When we are thinking of mindsets we might ask questions like:
1.  Are there different sorts of mindsets, such as cultural mindsets, bureaucratic mindsets, political/national mindsets  
2.  Are they good or bad (or both)?
3.  What is the role of language in setting and maintaining mindsets?
4.  Can mindsets be “cured”?  Where does one go for therapy?
5.  Are we aware of our mindsets, or are they, for each of us, so obvious as to defy analysis?
6.  When are mindsets destructive, and when are they creative?
7.  Where do prejudices and mindsets meet?  Are they related?
8. How important is self-awareness?
9. Can the impact of mindsets be moderated by “more information”?  What is the role of communication?
10. What is the role, good or bad, of social media like Facebook and blogs like this one?

We SAINTs would greatly appreciate your responses to these questions. You may like to suggest others as well.

In a time when borders are fading and globalisation threatens to erase (to a certain degree) cultural identities, should we not be embracing cultural differences and thus the variety in mindsets? Is it not perhaps the lack of intercultural competences, which enable us to deal with such mindsets, that is the problem? Do we admire the global citizen in part because (s)he is sensitive to these mindsets and capable of working with them instead of be deterred by them?

• Use an alias. There is no rule saying you need to use your real name when posting a comment.
• Be specific but keep it vague… When you know that your insights and advice may be highly valuable to some but could be sensitive subjects for your institution, why not refer to your place of work as Institution Z?
• Remember: you need to use an email address in order to post a comment, but only I (the person behind the scenes of this blog) can see it, and I promise to keep it a secret. Email addresses aren’t visible to the public.

Short comments are great, no essays required! We are, after all, s(t)imulating a conversation here. Feel free to be as direct as you like; we’d love to read your thoughts!

~Karel Reus~

If you take them and you charge them a lot of money, do understand that these students are paying customers, and that means they want a return on their investment.  They also want service. Remember that, while many of these students have excelled academically at secondary school, not all of them have done so, and their right to take the course of their choice is based in significant part on their ability to pay.  Furthermore, as far as a number of their fellow student colleagues are concerned, they may not be completely welcome. Then, of course, there is the fact that many of these students are from cultures different from ours, and their native languages are unlikely to be the language of your country or even English.

To receive these student/customers, your university will need to decide whether it wants to get into the international student market. It will not be obvious to all potential students that your university is the best place to study. This means being clear about your university’s brand. Selling that brand will be a lot of trouble, and it will be expensive. Brochures need to be written, printed and distributed. Online avenues will need to be pursued. Fairs and exhibitions will need to be attended. Perhaps agents will need to be appointed and commissions paid. Market research will be required.

To service these student/customers your university will need to set up systems for ensuring they can find accommodation, have their language problems addressed, and issues of culture, religion and a new learning environment will need to be faced.

Does it still sound like a good idea?

The Saudis have, over the last few years, been spending quite a lot of money supporting increasingly large numbers of Saudi students in order to study in other countries. This support typically comes in the form of generous scholarships, some of which include an allowance for the payment of fees. Normally the Saudi government, through its scholarship agencies, enters into agreements with selected foreign universities. These universities are regarded by the Saudis as high-status.

The deal can seem very attractive to the destination university, but there are a number of issues that should be considered. Most of these issues relate to culture and religion. Some questions that should be asked by the destination university relate to:

1. The capacity of the university and the surrounding community to service cultural and religious practices.  Is there a mosque? Are there prayer rooms on campus? How will the university deal with students during the fasting period of Ramadan?

2. The place of women. Will the Saudis allow women to study at your university? Will you be asked to offer separate classes for women? Will your university allow women to hide their faces in class? Will the university be asked to provide housing for women being accompanied by male (possibly female) chaperones?

3. The selection process. Of course the Saudis will select their students carefully on academic grounds, but it needs to be remembered that this is a culture strong on family bonds, and where family background may play a role in selection.

Would anyone like to share experiences on this topic? Extend the conversation; give examples and solutions.

Travel and work placements can, of course, work wonders.  These experiences can help us get “under the skin” of a culture.  Some would like to say these experiences should be obligatory, but perhaps that is too much to hope for.  However, the Life Long Learning Programme provides some opportunities in Europe. Nowadays, employees have their Personal Development Plan, which gives them a chance to develop themselves; mostly by following courses, but working and learning in a different environment would enhance the experience.

In your professional (and personal) experience, do you feel mindsets are learned? Should they be adapted when the work setting demands it? To what extent do mindsets determine your abilities within the setting of an International Office or influence your interaction with international students?

If you would  like advice on a topic in general or are you searching for specific information, then post a comment here and we’ll start talking.

Mindsets are traditions, values, thought patterns, ways of thinking and ways of learning, shared by members of the same culture. Like the mother tongue, these mindsets are transmitted from birth by the family and society, unconsciously, so that they are often taken for granted. Ask someone what it means to be French, Dutch or Australian and chances are you’ll get a puzzled look in response, or stereotypes.

We become aware of our cultural identity when confronted with difference. This can be the immigrant family down the road with their own language, customs and way of dressing. Often this self-awareness coincides with living abroad for an extended period. We realise we do things differently from the host culture and miss things from home we’d taken for granted. Students are often surprised by the new academic or business culture. And, at first, communicating in a foreign language brings its share of frustrations and misunderstandings.

How can this affect us as international educators? What should we do? Here are a few examples of what I’ve experienced:  

• A Quebecois exchange student living with our French student’s family called me very distresssed. The male members of the family were hugging and kissing him; he felt very uncomfortable and wanted to change families. He even envisaged going home. Once I’d explained that the Mediterranean culture in Marseille is physical, it’s normal for men to kiss family and close friends, and that by their behaviour the family just wanted to include him as a member, the problem was solved.
• A French professor complains about a British Erasmus student’s rudeness in her lectures. The student would interrupt the professor to ask questions, normal in the UK, unusual in a traditional French lecture, unless students are asked to participate. Questions are asked afterwards or during tutorials.

All the above are minor incidents in retrospect but could have had serious consequences if the parties involved hadn’t had a good working relationship and been aware of different cultural mindsets that can be hurdles when not attended to properly.

Do you have any examples to share? Any advice to give? Do you agree that cultural mindsets are at the core of our work as international educators? Or is this just another fad that will blow over?

~Myrna Magnan~