The silent consumer: foreign students in U.K.'s library and information science programmes

Abstract

The relevance of professional education for library and information science studies in developed countries for students from developing countries is examined. The reasons for studying in the U.K. are lack of indigenous programmes; provision of scholarships; and the prestige attached to studying overseas. The relevance of the curriculum is reviewed against the different infrastructure of developed and developing countries. Foreign students expectations are examined, together with computer literacy, staff-student interactions, and the social environment. There are three schools regarding appropriate education: students should only take basic courses and exclude IT; students should take IT courses in order to bring home countries up to contemporary standards; or students should only study at indigenous institutions. Successful study in a developed country is based on students' personality traits; academic counselling; students' perception of their academic programmes; lecturers' perception of foreign students; and availability of library and computer facilities. There is a need for LIS studies to be internationalized for students from different countries.