The Australian Academic Experience: An International Student’s Autoethnography in Favour of the Flipped Classroom Approach

Abstract Australia is a popular destination for Indian students seeking higher education. With its strong academic reputation and student-friendly immigration policies, Australia has maintained its position as one of the world’s top three education-exporting nations. In this autoethnographic chapter, the author aims to share the author’s personal experience studying in Australia, offering a brief comparative account of the author’s academic journey in India, the author’s home country, and Australia. The author advocates for the Australian education system, which prioritises student-centric learning through a flipped classroom approach where students are responsible for their learning. This approach encourages students to become active learners and fosters peer cohesion and camaraderie. The author also highlights external factors, such as the lack of a social support structure for international students, language barriers and challenges like racism, which inadvertently affect the educational experience. The chapter explores how developing human capital requires concurrent growth in one’s human and psychological capital to thrive with an international qualification. The author’s narrative examines a flipped classroom approach that builds on both human and psychological capital, providing insights for future students considering Australia as a study destination and for tertiary educators, student counsellors and policymakers to understand the lived experiences of international students better.