The third Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Forum was held at Queen’s University Belfast with a focus on the awarding gap experienced by international students in the School of Law. Building on the success of the first two events, the Forum continued Queen’s commitment to strengthening equity and inclusion in teaching, learning and student experience.

The session opened with remarks from Mórrigan McEvoy, QUB Students Officer Accessible Education, and Dr Liang Wang, Language Support Officer and Forum organiser. They acknowledged International Students’ Day (17 November), invited participants to join in the wider celebration, and reaffirmed the university’s ongoing support for international students.

Prof Ciaren Grahman, Dean of Education in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, delivered the opening address, welcoming attendees and encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue between staff and students to explore the awarding gap and its wider implications. Although unable to attend in person, Prof Shuang Ren, former Director of the DEIB Committee at Queen’s Business School, and Dr Bee-Yen Toh, Co-Chair of the iRise Staff Network, also extended their warm welcomes. Both expressed their hope for strengthened collegial relationships and more proactive partnership-building arising from the discussions within this Forum.

Introduced by Dr Victoria Barnes, Associate Dean of Education, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr Gift Sotonye-Frank and Dr Zi Yang from the School of Law presented their research on closing the awarding gap between home and international students. The difference was found not to relate to academic ability, but rather to differing levels of familiarity with academic expectations, conventions, and available support when adjusting to a new cultural and educational environment.

Discussion during the Forum highlighted several key themes:

• The need for continued enhancement of curriculum and assessment design to reflect diverse learning backgrounds.
• The importance of language and academic skills support as integral to student success.
• The value of intercultural awareness, mentoring, and collaborative engagement across Schools, services and student communities.
• The necessity of creating learning environments in which all students feel a strong sense of belonging and empowerment.

The Forum reaffirmed Queen’s commitment to supporting international students not only in accessing a high-quality education but in succeeding within it. Continued reflection, sharing of good practice, and cross-institution collaboration will guide future efforts to build inclusive academic frameworks that enable all students to thrive.

Photographers: Liang Wang / Qingying Lin

The presenters welcome further contact regarding their research. Colleagues and students are invited to continue the conversation by sharing their thoughts, comments, suggestions or general feedback in the Reply box below.