Expectations in Transition: Students’ and Teachers’ Expectations of University in an International Branch Campus

In the Asian context, when students transition from pre-university to an International Branch Campus of a Western university, they tend to experience significant differences in a number of areas in their first-year university lives. Because of the different educational cultures, students and teachers may have different expectations on the academic culture of university. If a misalignment of these expectations occurs, the potential for a negative learning and teaching experience is likely to increase. This article attempts to identify the gaps between the two parties to circumvent the potential problems that come with it. A survey was conducted with 728 first-year students and 124 teachers who teach first-year subjects at a Western university international branch campus in Malaysia. The results show that significant gaps exist in their expectations on course content, responsiveness, assessment support aspects, and concern for student. These findings warrant attention from the home campus as well as the branch campus. Some suggestions are offered to address these gaps in expectations.