zealand, d.u, Universities New Zealand, d.u). However, when New Zealand’s borders closed in March 2020 (RNZ, 2020), this meant international students who had not returned to New Zealand remained offshore and had to study online. At the time of writing this research paper, New Zealand’s borders are still closed (Martin, 2021). Thus, being away from a typical university setting. Having to study from afar without typical scaffoldings of a university may proof to be challenging for offshore students. Offshore students may find it difficult to engage and stay connected with teaching and learning material. Additionally, there is a particular group of offshore students that may experience more pronounced issues –this group of students is known as offshore students who have not step foot in the university. For the purpose of this research study, this group of students will be called new offshore students.

New offshore students are students who complete one year of their university degree programme in their home country by an approved education provider and travel to New Zealand to complete the second and third year of their degree programme. These are known as partner programmes (KYSNZ, d.u, Victoria University of Wellington, d.u.) or transnational programmes (The University of Auckland University, d.u.). When New Zealand closed its borders, new offshore students were not able to continue their education in New Zealand and had to enrol as a distance or online student. New offshore students had to remain in their home country and study at home. This led to new offshore students having to deal with a huge emotional and mental disruption as far as teaching and learning is concern. New offshore students also had to learn to adapt quickly. Having never stepped in the university they have enrolled in nor been in the country they are supposed to be in to complete their tertiary education makes it difficult for these students to engage with teaching and learning material. Moreover, new offshore students may also feel isolated. This led to reasons for conducting this pilot research study.

There are four research questions for this pilot research study. The first is to describe how new offshore students felt having enrolled online in a university they have not step foot in. The second is to describe teaching and learning strategies used by new offshore students to engage with teaching and learning material. The third is to ask new offshore students to describe and appraise teaching and learning strategies used by the teaching staff to engage with new offshore students. The fourth is to invite new offshore students to provide feedback on strategies the teaching and learning team could have used to better engage and connect with new offshore students. It is hoped that when borders open, these new offshore students will be on campus with the likes of start online finish on campus (University of Canterbury, d.u) and offshore students in canvas (Sinclair, 2020) initiatives. However, as New Zealand’s borders have been closed for more than one and a half years, there may be student cohorts who will graduate without ever stepping foot in the country or in the university they have enrolled in.

It is hoped that results of this pilot research study will provide information on how to better support new offshore students from a well-being perspective. Similarly, it would also provide information to the teaching and learning team on strategies to better engage and connect with new offshore students; ensuring that they are valued and acknowledged as part of the university whānau (family) whilst being afar. The ability to support new offshore students will lead to better student outcomes and high engagement levels.

The remainder of this paper is structured as follows. First, related work is reviewed. This is followed by an explanation of the research methodology used to conduct this research study. Next, results is presented followed by a discussion of key findings. The papers ends with a conclusion.

Related Work

New Zealand’s international education sector is worth $4.9 billion dollars (Stacey, 2021). Education New Zealand estimates that there are 5000 international students currently studying New Zealand education whilst offshore due to the pandemic (Stacey, 2021). Some international students are choosing to defer their studies due to the pandemic as they do not want to study online whilst others have enrolled in universities whilst remaining offshore (Enriquez, 2020). Experts argue that an overseas education is more than just about studies, thus students enrolled and remained offshore may lose out intangible benefits (Enriquez, 2020). Similarly, some students may behave very differently whilst studying online and this does not necessarily lead to important forms of transformation and development activities (Enriquez, 2020).

Universities around the world had to remain competitive and actively attract students in the time of a pandemic, to reduce the loss of revenue from international students. In an effort to attract more offshore enrolments, many universities in Australia offered discounted fees. For example, Murdoch University announced a 40% fee reduction for students studying online whilst offshore (Mulder, 2021). Griffith University’s most lucrative offshore student scholarship provided a 50% discount in fee reduction (Mulder, 2021). This same trend is also apparent in New Zealand with Waikato University offering a 20% discount on university fees, (Waikato University). The University of Auckland offered a 15% GST credit for students who are offshore (The University of Auckland). Yet, others argue that the reality of delivering high quality and engaging online education is not necessarily cheaper than the cost of on campus delivery (Enriquez, 2020). This perhaps points to some tension in meeting the goals of both parties; the university and the student.

Whilst there have been several research studies conducted on the impact of the pandemic on teaching and learning and well-being of students. This pilot study is the first to explore teaching and learning strategies and well-being issues of students who classify as new offshore students. This cohort of students may require more aid in engaging with teaching and learning material due to their unique circumstance. Never the less, existing literature is reviewed to provide a summary and for the purpose of scene setting. Existing research studies shed some light on how students felt about having to study online. Students lament that online studying is hard, they struggled to catch up and found it difficult to contact lecturers due to time differences (Li & Lalani, 2020). Offshore students equate online learning to watching YouTube videos. These YouTube videos needed to be viewed in order to get a degree (Li & Lalani, 2020). Other regulatory requirements make completing a degree online worthless. For example, in China, courses taught solely online are not recognised (Li & Lalani, 2020). Results of these research studies indicate that students experience many challenges whilst studying online.

Negative mental health issues, well-being and learning issues were commonly mentioned as issues students had to deal with whilst studying online (Paredes et al., 2021; Sundareson et al., 2020). Students felt frustrated, anxious and bored (Cameron et al., 2021), others indicate that online learning/home learning cause disturbance and deteriorated studying practices (Meo et al., 2020). In relation to teaching and learning strategies, some students preferred viewing online video recording for lectures and real-time videoconferencing for tutorial sessions (Cameron et al., 2021). Others indicate it was impossible to study at home due to challenges with juggling the family and ‘work at home commitments’ (Cameron et al., 2021). Some of these challenges include being demotivated, the absence of a routine and being distracted by non-academic activities (Dutta & Smita, 2020). Students also experienced challenges in switching to online studying, adopting to new assessment methods while others highlight huge challenges in communicating with the teacher (Al-Tammemi et al., 2020).

Results of the aforementioned research studies indicate students experienced challenges adapting to changes brought about by the pandemic. Whilst much of teaching and learning in New Zealand had returned to traditional or dual teaching methods (online and on campus) during lower alert levels, new offshore students had to continue with learning online whilst being in their home country (as borders remained closed). Thus, it is expected that this group of students would experience greater issues and would require more support in keeping them engaged. Hence, it is paramount that attention is paid to this group of students.

Research Methodology

To conduct this research study, a questionnaire was developed. As this is a pilot study, the questionnaire was distributed to students who qualify as new offshore students enrolled on a particular program within a particular school at a university in New Zealand. Results were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively.

Recruitment of Participants

Ethics approval was obtained prior to conducting this research study. Participants were recruited based on a purposeful convenience sampling method (Andrade, 2021). This is to allow for the researcher to conveniently access participants who fit the characteristics defined by this study (Andrade, 2021). These characteristics are that participants have to be enrolled in a degree programme, qualify as a new offshore student and have completed at least one semester as a new offshore student.

Call for participation email invitation were sent out to students. This email was sent out by a tutor. The decision to get a tutor to send out this email was done to minimise the effect of power relationship between the students and the researcher (Karnieli-Miller, Strier, and Pessach, 2009). In this case, the researcher was a lecturer for this cohort of students. In addition, the call for participant invitation email was only sent out after the semester had ended and after final examination results were released to students. This time period coincided with the semester break. This particular period was selected to allow for students to complete the survey at their own time without having to worry about completing in-semester activities and assessments. Hence, reducing the influence of social risks; from an ethical perspective (Labbot and Johnson, 2004). In the call for participation invitation email, participants were provided with an information sheet, a consent form and a link to undertake the survey on Qualtrics. The call for participation invitation email was sent to all students in this cohort. There were twenty students in this cohort and fifteen students completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 75%.

Data Collection

The survey questions were hosted on the university survey and questionnaire tool called Qualtrics. The survey window was open for 3 weeks. At the end of week 2 of the survey period, students were sent an email reminder. The questionnaire had seven open ended questions and were divided into four categories. Open ended questions were used as it allowed for respondents to express point of view and build trust (Copeland, 2017).The first category asked students (i) how did it feel having enrolled as new offshore students and (ii) what strategies were used to minimize any negative effect this may have caused. The second category asked students (iii) what strategies were used to engage with teaching and learning material and (iv) if these strategies worked. The third category asked participants (v) what strategies were used by the teaching team to engage with participants and (vi) an appraisal of how well these strategies worked. The fourth category asked participants (vii) to provide feedback on how to better support new offshore students.

Data Analysis

Results were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Qualitative analysis allowed for detailed description of participants’ feelings, opinions, and experiences; and interprets the meanings of their actions (Denzin, 1989). In addition, qualitative analysis also allowed for holistical understanding of the human experience in specific settings (Denzin & Lincoln, 2002); as it is with this research study where experiences of new offshore students were gathered. Basic descriptive quantitative analysis was used to allow for organization, simplification, and summarization of data (Allen, 2017). Questions (iii), (v) and (vi) were analysed quantitatively. Data analysis took place at the end of the survey period. To analyse responses qualitatively, the open coding technique was used and coding categories was derived inductively (Halcomb & Davidson, 2006). Codes were then reduced to themes using the constant comparative method. The constant comparative method was used as it goes through four stages of constant comparison where theory is reinforced (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). This technique is beneficial because it begins with raw data and uses constant comparison from which substantive theory will emerge (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The author conducted the analysis and derivation of codes. To increase internal validity, an independent researcher cross checked the responses codes and themes. This complied with dependability, reliability and confirmability dimensions of increasing trustworthiness in data and results (Brown et al., 2002; Morrow, 2005).

Results

At the time of the survey, all participants had completed two semesters and eight subjects in total (as new offshore students). These students will finish their final year of study in May 2022. Results are presented based on the survey questions. Responses from question (i) were categorised into five categories. These are (i) miserable and depressed, (ii) frustrated, (iii) upset, (iv) missing out and (v) regret. The most number of responses fit in the miserable and depressed category. The least number of responses fit in the regret category. Responses for miserable and depressed are listed below.

Online Learning Makes Studying very Difficult

I am Studying in Front of my Laptop and I have Miserable Thoughts

I will Graduate in my room

I feel left behind, better to have enrolled in a local university

Will I be able to do well with this new method of studying which is so lonely?

In the frustrated category, responses include:

The fees are so Expensive but all I get is to Watch zoom Tutorials

Sometimes only a Recording of a Tutorial is Provided, there isn’t a Timetabled slot for offshore students.

I only Experience Learning in Front of my Laptop

No Proper Learning experience – despite Paying very Expensive fees

Responses in the upset category are:

I do not know if I have Actually Learnt Anything

I have done the work but my soul is not There

I have no one to Study with

In the missing out category, responses include:

I do not get to make new Friends

I Become Envious when I read Updates About what is Taking Place in the University

I am Missing out on Extra Curricular Activities, club Events, Skills Workshop

Response in the regret category are:

I wish I Choose a Different path

I want to give up

Mentally Exhausting

It is noted that, responses received for question (i) were negative. The next question asked participants for strategies used to minimize these negative effects. Responses were divided into two categories; (i) positive and (ii) negative strategies. Table 1 provides the responses to question (ii).

Table 1 Strategies Used To Minimise Negative Effects
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Questions in the second category asked for strategies used by participants to engage with teaching and learning material. Figure 1 provides the strategies used by participants.

Fig. 1
figure 1

Strategies used by students to engage with teaching and learning material

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Most students sent emails to staff, followed by participating in live tutorials and going through teaching and learning material on their own. A few participants organised study groups online and contacted other offshore students when they needed help. The next question in this category asked participants to evaluate these strategies. Table 2 provides a summary of results.

Table 2 Strategies Used and Their Outcomes
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In the third category, participants were asked to explain strategies used by the teaching team to engage with new offshore students. Figure 2 provides a summary of strategies used by the teaching team to engage with new offshore students. From Fig. 2, the most common technique used was email, followed by zoom drop in session’s setup specifically for offshore students. Setting up offshore discussion boards on the online learning platform and allocating marks for attendance at tutorials were the least common strategies used by the teaching team to engage with new offshore students.

Fig. 2
figure 2

Strategies used by teaching and learning team to engage with new offshore students

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The second question in this category asked participants to appraise these strategies in relation to how well these strategies worked in engaging with new offshore students. Figure 3 provides a summary of the appraisal. Whilst 40% of students indicate these strategies worked, 60% indicate that these strategies did not work or they were unsure if the strategies worked.

Fig. 3
figure 3

Appraisal of strategies used to engage with new offshore students

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In the fourth category, participants were asked to provide information or feedback to the teaching team on how to better engage with new offshore students. Table 3 provides a summary of the results.

Table 3 Strategies used and their outcomes
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Results are linked to particular strategies. Based on Table 3, it is noted that most requirements fit with how lecture and tutorials are handled.

Discussion of Key Findings

In this section, discussion is provided based on questions in each category. Participants indicate negative emotions and feelings having enrolled as new offshore students. Based on the responses participants mental health and well-being appear to be affected. Recent research studies indicate poor mental health and well-being resulted in negative overall learning experience (Dodd et al., 2021). Research studies worldwide indicate students in tertiary education are at high risk at experiencing mental health difficulties and elevated levels of generalized psychological distress (Browne et al., 2017, Larcombe, 2014 and Shackle, 2019). New offshore students experience these issues more as they are left to navigate the ‘virtual university’ environment. Whilst many universities connect with new offshore students during orientation week with the likes of live online orientation and recorded orientation programs (University of Canterbury and The University of Auckland), this connection is not carried out throughout the semester. Thus, students do not feel a sense of connection with the university and are left feeling disengaged and lonely.

Some universities have also created special programs for new offshore students with the likes of online mentoring program (University of Canterbury) however, it is not known if new offshore students are aware of such programs or if they have taken advantage of such programs. It is noted that some clubs and societies within the university have created special committee positions called offshore ambassadors (Canterbury Malaysia Student Association, University of Canterbury). This initiative allows for new offshore students to form linkages with the university and events within the university, to be represented and visible. Whilst universities in New Zealand have pastoral and student care services, it is recommended that a dedicated team be setup solely to support new offshore students. This team could setup catch up sessions over zoom and organise ‘mental health’, ‘how to cope’, ‘motivation’ sessions with new offshore students. Whilst, participants indicate creating and using positive methods to cope with having enrolled as new offshore students, new offshore students could benefit from playing a more active role as students of a university, For example, by being able to participate and play an active role in other activities and events. Whilst this will not change the fact that new offshore students are studying whilst afar, it will reduce the sense of new offshore students being ‘invisible’.

New offshore students used typical strategies to engage with teaching and learning material. The strategies used did not differ from strategies what would be used by students who are on campus with the exception that on campus students would benefit from the face to face connection with teaching and learning material. Results indicate that whilst new offshores students are in a different setting and environment, strategies used to engage with the teaching and learning material are the same as an on campus student. However, the outcome of these strategies were mostly negative indicating new offshore students should potentially be engaging with teaching and learning material using more appropriate strategies. Unfortunately, as the position of being a new offshore student is new, further research is required before relevant strategies could be recommended. Whilst it is possible to suggest the use of typical online learning strategies such as blended learning and flipped classroom (Chowdhury, 2020), the effectiveness of these strategies have not been tested on new offshores students which in itself a different setup in comparison to online students. This is because online students could still possibly have access to a university and could make face to face connection with teaching staff.

There were some strategies used by the teaching and learning team to engage specifically with new offshore students. This includes setting up offshore discussion board, greeting offshore students and setting up offshore student session on zoom. However, these strategies were not often used by teaching team as email was the dominant strategy used. Not surprisingly, 60% of new offshores students were not sure or did not think that these strategies were effective in engaging them with teaching and learning material. This brings about issues in relation to ‘pandemic pedagogy’ (Schwartzman, 2020). For example, synchronous instruction has the advantage in engaging with classmates and the instructors in real time offering a closer approximation to face-to-face interactions in comparison to disjointed threads of digital messages awaiting acknowledgment (Schwartzman, 2020). Thus, setting up offshore discussion boards and emails may not best suit new offshores students. Similarly, awarding marks for attendance might reduce ‘student freedom’, and present challenges in dealing with students who work part-time (Almendingen et al., 2021).

New offshore students indicate favouring live streamed lectures and tutorials. As mentioned above, the ability to provide real time strategies such as live streaming allows for close connections to be made. However, a time difference of up to 5 h between New Zealand and South East Asia (where these new offshore students are based) may present other challenges. For example, this means a student will need to be in front of their computer at 5AM in the morning to attend a live streamed class in New Zealand at 10AM. Thus, scheduling classes with new offshore students may result in operational issues. In addition, as the number of offshore students is small, universities may not find this to be a feasible solution.

New offshore students provide suggestions for ways to enhance instructional strategies. New offshore students indicate difficulty in following the lecture when it is recorded due to the lecturer’s speaking pace and difficulty in coordinating between screen recording and the audio recording of the lecture. In traditional face to face classes, body language, eye contact and physical gestures compliment the lecture (Bao, 2020) however, with online teaching these ques are non-existent. Thus, new offshore students may find it difficult to follow audio recording and slides. A possible solution to this is that the teaching team must use vocal functioning mechanisms like pausing and intensity variation (Bao, 2020). In addition, teaching whilst using a high pitch voice and speaking gently greatly helps students in note taking activities (Bao, 2020). These methods with vocal functioning could possibly compensate for missing body language gestures. However, this does mean that the teaching team must be consciously aware of implementing these techniques.

New offshore students also indicate that they want to ‘see’ the lecturer. The teaching team can do this either by turning on video while teaching on zoom. However, not all lecturers may want to turn on video whilst teaching on zoom for various reasons. When teaching face to face, the recording is automatic and thus only slides and audio are captured as part of the recording. The need to see the lecturer rather than only hearing the voice of the lecturer brings about issues in relation to building and making connections and trust. New offshore students are mostly from the South East Asian region. This region is one that operates in a low trust culture (PWC, 2020). Countries that operation with low trust are challenged by divergent or opaque behavioural norms, making the behaviour of others unpredictable, impairing social capital and economic activity (Fuzer et al., 2019). Thus, not being able to see the lecturer may bring up questions such as ‘who is this person presenting the lecture?’, ‘How can I make a connection, build a relationship with this lecturer when I am not able to see this person?’ One way to overcome this issue is to get the lecturer to conduct zoom offshore tutorials with students whilst having the video on. This small personal setting may resolve issues with trust.

New offshore students indicate that the teaching team should include them in their conversation and acknowledge their presence. New offshore students pay high fees (albeit studying from afar) and thus expect to be treated the same as any other student. They to want to be seen and heard. The ability to include new offshore students in lecture or tutorial conversations may also reduce issues raised with trust. From the teaching team’s perspective, it is easy to forget about this ‘invisible’ group. While the lecture has an audience who attend face to face (dual mode teaching), attention and focus may have been dedicated to the group of students who are visible. Thus, this requires a conscious effort and change in the way a lecture or tutorial is delivered.

Conclusion

The aim of this pilot study is to explore the perception of new offshore students from a teaching and learning and well-being perspective. Results of this pilot study provides some information on how to better support these new offshore students and to enhance their student experience. This pilot study is not without limitations. It is acknowledged that the sample size is small. This is due to the small number of enrolments of new offshore students within the university. Additionally, questions around assessments were not asked as questions were limited to teaching and learning activities. It is acknowledged that a focus group setting would have provided richer data and as such this method of data collection is explored in future work.

The intention in future work is to include students who are not just new offshore but general offshore students who have been at the university and were not able to return when the borders close. Exploring and examining issues experiences by offshore students will enable better student centric solution development which will lead to better student outcomes and enhanced student experience. It is believed that results of this research study will remain relevant as restrictions begin to lift and students may not need to study as offshore students in the future. This is because universities may continue to offer ‘online’ options as the new norm in tertiary education.