We’re proud to announce the release of our latest issue of i-LASH, which explores courses in the Liberal Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities across the globe.

The LASH subject areas are vast and offer the opportunity to study a wide range of different subjects, whether this is within a liberal arts degree or in a more specialised programme. This issue has plenty of interesting articles about studying some of the popular subjects within these areas, and will give you an idea of what types of courses are available in different countries around the world. You can find articles about studying theology in New Zealand, politics in the UK or sociology in the USA, to name just a few!

We’d like to say thank you to all of our contributors for their time and effort, and their help in creating this guide. Their expertise and experience are invaluable, and here they share their knowledge with you.

We hope that you enjoy reading this guide. If you have any comments or suggestions for the next issue, or are interested in contributing to any of the i-studentadvisor resources, please contact us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

And don’t forget, there are more articles, plus country-specific information about visas, fees and more, on the i-studentadvisor website.

This issue contains articles about study and careers within some of the different areas of medicine and health sciences, including dentistry, medicine, veterinary science, optometry, physiotherapy and sport science, plus many more. Also featured is an interview with three different psychologists in very different careers, plus we speak to a PhD student about her studies in cancer research.

We’d like to thank all of our contributors who have provided articles and information for this issue of i-MHS and for making this one of the best and most comprehensive i-MHS issues yet.

Once you have read through this guide and have an idea of what, and where, you would like to study, head over to the Country pages to find out all about fees, visas and more in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

We always love to hear feedback from our readers, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any comments or suggestions – email editorial@i-studentgroup.com

The survey of over 1,000 international students studying in Brisbane, conducted through Brisbane Marketing’s www.studybrisbane.com.au website, also showed students chose Brisbane because it was a safe place to live and was recommended to them by friends.

Brisbane Marketing CEO John Aitken said it was not surprising safety and the environment were key factors in the choice of study destination. “Brisbane is known for its great weather and it has an international reputation as a safe and secure place to study,” Mr Aitken said.

More than half of the students surveyed nominated the climate and safety as their top reasons for studying in Brisbane, with other strong drivers being the lifestyle and local attractions and reputation of Brisbane’s education institutions.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Business student Yeting Xiao from Shenzhen confirmed Brisbane’s sunny reputation and safety record swayed her decision: “The fantastic environment really allows students to relax and enjoy the study process,” Ms Xiao said. “Unlike some of the larger cities, Brisbane provides a flexible lifestyle and it is one of the safest cities in the world, so my parents don’t worry about my safety here,” she said.

International students also indicated that a key influence was the number of job opportunities available after completion of their course and 45% said if granted a visa, they would stay if offered a job.

“These results show international students choose to study in Brisbane because they realise that this city may also provide further opportunities for them in their future careers,” Mr Aitken said.

Students considering study in Brisbane can find out more at – www.studybrisbane.com.au

The Australian Learning and Teaching Council has awarded a $200,000 grant to a project that will develop a practical framework for policy and practice, in a bid to aid those universities successfully teach students from diverse and less privileged backgrounds.

Marcia Devlin of Deakin University is leading the project and said that it is simply about ensuring an inclusive curriculum that will embrace all students, rather than singling out some for special needs.

Professor Devlin went on to say that it “isn’t about remediation or fixing the students. It is actually about universities doing things in a way that includes everybody, not just in ways that suit an elite group of students,”

It was suggested in feedback from the non-traditional students that enthusiasm, availability and approachability of the teachers was the key to their success at university.

Teachers also need to be very clear when explaining assessment requirements as well as being prepared to be flexible with granting extensions where needed.

This kind of feedback clearly highlighted a need for more training of academics in both teaching and learning. Professor Devlin addressed the trend in the sector whereby teaching-focused academic positions are appointed was a step in the right direction. She added that it was a mistake to substitute for more and better teachers by putting a greater reliance on new technology.

“Technology is important, it can be very helpful and needs to be used by very skilled teachers who have constant professional development, but it isn’t the magic bullet,” said Professor Devlin.

All suggestions that inclusive teaching meant ‘dumbing down’ curriculums were soon rejected by Professor Devlin. She argued that “there is no evidence that teaching well means dumbing down the curriculum,” adding that such a view wrongly associated being under-prepared for university with a lack of intelligence or motivation.

The research team also includes Judy Nagy from Deakin, Sally Kift and Karen Nelson from the Queensland University of Technology and Liz Smith from Charles Sturt University.

To find out more about studying in Australia please visit http://www.i-studentadvisor.com/international-courses-australia.html
To find out more information about Deakin University please click here.

We’re pleased to announce that our latest i-MHS guide, detailing courses and study options within the subjects of medicine and health sciences, is now available.

These fields are some of the most popular and competitive degree subjects for international students across the world and we hope that the information contained in our 2010 guide gives you the head start you need to be ahead of the pack.

As with all our subject specific magazines, i-MHS includes course and institution information for six English speaking countries: the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand as well as some further information about study in Europe and Asia.

This issue also has a closer look at the study options available for international students in South Australia. This special section contains information about the institutions and courses on offer in Adelaide, an increasingly popular destination for international students.

As always we appreciate any comments and feedback you may have about this issue. You can have your say by getting in touch with us at editorial@i-studentadvisor.com

We’re proud to present our latest subject-specific magazine, i-LASH, for courses in the liberal arts, social sciences and humanities.

These subjects are consistently popular with international students, providing an insight into the way we live, think and experience the world around us. This issue explores a range of subjects such as history, philosophy, psychology, geography, international studies and more, with discussions on how studying such subjects can provide a fantastic education as well as open up a wealth of rewarding and inspiring career opportunities.

As always we love to hear feedback from our readers so if you want to share your thoughts on i-LASH or any of the i-studentadvisor publications you can contact us through editorial@i-studentadvisor.com

We hope you enjoy this issue and will join us again for our next subject-specific magazine, i-MHS, for courses in medicine and health science.