What makes a good international and transnational student digital experience? From lived experiences to sector advice

Digital is woven throughout the student experience 

Digital, data and technologies are central to much of today’s higher education (HE) experience. This raises issues around international students’ access to the internet, devices, software, e-texts and digital platforms. It also highlights the importance of considering cultural expectations as to how digital will be used in learning and teaching, as well as making sure students have the digital capabilities needed to reach their learning goals. 

Jisc’s international and TNE student digital experience research 

Jisc is currently in its third year of studying the digital experiences of international and transnational education (TNE) students at UK higher education institutions. This research involves Jisc working with 25+ UK higher education providers. Our shared aim is to support equitable learning and to identify where additional understanding and support benefits both international and TNE students, and the staff who teach and support them.  

• A country’s digital infrastructure shapes how people use digital technologies and access the internet. This in turn shapes which devices are most commonly used, and how digital tools are used in teaching and learning.
• International students arrive in the UK with prior digital experience that sets their expectations as to how digital is used in living and learning. The realities involved in moving to a UK-based digital culture often create digital as well as cultural shocks that can disrupt a smooth transition into UK higher education. Given that most international students are only here for a year (for postgraduate taught (PGT) courses), pre-arrival and on-arrival support can significantly benefit students by helping them understand how digital tools are used in the UK.
• There are a number of fundamental digital issues that often occur during this ‘digital border crossing’ into the UK. If UK universities do not reduce these, international students can face significant disruption, confusion and cost when arriving in the UK for their studies. These include international students paying for mobile data because they didn’t know about the availability of free Wi-Fi in the UK, issues in accessing university systems using multifactor authentication (MFA) after buying new mobile phones on arrival into the UK, and auto-generated captions on recorded lectures that fail to correctly interpret the correct subject-specific wording. 

To date we have published two reports and five thematic briefing papers, all available from our research homepage.  A number of these convert lived experiences into clear sector guidance. This includes the briefing papers entitled ‘Supporting international students’ digital experience: a checklist for providing and equitable and inclusive experience’ and ‘Sector examples of improved practice in supporting the digital experience of international students’. 

Moving to a TNE context 

In 2024-25 we moved our research focus to transnational education. We are currently working with 20+ providers to better understand the digital experiences of TNE students and the staff who teach and support them. We are close to publishing the first of two planned reports from this research phase, which will summarise the digital challenges associated with delivering transnational education (TNE). Its partner report, a summary of the primary research findings from TNE students and staff, will be published later in the year. 

Our research partner institutions are already aware of some digital challenges linked to their TNE operations, reporting: 

• Digital access concerns include problems in accessing licensed software and e-texts, inability to access fast and reliable Wi-Fi both on and off teaching sites, and difficulty logging onto virtual learning environments (VLEs).  
• Cultural concerns around digital learning and teaching relate to explaining UK HE’s perspective on issues such as generative AI, plagiarism and copyright. There are also known problems associated with explaining UK-created assessment practices and the appropriateness of UK-created teaching materials. 

Learn more about this research 

With one in five students registered at UK institutions now in transnational education, come to our breakout session at UUKi’s International Higher Education Forum on 4 June 2025 to hear how Jisc is taking a deep dive into the digital experiences of TNE students as well as the staff who teach and support them.  To follow the progress of this research and join the associated community, you can also join the Jisc mailing list. 

Join the Conversation

Discover more during the ' What makes a good international and TNE student experience?' breakout session, part of Breakout Track One, scheduled for 4th June at the International Higher Education Forum 2025, where we’ll delve deeper into these challenges and best practices. Secure your spot today and help shape an equitable digital future for all learners.