Explore resources to help provide culturally responsive and supportive supervision for International graduate students navigating academic and cross-cultural transitions. Effective supervision recognizes the unique experiences, expectations, and challenges International students may face. This section offers tools, strategies, and examples to support inclusive practices that foster trust, belonging, and academic success. Whether you are a supervisor or a student, you’ll find guidance on building culturally aware relationships, communicating across differences, and accessing university and community supports.
- Read the YorkU Strong Start to Supervision: An International Student Companion Guide. It aims to bring awareness to the unique aspects of the International graduate student experience while fostering open dialogue between supervisor and student. The Companion Guide is structured around the phases that International graduate students follow from pre-arrival to pre-graduation in order to provide the supervisor with a complete picture of their experiences.
- Read the Well-being Through the Supervisory Process: A Supervisor Guide for Action (.pdf). This guide provides a framework to intentionally consider how the supervisory process impacts the physical, social, and mental well-being of graduate students. From SFU.
Embedding Culturally Diverse Perspectives
Using readings, resources, examples, case studies, models and data from around the world can help to integrate a wider range of perspectives and knowledge. Reference to international contexts and issues, global contemporary practices, or the exploration of professional practice in different cultures can support students to explore graduate program content through a global lens.
Academic Norms and Expectations
This refers to the implicit norms and expectations that we may have in relation to student behaviour and performance. This may include expectations related to in-class behaviour and participation e.g. expecting students to ask questions, be respectful when discussing sensitive topics, critically analyze and challenge different perspectives or ideas or assuming background cultural knowledge and norms that shape group work dynamics or student-supervisor interactions.
These implicit expectations also apply to assessment e.g. the conventions related to essay-writing in Canadian higher education, the capacity to engage in critical thinking and demonstrate analytical skills.
Developing self-awareness in relation to the largely unstated expectations we have of our students is an important first step. Students may be supported in developing a better understanding of Canadian academic culture using clearly written guidance of our expectations of students as well as creating in-class opportunities for peer-to-peer and peer-supervisor discussion about assessment.
Clear assessment criteria and rubrics, the sharing of assessment exemplars and peer review of assessment can support all students to develop a stronger understanding of academic norms and expectations.
Intercultural Competence and Communication
Intercultural competence refers to the ability to communicate effectively with those from different cultural backgrounds. Studying, working and researching with people from around the world is increasingly the norm in higher education spaces and in workplaces. Building intercultural competence is key to ensuring our graduates can work effectively to solving the complex global challenges of the twenty-first century.
Exchange of Knowledge and Ideas
Intercultural learning creates opportunities for students to share and exchange knowledge with people from different cultures. Designing teaching, learning and assessment strategies that enable students to learn from each other’s experiences, perspectives and knowledge can build cross-cultural understanding, intercultural competence and communication.
Focus on Students as Learners
Inclusive curriculum design values the diversity of students’ previous knowledge, experiences, perspectives and skills and embeds opportunities for all students to draw on their cultural backgrounds and learn from others.
Provide Context-specific Information and Support
The teaching and learning environment is not a culturally-neutral space. Students bring a range of interpretations and assumptions to the setting. Supervisors need to be as clear as possible about their expectations of students in relation to behaviour as well as academic performance including transparency and clarity in relation to assessment criteria. This will include a range of disciplinary expectations such as critical thinking, appropriate referencing and analysis of relevant literature.
Ensure that student information and requirements are appropriate to the needs and contexts in which teaching and learning takes place e.g. online, in-person, blended, overseas, undergraduate, postgraduate, etc.
Be Adaptive, Flexible and Responsive to Evidence
Consider strategies to gather data and evaluate the impact of intercultural curriculum design on students from diverse cultural and/or linguistic backgrounds. This may support faculty in assessing the impacts of interventions and/or identify particular patterns of achievement among student cohorts.
Respect and Adjust for Diversity
Respecting and adjusting for diversity means recognizing multicultural classrooms as an educational asset, allowing students to share, exchange and draw upon diverse perspectives, knowledge and experiences. Using group work and designing culturally-responsive assessment that values the prior knowledge and skills that students bring to the classroom and can support a more inclusive learning environment for all.
Facilitate Meaningful Intercultural Dialogue and Engagement
Create opportunities for students to interact with others from diverse backgrounds and share and exchange a range of cultural perspectives on subject matter.
Prepare Students for Life in a Globalized World
We are preparing graduates for a globalized world where intercultural and international knowledge, skills and attitudes are crucial to solving the complex challenges of the twenty-first century. Embedding graduate attributes related to global citizenship can ensure that diversity is recognized as a valuable asset to support the knowledge and skills that students need to flourish in our globalized world.
Leask, B., and Carroll, J. 2013. Good Practice Principles in Practice: teaching across cultures (.pdf) from the International Education Association of Australia.
O’Sullivan, D. C., & Quilty, D. A. (2025). How can I design my curriculum to promote intercultural learning?. How Can I Promote Intercultural Learning in My Teaching?
- Read Preparing for the Canadian Classroom (.pdf).
- Visit Arriving in Toronto and York University for information on essential topics for students beginning their studies.
- Visit the Graduate-level International Students page at the YorkU International Centre.
- Visit Immigration Overview for general information at YorkU and visit Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website for the most authoritative source of information related to immigration.
- Read the Resources Guide for Academic Success (.pdf) from York International.
- Visit Staying Healthy and Health Services for programs and services such a health insurance, medical services, adapting to life in Canada and stress management and mental health.
- Visit Work and Finances for information related to budgeting, taxes, personal finances, scholarships and working in Canada.