CEWIL resource hub: International student WIL at the University of British Columbia

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Pedagogy

The Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Award (WL IURA) program funds research-intensive experiences for international undergraduate students. Undergraduate research is one of the most highly desired forms of experiential education for University of British Columbia Vancouver students, and some forms of undergraduate research (e.g. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Undergraduate Student Research Awards) are not available to international students. This program provides a wage subsidy to encourage the hiring of international students. WL IURA program staff provide in-person support and digital resources to ensure students and supervisors are appropriately supported in their research experience. 

Experience

The Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Award (WL IURA) program facilitates funding of over $500,000in support of research-intensive workplace experiences. Students access mentorship from University of British Columbia (UBC) faculty supervisors, expand their networks, develop key employability and research skills, enhance self-awareness through critical reflection, and apply disciplinary knowledge in a professional workplace. This program was developed to provide international undergraduate students at UBC with an opportunity equivalent to the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC USRA) program, which is only provided to domestic undergraduate students.

Assessment

The Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Award (WL IURA) program conducts a comprehensive end-of-term survey with students and supervisors to assess the overall experience, career learning gained, skills developed, professional connections made, application of academic/disciplinary knowledge and quality of supervision. The program also conducts site visits for approximately 60% of all WL IURA positions over the summer term. Site visits include 1:1 check-ins with each student and supervisor, and then a facilitated discussion together to reflect on the experience, share key learning and identify areas for future growth. To encourage students to self-direct their learning, WL IURA provides digital resources (such as this self-assessment exercise (PDF)) that support students' career learning and help them reflect on their goals for these workplace experiences.

Reflection

At the end of the placement, all students are encouraged to complete end-of-term reflection questions to reflect on their experience and provide feedback on the experience to their supervisor. The program also provides students and supervisors with resources to prompt and guide reflection on the experience including:

Reflective activities are integrated into in-person workshops and online newsletters distributed to all Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Award (WL IURA) students and supervisors. All WL IURA students and supervisors are also required to complete an end-of-term survey. This robust assessment tool prompts further reflection on the attainment of the program’s core student learning outcomes.

Key success factors

  • In addition to supporting students, the Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Award (WL IURA) program provides ongoing support to supervisors through all phases of strategic budget planning, submitting a proposal and the holistic design of a workplace experience, as well as in developing their supervisory skills.
  • All WL IURA opportunities are posted on University of British Columbia CareersOnline, which gives students an opportunity to look for the role best suited to their values, interests and goals for career and/or academic learning.
  • The WL IURA program works closely with the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers to align workshop offerings on career skills, increase career advising and coaching availabilities over the course of the application period, and ensure access to resources for specific student identity demographics (i.e. students with disabilities (PDF), Indigenous students, LGTBQ+ students (PDF)) as they search for opportunities.
  • This program is positioned within the Workplace Learning portfolio as a key work-integrated learning experience that can support students in their career learning and development of transferable and professional skills. It shows students that they can still gain professional workplace experience through a research opportunity. This is especially important for students who want to pursue a career within the academy or within research.

Unique characteristics

  • The Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Award (WL IURA) program provides high-impact research experiences for international undergraduates at University of British Columbia (UBC).
  • The WL IURA program provides faculty members with low-cost funding opportunities to hire students. Faculty members must submit an application for a proposed research opportunity through UBC CareersOnline. This includes a basic outline of the research project, how this opportunity will help contribute to advancing the research, and how the experience will support the program’s student learning outcomes. These applications are reviewed centrally and by each of the committees within each of the first-year admitting faculties. The research opportunities that receive funding are posted through UBC CareersOnline and available for international undergraduate students to apply.
  • The communication around this program and funding decisions are handled by representatives within each of the first-year admitting faculties at UBC.

Challenges

  • The key challenges of this program are related to the cross-cultural aspects, which adds a level of complexity to the process.
  • It's difficult to develop clear, mutually beneficial partnerships with placement organizations, and this work is usually done over the phone or email because of the distance.
  • There's a geographical challenge associated with having students around the world; although every effort is made to keep students safe, the risks are higher.

Resources