Critical review and reimagining of experiences of navigating higher education for Indigenous and International students in post COVID Australia 

Scope of study: This paper contributes a novel perspective to the literature on the Indigenous and international student experiences at higher education institutions. It does so by conducting a comparative review of the literature on the experiences of these two cohorts at Australian universities. The paper focuses on the manner preparatory programs and other university-wide support programs and strategies enable students to navigate and address various challenges they may face across several areas. These include an understanding of the role and benefits of education support that is available to them, an initial welcome and settlement support to integrate into their new environments; cultural orientation to the country and the region international students are commencing their studies in; ongoing support to achieve and maintain an overall well-being, as well as information and support to find employment.
Significance and aims: The two key motivations for adopting the comparative perspective is that the recent literature has not yet recognised the many shared characteristics and needs of these two cohorts. We propose that recognising and understanding these commonalities could help universities develop more effective support strategies and programs that would be based on learning from the Indigenous to international contexts and vice versa. The other key motivation is that the studies, which were released in the second part of the 2020 when COVID-19 still had a stronghold globally, suggest that Indigenous and international students returning to class in the late and post-COVID-19 environments are likely to need more and better tailored forms of support in order to thrive academically and have an on-going sense of well-being.
Research design: the authors draw on the existing literature and personal experiences of being Indigenous and International students and academics. We critically review the available literature with a view to (a) establish the variations in the characteristics and needs of these two groups, (b) where the types of assistance and support already overlap, and (c) what strategies, approaches and programs are currently offered to support one of these groups only, and which could be extended or adapted to the other.