How to tell a good story: A step-by-step guide on using vignettes in teaching international students

Despite a slight drop (4%), the UK remains in its boom in international student recruitment with over 700,000 international students in 2023/24. However, concerns on the quality of higher education internationalisation emerge. To enhance inclusivity in classrooms and facilitate diverse learning needs from international students with different backgrounds, more nuanced and culturally sensitive tools and pedagogical approaches are arguably needed. Using an autoethnographic approach, we explored the use of vignettes in teaching international students and identified key components in vignette construction and delivery. In this paper, we also proposed a step-by-step framework – Vignette Applications in Teaching (VAT) guide – to guide the effective construction and delivery of vignettes in teaching international students. It exemplifies the effectiveness of using vignettes as a culturally sensitive tool in inclusive and creative pedagogical development, and also aims to enhance international (also home/domestic) students’ intercultural competence and globally diverse campus environment building.Despite a slight drop (4%), the UK remains in its boom in international student recruitment with over 700,000 international students in 2023/24. However, concerns on the quality of higher education internationalisation emerge. To enhance inclusivity in classrooms and facilitate diverse learning needs from international students with different backgrounds, more nuanced and culturally sensitive tools and pedagogical approaches are arguably needed. Using an autoethnographic approach, we explored the use of vignettes in teaching international students and identified key components in vignette construction and delivery. In this paper, we also proposed a step-by-step framework – Vignette Applications in Teaching (VAT) guide – to guide the effective construction and delivery of vignettes in teaching international students. It exemplifies the effectiveness of using vignettes as a culturally sensitive tool in inclusive and creative pedagogical development, and also aims to enhance international (also home/domestic) students’ intercultural competence and globally diverse campus environment building.