COVID-19 and the learning, teaching, assessment, and personal experiences of UK-based international students during lockdown

COVID-19 has brought challenges to the education systems globally. This chapter aims to examine the impact of the pandemic crisis from the viewpoint of international students. This involves a survey-based descriptive study distributed during lockdown to international students studying at UK universities. Students were affected by raised stress and anxiety levels, particularly female PhD students who identified as having lower levels of resilience than their male counterparts and other cohorts. International students perceived positive issues resulting from the experience, for example, the use of digital assessments and online interaction, as well as negative issues including lack of support and poor communication. Implications include improving communications, training, time allocation for educators, support for students lacking adequate ICT software and connectivity, and provision of key support for mental health.